These are good (budget friendly). 6p6s and 6n9s

I can't fathom why would anyone want more bass than AO. With a good tube amp (Aegis) it has all bass I could possibly want.

price drop

I got some nice tubes (all 4 of them) from Ukraine. Excellent sound ( warmer than KT66 ) if your ears are treble sensitive.

Yes, it is. You can get pure silver cable for much less. I got mine from Lavricable. Not that I can hear any difference but YMMV.

Soundwise full size headphones are better. IEMs are great for enjoying music outside.

Isn't 6P14P EL84 equivalent?

Aegis works very well with Caldera. https://www.head-fi.org/threads/aegis-diy-tube-headphone-amplifier.965530/page-146#post-18026365 It needs different tubes though.

I guess they overdid bass elevation on AC? Nothing a bit of EQ can't fix. I like bass on my AO (Bubinga) - it doesn't need EQ in my opinion.

I have a pair of 6SL7GT JAN SYLVANIA GREEN BAD BOY. They are nice tubes but a bit pricey ( 140 gbp )

ZMF Caldera

There is no need to buy another amp if you don't want to spend 1000$. Most of audiophile equipment are just "expensive toys for expensive boys". :L3000:

You didnt like your Aeolus? :cry:

If you want warmer sound go for tubes. High impedance headphones sound great with tubes. I just tried to compare RME-2 with Aegis. My Atriums sound better on Aegis but it isn't life changing improvement. Kimono Kaleidoscope by Circular sounds more holographic (bigger soundstage) on Aegis.