For the SQ and build quality, I thought US$1199 wasn't too much to ask for. In fact, the price/performance ratio competes very well with cans like the ZMF Aeolus. I guess it's the lack of marketing/exposure + the Steve (@Musiqlovr) saga effect. If only the few well-established youtube reviewers...

Just took delivery of a pair of HP-3. Tested a few songs and found out that there's some issues with the left driver. On certain low frequencies and certain songs, a rather obvious buzzing sound could be heard. This is super annoying. Issue is most apparent on "My Girl" by Patricia Barber...

I got them directly from the distributor via the official website.

Thanks for the recommendations. I've gone ahead to purchase a brand new pair of Ebony HP-3 at what I believe is a rather attractive price (SGD 789, which is about USD 580). On a side note, regarding bass quantity + soundstage, I've heard people saying that the AB-1266 reminds them of the LCD-4...

Thanks guys! I'll probably go audition both TH909 and HP-3!!

Thanks for your inputs and suggestions, Roderick! 1. I haven't tried removing the white filter and don't plan on doing so as I don't want to lose any of the low end. Very interesting FRs though! 2. I've tried the TH900 but found that it has less punch and slam compared to the Cascade. Perhaps I...

I currently own a CA Cascade and really like the extremely V-shaped sound signature. However, it being a closed-back headphone, one thing I dislike was that the sound felt boxed-in and claustrophobic. Which open-back headphone has the closest sound signature to something like a Cascade/TH900...

Anyone encountered oxidation (like pic below) on the metal headband?

The Hugo 2 will drive your Empyrean with absolute ease and performance. I don't think an additional amp is necessary for this case, unless you are also using other hard to drive cans. I would say the Hugo 2 by itself is pretty on the brim of running out of steam driving the Arya when listening...

I just got myself an A90 recently to team up with my Hugo 2 and Arya. In fact, I would go out on a limb here and say that the A90 sounds very very similar to the Eddie Current Black Widow v1 (which I'd since sold because of limited desk space). Yes, my avatar actually is a picture of the BW...

Definitely! Individuals will surely have their own audio perception and they aren't all the same. Interestingly, Darko (in one of his videos) once described Empyrean as a goldilocks headphone using a beverage analogy: HD800S - A weak cup of filtered coffee Empyrean - Cuppucino with a strong...

Curious to know in your opinion how big is the gap between the SE and Susvara in terms of sonic difference?

Did a brief A/B on both. The Empy sounded noticeably more muffled/veiled compared to Arya. I did not do any further comparisons on other sonic aspects (e.g. bass, tonality etc) as the moment I realized that the Empy couldn't keep up with the Arya on clarity, it had failed my test. A pity as I...