I did not find that the Matrix degraded performance at all. It enhanced it, I found.

I am not aware that any one laptop is better than another as an audio transport. I do not believe that there are any differences between USB 2 and USB 3 for this purpose. I have found that a good, dedicated (i.e. audio-only) computer as a means of storing on an SSD and playing (with the...

It's not about the signal being "clean", but about it being musical. There is room for huge scepticism about the tweaks that we are talking about here, but I have found that it is not about theory but about practice. The issue is what works. What matters is not how many clocks there are in a...

I use the JCAT XE PCIE card's USB output to go direct to the Matrix X-SPDIF 2 (via the Tellurium Q Black Diamond). I also happen to have the Matrix USB PCIE card, the Element H, and that is used in a streaming-only computer (i.e. not my main CAT) to go to a different DAC. Since writing the post...

Two things in response to the last two posts: in short, (1) I still find the Sig Pro to be a great headphone, and recently have sort of verified it objectively, and (2) I have recently replaced the earpads cheaply and so effectively that I prefer what I have now to the original ones. Regarding...

It's a long time since I have posted on head-fi, but I have in the last few years been developing several CATs (i.e. computer audio transports) for use both in my speaker-focused system and my headphone-focused system. I have found that there is no single answer to the best way to get the...

They are now about 10 years old, and with the new headband they feel as good as new. Reasonably solid, yes. They sound good with the right input too. The Fostex TH-900 was their replacement, after Denon stopped rebranding Fostex headphones.

I had to guess about how to fit it, as it came with no instructions, but it was definitely the right thing.

Here is one.

Some time later, I know, but I have some AH-D7000 headphones, and the headband on them recently got very flaky. I bought a cheap supposed replacement on eBay, but it was no good: it was too small and obviously not the right thing. So, I took a chance and (because I knew that Fostex made the...

The Sig Pro has more bass, comparatively speaking, than the Pro 900. The Pro 900 has (to my ears) piercing treble, so I turn it down (well, when I last used it, which was some time ago, I turned the volume down) and the bass, compared with the Sig Pro, is less strong for the same volume of...

I started to use the Oyaide cable because to my ears they were not bright enough with the stock cable. But then again I have had (and still have) the HD800, the Stax SR 404 LE, and the Beyer T1, so I have a sense of what else is available - and all of those are brighter than the SP, even when...

No; the Sig Pro has a plug with a push and twist fit. It is comparable to (but not quite the same as) the plug for the Sennheiser HD598/HD558/HD518. Using a cable for the latter works with the Sig Pro, but it does not click into place. It stays in place, but it is not as secure as the original...

Sorry; please see following post.