I have HP-3 and NFB-15. Keep the gain on the low setting if you have it. The HP-3 is very easy to drive and Audio-gd gear puts out lots of power.

I have both HE-500 and K550. The K550 is better for sound leakage when around other people, easier to drive, and is a lighter phone if you are in for a long session. In all other aspects, the HE-500 is superior in every way if properly driven. Notably the soundstage, bass, and mids of the...

Mini-XLR is a small niche for headphone cables. Amazon has some from Cable Matters. Search for "mini xlr to 3.5mm cable". You could have the best of both worlds if you go with the AKG EK500S coiled cable. Its short but stretches long when needed. B&H sells them. I actually have one somewhere I...

Do you have a version with a detachable cable or one that's hardwired?

I got tired of my junk earbud headset working from home for COVID, so I...

For phone use, all you need is the USB-C OTG cable and you must use USB Audio Player Pro to let the DAC handle all of the work. S10 user here. For Windows, you will need to use software that can bypass the Windows direct sound software layer or else the DAC is not playing the music file...

I sold mine on eBay in January for $300 with free S&H. That was the headphone with original box and accessories, all in pristine condition. I bundled a DIY cable with it too. I tried to sell them on head-fi but got no takers. The flood of K7XX on the market makes it difficult to sell.

3.5mm jack fixed all my cable woes on my gen 1 K550.

I'm pretty sure the HP-3 has been discontinued. I ordered the walnut model from an online store but received the ebony model. When I contacted them they said the walnut was unavailable and they weren't getting any more. My choice was either refund or keep the ebony. I kept the ebony.

Some more Cobalt info here: https://darko.audio/2019/07/a-short-film-about-the-audioquest-dragonfly-cobalt/ Stereophile is also doing a giveaway: https://www.stereophile.com/content/audioquest-dragonfly-cobalt-portable-usb-dac-sweepstakes

You'd probably have to DIY to get below $100. Is that a possibility?

You could always buy my mine. Posted in the classified section. :beyersmile:

If anyone is looking for T1 spare parts or has the skill to transplant a USB board in a T1, I've posted mine for sale: https://www.head-fi.org/threads/fs-aune-t1-mk1-usb-dac-not-working-amplifier-does-work.899763/

I just noticed Brainwavz now sells the XL pads in micro suede. That puts the number of Brainwavz pad material choices at six. Anybody try them on the K55x or have a guess how they might compare to the other materials?

Yeah, already tried on different PC. Do they sell the USB PCB part? Maybe I could do a full cap upgrade while I'm in there. Otherwise, I may have a bunch of T1 tubes to sell.