One thing for sure, the T-shirt is definitely going to generate questions from my non headphone loving friends. :)

That’s what I did with my Yggdrasil. XLR to one amp, RCA to the other.

I’ve never heard a Chord DAC, but Chord’s reputation is outstanding. Looking forward to your opinion of the WA7 vs the HP8. To my tastes the output impedance on the WA7 is too high to work well with the Clear (Bass too loose for me) but perfect for the Atrium and 800

Good call (IMHO). The biggest difference I noticed was a step up in imaging.

Errr Win I guess? 😆

I find the U22 a hair fatiguing on my SS amp, but I think for me it’s because the resolution and imaging are so good that it demands a lot of brain engagement to process all the musical information I’m getting. It’s not really an issue on my tube amps with their lower resolution. The efficiency...

BBQ Yes! Any recommendations?

In my experience, the ‘22 Utopia is a remarkably well balanced headphone in terms of timbre and frequency response. Its impedance is high enough for most transformer coupled tube amps (and fine with pretty much any SS amp). It’s also very efficient so it’s easy to drive. Outside of transformer...

Predicting the future is risky business, but I suspect that over time these sorts of events build buzz and attendance so my bet is more people than last year. In any case, I’ll be right pleased if it isn’t crowded / noisy. I’m really looking forward to checking out ZMF’s newest flagships as...

What’s your budget?

Didn’t make as much of a difference as I hoped. Dropped the temp by about 10 degrees F and I was hoping for more like 20. I’m temped to make one with a couple 120mm fans, but I’ve got so many projects in the pipeline that I probably won’t bother. As you say, it’s not really that hot.

In my experience, it’s a very quiet amp. If I crank the volume all the way up in high gain, I get a little hum, but it’s a tube amp so that’s pretty typical

What nerds do when they’re bored- I 3D printed a chimney for my MJ3 to see if it would run cooler: It kind of worked- Temperature without chimney was around 134F With chimney it’s around 124 F.

Nice set-up. My limited experience with a T+A DAC is that it’s outstanding.

This is like, “I haven’t had a drink for many, many years.” :) On the bright side, the tech has moved forward quite a bit (along with prices). If you haven’t listened to any recent flagships you’ll be impressed.

Yggy LIM -> Schiit Folkvangr -> Utopia 22 This combo doesn’t work on everything, but it sure does with this movie soundtrack version of a battle song. The combo also works well with stringed instruments.

Ouch! I am sorry. Hopefully the gear can be repaired for a reasonable cost.

Looking forward to hearing your impression.

Flight and hotel booked. Willing to volunteer as well. 2nd show for me too. Looking forward to checking out the Caldera and Atrium. Dunno if ai’m going to buy anything but still fun to look

To add to what @up late said, you’re in summit-fi territory and both sound good. Getting maximum benefit out of either requires consideration of the upstream gear and personal taste. Depending on what you’re connecting to, either, neither or both may suit you.

I’ve visited SoCal. Are you sure it’s mild and dry? I seem to remember the weather being (a rather pleasant) 70-75 in January. What is it in the summer?

Hike today in the mountains.. Felt like 55-60

Hopefully the pad goo is a hot weather problem and not something I have to worry about. We had a record high yesterday. I think it was 76 F

That was my end solution- an excellent SS amp and an excellent tube amp.

One of the reasons I like the HD800 with a tube amp is the higher output impedance on the tube amp boosts the bass. A tube pre-amp would help with any excessive brightness or graininess in the treble, but would likely have a small impact on the bass. That’s just my preference though so yea...