Very true (*I am a Grand Seiko owner ;) ), though largely irrelevant until you expand the analogy to predict more players in the audiophile/vinyl space entering the market from all around the world to get a piece of the pie. The point is, I think there is a very real roadmap for the vinyl...

I can hardly think of any higher praise. They should quote this on the marketing images. :)

Yes. My tarnished ZMF Verite cable (I have no idea how it managed to become oxidized inside the cable casing) can confirm this. (I would post a picture, but I am currently listening to Caldera with this cable as it [apparently?] does not degrade sound quality) It is the IMPLICATION that...

Nice impressions, thanks. :) What I see here is history repeating from the Nutopia launch. Better in some ways, equal or less in others. Probably not an immediate upgrade for OG owners, but definitely something new buyers should consider before making any decision. I still say the MSRP is a...

Agreed. Swiss watch number of units sold has never approached what it was before the quartz crisis, but the net revenue of those watch sales today is higher than it ever was. Back when vinyl was basically all that there was a record cost what? $3? $5? Maybe $10 in the 80s? Records routinely...

Nope, electric guitarists single-handedly kept the tube world alive long before we audiophiles got involved. They LIVE FOR that even-order distortion. ;)

We're on the same page, then. In any case, I am so blissfully happy with my RCA dual black plates that I fortunately feel no inclination to go down that rabbit hole myself. ;)

Immanii? The collective plural would be "a ribbon of Immanii" ;)

Audeze definitely had a map, it led right to being acquired by Sony. :wink: Seriously, though, Audeze's lcd-5 was a huge leap forward in both design/ergonomics and neutrality. I think we haven't seen any further steps along that path since then because Sony is more interested in capturing a...

Yes! I've often wished WE would make a 2A3. It's so closely related to their famous 300B it would make sense, though I suppose the market for 2A3s is negligible compared to 300Bs. I recently bought the Shanling ET3, because it turns out I actually own a surprising number of CDs from the 90's...

Do they really sound different? My understanding is that the single plate variant was made for a year or two until they realized that the single plate was prone to failure and a dual plate version was introduced for redundance & reliability. The high cost of NOS single plates being more a...

IMHO the vinyl resurgence is a parallel to the rise of the luxury watch industry after the quartz crisis of the 1970s. Suddenly, access to [music/watches] becomes cheap and easy, and anyone can get anything they want anytime they want for virtually no money. It all becomes very watered down...

That's a really helpful response, thanks. :) I have a thorough understanding of why certain tube amps are "better" than other tube amps, but I am stumped when it comes to "TOTL" solid state amps. I guess I need to go deeper down that rabbit hole (even if only to maybe find there is no THERE...

Shou sugi ban excellence FTW! :fire::volcano:😍

Translation: if you're looking for a REALLY great bargain on a OG Susvara, now is the time to buy. Before the Sus Unveiled hype wears off and the panic sellers go back to a more sane price for a pre-owned Sus-OG. I can't FATHOM that the actual value of a Sus-OG is $3K. Then again, the value...

I don't understand this. I understand the perceptual advantage of a zero feedback amp over a nested feedback design, and I understand the perceptual advantage of class a vs class a/b, and I understand the perceptual advantage of a discrete point-to-point design vs a chip/circuitboard design...

I am admittedly one of those plebians. ;) I am a wine lover (drinking a fine chardonnay right now!), but try as I might I just cannot find a strong correlation between cost and quality. I've had many a $100+ bottles of wine from France, Australia, etc. that were no better than my tried-n-true...

"Susvara Arya Grilled" doesn't have the same marketing ring as "Susvara UNVEILED" ;)

I think this is a great point. If "uncolored" was the summit of hifi, then studio monitors would be the $250K speakers in the 2-channel world. But they aren't. The OBSCENELY expensive speakers are the ones that present the sound in a particularly pleasing way, NOT the most "neutral" way...

Don't just do it for the sake of doing it, do it only if you really find (and can GET) the ZMF of your dreams. They won't sound materially different, so it's only worth it if it's a MAJOR aesthetic upgrade for you. Speaking from experience, I waited a few years, knowing what my 'dream ZMF'...

This, very much this. I've tried to use Legend EVO on my commute, but no matter how much better those drivers sound than my Bose TWS, they are just no substitute for active noise cancelling on the subway. I am [im]patiently waiting for the day that someone (probably Noble Audio?) finally...

...they like it better, but if said person is listening to acoustic jazz or german techno plays a HUGE part in which pairing they find "better". I *LOVE* Sus-OG on Stellaris, which most people would say is not capable of adequately driving it. But listening to acoustic jazz, the spaciousness...

Yeah, @JCworld under $4K I don't think you can get better than Holo Bliss. Also, while I understand this list was originally compiled based on actual mentions in this thread, I am a bit surprised to not see Wells Audio Headtrip II on it. I'm under the impression that Headtrip would rank right...