I know there are some end-game tube amps that are best with dynamics, and some that are best with planars, but is there something that works equally well with both? I mostly listen to the HE1000, but also want it to play well with the HD800 and ZMFs. Considering WA33, but would like to hear...

I am really enjoying my ZMF Atrium. Is there a cheaper headphone that delivers similar crunchiness, richness, robust sound? Something I can bring to work? Open or closed is fine.

I've always been a regular headphone person and putting something in my ears just didn't appeal. But if I could find something like an HE1000SE in IEM format, that would help me in quite a few situations. I've been here for 20 years and owned almost everything, until recently, the HD800S and...

If you had $1,000 to spend on a tube amp that would be great with high-impedance dynamics (HD6XX, HD800S) and low-impedance planars (Edition XS, HE1000SE), what would you get? Willing to spend a tiny bit extra, but nothing extravagant.

I am interested in trying a tube amp with my Susvaras, and I know there are some good options (Riviera AIC-10, Woo WA33, Felix Envy, Auris Nirvana), but they're all in the megabucks territory. Is there a "budget" option that will give me a taste of what the best tubes have to offer over solid...

I have a USB DAC that I like very much, and would like to be able to use it with my CD transport. Unfortunately, it only has a USB input. Is there any way to convert my transport's coaxial output to the DAC's USB input? (I know there are plenty of devices that go the other way.) Thanks for any...

I have recently discovered how much I enjoy the Hifiman HE1000SE. I love the airy presentation, the detail, the layering, the openness. In fact, I like it just as much as my Susvara. But I won't be bringing it to work, where I spend a lot of time listening to music. I've always used the HD6XX...

Now that the song is stuck in your head, I want to ask about timbre in high-end headphones. For perspective, I am a former professional classical musician, and I still have season tickets to the orchestra (actually, multiple), chamber music, opera, etc. I go to classical concerts at least once a...

I love my HD800s, but sometimes need something with better isolation and less sound leak. Is there a closed alternative that will provide similar high-quality sound (even if it's not the same kind of sound). I've been looking primarily at: ZMF Verite Closed Audeze LCD-XC Focal Stellia...

I am looking for a DAC + Preamp + Headphone Amp. I would like a good solid-state DAC (don't really need DSD, but it's a plus) with at least a USB input. I would like to run it direct to my power amp for speaker listening, so it must have a volume control, and analog inputs as well. I prefer a...

I am looking for a good DAC + balanced headphone amp (4-pin XLR), and it must also have a single-ended output. I know there is the Senn HDVD800 on the horizon, but is there something else I should be looking at? Ideally, it would be something with a small footprint (something like the...

In the last few weeks, there have been a bunch of people in the "high-end audio forum" here on head-fi asking: "how do I know if my Audeze LCD-3 is the defective veiled version or the good version"? This question has come from people who are both new to the hobby, and those who've been around...

Over the last few years, and after talking to a bunch of audio engineer / designer types, I've generally come around to a more numbers-oriented, blind-testing based, objective view that was espoused by the Audio Critic (and now by people like NwAvGuy).  There are plenty of threads here (and all...

I don't come to this forum often, but I was hoping to get some advice on a good amp / dac combo for an AKG Q701.  My wife just got an office job and appropriated my headphones, but she doesn't have an amp or a DAC and has been running them straight out of her computer.  I would like to get her...

I had an interesting, and a somewhat depressing, conversation today with a famous engineer and speaker designer.  This guy knows more about electronics and electrical engineering than I can ever hope to forget.  Conversation turned to cables at one point, and I told him that I was not a "cable...

It's been a long time since I've owned a tube amp (Singlepower soured me on the whole tube experience), so I haven't really kept up with many of the recent tube offerings.  But I'm getting the itch again, as my HD800 sounding a little harsher and brighter than I want it to sound.  (I know...

Just curious, what headphone amp meets his criteria.  Obviously, it would be solid state and fairly cheap, but just curious what amp is the equivalent of Bryson, et. al. (i.e. something that measures perfectly and provides lots of clean power).  I assume he would recommend something like a...

Many years ago, when I was only a couple years into this hobby, I owned a Meridian 588.24 CD Player.  It had a very pleasing, musical, liquidy sound, while still being fairly detailed and clear.  Then, foolishly, I sold it and have continuosly upgraded to better (i.e. more expensive) players --...

Just came across this box set on Amazon -- a 35-CD set that includes pretty much any ballet you will want to hear for $90. A good deal on a collection that includes some amazing music.

So I keep reading about components that are "musical," smooth, organic, etc. versus those that are overly detailed or precise or sterile or dry or some other adjective carrying a negative connotation. In the latter category, you hear about companies like Esoteric, Wadia, Benchmark, Sony...

Has anybody heard this CD player? I'm a huge Bryston fan; their amps are as good as anything else out there. How about this CD player? How does it measure up against the big boys (Esoteric, Krell, Wadia, dCs, etc.)?

The Audio Critic used to do lists of the good guys and bad guys in audio. He hasn't done in a while, and I'm curious if there are any new players that should go on the good guys list. I'm looking for companies like Bryston that make products with long warranties, products that measure and...

In his review of the Benchmark DAC1 last month, the audio critic goes through all the measurements, specs, etc., and concludes with: Quote: The Sound I am adding this paragraph strictly for the sake of my newer readers. The old regulars know exactly my position regarding the...

Does a certain amp match up better to a certain headphone, or is the headphone completely irrelevant so long as the amp has low output impedance, high input impedance, low distortion, and a flat frequency chart? I am looking for an amp to match up with the Senn HD800. Is something cheap-ish...

...and it was good. It was the X-05 and probably the best-sounding player I have ever heard. So far, my benchmark has been the Ayre C-5xe, and while these were very close, I give the slight edge to the Esoteric. Should I buy it? I thought if I was going to spend $5K it would be on the...