I recently got two IEMs to try out.  The Bowers & Wilkins C5 S2 In-Ears and the RHA T10i.  I wanted something to improve upon my RHA MA750is which I really love. For other headphones I also have the Mr. Speakers Alpha Prime and the Original Audeze LCD-2s.     My whole reason for an IEM...

So I have a lot of experience with headphones, from the Stax Lambdas I owned in the eighties to the Audeze LCD-2s I have now as my reference.  But my lifestyle has been changing the last couple of years and some of my musical tastes.   I have started working out like a maniac (I've lost...

I heard the Monster Beats Pro headphones a couple of times at the AES show this weekend.  First off, let me say that I am not a fan of Monsters headphones both from Monsters business practices and from sound quality.  But I played the Beat Pros from my iPhone and DAMN, they sounded really good...

I'm looking for the ultimate USB DAC/Headphone amp to use with my iPad when I am on the road. I may use it with my Audeze LCD-2.  It would also be cook to have a line out for connecting active speakers, but I doubt I will find that.   There's the headroom products, and a few others, but I'm...

Oh, the irony. After listening to the IEMs at RMAF, and liking my NuForce NE-7M more and more, I leave them in the hotel. So should I replace them? Or perhaps there is an even better choice under $100? I liked the Nuforces with the Comply foam best. What I liked about the Nuforce...

Here's a funny thing, a Nano amp that is supposed to improve sound quality. But the graph looks like it makes it go to 11 with compression and loudness! Radiopaq's Sound Jacket improves nano sound quality, according to this handy chart

I got a GCHA recently, and I have been comparing it to my Melos SHA Gold. I have been using the Senheisser HD 650s with a Moon Audio Silver Dragon cord. I also have Sensaphonic 2x headphones, a MG OTL, and a Xin Feng SM3 V6 with custom opamps. My Melos had been lightly worked on recently...

I had a specific thread below, but I would like to ask the more generic question of what does a headphone require besides simple gain to sound great? My Sensaphonincs sound good directly out of my iAudio X5, there is plenty of gain with them, but when I add my PiMeta, they sound much better...

I got a Melos SHA-Gold today, my other amp is an ASL MG-Head II OTL. I've been starting to listen with a pair of Sensaphonic 2x. My HD650s are also an option. The Sensaphonics are very efficient, and my preamp (Shindo Catherine - all tube output) is very powerful. The combination without a...

I finally scratched the itch to get a better home amp. I bought it through an ad here. I remember reading the original reviews of the Melos years ago and thinking how nice it would be to get one. The general consensus around here seems to be that they are still amoung the best sounding tube...

Well, I splurged and bought the iAudio X5. I have had an original Zen, and a Rio Karma. I use Sennheiser PX-100s and Sensaphonic ProPhonic SOFT 2X headphones. The bottom line: love. This player does it for me in every way, now if it only had 60GB of storage! I chose the iAudio because it...

I am looking into the Sensaphonic headphones. I am thinking that since they are so efficient, that maybe an amp is not necessary to get the best out of them with portable listeing. In fact, the cost of the Sensaphonic may be offset by the fact that a seperate amp is not needed. I have an...

Since I have a very nice preamp, the thought of putting my music through the types of volume pots in most of the amps out there isn't appealing. Is there a way to use my preamp going directly into a headphone amp, bypassing a volume pot?

My MG Head is breaking in and the sound is getting really nice! Very rich and creamy. I can't wait to get my NOS tubes and start some modding. But I am getting a faint bleed through of a radio station. Any recommendations for getting rid of this? Something to add to the circuitry? I...

Looking through the postings of mods to the MG Head it looks like they are all pretty much for MKI and II. Anybody have experience with the MKIII? I see a lot of room for improvement. By looking at III it seems they have licked the hum problem some were having by putting the AC in an...

Well, I have a pair of HD 650s and an ASL MG Head DT/OTL MKIII on the way. I haven't had a good headphone since my pairs of Stax Lamba pros in the eighties! I need them to do some critical listening to some circuits we are developing, and it's a good excuse to jump in. Can anyone point me...