Recently, I have spent some time with the Zana Deux + Utopia, after spending months with the ECBA > Utopia. It should be noted that the ZD is the amp I am most fond of, despite the bevy of gear I have owned over the years. Unfortunately, I discovered that the ECBA is to the Utopia, what the...

First time messing around with metal on wood in a headphone stand.     

Adjustable top and adjustable cable wrap:              

Much as I like this headphone and I'm surprised at how well it holds up against a bevy of others, I do wonder if they hit their peak rather quickly and easily. Early impressions are that the Dharma is not only relatively easy to drive, but stays pretty much in character. In other words...

Listened to the Dharma a little bit this morning, for the first time. There is a quality that has been mentioned a few times and one I consider particularly important: immersiveness. The Dharma is very, very immersive. I don't know what accounts for this attribute, except to say that it's...

This one took a while to figure out (I eighty sixed three prototypes before this one). Pretty happy with this one:                      

         

     

I recently discovered the WA7 Firefly and couldn't help think that it was among the classiest designs I had ever seen in audio. I decide to pay homage to the amp by creating a little stand for it.   *While as a MOT I'm not allowed to advertise, this item happens not to be a commercial one.  ...

See my shop in my signature. Or reach out to me here if ever you want something.

Does anyone have thoughts on how these newer Daps perform relative to the bundles of recent memory (I.e, Clas > Alo MK3/Duet). Are there notable sacrifices that come with cramming all stages in a single, often smallish, package? Obviously they deliver on the aspects of convenience, but at what...

  D,   Let me start by saying that the above list is the very definition of subjective. It should not detract any person from listening to the headphones of their choice to the music of their pleasure. Secondly,  the above ranking is not representative of my feelings regarding the headphones...

Subjective rankings based on ownership: 97 - Stax SR007 (the only headphone, for jazz at least, to supplant #2) 94 - Grado HP1 (won't give you the euphony if it's not on the recording, can sound lifeless, amazing tuning, lifelike piano reproduction -- a rarity) 90 - HD650 (properly driven...

Not dark at all? Images pushed back? Wow, what LCD-3's do you own? The 1 Fazor I heard was unimpressive, and I too preferred my LCD-3C, but for different reasons. To this day the LCD-3 is the only "dark", "upfront" headphone that I believe was done right. It's a very distinct sound and as a...

Bear in mind that this is going on memory and I have not owned the D5000 since circa 2012-13. The TH900 has superior resolution and perhaps considerably superior compared to the Denon's. The staging is more expansive and the locality is improved. In other words the cues needed to form an image...

Why not go on the forums and scoop a used pair for $800-$900? When you consider that you can buy a used HD800 & HD650 for $1150 or thereabouts (those two cover all genres), I wouldn't call it a great value. At the used price they are a nice find and considerably better than the Denon line.

I hear you, although I disagree on the HD800 giving "nothing". As prosaic as it sounds, I have to throw it out there that you haven't heard the Sennheiser's out of a synergistic setup. The bass is punchy, fast, tight and best of all articulate. Thankfully, the TH900 has not rattled my brain...

Yeah, I can tell you that the EML Solid Plates can sound fantastic, but also, a little sterile and boring with the wrong driver tube. For instance, the HD800 is a headphone with noted synergy via the ECBA. Yet, for two years I never could get into the sound with this amp. The Zana Deux was...

Not so simple as all that. I can appreciate different sound signatures. Every headphone in my sig represents a different presentation and ultimately were kept because they did something especially different from the others. As for the HD800, yes, they are my favorite dynamic headphones. It took...

That's the point I was making. It's difficult to transition from a headphone that is, in most respects, wildly divergent from the TH900.

Yeah, I'm not exactly sure what I mean. I think it has something to do with a closed headphone sounding so open. It's definitely coherent sounding and tuned exquisitely. Still, I'm not "wowed" by them, but more impressed by it's abilities to sound clean and detailed, while keeping the bass from...

Seems the TH900 take some getting used to. It's difficult to decipher, but there is something "different" about them. I haven't used a closed-back in years and the past month or so I've been toying with the HD800 exclusively, so maybe that's it. It's almost as though they're open sounding, but...

Old though your post is, I see from your profile you're still sticking with your Gilmore Lite (a nice amp BTW). Forget the Wa7 and forget the iFi. One of the best decisions I made in this hobby was making the leap from Mid-fi (wish I had done it from the very start). Save up for the Zana. If it...

Just received the Fostex a few days back. Way to early for comparisons. Honestly, I don't really see myself using the powerful vintage amps for the sensitive TH900. After a little time, I can answer your question about sub-bass and how it compares with the other headphones I have. Early...