The only "burn-in" happening is between your ears. "Burn-in" is the single biggest myth in audio, imho.   The ones that really make me laugh are the folks who claim, "it really opens up after 500 hours", or something along those lines.   Seriously??? Come on.....  

USB converters: Anedio U2 (1) Audio GD DI-V3+DIPSU (1) Audiophileo (2) Bel Canto USB Link (1) Fiio E10 (2) Halide Bridge (3) KingRex UC384 32/384 Async USB Converter with AES/EBU (1) Music Fidelity VLink 192 (5) Stello U3 (7) USBridge 192 (1) Yulong U18 Asynchronous 24bit...

I'm running coax out of the SBT. I haven't tried USB. The SBT doesn't do USB out by default, right? I usually prefer coax anyway and the SBT is brilliant via coax. Btw, what is "edo"?

Quote:   SBT>M51>Soloist>LCD3  

Wow.....I disagree on almost all of the above regarding the LCD2 & LCD3. Just goes to show how subjective all of this really is. On the bright side, you can save a ton of money in upgrades.;)

Quote: Budget is always a consideration, that really goes without saying.   In more simple terms - start with the headphone, then consider your source, then finally the amp. You could potentially swap the order on source and amp, but the rig should always be built around the headphone...

Quote: Take the better headphone every time, imho.   Headphone>source>amp.   Just my $0.02.....

LCD3 and $1000 amp, hands down.   IME, the amp is the least important part of the chain, providing said amp is of reasonably good design, build and more importantly, adequately powered.   Headphone>source>amp.....in that order.  

Why not? In my experience, each upgrade in your chain should make an audible difference.

The HD800 borders on "excessively" bright with solid state amps. In fact, this is the very reason why I decided to let mine go. Something to think about...

Overkill? Not at all... The Bifrost is one of the best DAC's in the under $500 category, imho.

Maybe... I'd love to hear the TH-900. My previous ED8 was a great closed headphone, but it still didn't come close to the LCD2.2 I had at the same time.

This looks very interesting. I'm predicting $1200 -1500 for a for a launch price. And, I'm guessing that performance will come in a hair below the LCD2.2. You can't expect "open" type performance from a closed closed design, imho. That said, I will likely pass on this one, simply because I...

Take a look at the Schiit Bifrost. It's a step up from the Dacmagic. I have owned both. I don't think you will do any better than the Bifrost under $500. Another option is to go used. I often see the Benchmark DAC1's listed used for $500, which is a very good deal, imho. EDIT: Sorry, I just...

I owned the K550 and auditioned the UE6000 a couple different times. Both are very good headphones and some of the best under $300. I would characterize the UE6000 as a darker and bassier headphone, more geared towards mainstream music. The K550 is brighter and probably better suited for...

Quote: That's fair.   Like I said, I have not heard the BDA-2 myself.

Quote: Huh? Come again?     Are you trying to say that they sound very different from each other?

Quote: I realize that...   I'm talking more about how they sound in comparison to each other.

Quote: I compared a BDA-1 with an M51 side by side in my rig and preferred the M51. Both very good DAC's though. The M51 is cheaper too, so there is that...   The dealer that I borrowed the BDA-1 from also has the BDA-2 and swears that they sound indistinguishable through every...

Quote: Which ones?     But seriously, good point! We did get a little off track there...

Quote: Yes.....tough considering that I was agreeing with you.

Quote: Picky much? Like I said, "in general".   Geeeez.....Tough crowd!

Quote: I agree.   More of an "in general" statement. I would consider "instrument separation" as part of soundstaging anyway.

Quote: Here is my take - based on my own personal experience with these 2 great headphones. And, it wasn't too difficult to come to these conclusions since I was comparing them both on the same rig at the same time.   Yes, the HD800 did have significantly more detail than the LCD2.2...

Quote: +1. Exactly!   People talk about it like it's absolute undeniable fact, sorry, but in my experience that was simply not the case.