On the heels of my first success with headphone modding with the ATH-M50, my buddy asked me to fix his totally janky looking pair of old Sony cans. He reported intermittent crackling in the old coiled cable. I told him that I thought a removable cable would be the best long-term solution...

Edit 7/30/17: This amp is now available from the XRKAudio Etsy store. PCBs for DIY versions are available too. "In systems where the utmost in natural reproduction is the goal, simple single-ended Class A circuits are the topologies of choice." --Nelson Pass Single-Ended (SE) Class A...

Forums There's a new DIY Altoids tin amp in town, and it's Class A!  For those of you who don't regularly check the DIY forum, here's a link: http://www.head-fi.org/t/833106/new-diy-altoids-tin-amp-the-class-a-wintergreen-handwarmer-by-xrk971#post_13199563   Pretty exciting, as I'm only...

Edit 7/30/17: PCBs are now available at the XRKAudio Etsy Store! For real! Up until now there have been hardly any portable Class A head amp designs, commercial or DIY. Here's a brand-new CMOY-sized amp project with the goods! I'll be building a couple of these in the coming weeks and will...

Can anybody comment on differences in sound quality?  I have seen the CMOY compared to the older E11 before, but not to the new A3 yet.  Whatever I get will be powering my HD598 headphones, so either amp has plenty of power.  Thanks.

Hi, Folks.  I've spent the past month refining these custom EQ settings for the Sennheiser HD 598, and I hope they will give you all as much enjoyment as they now give me.  IMO, they take this already excellent headphone up to the next level in terms of neutrality, bass impact, and top-end...

Hi everyone.   After buying my first set of Grado headphones, the SR-80e,  I simply couldn't get used to the uneven harshness of the upper midrange and low treble response, despite positive impressions in other areas, such as detail, transient speed, bass, and the sweet "open" sound.  Based on...