Thank you for this, I enjoy his reviews, mostly for his accent and attitude. His views are unorthodox to say the least. The takeaway is that you should always audition for yourself, and keep the option to return the product if you don't like it, like I did with my A90D, bought from Amazon. I...

Yes, fully balanced chain: foobar2000 - SMSL SU-9 - Topping A90D - HD650 Mind you, the soundstage is nowhere near to Arya Stealth's depth, and even width, but HD650 seem definitely more spacious with A90D. There is no such difference with the Arya though, the soundstage with A90D seems the same...

I have the nagging suspicion that I suffer from a confirmation bias. First time listened with my HD650, and what struck me immediately is the soundstage. It's out of my head, which I don't think that I've ever experienced with my other amps. Can somebody share his experience?

Is the new Topping A90D one of those discrete amp? I'm thinking to buy one, and I'm curious how it pairs with Arya SE?

That's my view generally, although I don't remember my DT990 250 ohms getting softer in the highs ;)

I bought them new from amazon UK. The cable is my Goldplanar GL2000 balanced 4.4 pentacon cable. I don't have an amp with 6.5mm termination with me so I'll test the stock cable later. The stock cable is the same old but I noticed on some video reviews that my box is different. Perhaps it's for...

Thank you for the serial. It seems strange to put it on the cable box. And what if the headphones get stolen? How you can prove they are the same serial?

Almost all reviews stated that Arya needs at least 150 hours of burn-in. It's unreasonable to expect full swing from the beginning. Now I know there are people who think the burn-in is a placebo. I don't know, but they sound better to me already after just 6 hours.

Got Arya Stealth today and going to burn them in for some time before reaching conclusions. Zero hour first sound impressions are not surprisingly less than good. They sound mediocre except in the sub-bass area. For the first time in my life I'm able to feel 10Hz. I noticed that they require a...

I just watched Lady Gaga singing the National anthem at the Biden's inauguration. She wore big shiny golden IEMs with behind the ears hooked cable. Any idea which IEMs are those exactly?

There is a discount on UK's amazon today, 464 quid for M1570 with a balanced cable. My daily driver is M1060c open mod. Do you think will it be worth the upgrade?

I don't have SMSL SU-8 anymore. I don't know if there are any Enhancements under Sound Properties, and I have never needed any. It doesn't need any drivers but if you wish you can download an XMOS driver from here http://www.smsl-audio.com/download.asp?p=1. I feeded TA-20 via ASIO in foobar2000...

Yes you can run RCA in from the DAC and listen to the balanced out. This is what I used to do before buying my SMSL SU-8. Fully balanced setup however sounds better to me, especially the soundstage.

I'd like to thank you for your tube rolling article for TA-20. I bought the Amperex pair after reading it. The Amperex achieved the sound I crave - wide 3D soundstage with warmth and bass.

I need an advice please. My xDuoo's TA-20 red protect light started flashing today. No sound. Turned the amp on/off couple of times, in vain. Changed the tubes Lt-Rt and it's working fine again. Background: those are new Amperex tubes, got them yesterday. Played back 12-14 hours non-stop to burn...

Yes, you can. That was my setup. Results in wider soundstage.

First impressions of AM3D, with Q5s/Tin P1 on balanced output: There are no discernible power and sound differences with the stock AM3E module, except that the transient response of P1 seems faster with AM3D. Q5s/Tin P1 is a match made in heaven, AM3D notwithstanding.

It seems that AM3D is in stock again. So what about amazon UK availability date?

Why? If the licensing is the problem they can just release AM3Ds which is AM3D without the THX badge. Anyway the prevailing opinion is that there is no much sound difference with the stock Q5s AM3E. I suppose this will ease the pain when I buy the upcoming Monolith THX AAA 887. Win win situation.

Yes, I use WASAPI, but the Windows 10 driver is broken and if I play DSD file the Q5s front light stays blue. If I play it on my phone, the light turns green, as it should be:

I think like you. I have Q5s only because I was tempted by the THX amp module (which I still don't have). The balanced output sounds different, not necessarily better. It is true that I had to buy balanced cables for my IEMs and headphones but they were not expensive. Ultimately it's the best if...

All of those are valid points but I still don't have AM3D, also FiiO updated the firmware for Q5s, but the ASIO is still not active.

I'd had it preordered there. Not anymore. @FiiO It would be nice if you show some appreciation of your customers. Windows 10 ASIO driver for Q5s has been broken for quite some time. Nobody takes measures. I happily gave you £349 for Q5s, which costs £309 now. I didn't complain, it's fantastic...

@FiiO What's the release date for AM3D for the UK's Amazon? Six months since the announcement and still no sign of it around here. That's an interesting marketing strategy.

I suppose a lot of us have walked this path. First EQ, then more EQ, then Harman Curves, then Viper with convolutions, millions of them, until you are deep into the rabbit hole. P1 sound fantastic to me as they are but I can relate to the people who try to improve them. I'll do it too when I...