If the HEKse isn’t a bright headphone then what would one consider bright? The DT1990 was bright and harsh IMO. The HEK is definitely better all around but it’s definitely a bright headphone. It wasn’t terrible while listening but afterwards it caused me discomfort. And you can totally hear the...

Why replace? Just compliment. They can definitely coexist.

I think it’s how your brain perceives it. I don’t get that from the V2 or MR. To me, they state different than most headphones. I kinda get an open speaker like feel. Decent depth in front of me too. Obviously not speaker level but not super intimate either.

I like it on low too. It’s the best option IMO. And I agree, the Utopia is more sensitive so you pick up on the impedance changes easier. I find if you have a DAC that you can tweak the voltage on, increasing it can make it more intense or less with less voltage. I use xlr too and can tell, but...

I like my MR on just about anything. It just works. Love it off the DNA stellaris, mj3, mojo2, tube mini, etc. Just a really versatile headphone IMO. I wish I knew about this promotional discount. May pick up another one or try the TC lol.

Yeah the envy is the most sensitive amp that I’ve owned when it comes to phone interference. Glad you figured it out.

Ok cool. I thought they would be. I hope the other upgrades are solid. That’s a steep price increase. And I hope there’s less RF interference with this one. I had to use my phone in airplane mode when around it. Don’t have that issue with other tube amps.

Oh ok, I didn’t know that. So I wonder if these are MOs or ERs.

I really enjoyed the Envy when I had it. The 25th looks good IMO and I like the updated vol knob area. Not sure how much the upgrades are worth tho… hopefully those are TMs. If this gets good reviews/impressions it wouldn’t surprise me if they made more but just not a 25th anniversary version...

I’ve always been curious about the TC. I really enjoy the MR and I even liked the V2, but felt it wasn’t nearly as good as the MR. I picked my V2 up on a really good deal so I was ok with the performance.

Just use stock pads.

It comes with a copper cable so it shouldn’t be too bad. If treble and air are getting to me I don’t know if a copper cable would fix that. And I don’t EQ so I think it just doesn’t work for me. I have the tungsten and I’ll probably get the sus again eventually so lll be ok.

FWIW I liked the HEKse a good amount, but the issue I had was it caused ear pain after my listening session. Not terrible while listening but just afterwards. I listen around 75-85db with all my headphones depending on the music/recording. They’re close to the sus, which I really like but...

Yeah that’s what I hear. It’s a bit more than I wanted to spend tho. $3-4K range is where I’d like to be 😁. Plus it’s pretty big. I’d like to keep the standard size for a rack (17inch wide)

That’s a shame about the US5 Pro. It was something I was looking at in the past when thinking of Sus pairing options. I don’t feel the MJ3s stage is too small tho, and I really like the depth. I bet the AIC10 is awesome tho 😁 I’d like to find something a little more powerful for the Tungsten or...

@tjkohli I would say the Utopia has excellent bass for a dynamic, probably the best impact. It’s not going to go as low as a planar like the MR though. But the speed of the Utopia is addicting to me. As for stage, I think this comes down to the person and chain obviously. Some find the stage...

Never tried the US5 Pro but I felt the MR has been quite good off a majority of the things I’ve tried (DNA Stellaris which is probably my favorite and was surprised at how good this combo was, MJ3, Mojo2 and Tube mini)

What was the issue that the AIC10 fixed?

Looks like V2.

Currawong said the Sus works fine with the MJ3 and I’m sure he’s right. I sold my Sus before picking up the MJ3 but may get one again to compare the Tungsten. You might be able to get a bit more from the Sus with a speaker amp but I bet it’ll still be really enjoyable off the MJ3. The...

I had the Bliss and Bryston at the same time I had the MJ3. If I were judging them off sound alone, I’d pick the MJ3. Sure Bryston and Holo have better builds and if I could have the MJ3 signature in a better build I would, but I wouldn’t pick them over it if we’re talking about sound. And...

At least he’s not parroting anymore lmao. We’ve moved on to edgy reviews. Not surprising.

I wonder how much of that was the amp or the rest of the chain (dac and clock). From what I gather, the amp is the weakest link.

https://www.head-fi.org/classifieds/focal-utopia-2020.61353/ @Alfredo3001 is a legit guy too!

Never said like it was nothing. But for the price and even sound, the Mj3 is my pick. Bliss has a nicer build and pot (click click) but in thought it smoothed things over a but. Just felt the mj3 was more analog and authentic sounding.