Why do the cymbals completely disappear when I turn NOS on? Any idea what is happening? Doesn't matter if I am listening to active speakers or headphones. I have my X16 going into a Singxer SA-1 and then to speakers or HP.

Have mine with a Gustard X16

thanks but can you hear a difference!!

Do you have a balanced amp or DAP?

Just vote as not EQ. the rest is an excuse I came up with and should have left it out. What I was trying to suggest is that the music you listen to sounds fine without EQ. Sorry.

Just curious how many use an equalizer or are you happy with the sound/synergy from your choice of components/headphones and do not EQ? Mostly curious how many EQ or not. If you do EQ, do you have different settings for each headphone or do you try for an average setting? How did you...

To me, that is what an audiophile tries to accomplish - accurate representation of music. They want to be an observer of the concert, not the conductor.

sounds to me you prefer a linear volume control over exponential. SA-1 is exponential. Also sounds like you are defining power output by volume position and not actual output. The dial does not suggest the amount of headroom or power output unless you map it to the exponential curve and read...

What I am getting at is if certain bass centric headphones have the tuning to increase the dB in the low frequency so that they are more prevalent. How do I know if the sound is an accurate representation of what the artist and engineer wanted? All too often I have found myself adding bass...

Do bass heavy headphones extend the bass that is not there or is it that most headphones do not reproduce the bass accurately and is lacking?

does cable resistance attenuate the signal and if so, does it do it equally across the frequency range? What impact does cable resistance play?

For those who feel cables affects sound, what material/construction sound best with these? Silver coated, gold coated, pure OCC copper? How many core - 4, 8 or 16? I would like balanced cables. Some say the braid matters. What braid did you like? Let's disregard aesthetics. Links are...

Any chance you could add a column on how they sound? Yeah, I know that is subjective but for those believe cables can change the sound, it would be cool to at least get some direction.

where can I get the spreadsheet? Oh, never mind. Saw the link in your footer.

I do not have much to compare to and am new to the hobby. This may be a little exaggerated but foe me, this is just so much better than what I have heard. That includes many floor standing speaker but I have limited exposure there too. That said, I find the Sundara have tight bass but it is...

The only speaker amp I have is a 1990 Onkyo TX SV90 Pro AV receiver. That said, it was a $1100 receiver back in '90. I have not had the chance to compare them side by side and am only going on recollection. Also, I was not using the Gustard X16 DAC and only had a Sony Blu-Ray player so my...

when you talk of switching cables, are you talking about the input cables from the DAC or the output cables to the headphones. I have a set of WBC Gotham RCA and WBC Mogami XLR and at first, I thought I heard the Mogami have better even sound while the Gotham sounded less bright and slightly...

Do you prefer the sound of the X16 with NOS on or off? Not sure which I prefer. I wonder if the testers toggled it. With it off, it does get bright but I find I get more detail. With it on, it sounds like I am listening to a cassette that lacks highs. The cymbal hits do not sound as real...

For me, the X16 is perfectly fine. I only spent $424 on it. The X26 Pro is about $1500. Not sure it is even a fair comparison. For my office setup and me personally, I think it is fantastic. For me, the X26 is more than 3X the price. For my use and budget, I am not sure I could ever afford...

I have a SA-1. This IS primarily a headphone amp, is it not? How long is the chord on your headphones or how short are your arms that you need a remote? My experience is using it as a pre amp with my powered desk speakers and I enjoy the headphones in the desk chair. My headphones tend to...

OTE - Over The Ear (referring to Over The Ear Headphones)

I know, I was just curious if it will feel cooler when the knob is turned up and slightly warmer when it is putting out less. As I understand it, a class A amp is always consuming full power and dissipates what it doesn't use as heat. Curious if that was the case with this and if I am...

I misspoke when I said my amp is room temp. I have been using it as a pre amp and as a HP amp and at the time, I was using it as a pre amp. As a pre amp, it remains barely over room temp. When I use it as a HP amp, it does warm up but nothing crazy. Question: If you tend to have the volume...

Out of curiosity, is this thread mostly about IEMs? Is it ok to post about on or over the ear HP cables too? Just want to make sure I am in the right spot since it seems that most of the discussion is about IEM. Do IEMs need a cable replacement more? What is it about IEM that people tend to...

I have my Gustard X16 connected by XLR and SE to the SA-1 which is connected to a set of powered Edifier speakers as well as a SE connected HP. I change the input all the time but see no change in volume on either output. Now, I would expect changing between HP Bal output vs HP SE will change...