[paradoxper]

  Power strips and surge protectors are two separate things. I studied them extensively online after I bought my Plasma tv to give it some protection from small voltage spikes.
Overall, :"good" power strips does not mean expensive, but its actually hard to get a good one.
I use two currently at home. One is a 30 dollar brennensthul power surge protector and one is a cheap surge protector by HAMA or Belkin or similar (cant recall now).
The cheap one gives issues even with my laptop display when connected through it.There is a clear snow/grain effect that becomes more apparent the longer the signal has to travel (to my projector, its 10M).
 
The one by brennenstuhl not only has no issues over all, but when my fridge in the living room stops its cooling cycle, it holds power to my speakers for under a second (yet my tv does not turn off), so its possible it even stops low voltage swings (those that most electronics actually can handle, but is never good for them), thou obviously not confirmed.
 
In terms of audio quality, there will be a difference if the power strip, power surge protector or power conditioner is uses the wrong protection model. If not, it simply wont since the transformer of your amp will basically negate any imperfections (at least to such a degree that the human ear cannot notice the difference).
 
When you talk about noise, the most common comes from magnetic or electrical interference (Laptop, close to a big magnet like a subwoofer). 
I for one do not believe in expensive cables or power conditioners... unless your electricity provider really stinks.

And what you've said is relevant to my initial comment because?

 

[paradoxper]

   
I'll buy power management equipment after I have $10,000 worth of headphones and other gear.

Fact is, pick your equipment with smarts and you won't need it. 

 

[Music Alchemist]

  Fact is, pick your equipment with smarts and you won't need it. 

 
I'm inclined to agree with you, but my point was that it's something I would test out for myself, but only after getting much more important things.

 

[money4me247]

lol guys the power discussion is so off-topic from this thread. maybe new thread if wanting to discuss this specific topic?

 

[Music Alchemist]

  lol guys the power discussion is so off-topic from this thread. maybe new thread if wanting to discuss this specific topic?

 
I tried keeping it focused on headphones!

 
(I even emphasized that the other stuff is nowhere near as important.)

 

[GoldfishX]

  lol guys the power discussion is so off-topic from this thread. maybe new thread if wanting to discuss this specific topic?

Only brought it up because it is an overlooked part of David's setup (which he states prior to going into the headphone breakdowns) and because it's something that has a trickle-down effect on how he views his amp/headphone pairings. Also because it's probably the thing that caused some of the hype surrounding many of the high end headphones discussed here to match up with my own personal findings.
 
The OP is an incredibly valuable resource, but one needs to consider the WHOLE chain and not just the amps/headphones. A lesser DAC or a filthy power source can produce radically different results than what is described here.

 

[Senes]

I'm sorry I can't read all this thread
But is DavidMalher keeping this up to date?

And I was wondering, why there is no ATH AD xxxX ?
Because the AD900, wich is old and not high end, seems to be great, I thought that the AD2000X (for example), should be amazing (and only 500€)
 


And, really, thanks you David Malher, you did a wonderfull job
 

 

[HarleyZK]

  I'm sorry I can't read all this thread
But is DavidMalher keeping this up to date?

And I was wondering, why there is no ATH AD xxxX ?
Because the AD900, wich is old and not high end, seems to be great, I thought that the AD2000X (for example), should be amazing (and only 500€)
 


And, really, thanks you David Malher, you did a wonderfull job
 

 
David has not added a headphone to this in a while. At one stage he posted that he might have something to add, but it seems like the current review is the final edition of it. Really though, I cannot imagine how hard financially it would be to attempt to keep it up to date with the amount of high priced stuff out there now and in the future.

 

[GoldfishX]

I think if he were doing the AD2000x, it would be somewhere slightly ahead of the Grado RS1/RS2. It's a pretty mid-forward headphone with some slight refinements and it tended to remind me of a Grado. Personally, I wasn't too impressed with them.

 

[money4me247]

  David has not added a headphone to this in a while. At one stage he posted that he might have something to add, but it seems like the current review is the final edition of it. Really though, I cannot imagine how hard financially it would be to attempt to keep it up to date with the amount of high priced stuff out there now and in the future.

ya, I heard he sold off a lot of his gear as well, so unlikely future additions to this amazing post. great compilation and very solid work though!

 

[Senes]

Oh ok; thanks you for the answers

 

[daltonlanny]

Would be very interesting to see where the newest flagships, and other top newer headphones would rank on this list such as the Mr. Speakers Ether, Hifiman HE1000, HE-560, Enigma Dharma, JPS Labs Abyss, AKG K812, Oppo PM 1, etc., among others.

 

[Rhamnetin]

Would be very interesting to see where the newest flagships, and other top newer headphones would rank on this list such as the Mr. Speakers Ether, Hifiman HE1000, HE-560, Enigma Dharma, JPS Labs Abyss, AKG K812, Oppo PM 1, etc., among others.

 
HE-560 isn't a flagship but I agree, it would be great to see someone compare them all.

 

[daltonlanny]

Just a clarification, and no offense taken:
I already knew that the HE-560 isn't a flagship, and wasn't implying that It was :rolleyes:
Go back and read what I wrote.
I wrote :
'Would be interesting to see where the newest flagships, and other TOP NEWER HEADPHONES would rank on this list'.
The Sennheiser HD600/HD650/HD700, Audeze LCD 2, Beyerdynamic DT880/DT770, or the Hifiman HE-500/HE-400 weren't flagships either, but they were a part of this shootout as well

 

[money4me247]

in the 'battle of the flagships' comparison, there were a lot of headphones that ranked very well that were not considered 'flagships.'