[bigfatpaulie]

 
I kinda chuckle when I see headfier's with a list of 20 different headphones and one amp. IMO you can't possibly be getting the best out of each of those headphones that way and you would be better off selling a bunch of them and buying another amp or two that are known to go well with your favorites. 

 
Oh my goodness YES!   +1,000,000,000!!!!

 

[Loquah]

Couldn't agree more and I love being able to flip between different amps to enjoy different sounds even with the same headphones.

 

[M3NTAL]

I still really enjoy the HD800 with the Smack. I'm always curious of what I'm missing with the Mainline though!

 

[Loquah]

  I still really enjoy the HD800 with the Smack. I'm always curious of what I'm missing with the Mainline though!

 
Everything!

 

[M3NTAL]

   
Everything!

I don't know about that!      I put a nice TKD pot and upgraded the caps on the Smack. They were the only two things that could use a little improvement. 

 

[Loquah]

  I don't know about that!      I put a nice TKD pot and upgraded the caps on the Smack. They were the only two things that could use a little improvement. 

 
Absolutely - I was totally kidding. Like Doc said earlier, different amps are about different sounds - not necessarily better / worse.

 

[Doc B.]

Not to stir the pot, but I like the Mainline better myself. A bit more power and a bit more resolution than the Smack. That said, we still use a Smack to monitor Tape Project albums being duplicated in real time - an application that requires high resolution and accurate tonality.

 

[M3NTAL]

  Not to stir the pot, but I like the Mainline better myself. A bit more power and a bit more resolution than the Smack. That said, we still use a Smack to monitor Tape Project albums being duplicated in real time - an application that requires high resolution and accurate tonality.

Thank you Doc. That is what I was curious about.  The Smack isn't my goto for Planar headphones (lack of power), but I feel it is a real nice place to be with the HD800.

 

[Loquah]

With my LCD-2s packed up for sale, I thought I'd give the HD800s some quality time with my S.E.X. and I'm really enjoying the combo as a different flavour from the HD800+Mainline combo I normally use. I guess it goes to Doc's earlier comments about the different amps. The Mainline is technically superior, but the S.E.X. has its own charms that I'm really enjoying with the HD800s.

 

[dmhenley]

Installed Jupiter HT (.1uf) coupling caps last night. Will give them some time before trying to describe the change to sq.
With 8 hours in, I'd say the improvement is what I was looking for. We'll see. Output caps coming soon.

 

[Loquah]

That's in the SEX right?

 

[dmhenley]

Oops. Yep, the Jupiters went into the SEX.
Just got the notice my output caps shipped! Ordered the Jupiter HT 2.2uf - excited to see how they add to the mix.

 

[dmhenley]

Now have approx. 30 hours in on the Jupiter HT output caps. Very nice - the change in sound quality is not subtle.
Other changes in my system - tube swaps and NH cable break/switch - may be clouding the waters.
 
That said, I'm getting what I wanted: Tone! Texture.
More presence and touch in mids - acoustic instruments more fleshy, yet natural and wrapped in airy highs.
So....the space they're in is more illuminated but the instruments aren't bleached out.

 

[Loquah]

Sounds perfect! What you're describing is quite similar to my experience with the Mundorf Silver / Gold / Oil except the SGOs might be a little thicker in the mids by the sound of it

 

[dmhenley]

Ya, for me, I think ive squeezed enough out of the amp. Very very nice.