[paradoxper]

6 times? That must be some sort of a record

I'm pretty sure in that retched thread about the HD800 quite a few of us exist. I've had the VC like 4 times within 2 months. So silly. I think boredom.

 

[TheMiddleSky]

@pippen99 have you ever had a chance to listen to any other Cavalli Audio amp? I know LAu was considered TOTL at the time, but at Canjam 2016 they presented a new prototype called Liquid Tungsten, they had it connected to Yiggy and I believe DCA Ether C and I have never heard better sound ever (it sounded to me better than Sennheiser HE-1). I attributed it to the amp, as I have heard Yiggy and Ether on other systems, which was no where close. I was hoping to purchase that amp, but they never finalised it, what a pity.

Sorry to jump in, but personally Liquid Gold remain one of the best SS amp i ever heard in my life. Beautiful synergy with Susvara!

LAu is all about precision, speed, musical character, combine with "dense" full body of sound.

Anyway, back at 2009/2010, I thought I was gonna end my journey with Phonak PFE112 as the most expensive iem I ever purhaced that time. Failed miserably of course.

 

[mammal]

Sorry to jump in, but personally Liquid Gold remain one of the best SS amp i ever heard in my life. Beautiful synergy with Susvara!

LAu is all about precision, speed, musical character, combine with "dense" full body of sound.

Please do jump in! Also, tell me where can I buy one?!

 

[Deolum]

Started with some beyerdynamics, got banned at one headphone shop because i returned too much not knowing that more expensive doesn't mean better, figured out the thing is complex as **** with all the parts you have to consider, went to high end in ears, went back to medium in ears, went to high end headphones, realized that the HD600 wipes the floor with 95% of those, went to totl headphones and now i just realized that speakers are actually so much better.

 

[mammal]

Started with some beyerdynamics, got banned at one headphone shop because i returned too much

No way! Which shop was that if you can tell us?

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Please do jump in! Also, tell me where can I buy one?!

Haha, that's the real question!

I think inside my country there're only 2 pcs Liquid Gold around. Very rare to see them on second hand market of course. Have you tested Formula S?

I do really like that amp for any abyss headphones.

 

[mammal]

Have you tested Formula S?

I do really like that amp for any abyss headphones.

Only in a shop setting on an unfamiliar DAC, so effectively worthless. However, a friend of mine had said unit at home for a week, comparing to Hugo TT2’s rear XLR output and after volume matching, could not tell a difference when blind A/B testing. I owned TT2, which sounded worse to my ears than Bartok’s headphone out. So if I was to add an amp, it would most likely be Riviera AIC 10 or Woo Audio WA33, have you heard those?

 

[ThanatosVI]

This is an amazing thread.
Always thought about opening one for others to share their Rabbit hole experience, but never did.

Thank you for doing so.

My journey started around 2010 with a Hifiman He400 (the original not the i Version) and a Meier Audio Corda classic.
As a DAC I used some creative X-Fi sound card on my PC. That was like 800€ and I already felt like a crazy Person, with me being still in University.

I was content for years and didn't even use head-fi. At that time I was still using some german forum, but I was glad thst I did, because I met Jan Meier that way (the engineer of all Meier audio products)

At 2015 when I was finished with my University degree and started to work, I had suddenly need for a good pair of IEMs. I ordered and tested a few models from a webshop with amazing return policies.
After a 30 day Trial of several IEM pairs of different price classes, my choice fwll on the Shure Se846 with their DAC/AMP SHA900.

At that time I bought one new pair of headphones every year as birthday present to myself. This way I slowly got to know my taste.
I also thought that Everything above 500€ is more a matter of taste than actual quality.
That was until the Hifiman Sundara was released. The Sundara is one of my "wow" headphones. The retail price on Release was 500€ instead of thr current 350€.
And yet it bested all my other headphones in the 500€ class.

This then sparked my curiosity. "If this headphone can be so much better than all the others at 500€, maybe going further down the hole brings even more benefits". Now I wanted to test them before dishing out kilobucks.
Luckily I had connections to Jan Meier who kindly setup a Meeting between the Sennheiser HD800S, Focal Clear, Beyerdynamic T1 Hifiman Edition Xv2 and me.
I went home with the Edition Xv2. Back then I was intrigued by the Susvara but thought, thst I'd never be able to own them, same for the Shangri La jr.
I then continued with another pair of headphones a year, but in the 1k price Region (my fav the LCD-2C) and started to be active here on head-fi. (Oh boy...)

Being on head-fi automatically induced upgraditis. Therefore it didn't take long to craft plans to get a Hifiman Arya and a Schiit Mjolnir + Gungnir stack. At first only plans, that were meant to be realized at years end with the annual Bonus payments.
This left enough time for the plans to evolve... and in the past 12 months everything in my current signature was purchased.

2017 I thought I'd never own a Susvara because it is so expensive. 2021 I own stuff that retails for more than triple.

And yet there are plans to add a Wa33 at some point.

@pippen99 thx for sharing, your Story was a great post

 

[mammal]

2017 I thought I'd never own a Susvara because it is so expensive. 2021 I own stuff that retails for more than triple.

And yet there are plans to add a Wa33 at some point.

What a slippery slope, isn't it? Thanks for sharing your story!

 

[ThanatosVI]

What a slippery slope, isn't it? Thanks for sharing your story!

Indeed, but especially when used as much as in this pandemic, it is absolutely worth it imo.
Zero regrets.

 

[mammal]

Indeed, but especially when used as much as in this pandemic, it is absolutely worth it imo.
Zero regrets.

Totally, using it every single day, not more than ever. What makes this hobby special for me is that it is about music, something that can transform my stressful day into a beautiful one. People say as you get older you starts sweating things less, but somehow without music, I don't think I would cope. Combine this with being a geek who likes tech, of course I am sold on high end audio gear!

 

[TheMiddleSky]

Only in a shop setting on an unfamiliar DAC, so effectively worthless. However, a friend of mine had said unit at home for a week, comparing to Hugo TT2’s rear XLR output and after volume matching, could not tell a difference when blind A/B testing. I owned TT2, which sounded worse to my ears than Bartok’s headphone out. So if I was to add an amp, it would most likely be Riviera AIC 10 or Woo Audio WA33, have you heard those?

Hemm that's weird, well different ears different opinion. I do really like Formula S and Dave pairing (tested with Diana and Verite). Dave alone is excellent in clarity and micro detail with a bit intimate vocal. Add Formula S, everything sound more dense, fuller, more structured, and bigger soundstage image. Only problem is Formula S produce slight hissing in the background for Verite when there is no music playing. (Absolute silent with Diana as expected).

Heard WA33, a full body, punchy sound with organic vocal and expansive soundstage. Excellent pairing for Susvara to make everything more impactful and lively. However for me could be a little too much impact with Phi TC. Tried with standard tube.

Not tested yet for Riviera.

 

[mammal]

So wanted to ask you all the most cliche question ever (no, I am not HR person), where do you see yourself in 5 years? Haha

Is your plan to add new items to your collection, be it a new headphone, dac or amp. Or are you saving up for that one TOTL you have been dreaming about? Or, instead you are planning to squeeze out the last % from your current setups, by swapping cables, going battery power, upsampling in HQPlayer? Or are you completely nuts, already owning TOTL setup and planning to switch completely from TOTL Planar setup to Electrostats?

Anyway, thanks for sharing!

 

[pippen99]

Got my amp(Woo WA33 EE). Got my DAC(dCS Rossini). I am waiting on Audeze to announce a replacement for the LCD-4. It is six years into the model run. Time for a new model.

 

[Slim1970]

Wow, great thread. I’m deep in the rabbit hole as I have two distinct setups and a slew of different headphones to fit my mood. I just recently picked up a Chord Dave to finish one setup. Now I’m on the hunt for a second DAC to pair with my Formula S/Powerman combo.

I started down the rabbit hole in June 2012 with my purchase of the original HD800’s and a Woo Audio WA6se. I loved the pairing. It wasn’t until January 2016 that I really to a dive into Head-Fi and went bezerk in buying, trading, selling a ton of different headphones, amps, and DAC’s in search of my ideal sound signature. I’m almost to point where I’m satisfied. Getting the Dave really solidified things. Really, me wanting a second DAC is just to have an alternative sound to it.

I say that to say this, I just don’t think my urge to try new components and gear will ever go away. I just hope that one day I can just enjoy what I have and just listen to some music.