How are you finding the T1 with Elise? Just wondering as you're maybe remotely contemplating another headphone after acquiring the T1 so soon. Or maybe you just want to sample more... which is a good reason in head-fi.
i haven't listened as much as i should but i am reasonably satisfied with its performance ... rather, i'm more than satisfied with performance of elise - the issues i had wrt front panel i have resolved.* the t1 i consider to be okay wrt hype (maybe, as lr says, my sn is too low; gotta be > 20k or something).
otoh, monk+ leaves me rather underwhelmed atm considering all the fuss here. sure, it's only ~ $12 ($cdn) but i wouldn't even say it matches to the musicality of my portapro (the monk may be more balanced and even from the upper-bass thru lower hi, but it certainly doesn't sound more musical --- this is via the hp out on my pc). maybe it needs more time?
as to why another phone? well, a new acura or audi is really beyond my budget & a waste of $$$ but a true totl phone i think i can manage. i don't consider any of the phones i have to be totl any more including the t1 (if it ever were). but i'm curious what a current or new totl phone would bring to the equation. i've never heard an r10 or sa5000 & that's why the new sony has my interest. the non-akg replacement for k1000 also has my interest for obvious reasons. & i'm keeping my eyes and ears on the alert for anything else that might be extraordinary.
* for those familiar with my issues with front panel uneven appearance, here's how i finally put the ghost to rest. firstly, using dry microfiber cloth did nothing. using microfiber cloth with distilled water did improve things a tad after a half-doz hard tries, but barely. finally, i added about 0.05 ml of dishwashing detergent to 30ml of distilled water and used microfiber cloth, directionally rubbing with firmness. next day, everything looked like new from factory.