For those of us with multiple headphones, which ones are you listening with now?

[JAnonymous5150]

I've switched things up so now I'm running my Hifiman HE-560 V1.1s driven by my modded Schiit Lyr (w/ Amperex Bugle Boy ECC88s) and a Modi Multibit 2 fed by a Wiim Mini. As a favor to someone that has been asking for some advice on a purchase, I'm going to be doing some side by side listening comparisons between the HE560 and the HE6se. Dude's interested in what each does best and sent some specific questions. Lucky for him, I like doing this kinda thing for funsies.

Currently sitting atop my queue are Eels of Love with their 2016 release, Bioluminescent. EoL are an instrumental prog/prog-metal band from New Jersey and this is their one and only full length album as far as I can tell. I only unearthed this bad boy on a recent trip to the bowels of the Bandcamp archives and I've been stuck on it ever since. While not the most polished album from a production point of view, the musicianship and songwriting are on point. It's another one of those albums that seems to show me another facet of its music every time I spin it up. Praise the Sun and Trip to the Aphotic are the two tracks immediately caught my attention and have remained the standouts to me since the first listen. This album has a little something for most prog fans so it gets two enthusiastic thumbs way up from me.

 

[Charade19]

Qobuz (PC) --> Schiit Bifrost 2/64 (NOS mode) --> Feliks Elise mkii --> HD600.

Happy Friday/Saturday, everyone. Wishing all a wonderful and relaxing weekend. First time listening to this album. It came up on my recommendation list based on my listening history. Third song and I really appreciate the musicianship. About to put the feet up and lean back in my chair. Happy listening everyone.

 

[JAnonymous5150]

I've now switched over to my Hifiman HE6se V1s, but I'm still running the modded Schiit Lyr, MMB2, and Wiim Mini signal chain. I'm only a couple albums in and I'm already enjoying my comparative listening with the HE560 and HE6se. With how often I've been asked to make comparisons between these two and even between either or both and the HE500s, I'm thinking it might be time I put together some sort of summary of my impressions and thoughts comparing them all. Maybe even include some of the other Hifiman round cup models for good measure.

Up next are M'Z with their 2017 release, Prisme. I selected this album because I've been listening to this band's work quite a bit lately on several different transducers to my fresh familiarity with the material should prove to be useful in comparing certain headphone traits. So I actually recommended the album released after this one a week or two ago. M'Z are a French instrumental band whose style is a mix of prog and fusion with various aspects of prog metal, electronic genres, latin/world beats, and a lot more. From track to track you can ens up listening to music that's significantly different stylistically. Whereas the previous album of theirs I recommended sat more on the prog-metal end of the spectrum, this one is quite a bit more jazzy and laid back, including some nice horn, clarinet, and sax work as accents to the laid back fusiony/proggy vibe the music is based in. Every time I listen to any one of this band's albums, I find myself discovering new elements, modalties, layers, etc that I may have heard before, but didn't quite appreciate the importance of a given element or it's place in the overall structure and movement of the song/music/album. This album is also a bit more free form and flowing with less organization and less cohesion, but more raw energy. It's definitely worth a listen if you're looking for something a bit different.



Edit: P.S. to @Falcon 4 0 that Arch/Matheos collaboration is freakin' sick! I'm listening to their Winter Ethereal album right now and it's even better if the second half is as good as the first. Thanks for the rec!

 

[Leonarfd]

Letshuoer DX1 + Shanling M8T
https://tidal.com/browse/album/412355330?u

Going fully portable to sit outside and enjoy one of my first morning coffees outside this year, still around 3 Celsius when I wake up so its borderline cold
Listening to the new album from Djo (Steve from Stranger Things), little similar to his previous record but butter imo. Catchy tunes with a retro pop/rock vibe.

 

[JAnonymous5150]

Needed a portable rig so I could go for a walk to find some late night munchies so I grabbed my resin reshelled LetShuoer EJ07Ms and the iBasso DX220. We're in a bit of a sketchier area/city this week so I decided against taking something more expensive. On the upside, the EJ07Ms are right up there with some of my other classic affordable IEM like the Dunu EST112s and such that still impress me regularly when they get some ear time. They still have some of the largest staging I've heard in an IEM.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, if it ever sounded as good as you thought, it never stops sounding that good. Good sound and the gear that makes it doesn't suddenly expire because new models have been released. I think a lot of folks forget that. I know I've been guilty of it a time or two. I have a high gear acquisition and turnover rate because part of the way I enjoy the hobby is by trying new gear and enjoying the journey. However, when I find a piece if gear that provides me with a classic sound that I enjoy to my core, I keep it unless and until I find something that does it better. These EJ07Ms may not get as much ear time as they once did, but they sure as hell aren't going anywhere either.

On deck in my queue is Kaschalot with their release from a week or so ago, Anemoia. These guys are an Estonian instrumental prog-metal outfit that I discovered last year and was immediately smitten with. When I got the Bandcamp email saying that they were releasing a new album, I immediately bought it and I've listened to it more than a few times in the ten days since it's release. I'll be damned if this album isn't hitting all the right buttons for me right now. It's going on my Album of the Year contenders list. It's fast, energetic, and technical while also having a certain manic, melodious musicality to it that I find absolutely enthralling. Crazy time sigs, sick syncopated beats, off the way chord structures and modalities abound and yet somehow it comes off sounding cohesive and having a certain flow to it despite its superficially chaotic sound. If you like prog artists that push the structures and boundaries that define and typify the genre, then this is an album you absolutely cannot afford to miss.

 

[Falcon 4 0]

Polish top notch Blackened Death, jawdropping drums, great songs , excellent strings
very good production, absolute banger
Favourite cafe Cappuccino, Croissant, Pixel 8 Uapp aptx lossless creative aurvana ace2


@JAnonymous5150
Great that you like it! They are waaaay to unknown

 

[atomLI631]

Made some changes in my chain.

now on Qobuz -> Wandla GSE

After hooking up my Wandla, I noticed that the sample rate and bit depth never changed on the display. After researching, I determined that due to Apple Music not having exclusive mode, it just uses whatever sample rate you have selected in windows settings. So, it's not bit perfect. On Qobuz you're able to select ASIO as an option in settings and it works perfectly. Whether it actually sounds better is questionable, but it is audibly louder.

On the Modhouse Tungsten DS (Fusion pads, deep tune rings)

Except now I can't embed the album in my post.

Listen to Crypts of Despair on Qobuz in high quality: https://open.qobuz.com/album/nk0crwjyq5bmc

 

[frkasper]

YouTube Music -> Schiit Magni Unity -> Sennheiser HD 660S2

Danzig - Left Hand Black

Amon Amarth - Siegreicher Marsch (Victorious March)

Savatage - Edge of Thorns

Parkway Drive - Vice Grip

 

[Elegiac]

On the Sennheiser HD 660S2.

​

 

[Luckyleo]

Qobuz > Yggy+ GS2 > ZMF Aegis > Joal

 

[Hailstone88]

Exact moment.... Aune SR7000 (Topping E70 Velvet -> Aune S17 Pro EVO -> all playback is through Foobar, material is FLAC or DSD)

 

[JAnonymous5150]

@JAnonymous5150
Great that you like it! They are waaaay to unknown

It's surprising that a band/collab that good isn't more well known. The music is powerful and clearly executed at an elite level, the production is on point (which is the major place even a lot of great bands fail), and those vocals are insane! Thanks again, man.

now on Qobuz -> Wandla GSE

Mind if I ask how you're liking the Wandla GSE? I was thinking about trying one to see if the SERCE Module really provides the better soundstage and separation that Ferrum claims. I'm a huge fan of their Ferrum Oor/Hypsos stack (still the best and most versatile SS amp setup I've heard even over much more expensive boutique options), but I ended up looking elsewhere for DACs at the time I grabbed the stack. Anyways, my understanding is that the SERCE module does all that without editing the actual music/signal, but I'm wondering if it's A) effective in accomplishing its objectives and B) if there are any noticeable drawbacks sonically or otherwise?

Now on to the topical stuff:

This morning I'm starting off my listening with the DCA Expanse and I'm running them off my modded Schiit Lyr (w/ Siemens Gold Pin 6922s) and a Modi Multibit 2 decoding the optical out from a Wiim Mini. Something about this chain actually makes for a really nice pairing with the Expanse. It's surprisingly dynamic and energetic with a lot of microdetail and microdynamic contrast.

Up first in my queue today are Sigma Ori with their 2021 LP, Beyond the Dome. Sigma Ori are a progressive post-rock mashup band hailing from Barcelona. At the time this album was released, they had only been together for four years. I have to say, given the high quality of the album, that's an impressive development timeline. When my band played a few cities in Spain last year, including Barcelona, and from experiences touring there in years past, I have always been impressed with the Spanish people's love of and enthusiasm for music. They consistently provide some of the best crowds and amazing atmospheres when we play there so it makes sense that such a country would have a thriving music scene of its own, churning out good bands and good music, but somehow that never occurred to me and I was unaware of just how deep their various rock genre scenes were until the last year or so when I started looking into them. If you're looking for something a bit mellow and contemplative, but with layers, nuance, and some wonderful interpay between rhythm section and melody, give this album a shot.



Now, if you've made it this far, I've got an incredible bonus pick for you. It's only a single released early to promote a new album coming up at the beginning of May, but it's from a great band and it's an incredible track. Soft Ffog are a Norwegian band whose music is a heady blend of prog and fusion/jazz in nearly equal parts. They're beyond talented and I can't wait for their new album. If this track is an indicator, it's gonna be insanely good. You shouldn't miss this one!



Edited for fat finger spelling mistakes.

 

[YtseJamer]

Bifrost 2 > Icon Audio HP8 > Grado HP100 SE

 

[Nick24JJ]

Xiaomi 15 Ultra + Cambridge Audio Melomania M100
Qobuz

 

[theintention]

634Ears TX04 / DC-Elite / iPhone

EPROM - Tracks From The Vault

Bassy headphone for HEAVY bass music