[MrMan]

So since 2008 I've been trying find the perfect combo of amp/dac, cable and headphones. I think in 2023 I've achieved this. Curious if anyone else can say the same.

 

[ZzZzZzZ]

Congratulations for your grand achivement!! Kindly eloborate about your journey and final setup. I hope this perfect endgame setup remains permanent for you...

 

[Leonarfd]

So since 2008 I've been trying find the perfect combo of amp/dac, cable and headphones. I think in 2023 I've achieved this. Curious if anyone else can say the same.

Big advice then, leave this site and don't go to any meets.

But that aside, I am almost complete with my headphone setup. I do still think about upgrading the tube amp. Still been happy for years, and used my upgrade urges in IEM and portable land.

 

[Saberpunch]

I'm close. Just gotta upgrade my cable (source and headphones), get a music server and upgrade my DAC to the pro version or the newer model and I think I'm done... SIKE, you will never be done with this hobby because technology is always evolving and there is always something better out there

 

[MrMan]

Congratulations for your grand achivement!! Kindly eloborate about your journey and final setup. I hope this perfect endgame setup remains permanent for you...

So my end game I doubt anyone would desire. My amp/dac is centrance hifi m8 which allows me to boost bass and treble. I have both to the max. I got a custom cable which I don't think add much too it. Dekoni pads on my HD700's. I own hd800, 650, owned the whole beyerdynamic range from 770 to T1's. I just like the vocals to be piercing and the bass to be impactful.

 

[Shane D]

So since 2008 I've been trying find the perfect combo of amp/dac, cable and headphones. I think in 2023 I've achieved this. Curious if anyone else can say the same.

I am very, very close. I have a few things that I want to sell and maybe one or two to buy.

But as I sit here right now I don't have any gear that I hate or even dislike. There are a couple of pieces that are now redundant and need to move along, but for the most part, I can plug any headphone (except for the HE6se V2's) into any amp and be very happy. Took seven plus years to get here. And MAN did I lose a ton of money on reselling stuff!

But all good now and getting better.

 

[SolarCetacean]

I take the view, lifted from MMO and ARPG videogames, that endgame is when the game actually begins. It's when I stop pursuing wholesale upgrades, but instead pursue interesting and unusual sounds, while picking up incremental upgrades here and there. There are headphones that I think could be an upgrade over what I currently have, and I want to demo them at some point, but those are more bucket list items. I'm in no rush to listen to the SR-X9000 or Bravura or Shangri-La Sr or Susvara. I'm more interested in listening to stuff like the AWAS and MDR-Z1R or the Voce not because they would sound better, but because they would sound different in interesting ways. So to me, endgame isn't finding the perfect combo of gear and sound, but of reaching a state where improvements aren't the focus anymore.

 

[Zdzichon]

Countless times!

 

[peterinvan]

I am 75 this year. So far my ears are holding up well considering the abuse they have had over the years.
So, my end game rig will be whatever is on hand when my hearing degrades to the point where hardware and/or software can't help.

This has been a very enjoyable hobby in my retirement years. As I review the audio websites every day, I can find some high quality recordings by reading the reviews of the latest technology.

 

[Shane D]

I take the view, lifted from MMO and ARPG videogames, that endgame is when the game actually begins. It's when I stop pursuing wholesale upgrades, but instead pursue interesting and unusual sounds, while picking up incremental upgrades here and there. There are headphones that I think could be an upgrade over what I currently have, and I want to demo them at some point, but those are more bucket list items. I'm in no rush to listen to the SR-X9000 or Bravura or Shangri-La Sr or Susvara. I'm more interested in listening to stuff like the AWAS and MDR-Z1R or the Voce not because they would sound better, but because they would sound different in interesting ways. So to me, endgame isn't finding the perfect combo of gear and sound, but of reaching a state where improvements aren't the focus anymore.

Very well put!

 

[Cheesebuggah]

Yeah, I think I am done, at least in the headphone department. Most of the kilobuck or TOTL headphones don't interest me because (1) comfort, price-to-performance, and general cost. (2) Speakers are nice, I found out that my near field listening volume won't affect anyone else outside of my room besides ears ~3 inches outside of my door. And, (3) generally, headphones occasionally causes minor ringing in my ears.

I had the "bug" a few times and a lot of products interested me. In fact, if I were to buy a "TOTL" headphone, it would probably be the HD800S/HD800/HD8XX. I totally understand why people purchase these products: If my endgame headphones were a pair of cheap $20 headphones, I would tell myself to dream harder. However, in terms of audiophilia: Headphones are physically limited. I don't have a grudge to improve my collection there, sonically.

 

[carbonF1]

Congrats. That is a pretty interesting amp/dac unit.

I'm pretty happy with my source/dac and am really only interested in upgrading to newer versions of the same product family. I'm not sure whether I'd like to get further into headphones/headphone amps or start saving for some high end speakers. I'm thinking the latter would suit me better, but would like to attend a canjam before deciding either way.

 

[TWerk]

Yes, I am fully satisfied with my collection at this stage. I've been through enough headphones to know what kind of sound I wanted and it's what I have.

That doesn't mean there aren't a few others I'd like or a few I'd like to hear at some point but I'm content now with my collection.

 

[bobmysterious]

I could be totally happy with the setup I've got currently... However... There's just so many toys out there begging to be played with! I'd be remiss to not at least check them out. So I guess to answer your question... Yes and no.

 

[Chodi]

Sorry there is no endgame. Once you are on this forum abandon all hope. You may take a rest from the upgrade bug but it is only temporary. I've been at this for 30 years and I still look for the next step in the audio chain. Once bitten by the audio bug only death or complete poverty will resolve this.