So, Astra is now over the 200 hour mark
still having quite a journey finding my perfect sound sig

[using stock cable, foam tips + Sony Dap] - Ive found a slight annoyance! - The grey filter is more low end in the low mids (and does a great job)
BUT
the gold filter seems to be ALL about the low end - sounds like the low end 'covers' and heavily influences about 2/3rd's of the sound
SO
with the grey you get a lot of incredible clarity and detail but in some cases doesn't have enough low end
with the gold I get the low end punch I want but in other areas its too enveloping and masks some of the amazing details
What I need [with my specific fav setup] is a filter that is in-between the grey and the gold ):
Because of this though I thought it time to try some different cables (using gold lower)
first the new NiceHCK pure litz copper and then the pure silver cable
With each one the bass weight lessened so with the silver there is at least a nice balance of detail and low end weight although like this its closer to the Opus Mia sound than displaying some of the amazing and unique qualities that the Astra can give
You can hear though the difference in quality between the stock SCC cable and the NiceHCK litz cable
I guess Im gonna need to buy a graphene cable
I would still prefer a balanced sound over all but with this level / quality of low end but with more of the incredible detail and pure highs that you can get from the Astra - Ultimately that is what Im trying to find my way to.
I'll get there in the end as I have experienced all the different qualities Im looking for but at different times using different filters / set ups !
The Astra sounds amazing, don't get me wrong but Im trying to tweak to get my own personal 'perfect' sound sig with my personal current set up
I do think though that 300+ hours + is needed so I have another week to go
All good fun and really interesting hearing how everything and anything you try gives a different sound signature
The Astra is very sensitive to whatever to do to it!!