drftr
Headphoneus Supremus
Could be that with high gain you're pressing the amp far too much. Volume-wise this should work, but you're quickly losing all overhead you'd normally need for otherwordly dynamics, imaging, et cetera.How good are desktop equipment for IEMs? With my N30, but also with other DAC/AMPs I have tested, I have found that I find low-gain better overall; otherwise the sound with high-gain and the like or more voltage is for me generally too clear, sharp / not musical enough, less black background, the sound expands too much and loses cohesion.
Both a "shopping car" and a Ferrari will make it to 180 km/hr, but I'd consider the Ferrari as the desktop version with ample reserves.
drftr