I had a blue hawaii se and sr007mk1(liked more than the 009) combo that was good but I wasn't in love with it. I "downgraded" to a empyrean and 430HA so that my office wouldn't get so hot and for the first time I actually really enjoy headphone listening relative to 2 channel. It's been a really great combo. I'd probably like the Abyss even more from the way people describe it but now I'm switching my source gear to a hugo 2 so I can get away from my desk and I will no longer have Abyss required power. I've been really enamored with the Empyrean though so I'm happy.
So the question might be why. It is a simple answer. When I change my focus to any other activity while listening such as reading, I miss something from the sound. There is too much happening to share with other senses. With no other distractions I find myself completely immersed in the music with no desire for anything else. Of the sound, no faults, no thoughts of what is missing.
Let me add mine to the list:
Squeezebox Touch or Foobar 2000 > Schiit Yggdrasil Analog 2 > custom balanced to unbalanced converter > DNA Stellaris > Diana V2 or Verité open. Completely satisfied with these combinations. Both phones offer something different. They are different and complementary to each other.
So the question might be why. It is a simple answer. When I change my focus to any other activity while listening such as reading, I miss something from the sound. There is too much happening to share with other senses. With no other distractions I find myself completely immersed in the music with no desire for anything else. Of the sound, no faults, no thoughts of what is missing. Delighted to hear aspects of recordings which are surprising or newly discovered. I really can't think of better attributes for a system.
It doesn't sound like being there at a live venue all the time, though it does sometimes. That is not bad. Is there better? Probably. Do I need it? Probably not. Do I keep looking for something better. Not a chance. Am I happy to listen for hours on end? No question, yes. Is it the best for anyone. Probably not, though I have no doubt many would find it remarkable.
Thank you all for responding to this thread. I quite agree there are many positive comments on the forum. It is not always easy to find the gold among the detritus. The idea behind this was to make it easier for people to find what people have found to be enjoyable and for those interested to share their experiences.
I am curious how much improvement that custom balanced to unbalanced converter brings to the whole chain. I have a similar chain as yours but Stratus not Stellaris (some day...) and I have been debating if I should get a balanced to unbalanced converter like jenson. Would adding converter into the chain an upgrade or just a side grade with different flavor? Building a custom one might be more cost effective but that sounds complicated.
My current bliss is my Focal Utopia powered by Feliks Audio Euforia amp with my X1 Audio Sagra DAC. Sometimes I prefer the 1266 TC with my X1 Audio Sagra, Formula S and Powerman for certain songs or the Hifiman HE1000SE which has a bigger soundstage and sounds open. Yet I keep coming back the the Utopia/Feliks Euforia/X1 Audio Sagra combination for most of my music. No right or wrong...just personal preference. I took a bit of a risk ordering the Utopia and Feliks but very pleased with the sound.
So far the only real totl headphones that i think deserve this status are the Utopia and the Susvara. Below that directly come the HD600/650 that make most other highend/totl headphones look bad.
So far the only real totl headphones that i think deserve this status are the Utopia and the Susvara. Below that directly come the HD600/650 that make most other highend/totl headphones look bad.
AKG K812, K872, Fostex TH900 Mk.2, Denon AH-D9200, Sennheiser HD800, HD800S, Grado PS2000e, GS2000e, Audeze LCD-X and LCD-3, Beyerdynamic T1 and T5p, Hifiman HekV2 and HekSE. Didn't hear anything from Abyss or ZMF, no LCD4 and no Empyrean. Stax SR-009 setup was a bit strange so i won't judge it. I have the SR-007 Mk. 1 here but have no decent amp yet. I think it could be in the same ballpark as Utopia and Susvara though. I also think that the Sonoma M1 is a decent totl system but ultimately a good Utopia/Susvara setup is better (but also more expensive of course).
Can't decide between Susvara and EQed SR-007. Both are pretty good. Really would've liked to audition ZMFs VC, since I've only owned the Aeolus and didn't like it too much, but the German distributor is rubbish. So no ZMF for me I guess.
As it stands, the combo of Verite Closed + cap modded Liquid Platinum is just amazing. Auteurs can more or less step in for the VCs and not lose anything. I can't really fathom adding anything... I'm very happy with the amps I have, I'm EXTREMELY happy with the headphones I have, and I'm pretty darned pleased with my IEMs (Andromeda 2nd-gen). Only thing I'm waiting on is a DAP (HiBy R5 Saber is on the way), and only thing I might need to upgrade at some point is a DAC - I'm using the Monoprice Liquid Spark DAC with the LP and a SMSL SU-8 with my office setup (Darkvoice, Crack, SMSL SH-8).
My 5 cents: in order of use:
Headphones: Obravo eat-2c (& 1c), Final D8000, Stax SR009A, CA Solaris, LCD4
Source: AK 1000, AK 1000M, DCS Rossini
Amp: Pass XA30.8, Nagra 300i
LS: Wilson Sabrina, B&O 9, 20
My 5 cents: in order of use:
Headphones: Obravo eat-2c (& 1c), Final D8000, Stax SR009A, CA Solaris, LCD4
Source: AK 1000, AK 1000M, DCS Rossini
Amp: Pass XA30.8, Nagra 300i
LS: Wilson Sabrina, B&O 9, 20
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