[Ciggavelli]

Well, I'm fully moved as of yesterday. The entire process has been hell, even with a good company. I should have sold everything (non-gear) and just started over lol. Anyways, I'll spare the details there, but the good news is that ALL of my most valuable gear made it safely (either shipped UPS 2 Day Air insured or carried on plane (headphones)). My T2, HE90/R10/L3000/SGL Sr., EVO 400, Dave etc. etc.

That was my biggest concern and I'm in good shape. This was the night before my delivery truck arrived, don't mind the somewhat unsafe and less than ideal setup here, I only spent an hour checking whether everything worked and packed back up to wait for my delivery truck a few days later, same barebones basic/stock cables as right before I left. I'll put my full system with the mscaler, power conditioner, etc. later this week in a second room which will be a small "audio room". Just really happy everything arrived safely.

How did you transport the SGL? Did you use the original box or did you get a case? If you got a case, which one did you buy? I’m looking to take my Shangs on a trip, and I’m looking for an ideal hard case.

Congrats on the move. Moving is terrible for real

 

[number1sixerfan]

How did you transport the SGL? Did you use the original box or did you get a case? If you got a case, which one did you buy? I’m looking to take my Shangs on a trip, and I’m looking for an ideal hard case.

Congrats on the move. Moving is terrible for real

Moving is awful, if I ever do it across country again, I'll get rid of everything and only ship my valuables. The SGL and R10 were the hardest find a case for. I'm shipping the actual brand boxes/cases through the mail, and I found these cases to take on the airplane: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PDEZIPA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1. I covered each headphone in a very thin foam lining, in between the cups, around the headband and on the bottom and top of the case.

This does barely fit the SGL Sr., I had to wrap the cabling from the cups in protective wrap and have the cables come out of the case, secured by two zippers on the case to the bubble wrap, and then taped around. I put a few of these in a small duffle bag, with a small blanket as cushion around them that I took on a carry on underneath my seat and overhead. Worked like a charm.

 

[LISIANTHUS]

how about this one
https://www.amazon.com/Pelican-1400...d=1673760349&sprefix=poli+can,aps,189&sr=8-12

 

[number1sixerfan]

how about this one
https://www.amazon.com/Pelican-1400-Case-Foam-Black/dp/B00009XVKY/ref=mp_s_a_1_12?crid=1BVQACF1JR0G4&keywords=pelican&qid=1673760349&sprefix=poli+can,aps,189&sr=8-12

Pelican cases are really nice and durable. Probably what I would've used if only transporting one headphone. I love the one that came with my Sr1a.

 

[number1sixerfan]

I think I'm nixing any chance on upgrading my speakers. The Heresys are actually pretty perfect. They're a bit bass shy, but still have punch, which allows me to turn it up to decent levels without noise complaints lol. And the nearfield aspect of them makes the room at least tolerable. But for sure, they don't sound as good as they did in my old house. Just gotta give it a year before I can really get serious into speakers unfortunately.

Maybe I'll look at picking some of my headphones back up that I sold lol.. or maybe IEMs, it's been a long time since I've had a nice pair.

 

[number1sixerfan]

Mscaler, Innuos Phoenix, etc back in the system. What a difference lol (more on that later)

But with everything back in place and after a few lengthy sessions, I think I have to say that the stand out piece of gear right now in this moment is the T2. It doesn't matter what I put through it, every single time I'm feel like 'this is the best I've ever heard this headphone sound'. Tonight it was the 007, followed by the HE90, and then the 009, and SGL Sr. Each just simply immaculate with it, with their own strengths. No comparisons really, just enjoying each in their own glory.

I've never experienced an amp as versatile as the T2 by Kerry. It simply maximizes the performance of anything plugged into it, easily the single greatest aspect of it for me.

 

[Axel]

Also, I ended up selling more gear than I needed to lol. And I'll also be getting reimbursed for my move considerably (few weeks delayed), I've been thinking about upgrading my Klipsch Heresys once I settle. I just don't have an ideal space tbh. The second bedroom is too small for really nice speakers, although I could force it. And the living room is huge (high rise loft apartment), 30x17x12, with wall to wall windows, so pretty awful actually lol.. but the Heresys do sound good enough in it (only in the sweet spot). Looking around for houses by the end of the year, so it's only temporary anyway.

I'm really focused on the Focal Kanta 2's. Saw some demos and read a lot up on them for a while. I'm interested in several others, the electrostatic speakers mentioned in this thread earlier, + KEF, Sonus Faber, etc., but these would also make the cut for my fiance's future living room lol. Everything else for the most part she'd rather have in my basement "man cave" lol. Anyways, just thinking out loud, I may not because again, the room has a lot of problems and I would like to save money lol.

Not sure where you’re located, but I can highly recommend Boenicke, they are small speakers that have high WAF and sound AMAZING.
I have auditioned the W8 compared to $30-40K speakers and to me they bettered them in almost every aspect.
The W8 can fill a huge space.
https://boenicke-audio.ch/products/loudspeakers/w8/

 

[number1sixerfan]

Not sure where you’re located, but I can highly recommend Boenicke, they are small speakers that have high WAF and sound AMAZING.
I have auditioned the W8 compared to $30-40K speakers and to me they bettered them in almost every aspect.
The W8 can fill a huge space.
https://boenicke-audio.ch/products/loudspeakers/w8/

Thanks, I'll read up on these! How do they sound at low volumes? I ended up tabling speakers for right now, as I can't really crank the volume much at all. Ended up getting some Kef LS50 monitors to use in a second room. They're ok, but they don't hold a candle to the Heresys, which makes sense with the tweeter size difference. I'll revisit speakers as we start looking at houses.

Close to the sweet spot the Heresys sound absolutely amazing. And my fiance actually really loves the sound. Makes me think I may also need to just consider upgrading within the Klipsch lineup as well. The only issue is outside of the sweet spot the sound is not great. The LS50s are actually better at that, although again, much "smaller" and less "lifelike" sound.

 

[Axel]

Thanks, I'll read up on these! How do they sound at low volumes? I ended up tabling speakers for right now, as I can't really crank the volume much at all. Ended up getting some Kef LS50 monitors to use in a second room. They're ok, but they don't hold a candle to the Heresys, which makes sense with the tweeter size difference. I'll revisit speakers as we start looking at houses.

I mostly don't listen at low volume, usually moderate to "concert-level" volume . I don't think their pro is low volume.

Close to the sweet spot the Heresys sound absolutely amazing. And my fiance actually really loves the sound. Makes me think I may also need to just consider upgrading within the Klipsch lineup as well. The only issue is outside of the sweet spot the sound is not great. The LS50s are actually better at that, although again, much "smaller" and less "lifelike" sound.

The Boenickes sound wonderful almost from every place in the room, they fill the room with sound and create a huge 3D soundstage.

 

[lsantista]

Im listening to the W5 SE+ at low volumes almost all the time since getting them a month ago, since the amps I have in hand have been Raal's HSA1b (20W at 4ohm) and Elekit 8900 (8W with 300b, plays my HD800 wonderfully, will soon try it with the AKG K1000). I think it sounds sweet and subtle without loosing their magical character. But yes I miss their sound when I first heard the W5 SE with a 150W SS amp. Will try my speaker with a very high current 30W class A1 KT88 amp next month, and if it still lacks, I might move to a more powerfull amp

 

[number1sixerfan]

Well I reached out to Judi at Eddie Current, wanted to grab the Studio B. Apparently it's just too hard to find parts and it's no longer in production. That's unfortunate, I really wanted it. But I think it's a blessing in disguise, as I assume that would make it harder to service them in the future anyway. The good news however, is it sounds like he's working on a net new amp. She told me to check back in, in a few months.

I'll have to go back to the drawing board. I think $5k is my upper bound, as I just spend way more time with the stats and T2 than anything. If it can be used as say a really nice pre-amp in a speaker system in the future, I'd strongly consider upping the budget. The entire reason I stalled in the first place is because although I don't think the Dave is tier 1 amplification (I did REALLY extensive A/B'ing with the WA33 on this), it comes damn close. I think I'll sit tight for a bit until I can decide really, and for now, I still have two nice speaker amps (Evo 400 and Hegel H120) if I need for more power hungry headphones, although it's really a pain to use considering I actually use my speakers with them. (Just got a cheap speaker switch unit, couldn't really find any by well known manufacturers?). Hopefully that makes things easier.

 

[number1sixerfan]

Also, I have the Focal Utopia 2022 coming for a demo for a few weeks, should be here tomorrow. And I bought the Expanse, impressions seem interesting and will have the Caldera on loan (and can purchase) in a month or two after a friend completes his review of it. I feel like I only have another year or two to maximize my enjoyment in this hobby given how life is trending lol. So now that I'm settled in Chicago and have some leftover funds from gear I sold (this hobby and another actually) before the move, I'm hoping to try as many interesting cans I actually haven't heard.

Will definitely share impressions, and we'll see. Hopefully I can get the Caldera while I still have the Utopias, but I'm not sure I can make the timing work.

 

[Chefguru]

Well I reached out to Judi at Eddie Current, wanted to grab the Studio B. Apparently it's just too hard to find parts and it's no longer in production. That's unfortunate, I really wanted it. But I think it's a blessing in disguise, as I assume that would make it harder to service them in the future anyway. The good news however, is it sounds like he's working on a net new amp. She told me to check back in, in a few months.

I'll have to go back to the drawing board. I think $5k is my upper bound, as I just spend way more time with the stats and T2 than anything. If it can be used as say a really nice pre-amp in a speaker system in the future, I'd strongly consider upping the budget. The entire reason I stalled in the first place is because although I don't think the Dave is tier 1 amplification (I did REALLY extensive A/B'ing with the WA33 on this), it comes damn close. I think I'll sit tight for a bit until I can decide really, and for now, I still have two nice speaker amps (Evo 400 and Hegel H120) if I need for more power hungry headphones, although it's really a pain to use considering I actually use my speakers with them. (Just got a cheap speaker switch unit, couldn't really find any by well known manufacturers?). Hopefully that makes things easier.

I'm not convinced that better amplification makes a difference for dynamic headphones. Maybe there are a few exceptions with planar where hooking up to a power amp changes things, but I have not heard them. Back in 2013 I had a unique chance to a/b blind test an Apex Pinnacle ($10k at the time) vs Leben CS300XS ($3500~) on at several TOTL headphones for that era (hd800/lcd3/he6). I struggled to even tell those two apart despite completely different tube designs. I've seen many people on the sound science forum find they can't tell the differences $100~ amps and 5 figure amps for most dynamic cans - or can't even pick the tube amp out vs the SS amp on blind tests reliably.

With estats an amp has much more dramatic effect and can be really picky. A lambda on the T2 will probably out perform an x9000 on a mid-tier stax amps for example.

 

[number1sixerfan]

I'm not convinced that better amplification makes a difference for dynamic headphones. Maybe there are a few exceptions with planar where hooking up to a power amp changes things, but I have not heard them. Back in 2013 I had a unique chance to a/b blind test an Apex Pinnacle ($10k at the time) vs Leben CS300XS ($3500~) on at several TOTL headphones for that era (hd800/lcd3/he6). I struggled to even tell those two apart despite completely different tube designs. I've seen many people on the sound science forum find they can't tell the differences $100~ amps and 5 figure amps for most dynamic cans - or can't even pick the tube amp out vs the SS amp on blind tests reliably.

With estats an amp has much more dramatic effect and can be really picky. A lambda on the T2 will probably out perform an x9000 on a mid-tier stax amps for example.

Definitely agree on the differences between stat and dynamic amps, stat amps can have dramatic effect. I think amps do matter for dynamics, but I also do think many differences are exaggerated. Even with my Dave comparisons, I found the WA33 better with each headphone I had, and specifically with bass reproduction consistently. But it wasn't a large difference at all. If it weren't for power hungry planars, I wouldn't even be looking really.

Also just being fully transparent, I can admit that I don't like the idea of powering something as good and legendary as the R10 "just" out of the Dave. And that's a bias informed perspective I'm aware of and have also been trying to avoid leaning into (hence the stalling) since what I'm hearing is damn good. Nothing at all is lacking right now. But I cannot forget the magic that I heard on Vance's EC 300b. It may not actually power them much better (they are easy to drive really), but the tube magic match with the R10 was incredible. I'm thinking if I have a few more harder to drive headphones, it may give me the justification of adding another amp lol (that just so happens to mesh well with the R10 as well).

 

[buzzlulu]

Interesting conversation about the effect of amps on dynamic headphones. I recently canceled my order on an endgame tube amp (out of respect to the builder I will not mention which one) as the above conversation had a similar bearing on my decision. Like @number1sixerfan I am fully embedded with my Stax T2 setup and it receives the majority of my listening time (when not listening to my Naim/dCS 2 channel system). The only dynamic cans I have are the Utopia (my main dynamic), the Sony Signature Z1R, and my Grado RS1 purchased back in 2006 a few years after I first joined headfi.

This totl tube amp was purchased strictly for use with the Utopia and at the end I decided it was foolish to spend so much money on an amp for one can - particularly one which would not be used that much.

Part of the decision making process came about because I had to make a decision on whether to upgrade my Linn Klimax DS source from Katalyst to Organik. I wanted to determine whether my headphones were resolving enough to show a significant source upgrade - or if they had reached their limits. My first test was to listen to my T2 + X9000 through the Linn and then move the entire amplifier into the 2 channel room and listen to it again through a superior source - the dCS Rossini APEX. To my surpirse, and pleasure, the Stax X9000 easily proved it was capable of showing off a source upgrade. This allowed me to make the decision to order the Linn upgrade.

When I undertook the same experiment with the Focal Utopia I found the headphones were not up to the task of resolving an upgrade in the source component - the move from the Linn to Rossini. I then connected the Utopia to my Sony Signature WM1Z (the gold brick) and found the performance of the Utopia was more or less the same through that as well. In other words the gold walkman yielded similar results to the totl dCS Rossini. My conclusion, in line with some of the above comments, is that a dynamic can such as the Utopia may have reached its limits more quickly than something like my Stax phones. As @Chefguru stated above a lambda on the T2 will probably out perform an x9000 on a mid-tier stax amps for example. I think the Utopia, know for being an easy headphone to drive, tops out very quickly with both amplifier and source selections.

As always your mileage may vary