A few quick thoughts before traveling.. these aren't impressions based on comparisons between amps or anything. Just a few light, non-definitive thoughts that are subject to expansion and change. And as a heads up, just about everything I'm hearing is overwhelmingly positive. I'll try to be more critical and expansive in sharing pros vs. cons after more time.. but at this moment, just excellent with any and everything.
- Thing I love most at the moment is the versatility of the T2. It sounds good with every headphone and essentially accentuates all of their strengths, while giving a good boost in the areas they can stand to gain in. This is of major importance to me, as the character of the best stats vary so greatly, which means that ultimate synergy for all with one amp can be more rare (i.e. 009, 007, x9000, SGL Sr. are all so different and can pair best with various amps).
-Hand in hand with the above, extremely good tonality. Very balanced. Silky smooth, but detailed. Great performance from the bass, mids to the highs. I want to give it more time here before getting more specific.
-T2 definitely improves bass performance across the board. As well as fullness of the sound, detail and the holographic aspects of the music (spaciousness, soundstage, imaging and placement). At this point, these are the areas that stand out. Which seems to be just about everything possible lol
-T2/SGL Sr.: best sound I've ever heard in the hobby ever. Not a single weakness. I'll try to quantify that in the future. Also, the SR is very power hungry, and two quick differences to note with the T2: 1) PLENTY of headroom left. 2) it sounds much better to my ears at lower volumes; more full while detailed, less of a desire/need to turn up louder (this is more so relevant for me at use w/work). I'll expand more on the actual sound later, but just overall. Heavenly.
- x9000/T2: amazing, and getting the second most use after the SGL, which hasn't changed. For both of them, the T2 has mainly elevated what they were already great at to a degree I didn't necessarily expect. The thing that consistently stands out is the openness and spaciousness for the x9000. It already stands out in that regard, but definitely something to behold on the T2.
-CRBN/T2: really damn good. As I said in this thread earlier, I was quite surprised after the first listen. Doesn't transform the CRBN, but just more of the same at a higher level--great, smooth tonality. Great bass impact and quality (stands out a bit more, even). Seems to improve detail a bit, and definitely improves the 'holographic' nature of them to a nice degree. It doesn't close the gap on the x9000 or SGL or anything in that regard, but it's noticeable.. and with the general elevation of the sound outside of that, very enjoyable combo.
-009/T2: Excellent, perfect synergy. The above three headphones "feel" like they scale to a moderate to high degree, while with the 009, it's mostly about maximizing synergy and balancing out a few of its weaknesses (in comparison, for the others again, it felt like more of accentuation). The T2 (similar to the Aeras) improves its bass response and tonal density, while maximizing its inherent strengths of detail and clarity.
I've listened to the HE60 for a bit, and need more time with the 007. Will spend a bit more time with them and report back with initial thoughts.
