Merrick

Thank you!

@insidious meme On Amazon through MusicTek.

Taobao. Forum sponsor SourceAV has them.

Thanks guys. Went with Source AV.

If you live in the states PM me your address. You don't need much but there's some trial and error and sometimes they fall out but I'll give you enough to get started.

It will probably get mailed Monday.

Tom

@skank Thank you for the offer! @Biodegraded is sending me a small sheet already and if that’s not enough I will reach out to you. Much appreciated to both of you!

https://evossound.com/headphones/in-ear/palais/palais.html

Mod is dead easy: just poke front-vent with thin needle and put criss-cross micropore tape on the nozzle.

Edit: forgot to mention, I also did the tape + pinhole thing on the back-vent :) Anyway, stll easier and less risky than the Fostex and Blitzwolf mods...

@james444 Thanks! How easy are these to drive? One of my favorite aspects of the Fostex is they sound terrific out of my phone.

They're a tad less efficient than the Fostex, but I can still drive them to ear-splitting volume with anything but quiet classical recordings out of my phone.

I really liked the modded BW-ES1 too, and I use them a lot in general public but I definitely prefer listening to my MD + whenever I can.

@Grahad2 the DD definitely plays a factor.

@jayeshrc The BW were always a bit uncomfortable for me to wear, unfortunately. I never tried the revised mods on those. The bass on those are insane though (in a good way).

Some of the only R.E.M. lyrics I actually know. Cannot really make out the rest too well. I know all these lyrics are available online these days, but I don't look them up. Would ruin the mystery. I have no idea what is being sung on "Murmur".

On those early albums the lyrics can be something new each time.

Would be interested in talking over what TSoW could improve upon. I'm a fan, but I know all too well I've got trash taste sometimes :))

Also, never heard of mother! before now and it looks to be really interesting. Gonna go check if any theatres here are screening!

I really need to watch Mother, but I’m also excited to watch Shape of Water.

I watched Fantastic Beasts last night though, and thought it was better than most the other HP movies

There is always Black Panther

Haha I remember the first production vali 1s and their rrrrrrrrrring.

Yeah, I really liked the sound of my vali 1 but the ring was annoying.

No ring on mine so far but I’m aware it’s an issue and have babied the amp to avoid ringing.

@insidious meme Yes! Merrick referenced them in a status update.

Ah missed that. Definitely an acquired taste. I have one of their albums.

I don't love all of their albums but there are some that are really good musically if you look past the fantasy elements. Vander is really a great drummer and I enjoy Jannick Top's tone and bass playing.

If you get burnt, call them "lava."

Yeah! Good stuff! I think my faves are Köhntarkösz and the first Live album.

Lol I haven't heard these guys in ages. Dig the made up language for their chants.

DSD vs PCM is difficult for me to suss out. I don't have any standalone DSD files, but I do have some SACDs. However, I can only play the SACDs through the analog outs on my CD/SACD player, whereas PCM is going through the Mimby. I would need to get some DSD files and then a PCM conversion of the same file, or get something like HQ Player to convert PCM to DSD, in order to do that comparison.

The mastering is way more important than anything else, in the real world.

IIRC David Elias offered free music downloads to help people determine for themselves whether there are any appreciable differences between DSD and PCM. Whether or not the mastering can be said to be equivalent is beyond me, but it's something.

https://www.oppodigital.com/hra/dsd-by-davidelias.aspx

Thats a good wife

Color me jealous... seen them only one time before but would jump at the chance... such an awesome band to see live... they don't count on explosions and other visual distractions to put on an amazing show, they just kill it. Have you seen them before? Anyway, enjoy!!

@e.schell Yes, I saw them on the Like Clockwork tour and they were incredible. I’m super excited for this show, The Eagles of Death Metal are the openers too!

Given the nature of my job and life, I'm back to 99% listening on Andromeda + ZX2 and I can't complain.

For many decades, I figured if I had a system on which I could enjoy both 'Kink Kronikles' (unfortunate sound) and 'Uncle Meat' (out of this world sound) LPs I was in a sweet spot as far as equipment went. That simple rule of thumb served me well. And I bought a ton of music.

A lot of people say we care more about gear than music. However I am not so sure the average person cares more about music when they just listen at the gym or in the background to distract them from whatever drudgery they are experiencing.

I've had the Vali 2 before and liked it. I never got to try those tubes that require the adapter that people here rave about.

Based on re-reading the pertinent threads and my own experience, I’m going to get another Vali 2. Thanks everyone!

Good choice. The Vali 2 is just magical with efficient headphones.

I only used them briefly but I didn't find any glaring holes. Not sure how licensing in the US will affect that though.

That’s true about licensing in the US, hopefully they have a robust catalog. Will definitely check it out. Like Tidal, It’s integrated into Audirvana so that’s a big plus.

I think they beat the pants off of Tidal, at least in their current form.