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@Phantaminum I dropped it from a quite-high cabinet at a very specific angle on an object that punched directly into the driver. It's hard to explain....with tears in my eyes...

Ouch... that's a sad end to headphones or any valuable object.

Going for replacement? I wonder how the customer service is now.

@Thad E Ginathom Good timing! Garuspik (or his "intern"?) has surprisingly contacted me on email for a replacement solution after a "customer" told him about my situation (with some added choice words for SBAF haha). Will see how that pans out!

@gixxerwimp I have only seen a few mentions from Psalm and zerodeefex about being a tier or two below Vanatoo T0. Spec sheet has zero detail regarding the codecs but I suspect the usual aptx, aac, sbc – no LDAC mention anywhere on the box. I notice there's a few milliseconds delay of sound while using bluetooth as well, which sucks a bit.

Good example of how far you can take a simple small design when you can properly tune the power to the drivers. My experience with JBL Contol Ones is that they were lifeless lumps and only got close to any respect when you cranked them.

I bought the non BT for $50 I think a while back. I used them at work and they were pretty decent.

For $50, I'd take them over most compact monitors and keep the rest of the $$$ for good investments during the recession.

@Sqveak Damn. Guess I'll have to ask Zampotech to add some mean spike traps in the box now.

The postal workers are probably over worked and under paid. Just needs to be packed well.

That's really sad to hear. IIRC mine came in a thick plastic Russian Post plastic bag with Zamp's sturdy packaging on the inside. It definitely looked the worse for wear, but everything was intact. I'm sure you'll get sorted out as quickly as possible.

Mk2 much lighter (~465grams). In future i'll sell separately new headbands.

@Garuspik Looking forward to the new ones. Hope it's easy to install for dumb-dumb like me! :D

Another shoutout to @Garuspik for being so quick to respond 24/7 and providing me with detailed instructions on how to fix the headphone. Seriously, get some sleep man.

It's one of the only planar magnetic headphones I actually like (plus the price is great in the land of kilobuck crap).

Had the QuickStep back in the day and it remains one of my favorite two or three portable amps (along with the Leckerton). Sneaky powerful and nicely refined, dynamic sound.

Now I just feel bad for not knowing Meier Audio sooner. My stupid purchases back in the last few years could have easily been avoided...

Dr Meier's an original—and a treat to deal with! I don't use my Classic often nowadays, but I'm still holding on to it. Enjoy!

Looks interesting. I would get it just to have something different

It has hardware crossfeed and much better volumepot than Magni 3.

Thank you all! I'll try to get my hands on the amp. I just hope it doesn't sound much harsher than a Jotunheim.

@YMO I'm hereby convinced. Please eat more fiber though!

When I hear "slow" & "tubey" describe a tube amp... I run the other fuckin' way... faaast.

@FlySweep Haha that's basically what I felt! Never got turned off by something so fast.

That is an essential task bro. You can have all the carriers pickup packages at your place.

Ouch. Sorry to hear it, my friend.

I'm now worried about getting one like wtf is with everyone and this amp :))

@Lyander stop dicking around with a broken ZDT Jr. and join us :)

LOL, got me there. I plan to, but might have mentioned the ZDTJ is a friend's on extended loan so I'd feel like an unconsented assfuck if I bought more stuff before I sorted it out.

(Never mind my ethical obligation to remedy the effects of what seems to be an electrical short is questionable at best— it's what I'd want others to do if I loaned stuff I guess.)

@Zampotech Swapped the tubes, the crackle remains on the same channel. Should I just bring the amp to the local repair shop?

Can you give large photos of the tube socket? I want to understand what is the source of the crackling.

Another point. Are there any sounds in the headphones when the amplifier is turned off?

@Zampotech Oops, I've just sent the amp to the repair shop. :'( He did a quick check and there seemed to not be any trouble with the socket. He still needs a few days to thoroughly check everything since his repair queue is long.

There's no crackling sound or anything of the sort when the amp is off.

Tested with FDX1 and Andromeda. Tried fudging around with ZX507's app process, couldn't force stop or disable Sound Enhancement process a la ZX2. Worth a try.

So ZX507 = ZX300 + streaming capabilities - battery life?

@Ksaurav402 Adding to the equation, minus the USB DAC and bluetooth receiver functions (not sure about the latter).
That's just me though. Other people might find an appreciable difference with it compared to ZX300, just not for me and my ringing ears. :(

It's been 4 hours... haven't seen him listen to music this long before and he has tried Andromeda, Orion, and Verum 1 (albeit with channel imbalance issue that comes and goes).

"You must think I hate money," said he "Fuck you for bringing this into my life." I think he likes it.