rlow

I was so happy it was you that picked them up @rlow . I just saw that you also picked up an MJ3. I have tiny envy. I bet it will make them really sing. I am looking forward to my Aeolus in a few weeks.

Oh damn i thought it was just the XC that was heavy.

The HFM Arya stealth will fill your requirements perfectly just be aware of the slight 2khz dip and softer mid bass punch. Also HFMs sound more ethereal overall.

Heavily asterisked for many reasons, but I recently got a Verum for the same reason. Still evaluating, but I think it sounds like what you want. Drops off a bit around 30Hz with the perforated pads.

Oh yeah. It starts up as particle board and turns into mahogany

Initial impressions (and with what source and headphones)?

With Yggdrasil A2 and Aeolus or HD650 (stock). So far this is easily the best solid state amp I’ve heard, although I’ve only owned a small handful. Easily better than Jot 2, and way, way better for my prefs than Rag 1.5. Sounds the most natural of any SS amp I’ve heard so far. Can go into more details later.

Having Clear and several HD800 of various mod levels, the HD800 spend more in recreational listening than Clears. My personal preferences, YMMV, etc.

The Clear OG might be good with the A2 but what’s in the middle might determine if it’s what you’re looking for. Also if you didn’t care for the Elex, you might not like the Clear (assuming metallic timbre that bugs some folks). I enjoy mine but yeah trade offs. It would be ideal if you can try before committing.

@rlow PM me your shipping; I'd be willing to loan you my JAR HD650 if interested

USED? How long have these been out again? Either way, congratulations! Hope to hear impressions from you when you can be bothered to share.

The other Aeolus is making noise out your way tonight too, I guess... All ok?

@Biodegraded thatnks for asking. Lost power for about 6 hours. Back now and the winds are dying down somewhat. Hopefully the worst has passed.

Yggdrasil A2/SW51+ really is a great combo. There’s great synergy with my Auteur and Elite. Glad it’s working with your Aeolus as well!

Turns it into a pretty rich and engaging listen with some great low end kick.

I enjoy both very much. Prefer the 600 for rock/alternative/metal and electronic, but the 650 for folk, jazz and acoustic/live stuff. And I prefer my Aeolus over the 600 for most things due to more sub bass kick. Wanted to reduce the stable to possibly try some new things, so the 600 had to go (along with Elex).

@Lyander that was the first pair of 600 I’ve ever tried. Was curious and they came on a big sale so I snatched them up. Really enjoyed them. Would love to hear an older pair to see if they’re better.

I sold HD600 once and regretted it. Elex is a weird headphone, had it on the chopping block until I plugged it into a sonett2. Not going anywhere that amp turns Elex into super duper HD600 but even better.

And let's toss in a 5.1 quake around Ventura.

Storm diverted away from most major population centers. Can't speak for everywhere obviously, but here it rained on/off with varying 15-30 mph (guessing) winds - not bad at all thankfully.

Mjolnir 3 seems to have more in common with big boy speaker amps (Coda, Pass Labs) than traditional headphone amps. 16 output devices per channel? Good grief. I may have to bite the bullet to compare to ECP T4 and the DSHA-3FN...

Some used to get loaners beforehand. I guess that is not happening anymore.

Some folks have listened to it at the Corpus and Bay area meets I believe.

Glad to hear you are safe

Whoa! Glad you are ok and your home unscathed. Really feeling for your neighbors who weren't as lucky.

I'm so glad you are okay. House fires and the aftermath are no fun.

The bills have to be paid somehow.

Smooth jazz or whiskey or both. Like and subscribe for more life hacks.

- cost of electricity to warm up and listen to this stuff
- cost of time to unbox, and then rebox (time is money guys)
- amortized cost of rack and chair usage (wear and tear)
- pain and suffering of continually trying to keep my significant other aligned that I need all this stuff

Vámonos

Are you using the "short" or "long" version of the poles for the ISO stands? I wonder if using the long version would help clean it up a bit more as it would be further from the desk surface?

@zonto using the short rods. Good idea, will give the long rods a try but man they are pretty long, couldn’t really use them like that I don’t think.

Yeah. I'm tall so to get things at tweeter height that aren't angled like my Vanatoo T0 I think I'd need to switch to the long rods. Another approach would be to try and high pass the speakers and then route the rest to the sub. I remember before I added a sub to my T0 my desk vibrated more. Still not perfect, but way better than it was with the HPF engaged.

In my experience, going back to the 650 sounds really nice for about 5-10 minutes before really nice turns into dull and boring.

The 650s have been relegated to my daughter's setup full time.

If HD-600 bothers me, I can easily fix it with a tone control or a filter. But I don't seem to be able to fix dark headphones, such as HD-650.

I love the 600s. I actually find them close in detail and midrange goodness to the HD800s. When I want that more intimate vocal presence, they're my go to. You could also try the ZMF suede pads. They bring a bit more space and bass to the sound without messing up what makes them great.

I owned a recent pair of 600s but never heard an older pair. I have had older and newer 650s but did not compare those either.

I will say I liked the 600s better than the 650s. A bit more sparkle and touch less midbass.

Everyone should try the HD600. I had one of the older marbled ones and one of the newer ones. Didn't notice any real difference, pads make more of a difference. I think the HD600 sounds better with worn pads. With fresh pads I found them a little irritating.

@Raimei Templar cool thx for the advice. Have some old pads from my 650s, will try ‘em out!

Better impressions in the thread later.