2021 Golden Schlong Nominations

I didn't know I could blame my disinterest in socializing on SBAF, this is awesome.

 

Epic given for the honest assessment here. The whole hobby is wrapped in FOMO & hype of regurgitation in different clothes. SINAD probably being the worst new emphasis in the area. A sad, uphill battle to fight for better consumer education. Makes SBAF feel like the warm blanket in it all.

 

I am not sure where this nomination goes, because it is not value (or maybe it is), but it is certainly an excellent amp. The amp that has really focused my listening and left me not looking for alternatives is the Quicksilver Audio Heaphone Amp.

It is such a clean design and presents as neutral with a bit of tube musicality. I have also found it a fun project amp to swap out parts to "Level Up" is sonic properties.

 

IEMs are extra weird in this regard. A while ago (I forget exactly how long, but maybe before this site existed), I bought a decent set of not-too-pricey IEMs, and then a couple years ago they wore out. When I went to look into buying a new one last year, it was discontinued. I looked into some of the other ones I'd considered at the time, and all of those were either unavailable everywhere or officially discontinued. Most of them didn't even have an obvious successor product sold by the same company, and if they did it seemed obviously different or worse in some way that mattered to me.

There's flash-in-the-pan nonsense from other sectors of the market, sure. But from recent history, it's hard to be confident that any given IEM is still going to be for sale in a year or two, even if it's good. I'd feel weird giving something an award if I thought there was a good chance people couldn't buy it next year.

 

I am honored and humbled by the nomination, thank-you.

Vali2+ deserves recognition for great performance at such a low price.
No one will get an argument from me on SW51+ for high performance / price ratio.
Then there is BottleHead Crack for longevity. Listen to mine periodically and still enjoy what it has to offer.

 

My crack also found a good home and, although I don't miss it because of what I have, it definitely should get a longetivity place.

It was my favorite price/performance tubey until the SW51+ (which, to be honest, is much better).

So those 2 get a thumbs up from me,in different ways.

 

Trying to writeup instructions / tips on the Pi based streamers keeps forcing me to face the complexities of setup and configuration.
@rhythmdevils asked that these be done at a fairly basic level. Trying to meet his wish keeps driving me to think "just buy a Chromecast Audio".
It's so easy to set up and extremely reliable. It updates automatically. When problems occur (eg changing wifi network) repair is holding the reset button and doing a 1 minute config again. At 96k/24bit PCM it handles almost all digital audio demands easily. Use two or more to get multi-room playback.

It's just extraordinary that Google launched a product years ago that simply, conveniently provides great digital streaming. I expected others to follow, but AFAIK years later we have nothing comparable. Maybe newer streamers have a higher bit rates, lower jitter and a bit more flexibility.. but for 90% of audiophiles, they'll get 90% of the benefits with 10% of the hassle, and a much lower price tag.

So yeah, a great product deserving awards for longevity and value

 

But didn't google discontinue it?

 

Pretty sure they did, in favor of the various speakers.

I also like the Google CC eco-system, but, damn, if it isn't constantly dropping devices. Probably I need to go back and re-install the app and re-connect all the devices. It's not hard to fix, necessarily, but there are annoyances.

Same with the BlueSound stuff. Not quite as rock solid as you'd like.

 

You can't get them from Best Buy any more. Just order one in an unopened box from eBay. They are still way more available than some award nominees - no joining a wait list on these.

I proposed them because @purr1n indicated he is open to recognizing late. The value of these is more apparent now they have done years of service for owners and are still cherished parts of the chain. They stand up well against newer streamers on value and ease of use.

 

Here's my nominations, despite being way late:

Schiit Modius: E,V - Idk if this is getting the Sabre treatment soon, but this is one of the few D/S AKM dacs that nearly eliminated the velvet. It decimated everything topping has ever made (including the D90...which wad there only goos dac,) and the RME ADI-2. Crazy value.

Focal Clear - E, V (and probably L) - I like this headphone more than the Utopia and HD800. In fact, I don't feel the need to own a HD600/6XX/580 with it around. The price drop and included $100 GC make this an insane value for an actual top-tier headphone.

Thieaudio Oracle - V - a fantastic IEM for what it is. I personally can't get over how odd EST drivers sound, but I can't deny this thing, at $500, has crazy resolve, tonality, and bass. The imaging was simply excellent.

AKG K371 - E, V - I may get shit for this, but, while jobless, this thing was my main driver. It is incredibly competitive for a $150 closed-back. Super portable, can run off anything, and has actual subbass. It has a good tonality, decent Soundstage and doesn't sound like ass. I've heard many a close back that was worse than these that cost several times more.

Philphone - E,V - this is a bit weird because it's not known well outside of discord and a small thing on head-fi. But this is basically a complete mad-lad's combination of a THX00 driver in a AD700 chasing. And he somehow tunes it to be more neutral while still slamming like a trunk. It has a fantastic Soundstage, great tuning and uses the foster driver for all its worth. It has some issues in the resolve department, but it's pretty minor considering.



Brown Starfish -

Early 2021 IEMs were just all terrible EST drivers. A lot ofnpeople loved and wanked them off, but the timbre and treble got heavily impacted by these tweeters. It sounded wrong and off. May have just been me though.

Hifiman Ananda - I've tried liking this phone so many times. It does a lot right - imaging, Soundstage, layering, tonal balance. But it can't get one thing right- the f'ing dynamics. Everything on this goddamn headphone takes place at the same volume with no nuance. Orthos get a slightly exaggerated wrap for being a "wall of sound." Or I thought they did until I met this headphone. It epitomizes the wall od sound and makes it a theme.

A lack of dynamics hurts cohesion, detail (you can't pick stuff out when it sounds like a compressed mess...even if thr headphone still technically presents it,) bass presentation, ect. It sounds like a giant mess of sound that I can't believe people actually like.

Just buy an Audeze or something. It'll make you feel better.

 

These actually look good on the surface. 50mm drivers, titanium coated...the headband looks odd, but then it is also looks very customizable for your comfort and for everyone from studio musicians to DJ's, to someone who just wants a comfortable headphone. We need more of products like this.

 

The iFi Gryphon might just deserve a brown starfish if the volume issue (random spikes to 100% volume) isn't fixed soon.

 

Haven't heard Ananda but Arya Stealth had the worst timbre I've heard in a planar, like cardboard. I'm not sure though that personal sonic preference warrants Brownstarfish, especially when a lot of it is going to be influenced by upstream gear. If Ananda has dull dynamics then maybe pair with the furious BHA-1.

 

Well, here's the hilarious thing:

I did, in fact, use an Ananda with a BHA-1. It was just as bad. It does not scale much at all, and, while it made SOME difference, the dynamics largely didn't improve much. It's to the point where, in this area, I would say it goes a bit beyond the sonic preferences.

The dacs I used were the Topping D90, Bifrost 2, and dac1541.

 

Interesting. Maybe worth considering if others feel as strongly. It is only a $600 headphone, which you described as having some good qualities. I dislike the HD8XX enough to give it a bs award but not everyone agrees, and it is ok on OTL's. Does one good combination if it is a decent value save something? Hmmmm...

 

That's a fair point.

But, considering the Sundara has better dynamics while only missing the soundstage and a bit of resolve at half the price...that kind of value dries up. Especially when you can find a Focal Clear used for about $100 more if you're lucky.

As I've gotten older, I've started liking less and less headphones. A lot of them are just not worth the money.

 

Not sure if others have observed this but good as it is Sundara occupies a weird price point. I recommend it frequently but $350 feels like a lot to a newbie and they feel safer with $160 on an HE4XX and then pine after a major jump like an LCD-X.