Hello! Is that an after market headband on the DCAs? I recently bought a pair of Aeon Noires and that extra cushion looks nice. Thanks!
Happy days indeed. I’m currently listening to my copper ones that I bought used last year. I absolutely love em
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I just the past two days at the first post pandemic Can Jam NYC doing a very deep dive into all things headphone. Here’s a very brief summary of some of the headphones and amps that impressed me. A more detailed set of impressions, by me and many others, is available here: Can Jam NYC 2022 Impressions
The new Dan Clark Audio Stealth closed back planar magnetic headphone is one of the best closed back headphones I have ever heard and no convolution filters needed since its frequency curve almost exactly matches the Harmon curve, as per Mr. Clark himself.
Meze Audio will be introducing a new dynamic headphone, the Meze 109 (working name) at around $700 which based on the prototype at Can Jam is sure to be a winner. Be prepared to add it to your collection.
Also by Meze Audio is the new Liric closed back planar magnetic which, while very good, is no match for the Stealth, but then again it is half the price.
As mentioned earlier in this thread the Italian Spirit line of headphones were also very impressive and will be sure to make many best of show lists. On the other hand their top of line headphone does cost $11,000 (yes you read that correctly)
On the amplifier front the new Chord Mojo2 is another winner and had no problem driving the power hungry DCA Stealth. The Mojo2, unlike the original Mojo, can be used as a desktop amp as well as a portable amp. Definitely worth a serious listen.
The line of products from the new Ferrum company - a hybrid power supply, a full analog headphone amp/preamp and a combination DAC/headphone amp - fully live up to the hype they been generating in the audio press. I was most impressed with the bass response they provided to the various headphones I paired with them. Punchy and yet not overwhelming. If you are in the market for a nice desktop headphone amp you must give the Ferrum line a listen.
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How are the 5’s?
In a word, fantastic.
I love the Audeze sound signature, warm and rich.
The 5’s are very different, going from the 2Fazor to the 5 is amazing, let alone from the 2Classic. Un-EQ’d the 5’s are pretty neutral. The additional insight offered into a recording is astounding. I have a pretty resolving and detailed hifi system (Vivid Audio B1 Decades / Devialet 440PRO) and with the 5’s driven by the iFi PRO iDSD I am hearing details that I have never heard before. Strandout for me is the bass. While not as thunderous as the LCD2/3 it is lightening fast. Listening to the strings of a double bass being pluck is quite an experience.
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Do you mean these?
I had them for trying during a week last summer. It was fun, but to be honest they are too heavy for me. Already the Twin Pulse are not exactly lightweight, but the Valkyria is a step further.
They sound great, but as an overall package (even without considering money) I prefer the Twin Pulse. My two cents.
Edit:
The post above was a bit rushed.
Who is interested can find some of my impressions (in Italian) at this link:
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Setup update….
Matrix Element X feeding a Burson Soloist 3 XP (balanced) and MicroZotl2 (unbalanced)
Sound is unbelievable 
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And where are the cans, as in “show us yer cans!” 
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Fair point, I posted them in the past but it’s worth a recap:
Focal Clear (v1) with Dekoni Velours
Audeze LCD C 2021
ZMF Eikon
All of them fitted with Forza Audioworks cables
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Thanks! They are displayed quite handsomely, impressive.
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My new addiction - the Smyth Realiser A16, in Headphone stand mode, used with original Sennheiser 800s, with an Oppo 203 and Mac Mini as the main sources. Listening mainly to simulated B&W 802s in a 7.1 configuration, based on the setup at AIX studios, as well as KEF Blades and Quad 57s.
It’s mainly marketed as a studio tool for mastering movie soundtracks, but also works very well on opera and concert videos, my Roon library of stereo classical and rock, as well as SACD surround and the (few) classical 5.1 surround recordings currently available on Qobuz. As you would expect, TV and movie soundtracks are completely immersive, even when just using Dolby surround on older movies and TV shows, although I haven’t yet tried 16 channel Dolby Atmos or the other new formats.
Very quirky user setup and OS (the GUI is definitely a challenge) - which makes Roon look like the ultimate music and user-friendly software. I have created Hafler surround matrices for enhanced stereo listening, but the built-in Dolby surround is almost as good. Even stereo sounds convincingly real coming from a pair of large speakers in an acoustically treated room.
This is a highly complex piece of equipment where the manual actually has to be read and re-read (although there are some good video tutorials available on YouTube). But IMHO worth the cost and effort from a a sound and experience perspective - you often forget you are wearing headphones as the head-tracking and multi speaker experience is so convincing. I don’t have the space (or marital approval) for a large home cinema system, and buying the equivalent speakers and amplifiers would be far more expensive. YMMV but worth a try, in my view.
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I assisted Smyth at canjam 2017 in Singapore doing the 3 days of demos supporting the importer here. I ordered one pretty much immediately. It’s an interesting piece of kit but after waiting 4 years to get my unit I was so pi$$ed off I cancelled and at least they refunded my deposit. I’ve moved on long before I gave up on them.
Now apple has spacial audio in AirPods. I don’t regret cancelling, good luck with the A16.
You make a good point. Smyth is a brilliant engineer (he is the “S” in DTS) but I waited over three years from order to delivery, having been one of the original backers on Kickstarter, with very few updates from the company.
I was pleased (and surprised) when the unit eventually arrived but decided to wait before posting on the Community to report my own experience. On the positives, the sound is, at best, amazing. The hardware has had some issues, but when I returned the unit for service recently, the work was done amazingly fast and the unit sent back to me by courier. So full marks for my personal customer experience, albeit that their communications are not so great.
Would I buy it again? Yes definitely, at the Kickstarter price. But I would need a lot more convincing to pay the full retail (now $4,000), as I have other priorities. On the other hand, setting up an equivalent 16 or 24 speaker Atmos room is probably going to cost $40,000 or more.
As you mentioned, the technology in this immersive audio space is moving fast, and there is an opportunity for Smyth or someone else to release a simplified consumer-friendly unit, with fewer options, a lower price, and a much improved GUI. Not sure if Apple’s offering matches up (can you choose speakers, rooms etc?). However, it definitely adds more options for those of us who have taken the headphones path to musical enjoyment.
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4+ years in this space is an eternity. I don’t think they even have Hdmi 2.1 yet but I could be wrong. I also gave up cans for iems so the whole experience was going to be totally different I think.
I must say tho at the time nearly 5 years ago now the experience was really quite mind blowing.
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I agree that iems would be a challenge as you wouldn’t be able to fit the head tracker. As you can see from this picture, the head tracker (with an integrated gyroscope) definitely needs to be fixed to the headphones (probably more comfortable than directly to the head!).
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hiya all this is my very first post on here. these are my headphones. zmf verite openback headphones. amazing sound out of them!
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Welcome to the community, have a good look around & have fun 
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many thanks paul i`m loving it here
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