Super Best Audio Friends

I haven't seen anyone start a thread for this one and since I have a loaner on hand, I thought I'd throw some quick impressions here.

TL;DR: it's HD650/HD6XX in planar form.

This one is quick and sweet because I honestly think it's pointless to go too deep into descriptions and such. Really, just... take HD650/6XX, make bass linear and then drop 2KHz just a tiny bit but give it planar "speed". Voila, that's Edition XV.

100dB scale. Driver matching is kinda "okay" for HFM but not amazing:

All images are here: https://imgur.com/a/NeNQK6Q

Parts:
1. headphone chassis: he400i - $80 used, he400se is also fit I think, they can be found at $30 ~$50 used
2. headphone driver: from https://sineaptic.com/products/sineaptic-se-1-wireless - $90 new, sometimes they sell them on eBay at low price.
3. ear pads: a pair of very old auteur pads - $30 used, the hfm housing is 100mm diameter, so auteur pad is a bit larger, I still trying to find more suitable pads, the thicker pads is better imho.
4. amplifer: fosi za3 - $120 new
5. transformer: https://www.linsoul.com/products/goldplanar-gfi1200p-ic - $130 used

total cost: $450

The assemble process is very simple, the most difficult part is re-terminate the he400i connector.

My measurement is very rough, I don't have any headphone measurement gear, so just put mic near the driver, about 5mm distance from the center of the pads.

To me, this headphone needs a bit eq, aunbandeq setting -10db at 60hz, width 0.5

Impression:
1. speed - This headphone is fast. I’ve never felt this level of speed from any dynamic or planar headphone I’ve tried.
2. bright - It's bright, but maybe that just matches my taste as I get older, the guitar and piano reproduction is pretty good.
3. Low-end hump - This is the main issue. Without EQ, the bass is too elevated for me. But once EQ is applied, the low end becomes very good—better than the HD6XX or Grado Hemp in my opinion.
4. Vocals - Very clear. That’s really the best way I can describe it.
Overall, I think it’s a very fun headphone and gives me a different experience compared to most others I’ve used.

I know a lot of you are going to find this hard to believe—hell, I’m not sure I believe it either. Ever since I heard the ETA ULI at the very end of CanJam when @tommytakis and @Gazny tracked me down, it’s like I slipped into a different quantum reality. Surreal. Weird. It’s an open-back dynamic from a handful of guys who decided to build great headphones—and it’s outperforming the big corporate players with their teams of researchers, scientists, engineers. How is that even possible? Are we at the start of a new era?

It’s obvious an insane amount of work went into this. ETA’s radio silence makes sense now. The unit I have is pre-production, so not everything’s final. Sonically, I’m told this reflects production; the physical build will get a few tweaks. And yes—no more making fun of ETA headbands.

This will be a bit of a stream-of-consciousness review and discussion. I’ll paste in a few notes from the CanJam thread to kick things off. As for the “A NEW REFERENCE, NEW STANDARD” bit when it comes to open-backed dynamics? Sure, I’m mocking social media influencer hype—but I’m not f'ing kidding. You know me. I don’t get this excited, and I wouldn’t say it unless it was absolutely warranted.

Let me know if there is anything you guys want me to take a look at. Photos, listening, etc. Planning on bringing HD800, HD600, and LCD2r2 unicorn.

Per @spwath, we shall conduct a poll on the Harman Curve. This one is public.


Read this for more technical explanation from @Vtory: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/harmon-curve-poll-public.10130/#post-325059

Probably you have never heard about this headphones, and they do not even exist yet on the Final Japan website probably soon you will hear a lot about it.

But Warsaw Audio it was the first time the prototype was presented and it looks like that:

There's been a decent amount chatter of using this reasonably priced dongle as a solid DAC, so I bought one. I picked up a JDS Synapse, iBasso CB19 cable, a Clairmont 4.4mm to dual XLR, and had a usb battery pack sitting around.

I've just started playing with the possible combinations of filter, volume, cables, power supplies etc. I'm fascinated by high value and BIG performance. So far my Yggdrasil GS has a more full bottom end, but the little DC07Pro has some legit detail without grating the ears.

Please chime in with tips, tricks, and experience. So many have been buried in the profile posts, and it would be a shame to lose, let's archive them here.

First of all, I know many have been eagerly waiting for Byggy, which is set to be released soon. My understanding is that the sonics are finalized, and Schiit is currently working on polishing the final touches and features. I will be doing a stream-of-consciousness style write-up. Feel free to ask if there's anything you'd like me to check or confirm during this process.

First, let's discuss the speaker setup here. This is an old photo so the Byggy is not pictured. The Byggy was compared to the Gungnir 2 though. This is the same configuration used at The Meet, except in a much better room (I have sound absorption panels above and at the walls). Please note that for these initial impressions, I did not use the pi2AES Mercury 3 / Roon (pictured below) as the digital source; instead, I fed the system with an iPad connected to the high-speed USB inputs on the Byggy. I plan to evaluate the Byggy with the pi2AES next week. And no, I’m not going to bother with the Wiim Ultra, because it’s not good enough—it would hold back the Byggy, just as it did with the Gungnir 2, Yggdrasil MIB, etc. The Wiim Ultra merely an OK or decent, but not great sounding digital streamer using it's USB output.

Here’s a photo of our Primo Water Bottom-Loading Pro 2-Temp dispenser. A while back it suffered a catastrophic failure and dumped the entire contents of a 5 gallon water jug onto the floor.



I took a cursory look to see where and how it was leaking and kind of said, “F it. Not worth my time. I’ll just buy a new one at Walmart.” So I go to Walmart and I’m like, “WTF — why is this $280?” I didn’t remember paying that much only a few years ago. Inflation and tariffs, I surmise.

I am not paying nearly $300 for this cheap, made-in-China POS! Also, I felt kind of bad that I would have to toss it into the trash. It would probably end up in Ghana or Zimbabwe, like the rest of our “recycled” iPhones and MacBooks — that is, if it didn’t fall off into the bottom of the ocean on the way there. Microplastics, anyone?

Noise Nuke+™ is a scaled up version of the original Noise Nuke™
https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...ise-nuke-for-hp-amps-with-external-smps.5142/

The original version is a cost effective way to greatly reduce noise from the SMPS provided with many audio devices.
Noise Nuke+ pushes the envelope to experiment with what is possible.

This is in no way cost effective nor is it advised for anyone except experienced DIYers.

I am not responsible for any such damage. Proceed at your own risk.

Initial thoughts:

1. THE APOS GREMLIN IS LEGIT! The second I plugged the ZMF Caldera Closed into the Gremlin (balanced output - with the amp being fed by MILF DAC balanced <- ET3 transport), I KNEW IT WAS LEGIT!
2. Finally! Schiit has some real good sounding competition in the entry level low cost space for tube hybrid amplifiers. The Gremlin trades blows with the Vali 3, but I will immediately admit that I prefer the Gremlin, at least with the setup above. Yes, we compare here.
3. I highly suspect the Gremlin is NOT another one of those high-SINAD (massive open loop gain with corresponding massive negative feedback) jobs. The design appears to use 12AU7/6922 as the driver and a very simple transistor buffer. This likely explains the Gremlin expressiveness and ability to convey microdynamics.
4. APOS sounds really funny, like A POS.