I don’t think so but they are up there with the pricey new production stuff, also there are the unicorn NOS WE 300b that go for like 20k but that’s sort of a extreme collectors thing, i don’t think anyone is searching for one of those to actually use for music listening.
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All the bigger single ended triodes will have comparable prices new 845/Px4/45/50/110 etc etc.
It’s probably as much about the willingness to pay for premium New tubes as much as they are more expensive to make.
NOS prices are based on supply/demand, the unicorn WE 300B’s are totally stupid money for real NOS, but other tubes have unicorn equivalents.
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Haha I agree with this. I have an Ether CX as well and still use it but only because it’s my only closed back headphones and I much prefer headphones to IEMs. Looking to get something in the future to replace it. Maybe Aeon Noire or 2 closed, ZMF VC, LCD-XC, Stellia, or MDR-Z1R.
I still enjoy watching Zeos but I don’t really trust sound impressions from him. And this experience of really not liking the CX has helped me be a lot more cautious of praise I hear for something online.
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One thing that impressed me was investing in my source gear before the dac. Originally I was just using usb out of my PC to the dac but since then I have used an RPI as a roon endpoint and separated my PC from my listening setup. Currently I’m running a pi2aes with a linear power supply and that really helped improve the sound of my setup. Noticeable changes came in the blackness of background, imaging, and stage size and definition. Overall the switch to a dedicated streamer just cleaned up the sound and improved the details. I’m really happy with this setup for connecting Roon to my dac and like the simplicity of the RPI and how flexible it is if I ever wanted to install different software on it.
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I was going to grab a closed ether but decided on the Focal Radiance. Very glad I did.
I also will say a pi2aes seems like a great starter streamer that can show people the clean transport matters.
I am trying to grab a used Nativ Vita since its a whole shebang, but they seem to be a rare used item.
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Hey guys, I joined recently through an invitation from a friend. I have never dipped my toes in talking in forums/discords aside from private conversations with people who have guided my way through Audiophilia, so please be nice!
I started this audio journey through a lot of hype. Bought the HYPED AF products. I thought I was finished when I had so many midrange that I thought were the end-all-be-all stuff. The first thing that derailed me from my hyped-path of product buying was the iFi Micro Signature, it told me how wrong I was with everything I had (I had an su-8 and thx 887 at the time)
The signature told me how bad everything was with what I had:
THX 887- No character, full fuck flat and boring.
HD660S - My first ever dive into the hobby – VEILED AF and sounds were melding.
Ether CX - I’m a closed-back guy but these are BORING but read further on
Sendy Aiva - Seriously why did I buy this?
I thought I was “Done” till I experienced a friend’s setup, he had dangerous music convert-2 and bryston bha-1(I visited him to try out a dac that I plan on buying from him)
It was the first time I have heard a dac making a sound change and it was so drastic. They were indeed hyper-aggressive with detail, had so much slam, and it almost doubled soundstage in comparison to my ifi signature.
I was able to play with his equipment with some of my headphones and it fixed my problems with a lot of headphones I want to LOVE:
Ether CX - Holy shit they are the true definition of opening-up. I’m so glad I haven’t decided to sell these, the detail, presentation, and the slam has become one of my most favorite headphones of all time and I do have a good fair selection of headphones that are really good too!
TH909 Sapphire Blue - No matter where I plugged these in they sounded mediocre with only female vocals being the redeeming factor, not anymore, these are my party hard headphones and most likely the one I will keep to the day I die.
I wanted to try my whole headphone line-up with my friend’s setup but I felt like I was already taking too much time so I wrapped it up.
Weeks later I have a massive hole in my pocket but with a DMC2 and BHA-1(This one has been with me for awhile now) coming in soon. I will probably make a thread about this pairing, I’ll try to do a deeper dive into how I can explain what I’m experiencing and maybe learn a thing or two myself even further as I really only go with what I hear than scouring the internet for reviews(I have trust issues now thanks to shills)
My current gear now are:
Foobar Flac Lib(I’m really considering roon but haven’t decided which streaming platform I would go for)
Stax SRM-D10
iFi Micro Signature
BHA-1
Ether CX
TH909
He1000 V1
LCD2.1 Pre Fazor
HD800 SDR Mod
Stax L700mk2
UM Mest MK1 and MK2
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Hi C90n, Welcome!
What an awesome introductory post, so many points I’m sure not only myself, but others can empathise with. Also, looks as though you have a very nice kit.
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Welcome! Looking forward to exchanging feedback with you in the future.
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Bifrost2 blew me away, My LCD-X’s and 2PF’s, Focal Clears, and tube rolling the Liquid Platinum. The BF2 also makes the RNHP and Matrix HPA-3B amps sound incredible! This last year has been an amazing experience for music and gear!
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Hey Adlaer762 Welcome aboard!
Heck ya, the BF2 is an incredible piece I think that its hard to beat the punch/slam it has to offer and it does match up with the liquid platinum so well - a sweet source for sure!
Glad you had a great year with gear - Here’s hoping your next year is even better!
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Hey thanks!
after awhile since I got the signature, I started to capture and understand what I am looking for in my music. The best example I can say of something game changing too are HE1000v1, it was so effortless to tell how good the technicalities of the headphone were. I didn’t have to sit for so long to try to appreciate what something did different and how something can be better/worse.
@Veritas I am looking forward to do feedbacks and communicating better in terms of audio!!
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I hear you - The Edition X V2 impressed me to no end - so much so that I ended up moving on the the HE1000 V2. I enjoy that big ole Hifiman planar sound.
I also share your passion for the Fostex 909 - a remarkable and IMO underrated piece.
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It’s amazing to find someone who can say something like this. I’ve been told that it’s just not worth it so much but it feels so special to have the blue ver haha
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This is honestly the most important thing in the hobby and so many people struggle with. You got to figure out your preferences and then go from there, you will save so much money and time if you can nail this down.
also welcome to the community! We all like to help each other out here so feel free to ask questions and share your experiences
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I’m always in the process to see if there is anything better but getting to demo stuff is hard and I’m not really willing to go through store returns as much, how do you guys demo?
P.S there’s Canjam near my place soon, it’ll be my first event. I know it won’t be ideal listening environment but it’s the best I got.
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Loaner tours are always good. I regular participate in the ones ran over at audiotiers.com but they are more IEM and portable focused.
I also regularly have opportunities to demo gear from online friends. A big part of my audio experiences is attributed to awesome generous people in this community 
Other than that the best way to hear new stuff is to buy secondhand at good prices. Most of the time you can get away with little to no money loss if something turns out not for you. In some cases you can even make money if you find a particularly good deal.
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Do audiotiers do EU tours? I’m sure I looked before and it said that they did but I can’t really see much more than the US signups on there. Also you gonna sign up for the 64a tour?
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A lot of new folks joining, welcome to you all. Great reading through the descriptions on how you wound up here!
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I’ve had a few game changing moments over the last couple of years. The first was going from crappy earbuds to the HD58x. Electronics weren’t great at that point, but fortunately the 58x isn’t too picky.
Next big eye opener was moving from stuff like a SMSL SU-8/SH-8 stack to Cayin iHA-6/iDAC-6 Mk2 stack. The level of separation, clarity, and depth by comparison was starkly better. This stack stuck around until I got the 1541/V281 combo.
Finally, jumping to the portable side of things, the P6P. Others have written at length about this DAP, and while it has its quirks in interface and functionality, what it can do is another ‘can’t unhear it’ level up. This jump may have even been the most significant move toward my ‘realism’ target of anything leading up to it, and once paired with a high tier transducer like the LCD-24 or Infinity Mk2, it starts to get hard to imagine things getting much better…and the thing is a small portable!
This is likely where I’ll sit for a bit, maybe tweaking some cables and such, but the next move to get significant performance gains is big, ime, and will probably look something like a Susvara, Bakoon, Lampi/ALV level setup.
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I don’t think so pretty sure it’s primarily us and the occasional canada tour when there is enough interest.
yes already signed up for it. Hoping to get a crack at the u18s and u12t
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