It’s that super computer the convoy is transporting in big army trucks before the super villain intercepts it, cracks open the holding case and the taiko comes out in a cloud of cryo mist.
Ive been iffy on antipodes, i really love the sound but there have been small annoyances. I rather 1 box for so many reasons, the S30 usb connection is so mehh and just “falls” out (others noted this too), and while i know you dont do skins there were 2 versions of “material” (one default material and the other the antipodes version) and they now forced only the antipodes version which imho was worse in many ways.
Outside of the sound, i do like LMS and now feel invested (i figured out some of it’s silliness and have done a tags pass to accommodate) and when i post on their forums the owners do respond. My “complaint” about skins turned into a “please put your suggestions here, we are working on things” thread that others are now adding too.
While i do want to try the newer Aurenders, K50s have been seen in the $7k range and at that point i think i need to get both in house to hear. And while i can no longer deny how important a source is, really at that point my cables, power, and even the Studio B are bottle necks.
I can understand this. I love it for its overall feel and ability to keep me engaged and listening for hours. The X and the antipodes really add to where the B comes short. But i think my mystique v2 did pull out in front o with specific technicalities.
I feel like I’ve been lucky with them, I’ve not really encountered any of the big issues, and the small annoyances haven’t been all that relevant to me. I can’t say the antipodes is ideal in terms of what what I wish it could be, but imo I like it more than the more locked down alternatives, and I already know the products have good synergy with the setup they’ll be in, so I think I should just take the safer route. Don’t really want to mess with even more restrictions on what I might own, don’t want to go a fully boutique or wait forever route
Makes sense
For me the horizon has really taken that role, but doesn’t fit that role in functionality, the berk is less this in sound but more this in functionality. I do really like the mojo, quite a lot, but I really just find that I’m not using it all that often and would rather use the berk just because of how much an improvement it is over it. I think that the higher end mojo will likely close that gap enough to where I might consider grabbing it, but will likely wait a bit to make sure that’s the case (and also see if there’s some rapid upgrades to it lol)
Are you bored of that K50 yet? It seems like youre enjoying it too much.
The GA also does this and is more technical, but… yeahhhh. I would like to think the Mojo will always have a spot but if i ever get the full setup going I am not sure what that is. I am upgrading to satisfy me now in my current position, but that may be shooting myself in the foot as it may make it close enough to the GA that one should be sold. It would be nice if mojo made a “lower end” offering that was in that sub $2k range so i can still justify having one of their pieces.
Yeah that looks weird, color scheme is off, missing grounding wires, I’m honestly not sure, it could be an older version that I’m not aware of or something
I’m feeling more and more that there are DACs that are better suited for HP and DACs that are better suited for 2 CH. I ask because in some recent testing I’ve done comparing a Mojo X+ and a Mojo Pro I’ve noticed some of the things specifically spacial recreation and detail are things that are most noticeably different between the two. The gap is wider or smaller depending on whether I’m on HP or 2-CH.
I’m not 100% sure if that’s to do with the transducers in use but then again it doesn’t really matter why. There difference, large or small exists so curious if you think this is probably true of some DACs or if it’s simply the transducers making the most of what they’re getting?
Not sure if I’ve explained myself well here so I may edit.
Yes, yes. This has been a peculiar experience I have had multiple times and I have simply chalked it up to synergy between the equipment, left the pieces where they work best and moved on.
Best examples are my Sonett Pasithea and Line Magnetic LM32 DACs. I enjoy them both with HP use much better than my 2 channel set ups. The Spatial and soundstage performance they enhance on my HP set ups is much more enjoyable than what they recreate on the 2 channel front. I’ve mentioned it before but not the way you just bluntly put it. Yes.
That would make sense, although honestly imo is that is more to do with your speaker chain being a lot more capable than your headphone one. From my experience I could definitely say that with some higher end dacs aren’t really properly showcased on a headphone setup, but that’s simply because my speaker setups are much more capable, and headphones just haven’t reached that point. I feel as though I’d say that if you put together a speaker and headphone chain that was closer in overall performance (if that’s something that could be done anyways given how different they are lol), that I could make a dac work for either headphones or speakers and not come away feeling as though it favored speakers or headphones, would instead just be chain synergy and preference
I’ve not really personally experienced a dac that I only liked on speaker setups but felt headphones didn’t have what made it special, unless I just didn’t have a headphone chain good enough to reveal it (or poor synergy). I do think there are some traits within dacs that might be more apparent or favorable with headphones vs speakers (I think a more exaggerated and spacious dac is something that’s more sought after within the headphone world, and that more extreme balance is something I’d want more on a speaker setup), but I think they tend to be audible on both setups, and that comes down to preferences moreso than being strictly better for a specific type
Basically, I can see how that ends up being the case, but I think that’s mostly down to headphones just not going as high as speaker setups can, rather than a specific sound type or focus being more headphone or speaker suited since I think that’s more preferential, and haven’t really experienced a DAC that I truly only liked or found worthwhile on speakers after checking synergy and technical performance on a variety headphone setups. Always views dacs as indifferent on transducer type and more determined by synergy and preference, until you reach the point where you’re far beyond what any headphone could really (or reasonably) reveal. Where’s let’s say amps I always more viewed as favoring one transducer type over another, especially comparing speaker and headphone amps lol, but also concerning fleawatt or powerhouse amps and so on, more specialized toward a specific load
And I’m feeling a bit unsure of late because, well it’s a good type o unsure. But I’m feeling as if I’m just able to hear so much more nuance and changes even more subtle changes are apparent or easier to notice. I think the cable jump I’ve made has really opened up the potential of the chain, and it wasn’t like things were bad before, but it’s seems like moving up in the calble game has released more of the chain’s potential.
And now I’m questioning what I’m hearing because I simply wouldn’t have heard this level of nuance previously. Whether it was the gear, my ability to listen and just becoming more practiced in the act of listening. It’s probably all of the above really because I’m now going to different chains and listening with a more focused ear and hearing things there that I hadn’t known to listen to previously.
I’m happy but it’s also sobering though as the realization that stretching a chain to it’s fullest potential will take thought and money and cables do matter but it’s just not something that my brain can grapple with throwing a $600 dollar cable on a $300 can but the reality is that if I were to do that, there would be gains. I just financially don’t want to go there. lol
If nothing else I think there’s potential to mask some gear flaws or enhance some gear strength by specifically using it in a HP or 2-CH system that benefits it.
But generally even though my 2Ch isn’t “better” than my headphone system, it’s easier to hear a lot of things on 2Ch.
2Ch is much more listening to the music.
With headphones you (or at least I) have the mapping function from headspace, and it’s more listening to the recording.
Not suggesting one is better they are just different.
And that’s before you get into sensitive speakers being 90dB/W/M and headphones being 90dB/mW, note the 3 orders of magnitude difference and what that means for blackness of stage and dynamics, and resolving little details from that background.
It’s why I gave up on HP as a TOTL route. The realization that I had more $ by a long shot in cans than my 2-CH speakers, yet I enjoyed listening on speakers more.
I enjoy both, took me a lot of years to come around to headphones, but they are fundamentally a different experience.
Convenience also plays into it, listening on 2Ch requires me to be in a specific room, turn the equipment on in my case at LEAST an hour in advance.
My office is never going to be a place I can get a good speaker setup.
Plus the only space I really could have for 2Ch is too small for my current speakers and is repurposed for movies since it accommodates my wife more.
Even without those restrictions listening on 2Ch into more of an “experience” in the same way selecting a record and playing it is more an experience than just streaming something.
Having said that if I ever moved again, I’d be looking for somewhere I could exploit 2Ch better.
I find it fascinating to watch people who came into the hobby through headphones discover speakers.
I too find it fascinating, especially when some begin to act like they became the first man on the moon. I sit back and chuckle at what they may have missed out on earlier in their music journey.
I would love to listen to my speaker chain more, location, hour of the day, and room layout pushes me to choose the headphone chain 90% of the time.
Added a few IEMs I tried lately (and didn’t add some that I wasn’t really sold on lol), and changed some rankings a slight bit in that range.
Side note, never been impressed with anything thieaudio that I’ve tried, but a lot of people seem to love them so perhaps they just do something I really don’t appreciate lol
Thieaudio are extremely good at being inoffensive and having solid technicalities on shit source gear for their price. Imo it makes them a very easy req, but they end up out performed with better tuned chains
