Headphone is new, amp is not. The combo makes a really nice “budget” pairing.
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I just realized you have the monitor riser! I got one a few days ago. I’ve been curious to try the Pietus Maximus, seems to be a great unit.
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Just out of curiosity did you ever try the asgard 3? It does seem like the budget king to me getting a pietus with a nice unbalanced dac
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No on the Asgard 3, but I started all this madness with the Asgard 2! Which I still have, and was $129 in the deals section when I bought it. It was practically the same as a Magni price, amazing sounding amp for the price. 
It is hot enough to cook an egg on if you get hungry listening to tunes. 
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This just landed. My search to get as close to my desktop set-up as possible before selling it all may have just gotten one step closer.
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Congrats! I love my RS8, wish it was a bit smaller and lighter but it sounds fantastic
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Indeed. I was prepared for it to be chunkier than my XM10, but damn is it big/heavy.
Spent half an hour listening so far and I have to say, I am impressed. The resolution firstly, is standout. This is the priciest DAP I’ve heard, but it is a noticeable cut above the other price tiers that I heard/owned, £1700, £900, etc..
The thing that’s got me the most engaged so far is the staging. It’s doing depth and image placement very well. Not just impressive for a DAP, just impressive.
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I’m shocked by the effect of this fuse, I replaced the fuse in my Farad Super3 that’s powering the Mutec DDC. The effect is more than any cable change I did.
The background is now even moooore black, I literally heard new resonances and faint things for the first time. Treble and midrange is so beautiful and smooth while keeping all the texture. Dynamics increased too.
They are saying it needs 300 hours burn in, and this is only after 24 hours! I see why Farad is pushing the fuse thing hard, atleast for their power supplies.
Also atleast for my gear, this fuse change is bigger than adding the mutec nano master clock to the ddc.
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Welcome to the late stage of the insanity. lol
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For the sake of consistency in my weekly activities while swapping around various pieces in my 2 main rooms, I bled, cried, swore and finally broke down and called my dealer out in Arizona to send me some decent cables that will allow me to stop mixing and matching for the sake of my sanity. He’s burning them in for the next 5 days because he can and will ship them out to me sometime in the next 2 weeks. 2nd most painful purchase and trade i have made for this hobby to date.
It’s moments like this I question my life choices. 
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One hell of a good looking piece just used for burning in cables.
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That’s used SUV level pricing that bundle-o-cables. My wallet hurts just looking at it! Can’t you buy your cables a pair at at time like most people? lol
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Alright! I bought another Snake River Audio AES again and this time it works no problem with the Antipodes S20 going to the Mystique Evo with no upsampling.
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My LTD Katalox Atrium Open finally arrive and I am really digging how they look! The order presentation is also still really nice with my name on their wooden card. I am super excited to hear how they sound! Comfort wise, I haven’t tried them on yet, but I’m hoping with the magnesium chassis, that will help keep the weight down.
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I like them better here in your picture than on the homepage.
Congratulations, it turned out really nice.
Unfortunately, 200-300 h burn in are mandatory until they open.
Adjusting the headband is important because the pressure is relatively high and the pads are pressed against each other and these can form indentations in the leather over time.
You should press the headband slightly inwards in the centre with both hands to give some relief, ideally when the pads no longer press against each other.
Once you have adjusted this, I would adjust the height of the rods on each side of the ear.
It doesn’t matter whether you are one or two steps higher or lower on one side, the important thing is that it is optimally adjusted for you.
Just a first tip from me from Ao to Ao owner.
I bought the wooden box for the Bocote back then and I still really enjoy it today when I pick up the Atrium.
I wish you lots of fun and enjoyment with it, I hope it lives up to your expectations.
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Thanks for the advice. I actually quite like how they sound right out the box. Comfort wise, they feel really nice. They don’t feel clamp and actually more loose than what I’m use to. I’m used to having a headphone vice grip my head.
I only been using them with the Schiit Midgard so far, but probably will see how they like tubes later.
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My memory of his exact phrasing may be off but a few years ago @Polygonhell said something to the effect of, that he could not “unhear “ certain negative qualities once they made themselves evident to his own ear. It took me a long while to understand that statement.
Uniformity, conformity, consistency and some peace to the OCD like traits I’ve developed while listening to my equipment over the years is what i purchased this time around. I explained my desires to my dealer and he did all he could to accommodate my needs to the best of his professional experience while keeping somewhat within the means of my wallet.
This is a combination birthday gift and 10 yr celebration of surviving past my own expiration date. Life is short for some, we bury a coworker who passed just before he could retire at 62 next week. 40+ years he served our country and just when he thought he could walk away from a life of service to others and enjoy his family and a well deserved rest, cancer surprised him and took his life within 5 short months. 
His very sudden illness and passing hit me hard and reminded me to remember to live life a bit more.
As we all do in this group, (sincere appreciation to its caretakers and creators) 
I’m enjoying and partaking in a hobby that brings us all together for the love of music and the equipment we use to reproduce it. The act of sitting down to relax to the music brings me peace while tinkering w/ the equipment focuses my mind on the sweeter aspects of life, an escape from the daily worries, fear and stressors.
Today I received more a gift than a purchase, my tower of cables has arrived 
I will probably spew forth expressions of wonder and delight in the months to come and speak about the wonders of these products while satisfying my own curiosity. Don’t anyone believe a word i say, go ahead and do you, each and everyone here. The endorphins running amok in my head will skew my sensibilities. Happy listening to all, this is a great group, thank you all for helping me grow in the hobby.
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That’s a long weekend of listening! Enjoy the everyday my brother.
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Dude, you got the 3s?! The Red Dawn 4s are about to debut though!
All jokes aside i do hope these bring you joy, and i for one am glad your best by date was well extended.
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