Welcome @tjsgarden!!
I agree with everything you have posted so far 
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Welcome to the forum! While I still participate in other forums, I find this one the most suitable for me in terms of knowledge, maturity, courteousness friendliness, and willingness to discuss and collaborate/help.
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Welcome to the Headphone.com forum 
I have also found this site to be friendly and populated with some very knowledgeable yet down to earth members.
Although many can afford much more in the way of higher end gear than others, there is no snobbery that Ive experienced.
There seems a real appreciation for all levels of interest and knowledge, with many of the very active members always willing to land an ear and offer advice to anyone looking for such.
It has turned out to be a great forum and I hope to find the time to contribute more in the way of reviews and opinions on what I come across in the audio world.
It will be nice to hopefully progress to having enough interaction that I can gain the privilege of auditioning a few things through the generous loaner program offered 
(So little time with so much to keep one busy)!
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If youāve posted impressions or a review of something on the forum, then you already qualify. If not, then thatās all you need to do.
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Thanks for the input Ian. I realize I need to get a review in but the gear Iām using, although quite serviceable, is getting pretty long-in-the-tooth.
And the headphones I own have been reviewed to death.
Both my amp and DAC are several years old. The portable amp/dac in use is great; but for now at least, is no longer available to purchase.
So until I buy some new gear, I really donāt have much to offer in the way of reviews. And until I can hear some new gear, Iām reluctant to buy something I havenāt heard.
The one exception is perhaps a decent USB/SPDIF converter.
Iād like to buy a new balanced DAC but am torn as to how much to spend without being able to first hear/compare the unit. It would be nice to know beforehand know how much SQ benefit it provides.
Things were much easier when living in Toronto where I had access to head-fi meets and more people were active in the hobby. A few of whom I could audition and share gear with.
Being a bit of a jack-of-all trades (pardon the unintended pun I usually had something of value to offer in exchange for either borrowing or buying different gear.
Iām leaning towards the decent SPDIF converter mentioned, as Iād like to compare the SQ of my older, inexpensive DAC to any new one I decide to buy over the next little while.
Itās a bit of a āwhere do I startā challenge, as Iām quite happy with the sound I already have but do realize thereās certainly room for improvement (and/or different sound sigs).
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Make sense.
Though I will say that the impressions (enough to get a feel for whatās being discussed - it does not need to be one of our feature-length reviews!) or review post for initial qualification can be on anything. It is more to see that people can/will do it than about what they are reviewing.
And such impressions posts do not need to be of something not reviewed before, nor is there a problem with having multiple perspectives (good or bad) for a given piece of gear.
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@Torq
Good to hear and thanks for the encouragement.
Even if one impression is very similar to another, I know that speaking personally, multiple similar impressions can sometimes tilt the scales when making a decision for or against a particular piece of gear.
Iāll try to rustle something up so I can eventuality access/review some gear Iām interested in purchasing (like a decent balanced desktop DAC or some great IEMs that stay put)!
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@Hellenback, I can only speak for me personally but I enjoy reading (and watching) reviews on gear that is not the latest and greatest. For one, it gives a perspective on changes and it also gives ideas on what to watch out for used.
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I agree that a review is an opinion of the item no matter how old it is. It actually would be nice to see āolderā products being reviewed today and see if they still hold up well over time!
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I agree totally. Most reviews are posted while the item is still new or at least relatively new. Itās great to get a long term opinion on the same thing.
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Thatās great guys. Iām thinking to do an impression/review of an older Little Dot MVII+ SS balanced amp that was available for just a couple of years.
My one hesitation has been that I have no reference for comparison with another balanced SS amp
When I first decided to buy the original MKVII (1st gen. had no ā+ā designation) I contacted David ZheZhe at Little Dot. He replied that he was having trouble accessing one electronic component for the amp and It turned out that the part actually became unavailable.
David was then compelled to modify the amp somewhat and give it the MKVII+ moniker.
In the modification process, the overall power was reduced but the trade-off was that a faint ābuzzingā sound on some units was altogether eliminated.
Initially, the MKVII was an incredibly powerful amp that could drive any headphone available at the time, including the AKG 1000.
I think IIRC the buzzing in some units had something to do with the exceptionally high output power.
Although the MKVII+ does not have the sheer power of the original, neither do any units have a potential to buzz.
Thereās not the faintest background noise of any kind. And thatās true both during playback and between tracks (or on pause) even at full volumeā¦which is not advisable while music is playing, unless youāre looking to go deaf.
It drives HD600/650s exceptionally well. IIRC (again) I believe the amp was designed around the Senn HD6XX, as they were the most popular āhigh endā cans at the time (how times and costs have changed)!
It was definitely designed/optimized for balanced output (4pin XLR) but does have a 1/4" receptacle for SE use.
The review would definitely be along the lines of how well the amp has stood up over the years.
Iād much prefer to have a modern SS amp that sells for the same price (or higher) as a reference/comparison before going forward.
It would then be a more accurate, informative and less subjective āimpressionā.
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I know that your more than capable of doing a review and making a cracking job of doing so. Itās a little intimidating sometimes, I know, especially when some of the reviews put out are of a really professional standard with wonderful pictures too. But I look forward to a future review from you and I know youāll do a great job and have fun doing it. 
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And I look forward to accessing another decent and popular SS balanced headphone amp to pit against the MKVII+.
Who knows, It could open my wallet? (Then again, it could close it even tighter )
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You donāt have to compare it to anything.
You can just write up your impressions of it in isolation. While comparisons to known benchmarks are a bit more broadly useful, for this sort of thing it isnāt essential.
As long as you can characterize the sound, any major pros/cons, and the basics of the unit, then youāre covered. Comparisons can come later.
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