Drats… lol.
It’s pretty (hehe I like pretty) and “only” USD 2,500…
I guess I’m going to need to look at other full-tube options - which I think means the WA33, as the WA234 is too (expensive). I’m in Singapore, so DNA stuff is difficult. I’ll go ask in the Utopia thread when I’m closer to considering this purchase.
It’s been a shade over a year since I started this thread. I never would have guessed I would only just be departing Seattle this much later. But that’s where we are.
Next week we’ll be in Florida.
A quick diversion from there to take possession of the new boat. Then back to our new home/base for a bit (at least until we see how the global situation pans out).
Lots has happened/changed in the last year … some of it entirely random/inconsequential, some of it material, and some of it even relates to my personal-audio (headphone) listening proclivities.
I am down to what I am keeping, headphone wise; at least for now. The only variables at present are whether I keep the Aeolus and Eikon and add an Atticus and Auteur (both of which are VERY wood/finish/appearance dependent) to complete my ZMF dynamic set … or whether I just sell the Aeolus and Eikon and stick with the Vérité and Vérité Closed.
Sennheiser’s recent announcements mean I decided to keep my HD800S and HD820. I may even snag a new production HD650 “just to be sure”.
The emergence of a new, SOTA, planar could see me consolidating my LCD-4, RAD-0 and HE6SEV2 into a single-can solution. It’d have to have the technical prowess of the LCD-4, the tonality and efficiency of the RAD-0, the speed and sub-bass impact of the AB-1266 Phi TC, subtlety of the Susvara and comfort of the Empyrean to sway me; I’m not holding my breath … but hope holds eternal …
I do suspect I’ll be unloading one DAP and two sets of IEMs once I’m “settled” again, but that’s too fraught with potential issues to deal with before then.
SR1a and Vérité remain my top-two-listens, though there’s been movement beyond those.
I have some unique (patent-pending) audio-centric site/app stuff coming up (which definitely does NOT include a general headphone discussion forum like THIS one) once settled in Florida. No good reason to formalize/incorporate that in WA at this point.
My Rubik’s cube solve time is down to an average of 40 seconds. Not speed-cuber territory, because that would require learning, and practicing, a whole new slew of algorithms, but reasonable given it’s just a product of pandemic-induced waiting/queues.
I got my chess rating back over 2,000. Not quite to the level it was when I played seriously, but on the right path. In-person play is more rewarding than online, even though I play daily on all the major chess sites (same name on all, but not “Torq” on any).
I learned two new languages (conversational, not written).
I learned/adopted three new programming languages (and most common, interesting, frameworks).
If you’re inclined to message me on something you find on r/Headphones* or ASR, please don’t. The time you save will be your own. I don’t visit, browse or read those sites … even if you send me links** asking for comments. If there’s something I want to listen to, I can easily get my ears on it and I care little for the opinions of other’s when it comes to spending my own money.
No, I am not a Harmon-Curve fan (any version). Not that it can’t be fun. But it doesn’t represent anything like what I hear in live performances. And while I’m not an adherent to “what the artist intended” (LOL), it’s nice when the instruments in acoustic pieces sound the way they do live.
No, I don’t do one-off, personal, gear comparisons/recommendations anymore. Haven’t for a long time. Post on an appropriate thread here instead and you’ll get far more useful/broad feedback.
Anyway, might be around a little between here and Florida, hard to say. But mostly … see you on the other side!
*Reddit likes to describe itself as the “Front Page of the Internet”; I tend to use a different adjective in place of “Front Page”. I’m sure you can guess what that is.
**I don’t care and I don’t follow them; I have AP and GRAS setups of my own if I want to indulge in measurebation. And most of the rest of the narrative is irrelevant to me; I listen to music for enjoyment, for how it makes me feel, not what it does on a scope. But make up your own mind pursuant to whatever philosophy suits you.