Recommended Gear

Purchase Advice
2

My preferences in headphones and headgear lean toward gear that is known for musicality and engagement, not reference or neutrality. I have several sensitives to peaks in treble and upper midrange tones, which makes treble-centric headphones (HD700, HD800, anything Beyerdynamic, etc) especially problematic. I have come to understand that chasing “what the artist intended” is a farce, all gear will convey it’s own interpretation of the music, and as such I choose and prefer to have a fluid, warm, musical presentation.

My recommendations, as complete systems:

Tier 4 (My own super-budget-friendly tier):

  • HD650 > Magni 3+ > Modi MB. Total price: $550
    My defacto neophyte system. New to headphones? Don’t know where to start? This is a killer system who’s components hold value. Want to start with tubes instead? Substitute the Magni for a Vali 2.

Tier 3:

  • HD650 > Lyr 3 > Bifrost 2
    If you’re not afraid to pour a little more gravy on your mashed potatoes, the Lyr 3 and Bifrost 2 add dynamics, impact, resolution and tubes to create a very engaging sound. System price ~ $1400.

  • HD650 > Bottlehead Crack + Speedball > Bifrost 2
    Build a BHC. It’s worth it. This introduction to OTL amps is a great and appropriate springboard into tube amps later in the hobby. $1600-ish, if you include buying the wood glue, stain & finish, soldering iron, and multi-meter you will need to assemble and test.

Tier 2:

  • ZMF Aeolus > Lyr 3 > Bifrost 2
    Moving past the limitations of the HD650, the Aeolus is the best introduction to the ZMF house sound. The Lyr and Bifrost combo complement the Aeolus very well, centering the mids as the foundation for your music, while keeping the bass and treble controlled, in line, and defined.

  • ZMF Verite (O or C) > Mjolnir 2 > Schiit Gungnir A2
    AKA - Impact & Slam factory. Everything hits with immediacy and force. Snare drums, kick drums, EDB bass, electric guitar… everything. This amp and DAC combo is a brute force powerhouse, and it drives the speed and resolution of the Verite to the extreme. Neutral-heads and measurement fascists need not apply.

  • ZMF Eikon > Eddie Current Black Widow 2 > Gungnir A2
    The smooth operator. Everything is fluid yet engaging. Wonderfully musical, and you can listen to it for days in comfort.

Tier 1:

  • HD800 (SDR mod) > DNA Stratus > Matrix X-Sabre Pro (mqa version)
    I normally don’t care for the HD800, but this setup was one of the more liquid and dynamic sounding setups I’ve heard. I don’t think I could listen to it for extreme periods of time, but it was an excellent pairing. It left enough of a mark that a headphone I normally don’t like ended up on this list. The Sabre DAC is a uniquely un-Sabre sounding DAC, and was quite a surprise. Donald North just makes great amps.

  • ZMF Auteur > Eddie Current ZDS > Schiit Yggdrasil A2 w/ Unison
    A warmer and extremely resolving DAC, a leaner and ultra revealing amp with MASSIVE headstage, and one of the more neutral yet musical headphones ever created - This is my TOTL endgame setup.

  • Meze Empyrean (suede pads) > ECP 3F > Sonnet Morpheus > Pie2AES
    Ok, I get it. Empy is a love it / hate it headphone. Paired with a great chain, this setup had a great tone and staging. One of the unique characteristics of this setup was it’s ability not just to resolve headstage to the left, right and front, but also UP and DOWN. This setup actually put me into an actual holographic type staging. It was uncanny. Infact, now I think the term “holographic” used in any other context besides this or an HD800 + Smyth A16 is a complete lie.

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