Must be afraid his wife is on here
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In anticipation of my Stellaris arriving soon, I decided I couldn’t bear feeding it through just any old interconnects, so…
The bad news is that my Utopias are out to Focal for a few weeks for a small repair, so I can’t provide fully resolved feedback until they’re back. For now, trying out via a Celestee, and will have a HEDDphone by the end of the week (found a great used deal), which will stand in until my babies are back.
For as much as can be resolved through the Celestee, the Thunderbirds are definitely a “cleaner window”, and there’s also a greater sense of immediacy somehow.
Shout out my favorite salesman at TMR audio, Mario, who is usually able to provide really good discounts off of MSRP on AQ gear. DM me if you want his contact info.
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Do you have the WA5 LE ? I think I see a Woo Amp there. I know that silver plated Transformer when I see it. Gotta be a Woo?!
Yup! WA5-LE.
I’ll probably keep it for another month or so, but it will have to move on to another home soon after the Stellaris arrives. I love this amp to death, but I can’t justify both.
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What a great photo!
Those teammates to your Woo ain’t have bad either. 
Not a bad guess, huh? 
So listen my friend. I’d really kinda side step those ASR videos and take them as if someone was just adding a tiny pinch of salt to your food.
Precision spectrum analyzers can be greatly misleading, especially when one doesn’t have any understanding or formal training by how the equipment actually works and how you can greatly manipulate valued outcomes.
Anyhow. The only thing I agree with ASR about because I did try it first hand is that the DAVE’s headphone amp is a bit underwhelming with current hungry headphones. Also it does clip hard going past 3 DB.
In any case. You have one of the best headphone setups in the world and for that I seriously congratulate you. The WA5 LE is such a monster though. Hope you can find a way to keep it. I just bought the WA 22 and it is here to stay with me for many years to come I feel so far.
Have a great time.
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lol - indeed! Worry not. I truly appreciate what Amir does, but I think his M-Scaler review, in particular, highlights the difference between someone like Amir, who is a “pro-sumer”, and true professional, like Rob Watts. In case anyone is interested, Rob Watts provided a detailed explanation in a follow-up to the ASR video in an interview on the Passion for Sound channel.
I personally found it pretty funny that Amir went on about not hearing a difference while he was using 2-4x upsampling on a Hugo 2. Don’t get me wrong, the Hugo 2 is great (I have one myself), but 4x on a Hugo 2 is a world away from 16x on a DAVE. The difference with/without M-Scaler is so obvious to me that I don’t think I’d even need to A/B on the same track to know if the M-Scaler is in or out. If I can convince my wife to spend 30 mins with me on an experiment she couldn’t care less about, I might even make a blind A/B video to shove in Amir’s face, but I’m still debating whether or not it’s worth my time.
I’ve heard similar, but my main headphones are Utopias, which the DAVE drives with no issues. I tried an SPL Phonitor X for a while, but I found straight out of DAVE to be better. I’m sure that likely changes with gear like Susvara or ZMF.
If I had a good reason to, I would, but I personally just want to have one setup I love and be done.
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Regarding ASR and their measurements:
“Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not”. --Nelson Pass
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Thank you for that.
Sage analysis from someone who actually knows what the hell they’re talking about, with a stellar track record to prove it.
I’ve greatly enjoyed the Threshold amps and preamps I’ve owned over the years, and wish I had held on to some of it… Nelson Pass is a Jedi master in the audio arena! 
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The Meze Headphones would be a great match with the DAVE amp. Susvara’s and DCA Stealths are really a no go. The Focal lineup is perfect!
Andris, you are doing well my friend. I’m also glad you aren’t taking ASR’s videos to heart. The M-Scaler costs 6 grand for a reason. I’m sure it is doing something. Lol.
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Because my Utopias are out for a small repair, I decided it’s a great opportunity to live with something else for a bit. Found a very reasonably priced set of used HEDDphones. I’ve always really liked these at shows, and they have been on my very short list of “interesting enough to try later” headphones.
So, here are my temporary, mistress cans…
They totally dwarf the Celestees!
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Lol…wow, you aren’t kidding!! Had no idea they were that big.
Congrats!…Interested to hear what you think.
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Hey @andris ! That is really cool! Awesome pick up. And yes, the AMT driver HEDD is the 2nd heaviest headphone on planet earth. The XC Bubinga 1st Gen still hold that title, but I tell ya the HEDD look really comfortable. Love to hear what you think of them. I myself would love to try them and being an XC owner the weight doesn’t scare me off.
Congrats man. You are getting all the big boy toys these days.
But one more thing. Keep the WA5 brother. Just keep it. Lol.
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Will live with them for a bit and report back!
Sounds like someone is in the market for a WA5-LE! One may become available soon…
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Also want to hear what you think, and maybe compared to some of your others.
They sure is ugly though! Only their mother could think they’re beautiful
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You know my friend. I just bought the WA 22 two weeks ago. I really love it, so I imagine the WA 5 being just incredible and every bit as good as the WA 22 and maybe even some cases better.
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Schiit Bifrost 2/64 Upgrade Board
The rest of y’all are slacking on WitB! And, none of you mentioned they ship it in a tube box with pluck foam for tubes.
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In the lower left of the first pic there’s something in a box with a green sticker. It looks like a super-secret encrypted personal access key, or maybe not. But, what is it?
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Good eye. That’s the micro SD firmware upgrade card. After you install the board, stick in the SD and turn the power on. The LEDs will blip and bloop. When they stop the BF2 is upgraded to BF2/64 and ready to use.
SD card slot is on the back bottom edge to the right of the 4 port upgrade board area.
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Cool! Happy upgrading.
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Audio Magic Masterpiece M-1 Beeswax Fuse
(Sorry about the lighting. Makes everything look really dusty, but it’s just the way the light is hitting it.)
I was very surprised at how much of an impact a fuse upgrade made in my ZMF Pendant SE. I started with a Synergistic Research PURPLE fuse. It had a 30 day return guarantee so it was worth a try and I’m glad I did. Initially, changes seemed subtle. But, with further listening and increased burn in, instrument imaging, vocals and bass became more distinct, articulate and defined, and now, obviously evident sound quality refinement. No regrets here. That’s why I decided to upgrade again to the Audio Magic Masterpiece M-1 Beeswax fuse. Reviews hold it in even higher esteem than the SR PURPLE.
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