Your Favourites in 2022

Steve_Dollar · December 4, 2022, 7:48pm

Favorite Headphone in 2022 -
I picked up the Meze Liric which I like a lot, but the favorite is still the OG Focal Utopia (which was serviced by the factory to replace a bad driver so I got a practically new pair delivered in January).

Favorite Amp in 2022 -
I’d say the DNA Stratus but I just haven’t used it much this year, for reasons that have nothing to do with the amp. Due to other circumstances it has been difficult for me to integrate it usefully or conveniently into my listening habits, but I’m trying to fix that. So by default, the favorite amp is the one I use most of the time, the Bel Canto Black Ex Integrated (with my DeVore Gibbon X speakers, mostly).

Favorite DAC in 2022 -
Bel Canto Black Ex

Favorite purchase in 2022 -
Hmmm … thinking about this makes me realize how much I’ve spoiled myself all year. Audio-wise, I had a lot of fun playing with the iBasso 240 I got from Headphones.com (thanks Taron for the excellent service), and the Massif Audio Designs Prime Reference Record Weight. But I’m gonna say the plane ticket for a trip out of Florida – my first time on an airline since the pandemic began – to visit Maine this fall.

Top 3 favorite songs in 2022 -

No idea really. I watched a whole lot of Wet Leg videos on YouTube though.

Favorite thing that happened in 2022 -
The local film festival I co-direct was a hit! We ran out of passes to sell within about two hours of the first screening, which was exciting beyond words. We placed a lot of bets on programming ideas and ways to engage our community and they paid off!

Thing you’re looking forward to in 2023 -
Getting back into the world.

orrman · December 4, 2022, 8:35pm

Drooling… Almost got a pair last month but decided to keep that dream for another time

Steve_Dollar · December 4, 2022, 9:24pm

I love em! Six-month wait (2018 order, 2019 delivery), but at least a decade of tracking John’s designs (maybe from mid-2000s). They hit all the buttons!

Pharmaboy · December 4, 2022, 10:01pm

Congrats on the raise & new house. Onward and upward!!

Re Meze Elite, I owned the Empyrean at one time and found it beautiful, unbelievably comfortable (the best I’ve ever experienced), but a bit vague & diffuse in its presentation of detail.

Tried the Elite several times at CanJam/NYC in Feb and was pleasantly surprised. Naturally assumed Meze would revoice the Elite to be a detail & treble cannon, but it was way more nuanced than that. I thought the Elite was more focused and detailed than the Empyrean, but no less musical. The bass seemed better in terms of timbre and tone (just another way to be more accurate).

generic · December 5, 2022, 1:46pm

I tried the Elite and RAAL at Capital Audiofest in November 2022. While the full RAAL setup was notably better to my ears (my choice above), the Elite was the runner-up and the only other compelling product at the show. If shopping for a conventionally-amped flexible headphone setup rather than the RAAL, the Meze Elite would absolutely be my best of 2022.

ckhirnigs113 · December 5, 2022, 3:10pm

That’s high praise indeed considering what the RAAL setup costs! Mind you, I got a great deal on my Elite, but my entire chain (streamer, DAC, amp, tubes, headphones, cables) cost less than half of what the SR1-B + VM-1a combo will run you. Diminishing returns come into play for sure at this level, but I feel like I’ve found my personal sweet spot.

The only thing I’m considering at the moment is the BF2/64 upgrade card. Your comments on how much you like it have pretty much swayed me into taking the plunge. Worst case scenario, I swap my OG BF2 card back in if the synergy isn’t as good with the 64 card in my setup.

hk57 · December 7, 2022, 3:00am

Favourite Headphone in 2022

RAD-0. The look, the sound. There are others that might beat it in one or the other, but it nails the combination. Honorable mention: ETA Closed Mini. Love what can be done outside of the known brands. An opinionated, enjoyable sound.

Favourite Amp in 2022

Tough question, with minimal opinions as I am striving to resist this rabbit hole. But the Sabaj A20d has been good as a backup system for my office.

Favourite DAC in 2022

Same answer.

Favourite purchase in 2022

Shoes Like Pottery.

Top 3 favourite songs in 2022

Interesting discoveries: 2 Cellos (Thunderstruck, and others - fun twists), Bruce Springsteen album Only the Strong Survive, Roadrunner playlist.

Favourite thing that happened in 2022

First vacation after COVID. North Shore Oahu.

Thing you’re looking forward to in 2023

Finally finishing Farscape

generic · December 7, 2022, 11:59am

Indeed. I’ve listened to a lot of stuff in all price brackets…and have a very hard time justifying moving beyond the HD 800 S with headphones. I do hear the nuances and refinement of the next tier (e.g., Utopia, Susvara, Stax, etc.), but I’d have to pay attention more closely than I actually do pay attention to care. Also, the quality delta is often eroded by typical mediocre music sources (and the edgy treble on the Utopia too). I’d seriously consider the Elite as my next upgrade, but choose to spend on other hobbies considering the price/performance.

The RAAL setup burns into your brain. It’s amazingly encompassing and full. However, these wide-open, flanged bat-ear headphones appeal to a tiny niche market even before considering the $10K system price. Still, the question here was about favorites of 2022. So…

I hope you enjoy it. See the discussion in the BF2 thread upon the 2/64 card release. All of us who bought it reported hearing the differences: the roughness goes away and it has substantially improved staging. Some hear the 2/64 as “lean” versus the OG BF2, but I heard the OG as slightly ragged and “falsely windy.”

As some do prefer the OG BF2’s timbre and as it’s now out of production, there may be a good used market for the old cards. I’m personally hoping Schiit releases a stripped down chassis with no remote, no balanced output, and no frills that takes all the BF2 cards. I’d happily use my OG BF2 board in a second system (see the BF2 thread).

Nuance · December 7, 2022, 2:47pm

Preach it brother! I’m in the same boat - I can hear the increase in quality with higher tier headphones and gear (tube amps), but I fail miserably when attempting to justify the purchase. And as you stated, I’d have to pay attention much more closely when listening, which honestly probably won’t be happening haha

TheFrator · December 7, 2022, 6:56pm

Favorite Headphone in 2022

Audeze LCD-5. I found myself buying and selling headphones a lot and decided to just spring for the top end. It honestly calmed my nervosa and I haven’t bought an overear headphone in the past 10 months. Any other flagship is just a different flavor and the LCD-5 matched my preferences to a T and it takes to EQ well when I want some variety. Simply put- it’s a monster. I wish it wasn’t so prohibitively expensive so more people could try it for themselves.

Favorite Amp in 2022

Ferrum Oor/Hypsos. I’m going to blind A/B it against the HPA4 but under sighted conditions it renders vocals better and the layering on the soundstage is more defined.

Favorite DAC in 2022

Schiit Bifrost 2/64. I don’t really hear much of a difference between uber expensive DACs (other than fatigue). Made in America and has a 5 year warranty so it should tide me over for at least that long.

Favorite purchase in 2022

20/20 Experience Pt. 1 by Justin Timberlake on vinyl. Objectively, and I say this without any nostalgia whatsoever, the greatest pop album ever made haha.

Top 3 favourite songs in 2022

All That Matters by Blanco White
Right in Two by Tool
Mariella by Khruangbin and Leon Bridges

Favorite thing that happened in 2022

It’s a lot of things really. Made some significant moves in my career and I feel at peace where I’m at. Moves that granted me the ability to afford crazy high end audio equipment that I couldn’t fathom 2 years ago. I’m cognizant of how lucky I am to say this when there’s a lot of strife and suffering in the world.

Thing you’re looking forward to in 2023

Going to my first CanJam in NYC.

Steve_Dollar · December 7, 2022, 6:59pm

That treble on the Utopia may be a YMMV situation, because I don’t really experience it myself — perhaps hearing damage over six decades? Still, I don’t have any equivalent headphones to compare mine with.

SenyorC · December 7, 2022, 7:00pm

I thought I would reply to this thread (again) as the favourite thing I heard this year was not on my list (as I didn’t review it).

By far, it was the Hifiman Susvara running off the Feliks Audio Envy.

taronlissimore · December 7, 2022, 7:03pm

See you there! We’re going to have something real exciting to show off there so make sure you stop by and say hi

generic · December 7, 2022, 7:30pm

It surely is YMMV, and please enjoy the Utopia if you enjoy the Utopia. I’ve tried it half a dozen times with twice as many amps, and can never get past the icepick treble stabs. While my ears test okay, I perceive some high-frequency nonlinearities per the self-test sweep at Audionotch. Some frequencies sound like fingernails on the chalkboard while others are painless and fine.

My experience is not unique to the Utopia – all Audezes that I’ve tried other than the LCD-5 had similarly piercing treble frequencies. I’m thinking that headphones able to sustain narrow-range, high-frequency notes cause problems rather than high frequencies per se. Some products convert highs to light and gentle “air” while others don’t. Again, my perception is not yours and YMMV.

Lothar_Wolf · December 9, 2022, 6:58am

Favorite because it’s bang for the buck, and still exceptionally good.

Headphone:

Amp / DAC:

DAC / Amp:

( In-Ear: )

——————

Otherwise:

Relatively successful fight against cancer and my Garden:

ctrlm · December 11, 2022, 3:36am