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Then please click the display as link option in the editor instead. Or better yet, don't post it at all.

@Lethalmonk Please stop dumping content from the "Z reviews" reddit in this forum. It's a pain to scroll through and can be easily linked if you're determined to spread garbage around the internet.

Just doesn't sound very good in the scheme of things.

Get rid of the E10 as soon as possible whatever you do.

Because tubes, when done right, are better.

Mwa ha ha

My main concern is that the touch controls, internal amp, USB C receiver and BT receiver are all adding to the cost while adding nothing to sonics. If the driver doesn't live up to the hype, this is probably shaping up to be a $100-200 headphone at best in terms of actual audio quality. Even if it does, extra work and cost must be expended to ensure that the earcups aren't acoustically compromised due to the presence of extra active electronics (just in terms of the space occupied).

Higher bit depth also has less quantization error. Instead of circle-jerking over extreme sampling rates, audiophiles and snake-oil proponents alike should have been championing 24-bit content, regardless of whether it was greater than 44.1 kHz. 24-bit 48 kHz could have been the ultimate high-quality music format, allowing more precision and slower roll-off antialiasing filters. Instead we are stuck with the inanity of DSD and 192 kHz.

Activating dick mode. Please get it through your head that in life, and certainly audio, there is usually no objective "better". Anyone that claims otherwise is talking out of their ass. My experience with the DT 880 and HD 650 is that the 650 has the edge in comfort. Even though the pads are harder, their shape worked better for me and they don't break down nearly as quickly. In terms of sound, there is no doubt that the HD 650 is smoother and more resolving. Some people might prefer the DT 990, but you can usually find someone to say good things about any POS product. Bottom line, just fucking buy one and find out for yourself. Amazon has a 30-day return policy for a reason.

Right, and why is this amazing technology being rolled out through kickstarter and not by a major player like Seas or Harmon? I would assume that these companies have already tested and discarded the viability of graphene, or else are already working on their own implementations. Of course, it makes complete sense to develop a groundbreaking driver technology and then handicap it with the most cancerous audio interface possible.

You're very confused. Please go directly to Jail. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200.

I call bullshit. At least for headphones, sound quality comes as much from the design of the enclosure and pads as from the drivers. For example a Sennheiser HD 800 driver measures fairly flat in open air, but in the actual enclosure designed for it exhibits the excessive brightness that the headphone is known for. In other words, breakup is not the only cause of linear or non-linear distortion in headphone drivers. I also find it suspicious that they don't do comparisons with other high-end drivers, such as aluminum ribbon tweeters or the Beryllium divers used by focal in their Utopia headphone. This technology clearly has potential, but I think it's advantages specifically for headphone applications are being overblown.

If you don't get the Vali, get the Fulla 2. It captures most of the performance of the Magni/Modi stack combined with the Uber functionality and more. Better volume knob to boot.

Depends what kind of bass you want out of the system. If you want a little better than your typical boxed home-theater noise-maker, you can get one of the Dayton SUB line. If you want more, save your pennies. $500 new would be considered the absolute minimum entry-level to real sub-bass reproduction. Note that there is more to the story than simple low-end extension. Cheaper subs will not only fail to play as low, but they will have higher distortion. This distortion can rise to as much as 10%, if not more in the worst cases - certainly audible.

Just get this: https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-x-sennheiser-pc37x-gaming-headset It's basically HD598 with sennheiser boom mic which is a really decent mic

Nothing, if you're interested in a tube amp. Tube amps, particularly hybrid tube amps, do not have any barrier to entry provided you can figure out how to stick a thing in a thing.

Yes, in the long run you will pay for tubes. However, a single tube should last several years and Schiit sells the stock tubes for just $10 each. Yes.

Vali 2 and skip the DAC for desktop audio value with HD650. I know nothing of mobile amps, so I can't help there. iPhone is probably fine on its own.

I would return it immediately and buy a crate of oven mitts instead.

Love the low end on the Bifrost 4490. Doesn't really sound thick to me, even pushing the HD650.

If you think Magni gets hot, don't buy a Valhalla, Asgard, or really any other big Schiit amp.

The HD 650 and HD 600 are already an incredible value. Given how the last drop went, none of this should really be that surprising. If $250 is too much or 6 months too long, stick with the HD 5x8/5x9 lineup of headphones.

I don't follow. Why buy a separate device for volume control when the amp already has one?

You would assume wrong. For one, as already mentioned, you can't "eliminate" sibilance in all possible cases, at least not without nuking the whole top end of your system. Also, this dip appears to be a resonance, which means that it's only a dip at T0, but turns into a ridge at that frequency due to ringing of a standing wave. In any case, that response does not look like an improvement to the sound quality in general. I like what was suggested above, which is to EQ specific tracks or albums to your taste. There are multiple audio players or managers that allow you to do this, if I'm not mistaken.

Enough to what? What does "need" mean, here? Not trying to be difficult or cryptic, but it really depends on what you're trying to achieve. You might be happy with onboard integrated audio, or you might only be happy with an amp that actually sounds good with these headphones. Depends on budget and priorities.