SWL

This "member" has only two posts and the asking price is absolutely ridiculous.

Just goes to show how they were taken care of.....or not taken care of.

I've experimented with stuff like this in the past soooo many times. I had a blast doing it. In the end though it made doing things the proper way more rewarding and satisfying. It's all part of the journey.

This is the one I use. It was only something like $60 bucks. Using it today with a Denon 5700 and a Schiit Aegir at low volumes sounds sweet. For some reason I don't care to use this passive pre for louder volumes.....never sounds quite right.....but lower volumes just sound great.

I thought something looked familiar in that pic.....obviously I have the same speakers (basically) and I used to have that same exact fireplace LOL. Glad to hear the speakers worked out. My uncle did our wedding reception with a pair of Heresy's and a couple SVS subs. Worked great.

An inexpensive entry-level DAC will make a difference. Get ready because your head will be spinning from all the opinions surrounding the use of an outboard DAC and what brand you use. I have several Schiit DACs. I like em.....they have a nice house sound to them in my systems. I have several Topping DACs. I think they suck in my systems. They have zero warmth to them and there's that LOL.

This is interesting. What materials did you use for this? Posting some pics of this would be cool. I'm always up for trying a cheap tweak.

When I started streaming years ago it was with a laptop....always with an external DAC. A few years ago I switched to using a Bluesound Node 2i also with an external DAC. Absolutely love it. I've considered checking out using a Raspberry Pi. Would it be an improvement in sound quality (or otherwise) over a Node? Either way, I've been totally content streaming the last few years. The sound quality is very good and I'm almost to the point of not being able to tell the difference anyway. I just wanna rock out.

Reminds me of forum member Moray James and his tweak to jam a ping pong ball in the tweeter for better diffraction LOL.

I'm hesitant on going with a pair that has touch controls. What has your experience been with them?

Or the Sony W5.

Yeah, same with me......I use these for hiking and long walks. For the money I think I'm gonna have to decide between the Sony W4 or the Sennheiser Momentum 4. Not sure.

By any chance have you ever listened to the Sennheiser Momentum 4's? They seem to get good remarks on sound quality. I think I'm gonna return these new Bose.....but it seems that break-in time might be beneficial?

What was your source for all the testing you did?

Two weeks ago I got the Bose 'New Quiet Comfort Noise Cancelling Headphones'. They're basically the same as the QC35ii's that I have but with some improvements. However, one thing that sucks is that streaming Spotify through them sounds absolutely terrible. The treble is out of control and no EQ can save it. Tidal sounds pretty good through them. They're really comfortable and the active noise cancelling works well. Great for long walks and hiking.

I'm doing it right now with my Denon 3805 and 5700. Been doing it for over 20 years.

I bought this receiver from John. The unit is in perfect condition in every way. John was a pleasure to do business with and I wouldn't hesitate to deal with him in the future. I've got a sweet spot for these units.....using them as preamps in particular. They're totally underrated in this regard IMHO. Thanks again John.

PM sent.

My nips have been rock hard this last week! Thawing them out right now with a 'new' 1961 Mullard 5AR4 Fat Base rectifier tube in my 222c. Sweet.

Interesting thread. I don't know much about these headphones other than a few years ago my wife's employer gifted most employees with a pair of Bose QC35 ll's. She didn't have much interest in them but knew that I would and I've been using them ever since. At the time I had a Samsung Galaxy S8 and it had a 'Tube Amp Pro' option. Really surprised at how good it sounded because I thought it was just a gimmick but I gotta say that it sounded great. Not long after, I got a Samsung Galaxy S21 and the Tube Amp Pro option was gone. A lot of people online were upset about this. Me included. It still sounds ok but it really sucks that they took that option away. I don't take these things too serious but man I love those things for going on long walks or hiking.

I've only rolled tubes in an HH Scott 222c of which I have three fully restored units. I like it that much. I've found that NOS 7189's are the ticket and while the Russian 6P14P-EV tubes do very good, they don't quite measure up to the 7189's. The 6P14P-EV can add a hard/glare to the sound when in my amp. The "Gold Grid" versions sound much better to me. They don't have that hard sound and have a lot of fullness to them. The NOS 7189's are more articulate and refined in comparison. They better be because that's what the amp was originally designed to use but for a backup....the Russian tubes will get me by and they were dirt cheap at the time (4-5 years ago). I loaded up on them and with RCA 7189's so I'm set for the rest of my life. Never tried any new production 7189's. I haven't read anything particularly good about them unfortunately.

Yeah, with my Schiit Aegir or Vidar I've used my SYS with great results like you described. I also have one of those Nobsound passive preamps as well and it works just as well. I use the Nobsound simply because it has a nicer volume knob and it's smooth.

I did the same and totally agree. It's a must.

A few years ago I experimented with both absorption and diffusion in my main listening room. With absorption at the side reflections and directly behind the speakers at mid/tweet level.....and diffusion throughout the room the results were eye (ear) opening. Bass traps not so much but still worthwhile. Most notable was how much more focused the soundstage became. The center image in particular. Absolutely worth doing.

I can believe that.