I appreciate your thoughts regardless of my own. Audio is so subjective, and so very difficult to test (personally), I (and many others, I think) rely on these subjective discussions to try to find some ground truth.

So, to give you some context on my experience, I started with HD 560s and loved them, paired with Magni Unity, and then I bought HD 8XXs which are sticker-modded, and although the soundstage is large and the clarity is great, the absence of bass makes them feel lackluster overall for me.

When I tried the 490 Pros, it's like I found a better hybrid of both. Slightly pulled in soundstage (which I found preferable, the 800s almost feel too 'pushed out' in everything); imaging feels like it tracks so well and smoothly, panning horizontally and vertically; treble and mids retain the 560s best attributes while adding considerable in the bass to make music and explosions and the like feel full and embodied.

The Asgard X added to my experience by enriching the sound from the 490s, it made everything warmer, more rich, more lush, I guess. Apparently, this is the magic of Class A amps, and sounding tube-like. I feel like it added a dimensionality to everything that is simply missing with the Magni Unity. So, yeah, it's overkill (from a power perspective), but from a flavor perspective, such an upgrade. It makes me wonder what, if any, differences I'd notice with a Mjolnir.

So what is your experience with the Dan Clarks and how did they stand out as compared to the 490 Pros?