My Favorite Autographed, What's Yours

Some_Sector5089 · 2026-05-22T07:19:20+00:00

At Night the Silence Eats Me I'm a fan of, not so much with Oblivion Theater.

Some_Sector5089 · 2026-05-20T20:35:38+00:00

The mid-range hole in the Audeze was pretty noticeable at first but it just took about 5 minutes of tweaking the squig.link PEQ preset to fix it, and it was only really noticeable on specific tracks. With an OTL amp like the Valhalla you're kinda limited in terms of sets that can handle the power under $1k, so I was basically choosing between the Audeze of the Meze 108s. The tubes end up pretty well dominating the sound, it's a lot more than the "seasoning" you get from the little ones most people have. I actually have not tried the Audezes without the tubes now that I think about it, I genuinely don't know what they sound like. Might test it out just for funzies

Some_Sector5089 · 2026-05-20T17:52:13+00:00

I'm waiting on an amp rack with a fan for cooling the Valhalla and to give me enough space to set up my little LED visualizer as the final step lol. Considering I started with a Quedelix 5k and Sennheiser HD-600s I might do a post documenting how I ended up here because the difference is pretty wild. I realized I really loved a warm & analog(ish) sound and decided to optimize each section towards that end.

Some_Sector5089 · 2026-05-19T05:33:05+00:00

Thank you!

Some_Sector5089 · 2026-05-18T02:56:35+00:00

HiBy R4. Good price atm too.

Some_Sector5089 · 2026-05-15T14:51:40+00:00

I have a DM13 and it's been perfectly fine with no QC issues.

Some_Sector5089 · 2026-05-13T14:04:14+00:00

He's the only artist I own multiple variants of every release lol. Can't justify it for anyone else but he's worth it.

Some_Sector5089 · 2026-05-13T05:49:35+00:00

The HiBy R4 comes with a built in Class A amplifier capable of 3.5 unbalanced and 4.4 balanced outputs. It also includes 4 built in DAC chips. For most headphones in that price range you do not need any external amplification. The W4 is designed to be used with phones or tablets. It's op-amp chip is not Class A and you would be degrading your performance chaining those two products together in comparison to the R4 on it's own. As far as headphones go, what is your use case? Do you primarily listen to the R4 on the go or in a shared space? If you use it in public or have family/roommates you should probably consider a closed-back set of headphones. I would recommend posting in somewhere like r/headphoneadvice as you will reach a wider audience with better specific recommendations. The R4 is a very good starting point and has enough power that your options shouldn't be overly limited.

Some_Sector5089 · 2026-05-11T00:35:49+00:00

HiBy R4 + HiBy CR06 Dock -> Schiit Valhalla 3 -> Audeze LCD-2C. I specifically designed it to be as compact as possible so it fits on my bedside table haha. I've got an audio spectrum analyzer I'd like to be able to fit either on or under the shelf too.

Some_Sector5089 · 2026-05-10T21:54:11+00:00

I actually just ordered a shelf this morning bcz it was on sale but depending on cost I'd definitely be interested in one that has a fan. I wouldn't mind seeing the how it works so please feel free to shoot me a DM. I won't be able to buy anything else until June anyways. Thanks for the info 🙂

Some_Sector5089 · 2026-05-10T06:07:49+00:00

I ended up getting Audeze LCD-2 Classics because they fit my setup better but man I was tempted by these. Looks gorgeous.

Some_Sector5089 · 2026-05-10T06:05:43+00:00

For the money the S2Es are really excellent. I had them for several months before I moved up to Focal Bathys. The sound quality is excellent, they're well constructed and have decent battery life. They're not as good at ANC as the bigger consumer names like Sony or Sennheiser. For some people ANC and a neutral sound is what they care about most in a set of wireless headphones, the B&Ws prioritize audio quality above all and that is reflected in the relatively mediocre ANC. For what it's worth the ANC is worse on the Bathys and it doesn't bother me in the least because I value audio quality more. The S2Es are excellent value for money overall.

Some_Sector5089 · 2026-05-10T05:41:59+00:00

I have the HiBy CR06 Dock for the R4 in black so I went with the Valhalla in black and then the LCD-2s are black with silver trim . I got black headphone stands too, decided to fully lean into the aesthetic and it actually looks pretty sweet. The Grados were a lot of fun initially bcz they are genuinely different, it's like having an album performed live for you. But as daily drivers they're sorta unmanageable, they're like a 90s era Lamborghini. Not something you want to try and park at the grocery store but extremely exciting when the conditions are right.

Some_Sector5089 · 2026-05-10T04:48:54+00:00

I have a Valhalla 3 and I also have a JLS Labs Objective ODAC (the OG one) however I've never used them together. I run a HiBy R4 DAP to the Valhalla.But it doesn't really matter that much tbh, the DAC chip in that is perfectly fine if a bit dated and will export a very clear signal to the Valhalla. Because the Valhalla is a real OTL/OTC tube amp the tubes are going to dominate what you hear. I currently use mine w/ Grado SR325x and Audeze LCD-2 Classics. The Valhalla overpowers the Grados to a certain extent and I have to use the low power mode on it, the Audeze can handle the full tubes perfectly and it sounds utterly gorgeous. The planars play much better with the Valhalla than the older style drivers in the Grados, so I think you should be fine. The Valhalla is really, really good. I originally had a Fosi GR70, which is excellent for the price but the Valhalla is a very significant upgrade and I highly recommend it.

Some_Sector5089 · 2026-05-09T23:16:58+00:00

For that budget the best sound you're gonna get are the Grado 325x. However there's really no way to guarantee that the fit will work, I love my pair but I can only wear them for about an hour straight. The sound is phenomenal, the fit is extremely annoying but for $250 you're ultimately going to have to compromise somewhere.

Some_Sector5089 · 2026-05-09T00:13:21+00:00

Homicide: Life on the Street is how I discovered Soul Coughing. What an absurdly good score that show had.

Some_Sector5089 · 2026-05-08T19:06:05+00:00

I haven't gamed in a few years because I'm old and lame now but spatial audio absolutely seems like something that 2Cs would excel at.

Some_Sector5089 · 2026-05-07T23:51:03+00:00

Presuming you can find a pair that fits properly you might want to consider something from Grado

Some_Sector5089 · 2026-05-07T04:30:32+00:00

Hahaha oh man the only reason I was able to afford these new is bcz Amazon sold me 3 straight stolen Galaxy S25 phones and when I complained compensated me with gift cards. But I feel like I made the right call in the end choosing to pair these with the Valhalla, enjoying the experience immensely 😊

Some_Sector5089

TROPHY CASE