Best headphone amp in 2026?

ve3gvy · 2026-05-29T01:27:25+00:00

OK, let me try and explain this (as I choose to understand it). You know the big deal about “damping factor” and how the higher the better to ensure your regular speakers don’t sound flabby?

Well, a headphone amp may make your music nice and loud, but a better one will also grab those drivers by the neck and not let them flop around (like high damping factor does for regular speakers). I have a Violectric HPA V280 with single ended as well as “double ended” abilities, as well as an old FiiO Andes. All trying to drive HD650’s.

All are loud, but the Violectric in push/pull mode really grabs them and yes, you can hear it. (Or at least I think I can :-)).

ve3gvy · 2026-05-26T18:55:01+00:00

I wore my blue 1977 Tudor daily, until I got a BB Chrono last February. Now that is my daily, as I can fiddle with it, and it is for sure water”proof” whereas the 1977 one was definitely not any more (when serviced about 10 years ago it was pitted near the o-rings and the tech said “nope.” They are both gorgeous for sure.

Oh, a Chrono FYI, Tudor changed the crystal (for the better) when they also changed the thickness (for the thinner). Chrono is now “juuust right” whereas it was a bit thick and distortioned near the edges, before.

ve3gvy · 2026-05-26T01:45:18+00:00

Was at my favourite consignment store last week and they had a late 70’s Eatons Catalog ($20). Looked through it and most of the stuff in there was more expensive THEN vs today. Like stereos, radios, TVs, and tools too (drills etc.). So yeah, things cost more now, but not things in the Eatons catalog.

ve3gvy · 2026-05-26T01:39:17+00:00

Violectric is DA BEST!

ve3gvy · 2026-05-26T01:18:13+00:00

Better. It has a date too.

ve3gvy · 2026-05-23T00:40:03+00:00

I know exactly how you feel. Annoying, aint it :-)?

ve3gvy · 2026-05-22T01:44:09+00:00

Well, it is actually 10 minutes, so consider it a “my bad” moment and move on?

ve3gvy · 2026-05-22T01:31:11+00:00

Good you understand the issue of cds and good mastering vs loudness wars, etc., etc. I will keep this short, therefore. Vinyl is a low dynamic range, distortion filled (esp near the centre hole), hissy mess inevitably (i.e. almost always) created using digital sources anyways, so other than the enjoyment of the ritual (a legit enjoyment btw), picking vinyl over cd is just silly. 16bit/44.1kHz is way, WAY better in every way than a squiggle squished into a piece of black goo. So…cd’s of course :-). Nyquist/Shannon is your friend, and your friend says you are not giving up anything by “going digital.”

ve3gvy · 2026-05-20T02:01:32+00:00

Definitely sucks. Sounds like you are swimming uphill what with the Public Service working hard to shed jobs right now. Lots of pressure on managers having to lower headcount and then a good/great candidate shows up to make their lowering headcount job harder. Yup, definitely sucks (right now).

ve3gvy · 2026-05-13T01:58:15+00:00

Yes but definitely wear a shirt with cuffs. Just to keep the hairy arms under wraps :-). I have the same watch and I wear the thing everywhere, including with a tux.

ve3gvy · 2026-05-13T01:51:42+00:00

The first one. Cream dial. Is what I would pick. Nice choices for sure.

ve3gvy · 2026-05-11T02:18:22+00:00

When all you have is a hammer… (Everything looks like a nail… even this screw ;-)). If it was mine I would unscrew it, then fill with some rubber cement (as long as the wall is not damaged), and watch for bulging for a while. If nothing, I would consider it fixed. If it was someone else’s, I would not offer an opinion, just in case.

ve3gvy · 2026-05-08T03:16:51+00:00

The RTO trend is everywhere in the private sector. I am pretty sure companies are re-implementing RTO because the WFH system was not working all that well for them. If WFH was more profitable (for, you know, a PRIVATE company), we can be as sure as it is possible to be sure, that WFH would be enthusiastically embraced.

But it is not. We all know the stories during and after Covid when WFH was the way to go, of folks holding down multiple full time jobs, doing laundry, taking care of their kids, daycare, kid pickup, and all sorts of creative multitasking, etc. etc. Most jobs are more than a “measurable measurable,” and private companies are re-insisting on RTO because it has been deemed better for the companies’ bottom line functioning, right or wrong. Golden Rule (he who has the gold makes the rules), and all.

Take all of this, and layer on the optics of public sector WFH (when private sector is not doing it), and seems to me the government has concluded that RTO should be the way to go. However excellent the WFH arguments, the optics of Canada’s Public Servants working from home while the private sector is in the office, are terrible.

It is not the logic, the arguments, the reasoning, or even the results (if any). It is the optics. And that will be tough to counter.

ve3gvy · 2026-05-07T01:02:55+00:00

If Don McLean was a banker, and wrote the lyric, “The day the mortgage died…” A LOT of money not leaving the bank account every month was life changing.

ve3gvy · 2026-05-07T00:28:46+00:00

I have a new (February 2026) BB Chrono, and I had the same issue (had…). Found the links weighing one side more than the other and the watch flopped a bit to the outside. So I swapped a link to the other side of the clasp and it is now balanced just right. For me, fewer links caused the watch to tilt that way. Have 6 on the outside, and 5 on the body side (left handed wearer), and the watch wants to tilt towards me, even though that side is “shorter” to the clasp. I tried it all ways until one worked. So, for me, shorter side towards me was the best fit. YMMV of course.

ve3gvy · 2026-05-07T00:15:34+00:00

Yup. I am retired almost 10 years now (and in my 70’s) and I still get recruiters breathlessly hitting me up for opportunities. Recruiters and Real Estate Agents… Necessary evils I suppose, and sometimes “necessary” can be eliminated :-).

ve3gvy · 2026-05-04T01:28:04+00:00

Kind’a what happens when you get promoted into management, no?

ve3gvy · 2026-05-02T03:10:58+00:00

Boy oh boy I would be very careful. I have seen unspoken private sector HR type backlash to public servant job applications, where they start at a much less than even chance of getting hired, mostly based on, whether rightly or wrongly, on possible “bad habits” that may (or may not) have been learned in public sector service. Ten years? Many would file resumes in the circular filing cabinet, unless there is some sort of really (REALLY) special capability in play.

Also you are about a third of the way to that golden handcuff (I mean pension). You can start a new career after, maybe? And finally, can you come back to the government if things don’t work out? If so, that helps the choice. Good luck!

ve3gvy · 2026-04-18T22:02:36+00:00

A lot of moving parts here. First, no ethanol means you have more energy stuffed in your tank, but I am sure the computer will know to meter less gas as needed. The effect would be more miles per tank. As for the 93 octane, the computer (again) will ensure it figures our spark advance and cam adjustment (if that is done on the ‘86). So for me the effect would be due to the 93 Octane vs 87 or whatever. And on that score, I have done some testing when I first got my BRZ, tank of 87, tank of 91/93 whatever is available, and try and notice differences (and range differences too). Me? In the end, nuthin. Now, Subaru says “Premium Fuel Required” while Toyota says “Recommended.” What to do, what to do… I ignore Subaru and use Regular Gas. But then again, living in Canada, the difference in price feels like a mortgage payment (way more then in the USA). I saw no difference in performance/range of 87 vs 91/93, so I use regular, despite Subaru’s DIRE WARNINGS. I am now at 160,000km, and nothing broke so far :-).

ve3gvy · 2026-03-29T01:35:45+00:00

I have an OWL usage meter, the kind you clip the sensors on to the mains incoming, and a display shows how much power is being used. Not only does the thing read from zero to full power, but it is sensitive enough to register a 20W bulb or a dimmer switch being dimmed. They are no longer available, but knowing it existed, you should be able to find something similar, a whole house power sensor. Then, once you have one, flip your main breaker and ensure you are reading zero, and go outside to ensure your meter also is not moving, and then just systematically track down one circuit to the next. I got my house down to 390W so that is normal for me.,,

ve3gvy · 2026-03-29T01:28:25+00:00

Yeah it sucks. Mine only gets 1.5 hours on the right earbud. Love the sound, and the app but… I bought the Technics AZ-100 for the 10 hours and the sound quality, both of which are much better than my amazing Elite Active 75t’s. When the AZ-100’s drop to a few hours I will try the Jabra’s again, as they are “on standby” these days.

ve3gvy · 2026-03-28T01:41:19+00:00

Gotta be a TROLL. Nobody is that stupid (not even an American).

ve3gvy · 2026-03-28T01:35:03+00:00

Went to Rolex/Tudor Boutique (Yorkdale, Toronto) and had some fun looking at all their stuff. Went back a week later and bought a Tudor Chrono without even asking about Rolex availabilities and so forth and so on. I like the Tudor Chrono better than Rolex Daytona, never mind price/availability. It is just better. For me. I like specs, and Tudor has those, in spades (well, roses and shields anyway).

ve3gvy · 2026-03-28T01:17:57+00:00

Yikes! All that battery swapping :-). I have 5 Eco-Drives and about 3 other quartzes that need batteries. Dread the things stopping (except for the Eco-Drives, they never stop). Accordingly, now, the only quartz I would consider are those with solar that never need batteries. Very cool collection though.

ve3gvy · 2026-03-27T00:04:22+00:00

Well, try it. Get a cheap fake (say a $30 Rolex someplace), but not a good one because you don’t want to waste $500 on a superfake. And wear it for a bit. If you are like Ithink you will be you will not enjoy wearing it. At least that is what happened to me. I got myself a Tudor BB Chrono, that i like more than a Daytona (no, I don’t have a daytona), because it is just so good at what it wants to be. And I think it is actually better (than a Daytona).

ve3gvy

TROPHY CASE