Windows sound vs. ASIO vs. WASAPI

There was a time when windows sound drivers sucked. Big time. That's the reason why ASIO was popularized, to get away from the terrible (and I'm being kind here) Windows Kmixer kernel that mangled sound like a testicular vice.

Steinberg developed ASIO (Audio stream I/O) to bypass the truly terrible Windows NT 5.x Kmixer kernel. When ASIO was released the pro audio community jumped on ASIO not only because it was capable of direct bit perfect delivery, but also because it supported 24 bit sampling (Win only managed a max of 16 bit at the time).

But Windows has come a long way since the days of Kmixer, which was discontinued for the Win Vista release. And people seem to have forgotten how clunky ASIO really is. Current iterations of native windows sound are as robust as ASIO, less clunky in implementation, and perfectly capable of supporting "audiophile" setups.

So what's the huge advantage in running ASIO or WASAPI over native windows drivers? Surely it's not because of remarkable improvements in sound quality as touted by some hypemongers in reviews (please don't take a ride on that hype train!). The only advantage is this: if you don't want irritating system noises to intrude when you are listening to your music why then WASAPI exclusive mode bypasses them.

Some thoughts about the Beyerdynamic A20 amp

The Beyerdynamic A20 is a straightforward headphone amp with RCA in, and 2 1/4 inch Neutrik headphone jacks out. It has a very clean Teutonic design reminiscent of the Beyerdynamic A1, features quality components (with a very smooth Alps pot) and has RCA out that is hot (when the input is active) even when the device is turned off.

It puts out 170 mW at 250 ohms and 100 mW at 600 ohm, so not a slouch powering higher impedance headphones. It is worth noting though that the rated output impedance is a whopping 100 ohms.

Looks wise, it is very pretty, and reminds me a lot of the Burson Soloist (in terms of the quality of construction and the solidly manufactured aluminum enclosure.)

What does it sound like?

Sound wise, it is transparent and neutral. A great pairing with Beyer headphones (after all Beyer designed the amp), but it does struggle with power hungry planars. I did not have the opportunity to hear the A20 with IEMs but from what I have read the pairing is hit-or-miss.

What's the competition?

The Burson Soloist SL has a brighter, more forceful sound overall, and also has gain selection. Keep in mind that the Soloist SL puts out 2W at 16 ohms, so it is much more suited for higher end orthos. In the head-to-head between the two the Soloist SL wins, unless you are looking for a transparent amp.

The Schiit Asgard 2 isn't in the same league, and at its usual $250 price point, is clearly the more value-rich selection from a price-performance perspective.

The most favorable matchup for the A20 is the Violectric V90. Both have pre outs, dual headphone jacks, and similar sound profiles. The V90 does have a price disadvantage, though, compared to the A20 on sale.

The best way to think of the A20 is probably to consider it to be a sophisticated version of the Objective O2 amp. Is it worth the money over the O2? It depends if you have the discretionary income to throw on an amp that isn't feature rich. In sum, if you are assembling a neutral setup you need to take a look at the A20, especially if it is on sale. But from a purely price-performance perspective, you may want to take an equally close look at the O2.

My favorite sub-$1000 setup

Q: What's your personal all-time favorite setup under $1000?

This one.

From a price-performance perspective, the  combination of the Pro-ject Box DAC S FL -> Little Dot Mk 3 with NOS Mullard M8100s -> Sennheiser HD650 really shines. This setup projects an analog-ey gooey tube sound and affords a maximally euphoric listening experience for under $900. It makes every genre I am into sound good, and that is saying something. The best aspect of this combination is that almost anyone can afford this setup, and the only folks who will hate it are those who worship the gods of transparency.

To break the components down:

The Box dac DAC S FL is, in my opinion, the best price-performance NOS dac you can buy. It has a very different sound than typical sigma delta DACs. Its analog-ey distortion makes digital files sound like vinyl. Having said that, I would suggest NOT buying an NOS DAC as your very first DAC, though.

The Little Dot Mk 3 is probably the best price-performance OTL tube amp you can buy, especially ebcause your choice for the tube amp selection is determined to a considerable extent by the degree of synergy between amp + headphones.  I would suggest that you NOT get an OTL tube amp (or any tube amp, for that matter) as your first amp.

Mullard NOS M8100 tubes have a super warm profile with gooey tube distortion, and if I had to describe Mullard sound in one word I would say "treacle", to borrow a word from my friends across the pond. They are a wonderful representation of what tube sound is all about. I would suggest NOT getting reissue Mullards, they are not the same as the real deal.

The Sennheiser HD650 has a wonderfully dark and comfortable sound. They are not neutral, sure, but their forgiving nature sets them apart. They excel at representing instruments realistically, add intimacy to vocals, and work for every genre from EDM to classical. Some have described them as "laid back", but they are certainly not boring. Their pairing with OTL tube amps is magical. I would suggest that you NOT get them if you want a neutral or bright sound profile, or if you plan to run them off portable devices.

And did I mention, the best part of this combination is the sub $1k budget? That leaves plenty of change left over to subscribe to Spotify or Tidal.

 And that should make you smile for a long time.

Again, I do want to emphasize, a NOS DAC + tube amp combo probably isn't the best idea if you are new to the world of personal audio and just getting your toes wet with the hobby. You will probably be better off in the long run easing into tube sound / vintage DACs gradually rather than starting with them.

Will a 20 foot extension cable lower the sound quality from my amp to my headphones?

Q: Will a 20 foot extension cable lower the sound quality from my amp to my headphones?

A: If you run really long cable, you have to watch out for two things: [1] the cable may pick up noise, particularly a hum, and [2] the signal may degrade if you run lengthy stretches of cable, usually because the voltage drops over long distances. And by long distances, I mean long distances, not 20 feet.

You can fix #1 by using with better shielding, and #2 by using XLR out instead of RCA.

But in your case, you aren't running cable through the entire neighborhood, just 20 feet, which is well within the tolerances for RCA unless there is a significant EMI transmitter between the your amp and your headphones.

In sum, you will be fine.

PS: Veni's Trivia of the Day: the term "RCA" in RCA cables comes from the Radio Corporation of America, who first used the format to connect their Victrola record players to their radios in the late 40s or early 50s. Prior to that they were using RCA cables to connect their record player pickups to the chassis, but not as interconnects.

Some thoughts about the Fiio E18

The E18 Kunlun (whats with Fiio naming products after mountains, eh?) works as a headphone amp that pairs to android phones via USB using an OTG cable, a 24/96 USB DAC (it has a Tenor TE7022L chip to receive USB and a Burr Brown PCM1798 DAC chip), as a standalone headphone amp, as an external DAC for your computer, and even as a coax out source.

The coolest (if spotty) feature it offers is the ability to play/pause the song on your phone using a button on the E18.

Plus it has a volume potentiometer! And in a pinch it can charge your phone.

It's regular price of $150-160 is a bit steep, but when it's on sale at the $120-130 price point it looks very attractive from a price-performance perspective.

A criticism that has been leveled against the E18 on more than one occasion is that it exhibits electromagnetic interference (EMI) when paired with a GSM smartphone. GSM buzz is an issue with most electronic equipment. It is an unfortunate side effect of the frequencies GSM uses and fact that GSM phones use the TDMA channel access protocol to sync to towers. Usually EMI is worst when the phone uses the EDGE data system. Since newer GSM technologies are less prone to GSM buzz, it may be worth disabling EDGE service on your phone if possible. Of course your mileage maay vary because there are other causes for interference too.

Of course we could eliminate GSM buzz altogether if everyone switched to verizon, but that would be a pretty terrible solution too.

Some thoughts about the Soundmagic HP200

Soundmagic are better known for their IEMs, and also do OEM and ODM for others, but came up with a few full sized models to enhance the range of their offerings. There was a little bit of hype after launch but it seems to have evaporated since then.

The Soundmagic HP200 are open, full size and exhibit a warm V shaped sound profile characterized by floppy loose bass. They are a competent pair of open headphones for $150 but at the $200-250 they retail for (at full price), they get blown away by the likes of the competition, for example the Philips Fidelio X1.

Are certain headphones better for different genres of music?

Q: Are certain headphones better for different genres of music?

A: In general, yes, absolutely. Some headphone sound profiles particularly complement specific genres (for example the Sony XB700 and DnB, or Grados and rock). The general nature of the sound can affect music substantially, for example "fun" headphones color the sound in a way that is very different than "balanced" headphones.

Neutral or analytical headphones like the Sennheiser HD600 or HD800 may be useful for critical listening.

And finally, some headphones just bring out the natural splendor of specific instruments, for example the Sennheiser HD650 really makes stringed instruments shine.

The most underrated headphone you can buy

Q: In your opinion, what is the most underrated headphone you can buy?

A: Personally, I think the most underrated headphone today is the Fostex T50RP. I'll explain why.

First, they are planar magnetic headphones, and at $100 an incredible value at a time when most planars are priced at 8-10x as much (or more). Of course planars used to be super common in the 70s and early 80s, but today they occupy a more high-end niche.

Second, T50s can be modded to become something that is way beyond what the stock T50 is. It's like they are Tony Stark when they are stock -- lovable but with specific idiosyncrasies, and then you mod them and they become Iron Man - incredibly powerful and capable of delivering truly stellar sound.

Now I agree that most headphone mods are hit-or-miss, because they are described by amateurs (often badly), and variations in methods between one modder and another means that no 2 mods sound the same. So if someone does the Kramer mod on their Koss KSC75s and you try to emulate them, you will never get exactly the same sound that Kramer got, because Kramer never detailed where specifically to drill the damned holes to make the modded KSC75 sound the sweetest.

But there are some mods that can clearly be replicated, and everyone doing the mods will have exactly the same effects as the original modder intended. For example the Sennheiser HD555 foam mod (all you do is take out the foam pad, that's the same mod no matter who does it) or the AKG Q701 bass mod (ditto with the little circular tape thingy) but standardized mods aren't just for mid fi headphones, they exist even for endgame setups, for example the Anaxilus mod for the Sennheiser HD800 (which I would argue is almost mandatory if you own a HD800).

The T50 has the advantage that it has been extensively modded, so there is a lot of stuff out there on what various mods do. But until a dude called bluemonkeyflyer posted his mod, these were hit-or-miss (or trade secrets, for those folks who modded T50s for a living). What bluemonkeyflyer did was to quantify everything he did, from posting FR curves associated with each specific alteration, to objective evaluations of alternatives, and specific results. In short, he took the "art" of T50 modding and made it into a "science".

Which means that anyone can mod the T50RP in a consistent fashion. From the materials used to the amounts of stuff you have to use, everything is well described on the Internet. My T50 is the only headphones that I have modded that sound exactly like I want them to -- by using an iterative, step-wise approach to modding them I tuned them to fit my musical tastes like a glove -- but more importantly, so can you.

Keep in mind that commercial headphones like the Mad Dogs and Alpha Dogs are T50 mods, so you know what you can achieve if you mod your T50 well.

Plus, what a wonderful way to spend time, making small sequential changes in how a pair of headphones sound, listening, modding, listening, modding some more, tweaking the SQ to match your desire.

In Kenneth Grahame's "The Wind In The Willows", the Water Rat says: "Believe me, my young friend, there is nothing—absolute nothing—half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats."

Just substitute "in boats" with "with headphones".

The coolest looking headphones

Q: What do you think the coolest looking headphones are?

A: From a "look ma, I'm in a sci-fi movie" perspective, the Sennheiser HD800, which is certainly the most distinctive headphone out there today.

from an "old world cool" perspective, the Audio Technica ATH-ESW9 has always reminded me of the New Yankee Workshop, except for headphones.

From a "wow that craftsmanship is incredible" perspective = the Fostex TH900. Unless you have seen it IRL you will not fully realize how awesome the urushi is.

But for sheer luxury, you have to go with the Ultrasone Edition 10, with its zebrano wood and lambskin it looks like something you would find in an art deco museum in Miami.

Some thoughts about the 600 ohm version of the Beyerdynamic DT880

Who needs a Beyerdynamic DT880?

If you are looking to build a neutral rig for critical listening, the usual price-performance king is the Sennheiser HD600. Of course, you could also go with a T90 or a Stax, but then you would be paying more for the privilege. The 600 ohm DT 880 hovers around the same price range as a HD600, and can often be found for cheaper.

Why do I call this "endgame for some"?

If you are looking to build a really transparent, neutral setup, of course you can spend thousands of dollars, but you don't have to. The transparent setup that makes the most sense from the price-performance perspective is ODAC > O2 > HD600.  The 600 ohm DT880 offers a viable alternative, especially since Beyerdynamic retail prices tend to fluctuate much more wildly than Sennheiser, therfore if you time your purchase right you can get a critical listening setup for less, which is not too shabby.

And what you get will be very close to something that is 3 or 4 x the price. There's a reason the 600 ohm 880 gets compared so often to electrostatic s especially Stax, in reviews.

Who needs 600 ohm headphones?

Well, not folks who want to run their headphones using their phone, that's for sure. High impedance headphones make the most sense for folks who can power them appropriately. Now you don't need the power output of a nuclear reactor to run 600 ohm DT880s at top efficiency, but you don't want to pair them with something with anemic output either. With high impedance headphones you don't have to worry about damping factor that much either, no matter what you plug them into.

How bright are they? How fatiguing is the treble?

Brightness and easy fatigability are the two most common criticisms leveled against Beyerdynamic headphones. All Beyers sound a little bright. The most neutral of their product range is probably the 600 ohm DT880, followed by the T90. What you are getting with the 880 is a relatively neutral pair of headphones that veers modestly towards brightness. Unlike the DT990, the treble is not super forward at all. And it is not bright like the Grado SR60 is, so it is not really hugely fatiguing.

How does the soundstage of the DT880 compare to the AKG K701?

Of the two, the K701 has wider soundstage. Technically Beyer calls the 880 "semi closed". IMO that's, well, neither here nor there - either a headphone is open or it is not. The 880 is open. Maybe not as much as the 990, but its soundstage behaves like those of open headphones.

How does the Beyerdynamic DT770 compare to the 880?

I keep hearing about how DT770 bass is huge compared to 880. To some degree, this is true. But not so much for the 600 ohm versions as for the rest. Having heard both, I will tell you that the comparisons by many are not accurate.

Why do I say this? Here is a graph comparing the 600 ohm 770 (in blue) with the 880 (red) and 990 (green). You will see that the 880 and 990 follow a very similar FR, except for the 100-700 Hz bump that the 990 has, as well as the high frequency peak. This is what gives the 600Hz 990 the "V" prominent sound that is characteristic.

Now look at the 770 bass, particularly the sub-bass, in comparison to the 880. Yes, it is weaker. The closed cups increases resonance and boominess, but the 600 Hz 770 is not as bassy as its lower impedance siblings.

Now check out this graph of the 32 ohm 770 (in blue) vs the 32 ohm 880 (in red). This is the "bass heavy" 770 that folks talk about all the time.

And finally, here is the graph of the 600 ohm 770 vs the 32 ohm 770. You can see that they have very different lower end profiles.

What do they sound like?

Lots of reviews out there, so I won't get into minute details. In sum, if I had to describe 880s in one word I would call them "clean". They are not warm at all, and not colored. They work great for critical listening, and can bring out flaws of inferior recordings just like HD600s can.

Troubleshooting volume imbalance in an OTL tube amp

Q: After months of waiting, I finally got my Little Dot Mk IV SE tube amp. However, my left side is like 40% higher then my right side in volume. It's been burned in maybe 20-30 hours now and have yet to solve itself out. What can I do? I'd hate to send it back to China.

A: First make sure your tubes are well seated.

Actually even before that play the same source on different headphones so that you know it's not your headphones, check your DAC to make sure it isn't the cause of imbalance, change the RCA cables, make sure your volume is balanced on your computer, and that your source file isn't the problem.

Next wiggle the headphone jack and make sure it's not a loose jack.

If all that checks out OK, now onward:

Next swap the driver tubes and listen. If the right side is now louder than the left, then its a defective driver tube. If no change, then...

...Swap the power tubes (careful, they are hot! although you haven't been properly baptized to tube amps until a power tube burns off a piece of your skin). If the volume imbalance swaps sides, then it's crap power tubes.

If swapping both pairs of tubes does not change the imbalance, it may be a bad potentiometer. Typically (though not always) the imbalance from a cheap pot is best appreciated at low volumes, as you increase the gain the imbalance may get less.

Regret, by definition, comes too late

Q: I bought my Beyerdynamic Custom One Pro two days ago because there was an offer for $135, I was satisfied with what I got but I was told that the Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro (32ohm) performed better than the COP, should I go back to the store and ask for an exchange ? Or should I just be happy with my purchase?

A: To quote my favorite author, "regret, by definition comes too late".

The key to buying stuff is to be happy. If you love the Custom One Pro, don't second guess yourself. But if you hate how it sounds, then swap it out.

The problem with audiophilia is that there is always something Harder Better Faster Stronger just around the corner, so the trick is to be happy with what you have, at least for a little while.

What are your top 3 headphones over $1000?

Q: What would you consider to be the top 3 headphones that cost over $1000?

A: Personally, I would consider the Sennheiser HD800, the Audeze LCD3 and the Fostex TH900 my top 3 (open, planar, closed). HD800 wins on design, TH900 wins on craftsmanship (urushi!) and LCD3 wins on its materials.

But there is a second tier of headphones that are cheaper and provide almost as much performance, so from a price-performance perspective these headphones make much more sense to aspire to than my top 3.

Two disclaimers: I'm not into electrostatic headphones, so haven't considered them in the ranking.

Second, I'm not going to rank headphones that cost well over $2000, because I wouldn't spend over $2000 on headphones. At that price point (and above) speakers reign supreme, and you will never get the best $2000 headphones to sound as good as above-average $2000 speakers, and the best $3000 speakers will end up blowing the best $3000 headphones away.

In sum, it doesn't make sense from a price performance perspective to spend over $2000 for headphones, since above that price point you are probably better off getting speakers.

Purchase advice: cheap closed on-ear headphones

Q: My budget is small - $30-$80, and I am looking for closed on ear headphones that I can use when out and about. Help! Bonus points for looking good.

A: At your budget, its hard to find closed on ears. In the US the Martin Logan Mikros 90 is being discounted for $80-90, and would fit your needs perfectly,and is worth trying to find on sale.

Alternatively, consider the JVC HAS160 Flats. They are closed, on ear, in your budget, don't look terrible, and sound reasonably good for the price.

What is the actual cost to manufacture headphones?

Ascertaining the true cost to manufacture headphones is complicated because there are multiple factors to consider, and this is the type of business intelligence every company keeps very close to its chest.

To break things down in simple terms, essentially there are 4 aspects to the cost of any product [1] R&D [2] materials [3] manufacturing and [4] marketing.

R&D is variable, so calculating the cost of R&D for an individual headphone model is difficult, especially because R&D costs may be capitalized or expensed even before production begins. In general, newer models still haven't seen a return on ROI costs, while older models (for example the Sennheiser HD600) have probably recouped their R&D costs, and then some.

Material costs vary over time, often wildly, and are subject to supply and demand constraints.

Production costs also vary, for example AKG Q701s were made in Austria, but AKG wanted to save costs and moved production to China. But moving production to China does not necessarily make things cheaper, for example some Audio-Gd amps probably cost more to make than equivalent Schiit amps, even though Schiit makes its stuff in the US and Audio-Gd in China.

Material and manufacturing costs may be variable (materials, packaging, etc.) or fixed (labor, storage, personnel salaries, etc.). To make things even more complicated, many companies OEM some or all of production, which again affects costs depending on who they OEM to. And it's not just a case of folks using cheap Chinese OEMs to save money aall around -- some Denon headphones for example were OEMd by Fostex, another Japanese company.

And keep in mind that OEM companies typically conduct their own R&D, have their own design costs, have to retool equipment for specific products, etc, which changes cost calculations.

And finally marketing: some companies spend more on marketing (e.g. Beats) and make huge profits, while others spend very little on traditional marketing and still manage to do very well for themselves (e.g. Schiit).

In sum, good luck finding this info out unless you are an industry insider, and even then you will have issues trying to calculate the true product cost of your competitors.

My RHA MA350 IEMs are electrocuting me...help!

Q: I bought a pair of RHA MA350 IEMs when they first got released around 2 years ago and they've been fine ever since.

Recently however, whenever I connect them to a PC or a Laptop I feel an electric shock (along with an electricity sound), which as you might imagine is a tad annoying. When connected to my phone it's fine. Any ideas what's causing this?

A: Watt? I find it shocking that you still continue to use them despite being electrocuted.

While some folks may get a charge out of your predicament, I for one must strongly suggest that you do not try to swim against the current of prevailing wisdom and stop using them in any capacity. It you meet with any resistance to this suggestion, then ignore it.

But seriously, it's not right to be electrocuted by your headphones. First, make sure that it isn't a grounding issue with your equipment, to be safe. If not, it is most likely to be static.

Apple has a great support post about static and Apple earbuds which is worth reading.

Some thoughts about the Little Dot Mk IV SE, and how it compares to the Mk III

How does the Little Dot Mk IV SE differ from the Little Dot Mk III? 

Well, both are OTL (output transformer-less) tube amps, made by Little Dot in China. The Mk IV SE is supposed to be an upgraded version of the Mk III, with a premium price. So what are the differences?

[1] upgraded tubes - instead of stock GE5654s, you get a pair of Mullard M8100s, and also updated 6H30P-i power tubes. It should be noted that my LD Mk III came with stock RCA EF95 tubes (which was a pleasant surprise, because they were 70s vintage. I might have lucked out).

[2] The 1/4 plug on the SE is a Neutrik

[3] The SE has "upgraded" RCA connectors

[4] The SE has pretty gold tube protectors

[5] The SE has a different volume knob

In theory the Mk IV SE is supposed to have a different ALPS pot than the Mk III, but every internal shot I have seen of the SE has the same pot as my Mk III.

David ZheZhe (Little Dot seller) claims the SE has "premium circuit component upgrades in key signal path locations". As to what these upgrades actually are (apart from the ones I noted above), your guess is as good as mine.

So are the differences worth the extra money?

As you start going up the Little Dot product ladder, you begin to slowly start losing the price-performance advantage you have with the Mk III.

You can get M8100s in abundance on ebay for $20-40 for the pair. The upgrade to the Elektro-harmonix 6H30P-i isn't really a deal unless you get a NOS Elektro-harmonix, since the new "reissued" EH 6H30P from the Reflektor plant are, well, reissues.

If you are upgrading power tubes you might as well get a couple of Novosibirsk Gold Grid 6N6P-i from the 70s/80s (before the Wall came down!) for $10-15 for a pair (keep in mind that driver tubes typically last longer than power tubes, and the Gold Grids with the "OTK" quality symbol were engineered to last a while).

Who should get this? 

Those that want to experience OTL tube sound, and don't have the money to get a Woo Audio WA3, a Woo Audio WA2 or an Eddie Current Zana Deux.

Also those who own a Sennheiser HD600 or HD650, the pairing is excellent.

Keep in mind that the Little Dot Mk III is a better bang for your buck than the Mk IV SE. Also keep some money aside for tube rolling.

Who should not get this? 

Folks getting their first amp (get a solid state amp!) or those who run orthodynamic headphones as their primary headphone (bad pairing, as are the Beyerdynamic T90 and T1).

Also folks whose budget will not extend to tube rolling.

And this certainly isn't "endgame" material, if that is your goal.

Folks wanting the ultimate price performance ratio should probably look at the Little Dot Mk III. And those who want a transparent amp without coloration or distortion should not touch this with a 10 foot pole.

Who are the competitors? 

The Bottlehead Crack, of course, although the Crack is a DIY OTL tube amp. And the Valhalla 2 is a serious competitor (gain switch, preamp out) especially if you are looking for a more transparent sound, as is the Woo Audio WA3 (although that costs about 2x the cose of the Mk IV SE).

Is the Aune T1 Mk2 worth it?

The Aune T1 Mk1 was constantly dropping on Massdrop for $130. Recently, it has been supplanted by the Aune T1 Mk2 with a sale price of $170. So what changed, apart from $40?

It's hard to find information about the T1 Mk2. The Shenzen Audio website says "T1 MK2 amp can bar the use of an enlarged portion of the gain OP + BUF". Um OK..... Maybe Google Translate was having a bad day when it did that particular translation.

In sum, the T1 Mk 2 got a new power supply and a new USB chip to allow asynchronous transfer and reduce jitter (from pictures of the internals, it looks like a SA9027 Savi controller, which is pretty much a bottom-of-the-barrel chip).

Is that worth $40 more? Probably not. At $170 I can't really recommend this as a price-performance steal anymore.

But then Massdrop threw in a Genalex Gold Lion tube too, for free. Sounds tempting, right? But before you pull the trigger, consider this:

This isn't the old Genalex Gold Lion from the 40s and 50s made by the Marconi-Osram Valve Company (they have long gone the way of the dodo and the great auk) but the "reissue" Genalex, which is made by New Sensor corp, who took over the old Reflektor plant and is now churning out OEM tubes under the ElectroHarmonix, Genalex, TungSol, Sovtek, Tesla, and even [shudder] the Mullard brand names. The 6922 versions of these tubes are essentially the same design, merely with different brand names printed on them. So the stock ElectroHarmonix tubes that come with the Aune T1 Mk1 are made in the same Reflektor plant that these Genalex tubes are made in.

So you may ask, how is it that some reviewers try a reissue Genalex or a rebadged Sovtek 6922 and report such a vast difference in sound quality in comparison to whatever they had before, if all these tubes are OEM? Unless they are getting the original NOS tubes, your guess is as good as mine.

If you want to roll tubes for Aune T1, IMO do it properly. Get the Mk1 for $130 (even though it does not have asynchronous data transfer) and with the $40 you save, get some real NOS tubes. You can get genuine Mullard ECC88/6922 tubes for $15-20 each, or a genuine cold war-era Russian Voskhod for $10 or thereabouts. Or spring for a NOS Amperex Bugle Boy which should cost you less than $40 if you are patient. Heck, you could even get a genuine Genalex from the 50s for under $40.

Modding the Fostex T50RP

There is probably more out there about how to mod the T50 than any other headphone. Yes, if done right you will have an awesome sounding pair of headphones. Keep in mind that the mad dogs are in essence modded T50 RP, so you have a sense of what a good mod can achieve.

Many headphone mods are one-offs and hard to reproduce but IMO the T50 can be modded in a consistent way to sound good. All you need is time, patience, and a steady hand.

In essence the mods for the T50 consist of the following

1) mass load the baffles inside the cup with something like blu-tac (I used uhu-tac)

2) create a bass port by closing off the vent with something like electricians tape. The size of the bass port determines the level of bass you want from the T50s.

3) use sound baffling material to line the inside of the cups (I used acoustimat that I got from an auto repair place. How I got my hands on the stuff is an interesting story, but probably not for this post)

4) Fill the cups with cotton wool / fiberglass insulation etc just like a speaker (I used cotton wool. Be sure to weigh the wool and use the same amount for both cups!)

5) create a reflex dot for the driver with transpore or paper tape, or add layers of transpore over the driver to redirect sound (I used two layers, it worked best for me. Others have used more or less)

6) change the pads (I used shure 840 pads but there are other options)

A good place to start might be to search for " bluemonkeyflyer T50RP mod". Do your research, make incremental changes and tune your T50 to just the way you want it to sound like!

My T50 is the only headphones I have modded that sound exactly like I want them to. It took me a while to get there, and some steps were hit and miss and required undoing, but in the end it has turned out to be a fun and enjoyable activity.