Beefy

That's my fault, I ran with the snippets of recent Clear discussion in this thread. Mods don't seem to mind!

Silver discontinued. Picked them up from headphones.com at the discounted US$990, and with very reasonable duties/fees/taxes for shipping to Canada. It ended up being only about CA$100 more than getting a second hand pair locally! Oh, and the Pro's are identical to the regular, except for the color scheme and included cables.

Clears arrived today. Now, for someone who hasn't listened to anything better than the HD650 and SR-Lambda for almost 10 years, let me just say.....Jesus fuck these things are good. And this is just from my phone! I've only got my Crack at home which is a terrible match, can't wait to get these to work to pop them on a proper/suitable amp. But for now, I can hear visceral and crisp bass that extends down seemingly for ever, incredible detail in just about every part of the frequency response, and it's all so alive in a way that the HD650 just can't match. The overall tone is spot on to my tastes. I can completely understand where they will come across as 'too much', where there might be sheen, and I completely agree with @gepardcv that the headband comfort could use some work. All things considered, color me very impressed. I've definitely missed a lot in my time away.

Nope, nothing missed, I didn't say! I will be pairing them with my AMB γ2 DAC and M3 amp. Although I am currently building a new R-2R DAC with Soekris DIY modules to replace the γ2.

Well, I finally bit the bullet and placed an order for the Clear. I thank you all dearly for your enablement. There is a definite risk that they will be too forward and trebly for me, but even in a world where we are absolutely spoiled for choice in mid-high end headphones, I can still see dealbreaking flaws in many of the direct competitors. LCD-X is just too damn heavy. HD800s too analytical and thin for my tastes. Arya too expensive for comparable quality. Auteur expensive, and while they may be amazing, the 'unknown' factor was a bit much.

I always got the feeling that 'pinning down' ZMF would be a fruitless endeavour. With all the different wood and pad options, I can't imagine how any two pairs sound the same. Definitely going to be some quirks in there. I can understand how ZMF is attractive for a hobbyist who wants a statement product; something very unique and personal to 'finish' their headphone collection. But for someone like me just in the market for a set of phones? I found it all too confusing and weird, and just gave up trying to understand all the permutations.

Yep, 4 of the original boards. Plus, I found a full kit for a PGA2320 volume control from @luvdunhill in the same box. I'd forgotten how much I used to overbuy DIY bits and baubles.....! I really think you might be better served by the newer more compact version, and they would ship from Canada, but they are yours if you want them.

I think I've got 4 unpopulated from the original group buy in May 2011. But they might not be particularly useful given the project advanced a long way after that.

I've never heard any of the line, but I've been reading a lot about Focals, trying to talk myself into buying a set (or maybe talk myself out of them?). But I have seen this opinion very frequently. I get the impression that they are on the spectrum with Grados, in that they have a very light and very fast driver that can hit *hard*. Gives that energetic and forward presentation that can be really exciting. But if that energy sits a peak where you are sensitive to treble, it can be rather fatiguing. But never having heard them, I might be completely off base.

Ah, Vesper, thanks for the reminder! I found their website a while back but didn't see any prices and it all seemed a bit weird. A little more research, and I see that they are just a supplier of fully customised pads.

Can anybody from the Stax braintrust offer some recommendations in terms of good earpads for the Stax Lambda? The foam on mine has started turning to dust, and the pleather is just blurk. I've looked at original and 3rd party, and the pickings seem really slim. The current EP-507 leather pads look a bit nicer than the last set I bought, and they should fit the old Lambda, but the price is a bit nutty. I have also seen some 3D printed converters for sale to use more traditional pads, which is very intriguing. Although I am pretty handy with 3D printing, so printing my own and using a set of angled Brainwavs pads is definitely an option. Is there anything I have missed?

Might just want to check your soldering on that resistor to the right of the terminal block, the solder hasn't filled in the through plating at what looks like the grounded end. [EDIT] Although looking at it now on desktop instead of mobile, I honestly can't tell if it isn't filled, or if it is just a trick of the light. Probably not a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but probably worth checking and reflowing if necessary.

If you check the revision number and file properties, the datasheet from Mouser is from September 2020, and the one from GeneSiC direct is May 2021. It also seems that in the new datasheet, current has been de-rated. Whether it was a mistake on the datasheet, or a change in the part...? Either way, I certainly wouldn't put it in a board without testing it first! [EDIT] ninja'ed by jamesmking's edit!

Come on, didn't you read the marketing copy? By being lossy in weird obtuse ways, MQA is now better than lossless! I'm watching this manufactured drama unfold with morbid fascination. I just wish I knew what problem MQA was supposed to solve. Want lossless? FLAC. Want compression? MP3, AAC, Vorbis. Is MQA a better lossy compression? Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. Just give the community enough resources to actually test it and prove it.

Only problem with those is the low power rating on the switch, 24 V @ 50 mA. Should be plenty to drive a relay, but you can't use it directly for power switching. That's why I liked the e-switch model I linked above, rated for 3A at 250V, good enough for direct power control of anything but a big power amp. Unfortunately, the selection of stocked colors at Mouser, Digikey and Newark are pretty limited. (I also notice the switch Rudewolf linked is good for 250 V @ 10 A resistive loads. Proper, genuine power switch that one!)

Yeah, that switch is gorgeous for that overall styling. Very nice!

Oi! I resemble that remark! I recently went even bigger than the usual 19mm with these 22 mm jobbies for a couple of builds. It sits alongside one of the enormous 39 mm polished silver knobs from Hifi2000. It's gaudy, it's pretentious, by any reasonable standard it's awful, but I f'en love it.

Yowza, I was starting to lurk again in March to get back into the hobby, then *POOF* HC disappeared. I tried coming back for a couple of weeks, and was almost going to delete the bookmark to the site. Very pleased that everything is back up and running again!

Due to combined work permit and payroll snafus, it seems I am not going to get wages for up to three months. Thus, I am going to have to bow out. I'm sorry, I hope this doesn't cause any problems

Uh-oh, the secret is out. Forget about spiders and snakes, these guys are the real killers in Australia......

I am in Canada, not USA....

Is that a problem? Most people will be going balls-deep for a build like this, so surface mount shouldn't be too much in additional difficulty. I would certainly prefer surface mount devices from Mouser than the increasing risk of fake parts from obscure sellers.

* Cock up *

I would guess it is the same problem I have had in bright light when trying to catch things fast. The usual setting of centre-weighted metering doesn't quite get the hint of what you want, thus you get beautifully detailed sunny skies with dark foreground. My solution is to use centre spot metering on desired target, exposure lock, then re-frame - it blows out the highlights in the sky, but gives me what I want. If anybody has a better technique, I'd love to hear it. * Anybody have any experience with tough compact cameras? I am eyeing off the new Olympus TG-1 as a small carry around for holiday, kayaking, snowy days, etc. when the dSLR is too risky or heavy.

Looks pretty nasty out there. Stay safe, Larry