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This pair of headphones is still one of my favorites. It is so relaxing, non-fatiguing, and musical to my ears. It's super comfortable for long listening sessions. And the frequency response "anomalies" don't do it justice in my opinion. Definitely worth a try imho.

I own the MDR-Z1R, along with many other headphones (from Grado GS1000 to Sennheiser 650, Shure 1840, Ultrasone, Oppo, etc) and many iem's as well. To this day, the Z1R's are my go-to when it comes to enjoying long listening sessions. They're the most comfortable and non-fatiguing pair of...

Thanks for your thorough response. Can't say you've managed to change my mind though. Still think the scientific method is overrated when it comes to music. One thing that has always intrigued me is how many musicians love their turntable and tube amps. As I grew up surrounded by professional...

Yeah I can completely see Steve Guttenberg give a great review in exchange for a $200 discount on this amp. The guy doesn't have enough equipment. And it will look great between his First Watt Sit 3 amp and his Pass Labs Int 25! Time to wake up and get real!

What a mature way to share your opinion. Very subtle ans convincing!

Maybe the world is not as black and white as you see it. I suspect many people follow both types of reviewers. You would have to be quite silly to put all your trust and faith into one kind of reviewers, be it ASR or someone on the opposite end of the spectrum. ASR teaches me about technical...

Always fun to read sarcastic comments about a crap amplifier none of you has even listened to. Sure glad I make my purchase decisions with my ears. Bought this amp after hearing it. Lovely sound. Works great with high sensitivity speakers. Makes most recordings sound pleasant. Sorry for not...

Hi there, which minidsp did you go for if I may ask?

As an aside, I tested both amps and the Denon one felt better to my ears. Less fatiguing, more natural tones, more organic sounding. Just my personal opinion. So I would definitely keep the Denon for the sound and money, assuming it provides you with enough juice for your speakers.

Lots of truth to it. Not necessarily all that bad (it's human to strive for more and better, for good and bad). Still think we don't fully understand how bad measurement numbers can sometimes deliver more enjoyment for some. That's the fascinating piece. Part of it is because no one hears the...

Thanks for this thoughtful response. Lots to discuss here. But glad to hear that listening is also part of the deal! A few responses to some reviews here could have fooled me! Equipment cares not about playing beautifully (agreed!) but a good music-loving engineer should (and let's assume...

That doctor analogy is way off track so I won't even go there as it would be silly to disagree! As for a market for boxes that generate big distortion... It's just making a caricature of my point. Car is a good example of what I'm trying to say: sometimes, measurement goes against pleasure. The...

Don't get me wrong, I'm reading this forum because it's always enriching to hear multiple opinions. But I find many reviews obsessed with only one side of the equation: the rational, number-obsessed side. All I'm saying is that measurement numbers don't take into account pleasure. That's where...

Find your take on trying to understand their "magic and house sound" much more interesting as an analysis than just reporting cold numbers from graphs and dashboard. To many folks here are enjoying mocking high end audio without ever commenting on their own listening experience. Would love to...

Next time I see judgment only based on cold measurement, without any prior understanding about what "enjoying music" means, in other words, no understanding of psychoacoustics in general, I might not give that review much credit either... I guess à balance between the two would be nice! Just a...

I trust Jeff Rowland's design skills much more than people shooting his gear down without listening to it first! At least he's proved himself many times over! Hope people mocking this amp because it didn't measure well actually got to hear it. It's probably not his best but still does the job...

Don't be so sure about Audiophonics' ethical foundation (or lack thereof) without dealing with them first. I just did business with them for the first time a few weeks ago. They were great at offering advice, even convinced me to spend less than I was planning to (a rare behavior these days!). I...

Am I the only one amazed at how gear such as this DAC can be shot down (and maybe rightfully so) without ever talking about how it sounds?! Since when stuff that measures well is the one that sounds best? I like the idea some hi-fi designers can make choices and take risk doing something...