u/Some_Sector5089

Stacked coupons and was able to get the M3 Ultra for $75. Absolutely blown away. It's genuinely transformative. Previously I had been using a Schiit Vestri. Everything is still there, but what the Muse does for the bass and vocals adds so much of the emotion back to the music. This is somewhat genre specific and may not apply to your particular taste in music, but I find most dongles with either the CS or ESS Sabre chips to be overly clinical. Listening to someone like Vic Chesnutt or Jason Molina, the vocals are too flat and too clean. Adding just a splash of tube puts them front and center and allows the beautifully idiosyncratic distortion shine through. There's an emotional connection that's been restored. Would be interested to know what open backs the Muse might play well with. Anyways, for ~$100 this feels like a steal.

Onry Ozzborn is (in my personal opinion) criminally underrated as an MC. Love him in Grayskul and on his solo work. What I've got here is the 300 Club retail 7" of "10 & 2" (one of my favorites), with "Shun (FRANKi Remix)" on the B side. But I also have the original test pressings for both sides of that same release, pressed before the retail run even existed. It tells the whole DIY story of a release, start to finish. Fun detail: the tech at Gotta Groove Records handwrote the artist as "Frankie" on the test pressing card instead "FRANKi" which kinda highlights the human element of DIY releases. Don't think its worth much in monetary terms, but for me personally I think it's one of the coolest pieces in my vinyl collection.

I was able to pick up a pair of AFUL Explorers for $55 after stacking all my coupons on AliExpress. So two questions: I kinda collsct portable amps/dongles and I was wondering which in particular y'all would work the best. Out of my collection these are the ones that support 4.4 balanced output:

Tempotec Sonata BHD Pro

Hidizs S8 Pro

iBasso Macaron

My source will primarily be a Samsung Galaxy S26 streaming Tidal. Own UAPP too. Since I collect dongles/portable amps for funzies I wouldn't necessarily be opposed to buying a new one if there's a particular one that pairs well with the Explorers. Tbh I'll probably add to my collection anyways lol.

The other question involves tips for the ear buds. I have a condition that effects my connective tissues known as hEDS. As a result I have extremely weak cartilage in my ears and very narrow ear canals. I think I will require custom tips to get them to stay properly seated and not fall out, what are the best custom tips out there?

Not pictured: I have a iFi Hip DAC 3 which while having a 4.4 output isn't really portable in the same sense, I also have a HiBi R1 but using my phone + external amp seems much more sensible than carrying around a DAP.

Any advice welcome 🙏

Somewhere I have another XO variant, hopefully it magically appears during this process of moving. I honestly did not mean to buy 3 different From a Basement on a Hill variants, but at one point I was having neurological issues that effected my short term memory which I feel is a valid excuse. The pink version of Either/Or is numbered 79 of 91. I managed to open Instagram at the exact moment KRS released it, best luck I've ever had. The black variant of Figure 8 is a UK import which is kinda neat. Drinking in Puddles has a live performance of Everybody Cares, Everybody Understands and is the closest I have to an OG release. Elliot is probably my favorite musician and my collection reflects that I suppose.

It's not complete but it's pretty extensive. I think my Wilco and Elliot Smith collections are more impressive and since I'm in the process of moving I'll document them at some point too. Please feel free to tell me your favorite or what I need to add or just roast me if you're having a bad day I suppose.

My chain goes:

R4 DAP + CR06 DAP Dock feeding a Valhalla 3 tube amplifier with Audeze LCD-2 Classic planar magnetic headphones.

There's an audio spectrum analyzer there for aesthetic funzies. Also some Grado SR325x that are enjoyable in limited doses. I designed this to maximize warmth. The R4 is the cheapest way to get a Class A amp in a self-contained source w/ systemwide bitperfect. The Valhalla speaks for itself. Everything I read about the LCD-2C said it was the most warm sounding intro level flagship. And I genuinely couldn't be happier with the results. This is by no means "cheap" but I don't think it's completely out of reach budget wise and it sounds absolutely top end. I will note that with an OTL tube amp like the Valhalla you are somewhat limited in terms of what cans are good matches under $1k. I started off a year ago with some HD-600 and a Quedelix 5k and ended up here. I'll include a longer review of the LCD-2Cs below that you can feel free to ignore in case you wanted to get an idea of how it all sounds together.

General Impressions:

Impressive packaging, genuinely a giggle to pop the lock on a big ass case like I'm going to put together a sniper rifle. Sturdy build quality. The headband looks a little bit thin (maybe?), but I'm not sure that actually matters. Feels high quality, not worried about the metal deforming or something. The fit is absolutely spot on for my weird head. Going from Grado SR325x to these is like...I don't know these actually fit my head in a pleasant way. The drivers seem to be positioned correctly over my ears and stay there (w/ the Grados it's a constant battle to keep them in the right place & the solution of Dekoni fenestrated sheepskin ear pads overpowers the bass and ruins the sound). They aren't light but the weight is very well distributed and due to some medical stuff I have an extremely strong neck anyways lol. Before plugging them in this is starting well.

Music: 

Jeff Buckley - Grace 

First few minutes is terrible. What is going on? Oh right the tubes need to warm. Not sure why I always forget about this. Within 10 minutes my face is cracked into a big grin. This is beautiful. Firstly, it's so expansive. When I close my eyes the individual instruments are so, so well defined while not sounding disconnected. This is my first real experience with properly powered planars so a bit of this wonder is just me being a newb, but I digress. There's...bongos in certain sections. I've never previously noticed that before. The vocals are (unsurprisingly) the highlight here. Buckley absolutely soars and the bass attains really good separation allowing them to truly shine during the chorus. 

Songs:Ohia - Magnolia Electric Co 

I go straight to Hold on Magnolia here because it's the track that has proven to (me at least) to challenge headphones the most. The switches in tempo and the way Jason Molina's voice is difficult to handle but absolutely critical to get right. This is... simply beautiful. This is what I had been planning for when I chose the LCD-2C paired with the R4 and Valhalla. The warmth of these paired up with Jason Molina's harmonies causes a sensation of the music swirling up into a full body bear hug. It's so intimate and simultaneously full and sharp. Warmth without being overly saccharine. The key test is at 6:48 of the track. You get Molina's signature kinda warble and then the fleshed out strings rise into the full power of his pipes. Exquisite. Nailed it. Bravo. Played it back 4 or 5 times to hear that transition again and again. The strings sound so gorgeous, almost distracting but I'm okay with that. I've Been Riding With the Ghost is equally as impressive. It's much more of a Neil Young-ish rocker and keeping Molina's voice as the focus is once again the challenge/goal. You want to enjoy the band (with an especially important but understated drum section) but the star is Jason Molina and his voice and that needs to be in absolutely crystal clear focus. It is. Cannot overstate how important it is to get this right for this particular album. 

You Found Me - Kevin Morby & Waxahatchee 

How do they handle a duet? Brilliant as well. Though here the mid-range "hole" I read about is kinda obvious. This feels like something that can be EQd away. But the instruments kinda disappear briefly and isolated like that the vocals sound weird and out of place. This is relative, it's not anything that resembles a deal breaker, especially since it's only appearing on this track which is fundamentally different from Buckley and Molina. This is supposed to be a really tight song, so having isolated vocals appear from nowhere is off-putting. Will try fine-tuning the PEQ on the R4 for this while getting some repeated listening sessions under my belt.

Conclusion: 

My first spin through with the Audeze LCD-2Cs is a massive dub. One massive improvement here is that the Valhalla is really able to show its full potential. The Grados simply couldn't handle the pure tube mode and needed to have the power restrained somewhat. I didn't realize how much that restraint was costing me in terms of listening experience. The other thing is that while the Grados add this undeniable excitement to music by making studio albums sound like live performances, that comes at the cost of making it overly frenetic at times. You can't really turn that color off even if the music doesn't really benefit from it.

*Note that I have fixed the mid-range "hole" via slight tweaks to the squig.link preset PEQ on the R4.

This was released by Kill Rock Stars in 2020 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Elliot's self-titled LP. It's bound like a coffee table book with 55 pages of text and photography by Elliot's close friend JJ Gonson. Includes a remastered neon yellow version of the LP along with the earliest known live performance of the album from 1994. Either/Or & XO get almost all of the love meaning Elliott Smith (the album) has always gone a bit overlooked. It's fully realized (unlike From a Basement on a Hill) and the song crafting is far more mature than Roman Candle. I always found it interesting that he was still performing full-time with Heatmiser while recording this, talk about having to simultaneously inhabit two different artistic worlds! (Or soundscapes I suppose)

I specifically designed my setup to fit on my bedside table and overall I think that has proven to be a win. Will I still be saying this as the DC summer peaks and the Valhalla's ambient heat issues remain? Only time will tell my friends.

Source: HiBy R4 DAP streaming Tidal.

Amplifier: Schiit Valhalla 3 tubie

PEQ: squig.link Audeze LCD-2C AutoEQ preset. Midshelf.

General Impressions:

Impressive packaging, genuinely a giggle to pop the lock on a big ass case like I'm going to put together a sniper rifle. Sturdy build quality. The headband looks a little bit thin (maybe?), but I'm not sure that actually matters. Feels high quality, not worried about the metal deforming or something. The fit is absolutely spot on for my weird head. Going from Grado SR325x to these is like...I don't know these actually fit my head in a pleasant way. The drivers seem to be positioned correctly over my ears and stay there (w/ the Grados it's a constant battle to keep them in the right place & the solution of Dekoni fenestrated sheepskin ear pads overpowers the bass and ruins the sound). They aren't light but the weight is very well distributed and due to some medical stuff I have an extremely strong neck anyways lol. Before plugging them in this is starting well.

Music:

Jeff Buckley - Grace

First few minutes is terrible. What is going on? Oh right the tubes need to warm. Not sure why I always forget about this. Within 10 minutes my face is cracked into a big grin. This is beautiful. Firstly, it's so expansive. When I close my eyes the individual instruments are so, so well defined while not sounding disconnected. This is my first real experience with properly powered planars so a bit of this wonder is just me being a newb, but I digress. There's...bongos in certain sections. I've never previously noticed that before. The vocals are (unsurprisingly) the highlight here. Buckley absolutely soars and the bass attains really good separation allowing them to truly shine during the chorus.

Songs:Ohia - Magnolia Electric Co

I go straight to Hold on Magnolia here because it's the track that has proven to (me at least) to challenge headphones the most. The switches in tempo and the way Jason Molina's voice is difficult to handle but absolutely critical to get right. This is... simply beautiful. This is what I had been planning for when I chose the LCD-2C paired with the R4 and Valhalla. The warmth of these paired up with Jason Molina's harmonies causes a sensation of the music swirling up into a full body bear hug. It's so intimate and simultaneously full and sharp. Warmth without being overly saccharine. The key test is at 6:48 of the track. You get Molina's signature kinda warble and then the fleshed out strings rise into the full power of his pipes. Exquisite. Nailed it. Bravo. Played it back 4 or 5 times to hear that transition again and again. The strings sound so gorgeous, almost distracting but I'm okay with that. I've Been Riding With the Ghost is equally as impressive. It's much more of a Neil Young-ish rocker and keeping Molina's voice as the focus is once again the challenge/goal. You want to enjoy the band (with an especially important but understated drum section) but the star is Jason Molina and his voice and that needs to be in absolutely crystal clear focus. It is. Cannot overstate how important it is to get this right for this particular album.

You Found Me - Kevin Morby & Waxahatchee

How do they handle a duet? Brilliant as well. Though here the mid-range "hole" I read about is kinda obvious. This feels like something that can be EQd away. But the instruments kinda disappear briefly and isolated like that the vocals sound weird and out of place. This is relative, it's not anything that resembles a deal breaker, especially since it's only appearing on this track which is fundamentally different from Buckley and Molina. This is supposed to be a really tight song, so having isolated vocals appear from nowhere is off-putting. Will try fine-tuning the PEQ on the R4 for this while getting some repeated listening sessions under my belt.

Conclusion:

My first spin through with the Audeze LCD-2C is a massive dub. One massive improvement here is that the Valhalla is really able to show its full potential. The Grados simply couldn't handle the pure tube mode and needed to have the power restrained somewhat. I didn't realize how much that restraint was costing me in terms of listening experience. The other thing is that while the Grados add this undeniable excitement to music by making studio albums sound like live performances, that comes at the cost of making it overly frenetic at times. You can't really turn that color off even if the music doesn't really benefit from it.

Thanks for sticking with me, interested in any suggestions for improvements or questions, this has been an incredibly rewarding first experience.