1.     Don't be a dotard!
    Read these "rules" AND introduce
    yourself     before your first post
  2. A healthy approach to understanding measurements
    Being true to what the artists intended
  3. After being asked for the 308th time, Merv lists top 5 headphones
    (opinion / entertainment piece)
    Dismiss Notice
  4. $1000 to the first to design a headamp using discrete components with better measurements than Magni 3+
    Dismiss Notice
IMPORTANT: New Members Read This Don't Be a Measurement Fascist Merv's Top 5 Headphones - 2023 Edition $1000 Challenge
GoldfishX
Last Activity:
Jun 21, 2025 at 6:19 PM
Joined:
Nov 13, 2015
Messages:
127
Trophy Points:
63
Positive ratings received:
426
Neutral ratings received:
3
Negative ratings received:
1

Post Ratings

Received: Given:
Like 414 303
Dislike 0 7
Respectfully Disagree 3 0
heart 2 20
Miss Information 1 0
Epic 1 4
Agreed, ditto, +1 9 0
Gender:
Male
Birthday:
Jun 6, 1966 (Age: 59)

Share This Page

GoldfishX

Almost "Made", Male, 59

New toy syndrome and all, but Focal Bathys are very "correct" sounding to me. Bought for work, but might be bringing them to and from work. May 31, 2025

GoldfishX was last seen:
Jun 21, 2025 at 6:19 PM
    1. GoldfishX
      GoldfishX
      Audioengine 6's with Yggdrasil make a great travel pair. The 6's definitely let me know if the warmup isn't done yet (upper mids are nasty)
      Aug 31, 2022
      2. View previous comments...
      3. Thad E Ginathom
        Thad E Ginathom
        Whoops... wrong place
        Aug 31, 2022
      4. rlow
        rlow
        Personally I like to strap my Yg-gy to the back of my phone.
        Aug 31, 2022
        Soups, Boops, nithhoggr and 6 others like this.
      5. Thad E Ginathom
        Thad E Ginathom
        *ROFL*
        Aug 31, 2022
    2. GoldfishX
      GoldfishX
      I'm a Schiit fanboy for one reason: Before their MB DAC's, my music sounded good but not addictive. Now, it's on a whole different level.
      Jul 30, 2022
      1. atomicbob, zottel, Riotvan and 3 others like this.
    3. GoldfishX
      GoldfishX
      Reading impressions, it sounds like the Magni Piety compares more to the Vali 2+ than the 3+. 3+ upper mid hots are a no go for me.
      Jul 24, 2022
      1. Lyander and Merrick like this.
      2. Gazny
        Gazny
        No tube, no worries
        Jul 24, 2022
        Lyander likes this.
      3. Lyander
        Lyander
        Tube sound without having to worry about tube longevity seems to be the endgame (for me, YMMV, etc)
        Jul 24, 2022
        Thad E Ginathom and Gazny like this.
    4. GoldfishX
      GoldfishX
      Trying to acquire as many of the Rock Candy reissues as possible. A lot of care went into these remasters and can tell they are real fans!
      Jul 17, 2022
      1. Cryptowolf likes this.
    5. GoldfishX
      GoldfishX
      A lot of the vinyl resurgence is due to people not knowing how to squeeze as much potential as possible out of digital media.
      Jul 15, 2022
      1. Cryptowolf likes this.
      2. View previous comments...
      3. GoldfishX
        GoldfishX
        @purr1n You'd be surprised how many people are not aware of the role of an external DAC in the system. It's probably not helped by the fact that it's impossible to find even a budget DAC on store shelves, but you're almost tripping over budget turntables in the stores. More of an awareness issue than a setup issue. Imagine if Walmart started stocking Modi's or something like that.
        Jul 16, 2022
      4. purr1n
        purr1n
        If you are talking regular folk, digital from an iPhone > random Numark table at Best Buy. I still think it's curiosity and novelty, especially given how modern record releases don't sound all that good. In some cases, they sound much worse than from iTunes or Spotify.
        Jul 16, 2022
      5. GoldfishX
        GoldfishX
        Yeah, regular folk. Ones that aren't going to be auditioning a digital rig against their Numark turntable and PC speakers, but still pay that premium for vinyl (novelty, as you say). The difference in pressings is another reason I'm far more comfortable in the digital realm. I've been very pleased with a lot of remasters of late (compared to the junk from the late 90s and early 2000s, especially on rock/metal).
        Jul 16, 2022
        Thad E Ginathom likes this.
    6. GoldfishX
      GoldfishX
      Does anyone remember the Digizoid Zo? Some of my favorite IEM pairings were with that thing (first one). Impossible to find nowadays.
      Jun 30, 2022
      1. FlySweep, Claritas, shotgunshane and 1 other person like this.
      2. Claritas
        Claritas
        Which IEMs?
        Jul 1, 2022
      3. GoldfishX
        GoldfishX
        I used a pair of Brainwavz B2 back in the day. Fairly bright/neutral, but paired well with the Zo's crazy warm signature and big soundstage. I stopped using IEM's because of constant ear infections.
        Jul 1, 2022
        Claritas likes this.
    7. GoldfishX
      GoldfishX
      Keep trying to follow ASR logic, but it seems like a cult that doesn't actually listen to gear or music.
      Jun 26, 2022
      1. PsiPhi likes this.
      2. View previous comments...
      3. Cspirou
        Cspirou
        @Thad E Ginathom - “Avoid Amir everywhere else”

        He’s infected all my other audio groups. They post his measurements all the time even if they contradict other sources. Even online merchants feature an ASR stamp of approval on their products
        Jun 26, 2022
        Case, Thad E Ginathom and Cryptowolf like this.
      4. Thad E Ginathom
        Thad E Ginathom
        @Cspirou

        Ye Gods, that makes Amir more dangerous than Coronavirus!

        So glad I don't have to view SBAF through protective goggles. I have given up other audio sites, except for checking the for-sale forum of a local one. But I don't post there. It's the opposite to ASR: full of radical subjectivist bullshit! They'd hate Amir, but for all the wrong reasons, lol.
        Jun 27, 2022
        Cspirou likes this.
      5. atomicbob
        atomicbob
        "so much work to offer nothing of value" except this type of effort skews the marketplace significantly to appease those same, self-serving deaf ears stroking their own egos while lining pockets.
        Jun 27, 2022
        PsiPhi, Thad E Ginathom and GoldfishX like this.
    8. GoldfishX
      GoldfishX
      Got my Valhalla 2 out of storage. Was never in love with it, but might try rolling WE 396A's into it to liven it up. Great soundstage!
      Jun 22, 2022
      1. Qildail, Gazny and CEE TEE like this.
      2. View previous comments...
      3. GoldfishX
        GoldfishX
        I've never read anything that explained why I should upgrade from 1 to 2. It's warm and slammy, but I struggled to find tubes that sounded good in it. Used "holy grail" Voshkods for years, but I much prefer the 396.
        Jun 23, 2022
        Case likes this.
      4. Case
        Case
        I upgraded from Vali 1 to Valhalla 2, but never fell in love with it either. I listen to a lot of shoegaze, a poor match. Should have held on to the Vali
        Jun 23, 2022
        GoldfishX likes this.
      5. GoldfishX
        GoldfishX
        I believe it was purrin that suggested 396 w/adapter, I think in a Vali 2 discussion. I stumbled on that discussion one random night on here, lol. The price was right.
        Jun 23, 2022
        Case likes this.
    9. GoldfishX
      GoldfishX
      The way I would describe Mike Moffat bass is "you hear it, you want to eat it, you can't get enough of it and you don't gain weight"
      Jun 21, 2022
      1. sheldaze likes this.
    10. GoldfishX
      GoldfishX
      Jun 18, 2022
      2. Senorx12562
        Senorx12562
        Phil's daughter?
        Jun 18, 2022
    11. GoldfishX
      GoldfishX
      Prediction: In two years or less, MiL will be tweaked to be the best of the new Yggdrasils. For now, going with LiM upgrade to my A1.
      Sep 17, 2021
    12. GoldfishX
      GoldfishX
      My stonks are starting to run. Starting to desire more gear. Let's go!!! $SNAP $AMD
      Jul 28, 2021
    13. GoldfishX
      GoldfishX
      Dragonforce's Killer Elite GH album is a great remaster/remix of their stuff. Space between instruments now, not an all out wall of sound <3
      Jul 21, 2021
      1. Sqveak, Magnetostatic_Tubephile and Cryptowolf like this.
    14. GoldfishX
      GoldfishX
      Having a love affair with the Mahogany X00 right now. This is basically that mainstream-ey, yet revealing/mildly analytical sound I wanted
      Dec 30, 2020
      1. Sqveak, Lyander and Merrick like this.
    15. GoldfishX
      GoldfishX
      Lyr 1 really likes 1974 and 1975 Voshkods. My other headphones really like the Lyr 1 with said tubes. Really dialing into the differences
      Dec 18, 2020
      1. Gazny likes this.
    16. GoldfishX
      GoldfishX
      Constructive feedback for Schitt...The True Multibit cards would be so much more compelling if they used Unison or SPDIF. As is, I'll pass.
      Oct 17, 2020
      1. rlow, Rustin Cohle and Inoculator like this.
      2. Inoculator
        Inoculator
        I think that is my biggest issue with the fully loaded Ragnarok 2 as a prospect for me. If I could run a pi2aes to it I would love one for my living room.
        Oct 17, 2020
        GoldfishX and Rustin Cohle like this.
      3. GoldfishX
        GoldfishX
        It's good for a utility feature, but I think the performance overall of the USB input would hurt the chain downstream. I'm contemplating a Lyr 3 and I'd rather just ship my DAC's in for Unison installation than get the card installed.
        Oct 17, 2020
    17. GoldfishX
      GoldfishX
      Is there a tube that makes Lyr 3 work with a stock, unmodded HD800? Enough to tame the brightness and keep the speed? Or deadend here?
      Oct 13, 2020
    18. GoldfishX
      GoldfishX
      Question...when people talk about the mids "sucked out" on Elear, are we talking lower or upper (2-4 khz)? Is it a "dark" headphone? Thx
      Oct 1, 2020
      2. nishan99
        nishan99
        They meant the upper. idk if it's dark or not. but Focals have such sharp leading edge that's satisfying even if it's dark. Other rounder edges such as Hifiman egg shaped phones need brighter tuning to be "balanced" or satisfying.
        Oct 1, 2020
        PTS likes this.
      3. dubharmonic
        dubharmonic
        I bought one before hearing it, just after they were released (bad idea) and for me the "suck out" manifested in being unable to find a satisfying volume level. I didn't find it to be a dark headphone.
        Oct 1, 2020
        SoupRKnowva likes this.
    19. GoldfishX
      GoldfishX
      Fidelizer is the source addition we need but don't deserve. I can't believe the difference using it vs not using it (USB to a MB Bifrost1)
      May 25, 2020
      2. View previous comments...
      3. crenca
        crenca
        Maybe this Fidelizer has a tube emulating DSP and/or a pleasant U shape EQ by default? How would thread priortization and the like get "huge" differences otherwise?
        May 25, 2020
      4. Hands
        Hands
        I will bet you a taco that something like a Pi2AES or Digione Signature is much better yet than USB and whatever OS or software tweaks you try on the BF1 MB.
        May 25, 2020
        Michael Kelly likes this.
      5. GoldfishX
        GoldfishX
        I'm not disputing there are better solutions, I'm saying I'm very pleased with the NOTICEABLE reduction in harsh digital noise and increase in openness and musicality from a program I decided to run on a whim and didn't cost me anything.
        May 26, 2020
    20. GoldfishX
      GoldfishX
      May 4, 2020
      1. Case, Jinxy245, dubharmonic and 2 others like this.
      2. Biodegraded
        Biodegraded
        No way are those "high stability".
        May 4, 2020
        GoldfishX likes this.
    Page 3 of 4
  • Loading...
  • Loading...

  • About

    Gender:
    Male
    Birthday:
    Jun 6, 1966 (Age: 59)

    Interact

    Content: