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After being asked for the 308th time, Merv lists top 5 headphones
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IMPORTANT: New Members Read This Don't Be a Measurement Fascist Merv's Top 5 Headphones - 2023 Edition $1000 Challenge

Last Activity:: Feb 6, 2025

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Gender:: Male

Birthday:: Jan 26, 1989 (Age: 36)

Location:: Seattle

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Vansen

Gear Master (retiring), Male, 36, from Seattle

Staff Member Pyrate

Sorry for disappearing over the last month. Supporting a family of six through RSV, a cold, and then COVID has taken all of my time. Jan 9, 2025

Vansen was last seen:: Feb 6, 2025

1. Vansen
  Vansen Jr. has arrived. Time to find some infant sized HD6##.
  
  Apr 30, 2023
  1. Skyline, Soups, Pocomo and 40 others like this.
  2. View previous comments...
  3. yotacowboy
    Holy cow! Congrats, dude!!!
    
    May 1, 2023
    
    Vansen likes this.
  4. CEE TEE
    Best minivan of all time!!
    
    May 1, 2023
    
    Vansen likes this.
  5. Merrick
    Mazel tov!
    
    May 2, 2023
    
    Vansen likes this.
2. Vansen
  I broke my Instagram algorithm. All of my video reels are just AI versions of US presidents playing Minecraft together now.
  
  Apr 26, 2023
  1. zottel, zerodeefex, Gazny and 5 others like this.
  2. View previous comments...
  3. Cryptowolf
    I'm waiting for the alogorithm to combine my hobbies in unexpected ways: watches, dog training, audio, and mixology.
    
    Apr 26, 2023
    
    zottel, Tchoupitoulas, Lyander and 2 others like this.
  4. Thad E Ginathom
    Cats with big tits singing Indian classical music whilst doing precision machining.
    
    What's so hard about that? Instagram doesn't even begin to get it right.
    
    Apr 26, 2023
    
    obsiCO, zottel, Tchoupitoulas and 4 others like this.
  5. Cryptowolf
    @Thad E Ginathom I think you're looking for either Patreon or OnlyFans, two doors down and on the left :P
    
    Apr 26, 2023
    
    zottel, dasman66, Tchoupitoulas and 2 others like this.
3. Vansen
  Bought a framing nail gun today because I felt like be lazy for a few walls I need to put up. Such a game changer and a great purchase.
  
  Apr 16, 2023
  1. Cryptowolf, RKML0007, DigMe and 2 others like this.
4. Vansen
  Replacing the hanger swivel on the right cup of my WH-1000XM4… it’s 23 screws to remove the hanger.
  
  Apr 12, 2023
  1. CEE TEE, Walderstorn and Philimon like this.
  2. View previous comments...
  3. Thad E Ginathom
    Oh great, thanks. Mind you, the Sony WH-1000XM series might be in double digits by the time I actually buy one.
    
    I keep thinking, maybe next time I fly. And I keep not flying.
    
    Apr 14, 2023
    
    Vansen likes this.
  4. Vansen
    The batteries on these are really nice. I own the M2, 2x M3, and an M4. I use these about 3800 hours per year according to the Sony app. Even at this use level, the My five year old M2 still hold a charge like new. I'm about 50/50 between the M4 and M2, not much M3 use.
    
    Apr 14, 2023
    
    Thad E Ginathom likes this.
  5. Thad E Ginathom
    Super recommendation, thanks. It seems you must quite like the sound too? :)
    
    Apr 15, 2023
5. Vansen
  My wife likes taking over Roon/ the speakers to play Savage Garden. I hate how good their music sounds on my system, lol.
  
  Mar 30, 2023
  1. RKML0007, Boops, LetMeBeFrank and 6 others like this.
  2. Ksaurav402
    I used to listen to “The Animal Song” a lot when I was preparing for my Engineering entrance exam.
    
    Mar 30, 2023
  3. Soups
    Forever scarred by a college dorm neighbor who for weeks, nearly everyday, blasted and sang along to Savage Garden and N'Sync. I'm sure your wife isn't trying to harm you tho... or is she?
    
    Mar 30, 2023
6. Vansen
  Lin Lai E-6SN7 are very good, but in the 307a EC BA, this 1945 RCA smoke glass 6SN7GT is the clear winner. It's a magical pairing.
  
  Mar 24, 2023
  1. Inoculator, RKML0007 and Entropy like this.
  2. Gazny
    I miss my smoked glass 6sn7 I bundled a while ago.
    
    Mar 24, 2023
7. Vansen
  The longer I own/ dial in this HD580 BP, the more I understand its cult following. Staging/ imaging is between HD6## and HD800 w/ good FR.
  
  Mar 16, 2023
  1. Cryptowolf, CEE TEE, Northwest and 6 others like this.
  2. ColdsnapBry
    What have you been doing to dial it in? I've got a flat plate black paper i like.
    
    Mar 16, 2023
  3. Vansen
    I like worn pads and HD6xx grilles on mine. The old pads make the biggest difference.
    
    Mar 16, 2023
    
    Lyander, RestoredSparda and ColdsnapBry like this.
  4. ColdsnapBry
    Yea agreed, I'm currently coping with new pads. As all my OG pads from this era are gross from previous owners.
    
    Mar 16, 2023
    
    Vansen likes this.
8. Vansen
  FYI... the "Frequency Chart" link at the bottom of SBAF is hyperlinked to malware now.
  
  Mar 7, 2023
  1. gixxerwimp, Philimon and rlow like this.
  2. View previous comments...
  3. Vansen
    I updated my home network to use Unbound DNS with Quad9 and ad blocking, which now blocks this by default on clients without special endpoint protection.
    
    Mar 10, 2023
  4. M3NTAL
    I'll have to learn what those two options are. I only know about PiHole and I'm still intimidated by that.
    
    Mar 15, 2023
  5. Vansen
    The Unbound DNS is taking the same approach as PiHole. PiHole would do the job just as well and seems easier to implement. I bet you could even forward DNS to Quad9 with PiHole.
    
    Mar 15, 2023
9. Vansen
  The only HPs that get time on my system these days are JAR600 and HD580 BP. Really happy and I feel Utopia is the only competition for me.
  
  Feb 3, 2023
  1. FlySweep, atomicbob, SoupRKnowva and 4 others like this.
  2. View previous comments...
  3. ChaChaRealSmooth
    I also think Marv has a point though; the Utopia timbre "problem" I think is overstated and overblown. Every driver material has a sound.
    
    Then again, this from the person who can't stand planars so take with prerequisite grains of salt.
    
    Feb 3, 2023
    
    atomicbob, Vansen, ilikebananafudge_ and 2 others like this.
  4. brencho
    yeah of course, one person's trash is another one's treasure, and vice versa. It's all based on a person's prefs and sensitivity. I really like the utopia, but some of it's issues make it hard to go back to, inspite of the strengths.
    
    Feb 3, 2023
    
    ChaChaRealSmooth and Vansen like this.
  5. ChaChaRealSmooth
    Yeah very real drawbacks. No such thing as a free lunch. Also, I don't know how many acknowledge this, but it still has a WTF level price tag
    
    Feb 3, 2023
    
    brencho likes this.
10. Vansen
  Shoutout to the Bay Area folks and the Guildhouse for hosting a great meet. MKB community crossover was really cool, too.
  
  Jan 29, 2023
  1. RestoredSparda, Mdkaler, rhythmdevils and 3 others like this.
11. Vansen
  Swapping out some old caps before designing cases for these two PSUs: https://i.imgur.com/JeKerS4.jpg
  
  Jan 25, 2023
  1. RestoredSparda likes this.
  2. View previous comments...
  3. Vansen
    Interesting. I can try this easily, since one of the PSUs in this thread is a 5V LPS for another RPi. I wasn't aware of this aspect of the Pi2AES. I've seen similar measurements on just swapping from the stock PSU to a linear 24v PSU.
    
    Jan 26, 2023
    
    Michael Kelly likes this.
  4. Vansen
    It would have been nice to see this link also show measurements against a 24v LPS, since the author seems to assume much of the noise is from 5v switching, which some of it is, but a lot comes from the stock PSU. I probably would have gone for a 5v LPS if I saw this earlier. He could also have hooked up a 5v SMPS this way and measured for comparison.
    
    Jan 26, 2023
    
    Michael Kelly likes this.
  5. Azimuth
    I think the 24V input just hits another switcher/regulator. The 5V mod in that link bypasses that regulator.
    
    Jan 26, 2023
    
    RestoredSparda likes this.
12. Vansen
  It's been over a year since the OG FW on my Modi MB 1 has gone crazy and needed a reboot. Only change was a nicer UPS. Makes me wonder.
  
  Jan 25, 2023
  1. Lyander and Cryptowolf like this.
  2. Biodegraded
    Still happens to me with v2 firmware, but rarely since I moved - which I guess could also be a power thing. But I've unplugged it a few times to move things around...
    
    Jan 25, 2023
    
    Lyander likes this.
  3. edd
    happened to me before & after the firmware update; the MMB2 chapter on jason's headfi thread seems to indicate that changing the sample rate often triggers the issue. my MMB is packed up in a closet somewhere so I can't check myself.
    
    Jan 26, 2023
13. Vansen
  A week in and these JAR600 are still my all time favorite. It feels like the right evolution of the HD600.
  
  Dec 12, 2022
  1. Cryptowolf, caute, Qildail and 7 others like this.
  2. M3NTAL
    I'll need to look through the threads again, but did you listen to the JAR650's also?
    
    Dec 13, 2022
  3. Vansen
    I have not been part of the loaner programs yet and this JAR600 found its way to me through @Inoculator. I have heard about five different JAR650 and five JAR800. The JAR650 are really nice, but I've always been an HD600 person.
    
    Dec 13, 2022
    
    FlySweep, Inoculator and M3NTAL like this.
14. Vansen
  Holy shit these JAR600 are so good. The HD600 has always been my favorite, but now I no longer want to buy a Utopia.
  
  Dec 7, 2022
  1. FlySweep, caute, zottel and 8 others like this.
  2. View previous comments...
  3. ChaChaRealSmooth
    I swear no one believes me when I say that the JAR600 + EC Ultralinear made me contemplate selling everything else. Nice to see someone else enjoying the JAR600 (I'm never selling mine)
    
    Dec 7, 2022
    
    zottel, Jinxy245, obsiCO and 8 others like this.
  4. M3NTAL
    I'll need to go through that thread - curious which version you all are liking. I'm leaning strongly towards the 'B' / V2
    
    Dec 7, 2022
    
    pure5152, Lyander and dasman66 like this.
  5. caute
    @ChaChaRealSmooth Even with just a lowly Piety, I'm considering selling my LAuX + LCD-X and getting a JAR600B + Piety
    
    @M3NTAL I'll be shipping out the JARs to you tomorrow! Also strongly, even categorically prefer the B version as well.
    
    Dec 7, 2022
    
    FlySweep, pure5152 and M3NTAL like this.
15. Vansen
  Not in the market for a closed back, but this Mini-C is finally close to everything I've been waiting for a closed headphone to achieve.
  
  Nov 30, 2022
  1. nithhoggr, Cryptowolf, atomicbob and 6 others like this.
  2. Vansen
    More isolation would be my first wish, since it's a closed back.
    
    Nov 30, 2022
    
    dasman66 likes this.
  3. dasman66
    I can't wait to hear it... because I really like the Ollo closed back I have on loan right now. It's the best closed back I've heard to date. Based on everything said about the mini-C, I suspect I will be deciding between the two of them
    
    Nov 30, 2022
  4. Vansen
    Just put the Mini-C on the BA for the first time and damn. If I ever need a closed headphone, this is it for me. Sometimes you just know five minutes in.
    
    Nov 30, 2022
    
    obsiCO, Merrick, Tchoupitoulas and 1 other person like this.
16. Vansen
  I don’t know why I still have a Gustard X16 running occasionally, but the AES input on it sounds like crap compared to the rest of the DAC.
  
  Nov 11, 2022
  1. nishan99 likes this.
  2. Vansen
    And forget about USB inputs or SE outputs in this DAC.
    
    Nov 11, 2022
    
    nishan99 likes this.
17. Vansen
  Making Magni Piety’s and of course this has to be one of the first serial numbers assembled. https://imgur.com/a/aqF3ddd
  
  Oct 29, 2022
  1. dasman66, Soups, Azimuth and 10 others like this.
  2. View previous comments...
  3. Cspirou
    You’re working with @CEE TEE ?
    
    Oct 30, 2022
  4. HotRatSalad
    Even though I have 3 headphone amps I love, I still want one !
    
    Oct 30, 2022
    
    Cryptowolf likes this.
  5. Vansen
    We’ll call myself a cheerleader rather than business partner or employee!
    
    Oct 30, 2022
    
    Priidik and Azimuth like this.
18. Vansen
  307a EC Balancing Act in the house, which also happens to be the very first prod BA! HF heater included. https://imgur.com/a/VujJtfc
  
  Oct 12, 2022
  1. CEE TEE, Kashalott, RestoredSparda and 11 others like this.
  2. Ksorota
    Make sure to swap in the National Unions; they were my favorite tube pair!
    
    Oct 13, 2022
    
    Vansen likes this.
  3. Vansen
    This is quite a special amp @Ksorota! Hasn’t disappointed after being at the top of my want list for about ten years. Thanks again!
    
    Oct 13, 2022
    
    Ksorota likes this.
  4. ufospls2
    super cool
    
    Oct 16, 2022
19. Vansen
  On another note, the MM phono stage on the Yamaha A-S801 is decent a w/ stock Marantz TT-15S1. My price together was $1500. Not bad value.
  
  Sep 6, 2022
  1. HotRatSalad and Qildail like this.
  2. Vansen
    I want to compare this to a Mani 2 for review. Would also have my Manley Chinook.
    
    Sep 6, 2022
20. Vansen
  3D printing has come a long way. Laser Sinter w/ Nylon 12 next to OEM part to save the day: https://imgur.com/a/GSoPmEf
  
  Sep 6, 2022
  1. Sqveak, Thad E Ginathom and abraxas666 like this.
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Jan 26, 1989 (Age: 36)

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