Comments on Profile Post by caute

I want something better than a piety, something with some slam and wetness… a sbaf elder is letting me borrow his sw51, I’ve heard these two amps are v diff in presentation, is the ZDT worth a blind buy if all I know is I like my piety with Senns?

ZDT Jr pairs well with Senns, but slam isn't it's strong suit.

dam. ok. thank you for that insight.

Dude, get an SW51+ if you are using Sennheisers and that is your budget. Look at how many knowledgable people here absolutely love that combination. With the experience you have with amps or with Sennheisers, I would trust all of those people.

Isn't it better to save up for the bigger jumps? I had sw51+ twice in the house and have been borrowing piety for months. I do like how senn paired with both (although I'm mildly senn-hater).

That said, I don't find categorical supremacy of one over the other. ZDTJ is also decent (albeit not as much time with it as the others I mentioned) but I'm unsure about blind buys.. at the used laux price.

I agree with @Vtory, if saving up for a bigger jump in amp is an option, do that. The Piety is quite good with Senns, especially the JAR Senns. SW51+ is ALSO very good with Senns, but slam is also not a huge quality of the SW51+ and more TOTL amps will be a bigger improvement.

SW51+ is also not a wet/rounded amp in any way. It's near SS like in its presentation. My rec at those levels would be the Bottlehead Crack (without Speedball for maximum gooey-ness, with Speedball for a better middle ground).

$475 is a bullshit price for the ZDT Jr, too. It was $400 new. I sold mine for $325 inc. fees and shipping.

Wow, thank you all, for all your suggestions, recs and friendly advice! Feeling very gratefiul right now :) Lots to think about—but I feel like I have much better perspective now...

Since I'm gonna be able to demo the SW51 (thank you @AnonElder!), I will be able to triangulate with Piety and see where I want to go from there. Will hold off on buying just yet!

On and on the SW, I heard it w an unknown prod. 650 at the Schiit Audio show, not sure what the DAC was, and I wasn't that impressed, but I also mentally shat on the stock LCD-5 & MM500 as well as 800S w Folkvagnr bc I was singled-minded: RD was all I wanted haha, didn't really give anything else a fair shake.

But fr tho, I *DO* know I would take an RD-X over a stock LCD-5 any day.

Bottlehead Crack is a good suggestion. If you ever go that route send me a PM and I'd be more than willing to build you one no charge. I don't do it for free all the time, but when I see someone who would appreciate it.

@RestoredSparda noisenuke and now a Crack build? is there superfriend status or something? i'd nominate you. thank you so much, my bruvva.

Crack is a good idea if you like Senns. I like it better than SW51+ but I will keep them both. ZDT Jr has more character in the mids not as nimble but I liked it better with Aeolus than SW51+ it's thicker sounding in a good way. If it's mint and it has been corrected for transformer hum should be $300 ? I got one from a SBAF friend for around that.

Also @RestoredSparda couldn't be more awesome, he built my crack as well and I bought his noise nuke. Crack for me is last stop until I go starlett some day.

I liked HD600 better with piety than HD650, coming from lightly modded crack the HD650 sounded very flat and 2d in piety, liked HD650 better in SE out of Jot 2. HD600 sounded more 3d in piety and a better match for my ears. If you really love HD650 and HD600 find a cheap focal elex and plug it into piety. I think you'd be surprised.

@HotRatSalad sounds like even more to think about—a blinged out crack does sound v tempting, esp if sparda is building it... i think similarly to you, either sw51, zdt, crack or quicksilver will be my holdover until starlett/stratus.

I need to hear more loaners of JAR to decide on a model, but I think my heart is with modified Senns. Focal Utopia was a let down to me, but i have only heard it from a moon neo 430HAD. That amp and esp the Sabre DAC section is not a v good match for the Utopia's slightly bright tilt imo, but I have heard good things about Elex and Clear OG. Hated Clear MG w a passion.

My crack only has better pot and better output caps. not gooey or slow but can slam and has great highs. Better than ZDTjr and SW51+ for just Senns for me personally. Never heard a focal besides an Elex, took a chance on it and was pleasantly surprised after just being a Senns whore now. Have had LCD2 LCD2 classic, couple different Aeolus, heard Auteur and JAR600. My HD650 and HD600 are completely stock.

If you haven't already, @caute, you should get on the Lyr + loaner tour. It might suit your preferences or purposes with the Tung Sol tube. Quite close to the SW51+ in many respects but with more warmth and tube bloom. Slightly wetter. I'm really impressed by it. Only significant issue is lack of depth to staging. From memory, less tubey than ZDT Jr but with better bass and stronger macrodynamics.

@Tchoupitoulas i tried asking in the loaner thread but didn’t get a reply, but this was well after it kicked off so I understand why the gearmaster didn’t put me in. Would love to hear one tho.

Also, btw, what is your handle from? Isn’t there a st in NOLA named the same thing?

Yes, Tchoupitoulas is a street in NOLA. Locals joke that out-of-towners can never pronounce it right (chop-it-oo-las) and that locals can't spell it. I lived on Tchoup back in the day.