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Bargain system update- added Drop/THX AAA One!

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OK Budget system UPDATE! Tried same rig with a Drop/THX AAA ONE-- subbed it in after my JDS Labs 02s and Atom amp trials-- this time I tried it with the Planar Mob-- 2020  Ananda; Sundara 2021 with new Dekoni hybrid pads, and the 2021 Audeze LCD-X

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Since the THX AAA One are now popping up on Ebay for $125-$150 range I decided to hear if the claims of sterility etc were valid-- plus if they're as analytical as some claim that should be borne out too. I decided to stick with the Warner Remaster of Dire Straits since it has distinct bass, guitars, acoustic guitars low in the mix etc. This amp at these prices is still what you'd call a 'budget' amp-- the whole system runs $350ish. The Cambridge Audio DACs are still on Ebay for $139...OK well gotta say it was fun hearing all these headphones through this amp-- no surprise, the Ananda was the easiest to drive and really brought out the acoustic guitars and low-level background vocals; the Sundara was the power pig of the lot but still at amp gain setting of 3 the volume knob only got to about 11 o'clock for plenty loud listening. I bought the Sundaras used and with trashed pads so I only know them with the Dekoni's really; when I first got them they sounded about the same as a new set of HE-X4s I had. NOW these things punch way above their weight in all respects! Interestingly the Audeze LCD-X sounded just like huge-er Sundaras in most ways...all the good qualities but just ..MORE Lol. My usual listening rig with these headphones is through a JDS El Amp II, El DAC II; none of these amps/systems has any perceptible background noise whatsoever-- the headphones themselves were by far the biggest variable. Overall all the differences in the headphones I had previously noted with the JDS rig carried over to the Drop/THX AAA One setup. Bottom line is it's still the software and the transducers that matter most- the AAA One sounded nice and musical to me! Cheers, Alex sunny Round Rock Texas
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