I did try it on the XD05. At that point I was running the SS3602, of course the 828 was not from the same planet. I lost interest after a few minutes. That was a mistake. I should had compared it to the stock opamp.

Aetha is the more dynamic, rich and natural timbre. Probably the most natural I've heard in a hybrid. Ascension is a more open and balanced sound, with a unique bloom making it musical.

Ah the little bear. Doesn't sound good. Tubes pinging like a pinball machine. Too much bloom. Better off looking for old ALO tube amps.

The best door closing opamp IMHO is the Sparkos SS3602.

Looks like the same tubes in the Cayin C9 I tested last week. It was too clinical. Powerful, but the tubey sound was disappointing. I decided not to buy it. My wife's 10 year old tube amp I am using right now sounds better. Xduoo needs to release a high quality transportable tube.

I tried Cayin N3 Ultra. No line in. Fail. Cayin C9. Not tuby enough. Fail.

Best thing ever. Got rid of everything else. Left with the XD05, a DAP, and a dongle. Looking for something tube and compact to complement the XD05.

Here in Singapore. The gear insanity level is pretty high. You see people whipping out IBasso 320 max, Masskobo 475, etc all the time. CanJam was an orgy of such devices. There isn’t much of a need to ask if you have the power needed. They’ll just whip out something that can power a small city...

Monarch is for the unsophisticated audiophile. Very poor coherency, but it’s fun. If you don’t pay retail price, worth it. It doesn’t scale with the chain. What you hear is what you get. I personally don’t use it, gave it to my son. He’s very happy with it. Aetha is for the aspiring and...

I would say Aetha. It’s got the speed as well. It’s not slower than the Neon Pro. You can switch off the treble, turn on the bass and change to a copper cable for a darker warmer sound. That would be perfect for rock and metal. Titan is dead balanced. Better for pop and edm. But the bass can’t...

Compared to many of the psycho Aur fans. I own relatively few sets, but I have tried all of them. Without a doubt, the Aetha has the most mid bass thump with the bass switch up.

It's a me thing. Everyone I've met likes the sound of the Neon Pro, even people auditioning it for the first time. When I say I don't like the sound. People go what? What is there not to like? It's definitely me. @Leonarfd writes the best reviews, the only way he can improve them is to have...

I have both the MK8 and MK9 buffers. I find the change made by the MK9 obvious, the MK8 is very subtle. If you look at your MK9 closely. You will see a piece of MK8 soldered on. I decided to stack them. Since I achieved what I wanted from the amp. I decided not to get any more opamps. If I...

Sorry mate. I have both, but not a fan of the U shape sound. I am unable to give a comparison that is not biased by my dislike of the signature. The Aetha is definitely not a Neon Pro with bass. It's much more than that. Ascension scales with the chain, one day we will look back and this one was...

Last post. The Ascension pairs beautifully with the Flash Acoustic Catalina. Definitely a level up. Bringing the W signature a notch up the technical ladder.

The final one is also a Flash Acoustic. Nicknamed the King Bee. @Nosibilance was absolutely right. His favourite pairing with the Aetha. It's an SPC cable. Now this is the creme de la creme with the Aetha. Full bodied, from top to bottom. Very clean, imaging is amazing. If the Aetha came with...

Next is a Flash Acoustic. Nicknamed Queen Bee. There is some gold content in this one. Sounds clean. The bass is blunted, but the mids and highs are improved. IMHO, not the best pairing for the Aetha. Great for single DDs.

More cables were tested today. NiceHCK SpaceAuAg. Silver, gold, and copper. The cheapest tested. Also the least performing one. It looks very nice, but is stiff and rough. Quite a bt of microphonics as well. IMHO. It doesn't bring out the full potential of the Aetha.

Happy to discuss them. Let's do it in DM. On another note. A candidate for consideration. Flash Acoustic Catalina courtesy of @Nosibilance Gold and silver cable. Clear sound with bass intact. Female vocals take on a bit of forwardness. Otherwise a balanced cable, without the extremes of...

If you like airy and highly technical. This is the one. Get the Helios SE. It's got a slight retuning but for the better. Elise Audio still has new ones. Only 50 exist. So they won't be around forever. I plan to buy an OG Helios new to keep, possibly another SE as insurance in case my unit...

The best signature is neutral, retains the bass and expands the stage.

It's a friend's unit. I believe it's the Sinfornia.

It'll be SPC. But not all SPC are equal. The EA Griffin is also a hybrid. But It acts more like a silver cable. Some SPC are warmer, others neutral.

Here is a small sample of @Nosibilance's collection of cables to try for pairings. It might take months. LOL

That's what I encountered with a warmer copper or SPC cable.