None of us can say because we don't know what "preferable" is for you. Unless you specify that sound/tone you like, you're going to get it based on what that person likes. I have the K9 Pro ESS. I like the sounds. It's pretty neutral; I don't like things colored in a heavy low in way. I...

I don't know if I can. I work that night at 11pm. I am off the day before. I have to figure out my sleep to see if I can. If I do go, I'll bring the FiiO K9 Pro (ESS) and Focal Stellia.

Power cables are not likely to make any significant improvement, just as post #2 stated. If you want to change power cords, I would look into power cables for medical devices. They're designed not to cause interference with medical devices and are UL rated; very important in regards to fire...

I think it's more an issue of physics. Since most TV manufactures are trying to make the TV as thin as possible, there isn't the room for bigger speakers nor the space to allow better low frequencies. All the can do is more speakers, use woofers designed to be sealed or unported. This...

I still have mine, TC-P55VT50, which I got in August 2012. It's at my parents' house, where my uncle mainly watches it. I moved away. The TV is going strong. The smart apps on the TV are no long supported. The apartment building I live in now came furnished with LG Plasma TVs, which...

You may have gotten some suggestions by now. Nonetheless, it really depends on your situation such as source device and headphones being used. If you want cheap, get a USB to 3.5mm adapter. Assuming you're using your phone, it will have DAC. It may not be the "lastest or greatest" AKM or...

Unfortunately, and hopefully not in your case, but the Stellas patina really easy. It did it with mine. It may not go away, but get worse. I would recommend getting a headband cover. It hides the discoloration and keeps the patina from getting worse

I got mine off Amazon. The more expensive cables tend to have silver--plated or only. Compared to many of the brands named, these cables are cheap, but those other brands have a lot of customization. In my experience, I haven't had any issues with the cables. I have no idea if they're...

I got microphonic from Headfi. It made the most sense to me because the noise I heard was a banging sound when the cable would bang/bump something such as a me or cabinet and so forth. It simply seamed more amplifying the noise/sound made like a microphone. When I saw the term...

GUCrasftman on Amazon may be option. It not microphronic from the terminal end to the split. A little microphronic from the split to the headphone. I'm not sure what "machanical noise" that you're referencing. Towards noise/distortion when nothing is playing, I haven't had any issues...

Clean up the diet and portion control. Exercise helps with burning calories, but not having a bunch of empty calories in the first place is better.

This is one of big reasons I'm a very casual PC gamer and mainly use game consoles. It's way more affordable. It's also why I like cloud gaming; it'll never the level the of console/PC, but it's not that far behind. The lag will only improve with time.

You might want to check some of FiiO's products such as the K9 Pro or K7. Probably give you a little different sound. Has quite a few different input options. I've enjoyed my FiiO amp/dacs. I will admit that I have limited time listening to other amps.

It's a been a while. Off the top of head, there was a volume difference since I was a using FiiO K9 Pro (ESS) and a FiiO BTR5, which have a more power drive the headphones. Sound wise, they all had the "Focal" sound, obviously. At the time, I didn't spend hours comparing them. It was...

I have not heard of USB cables being mircophonic. It's only transmitting 0s and 1s. Anker usually does have some pretty stuff.

Do you have it on USB mode for the Bathys? Is yes, I would check your phone to make sure it isn't trying to connect via BT or something.

If you want something a bit more elegant than DYI and opensource, I would suggest Synology. I would look into DS918+ or DS920+ because they apparently handle 4K stream better if you're running the Plex server off the NAS. If you're running off a PC and pointing the media library to the NAS...

I'm not sure in what regards you mean "unwieldy". Sound wise, I think it'll depend on volume. At that 120db kind of level, it's probably going to be way high pitched. Low to moderate, probably be ok. I wouldn't expect "audiophile" quality of sound from any phone speaker output. In that...

I believe it uses the BTR5 DAC, which is probably a better DAC anyway. I don't remember if I tried comparing the sound. Plus, it would be hard to judge because of the significant power output difference.

I cannot comment on the difference, but the 2021 has the sound you would expect from a FiiO with ESS. I have BTR5 and K9 Pro, both have ESS chips. I enjoy them both.

Bathys have the "Focal" sound. I wouldn't say they're a better choice over the Elegia. I would say the Bathys are a more robust headphone since it can be use more situations--3.5mm, USB, and bluetooh. The Elegia would require a some adapters to the latter two. I think Elegia with a good...

I don't necessarily disagree with either of you. The issue isn't they phone manufacturers don't care. It's the "mass" market doesn't care. As long as it sounds "good" to their ears. There is a reason Beats are popular headphones. I would say codecs are more important for mass appeal...

Location works fine for me. Unfortunately, it's a mandatory work weekend for me. The 2/24 is not.

The headphones look interesting. Typical promotion video. I think they'll sound good. I have a feeling they'll be slightly harder to drive well. The design reminds me a the typical planar headphones.

I'm always interested. Unfortunately, unless I know like 6-8 weeks ahead of time, it's hard for me to commitment because that's how far out my schedule is done. It's not static. Remember, the Super Bowl is Feb 11. That's the one day I would not do, but everything will be open, LOL