I have a Cayin tube, but want a SS as well. I got the Monolith THX amp, but want something a level above.
But I agree, a tube is great for ZMF cans 
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Save the money and put it towards the Phonitor.
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Personally I would point you towards the vio gear for sure, that would be my pick over the phonitor
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That is also among my thoughts, but I am tempted to get the RNHP as so many find it great. And the cost is acceptable.
Yeah I saw you have mentioned that alot lately, but it is hard to find where I live. But I am following a bid on ebay for a V200 at around Ā½ price, so maybe.
I may have derailed this threadā¦ 
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I have the Auteur and it sounds great with the RNHP. They pair up very nicely.
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The RNHP is fun little amp. It has some great little dynamic punch, a somewhat closed in presentation, and is a touch bright.
Iām also eyeing the Phonitor. From my understanding the Phonitor is one of the best reference solid state amps made. Itās known for its clean power, and dead accurate sound. At $500 the RNHP is 1/4 the cost of a Phonitor XE. Itās a little more than a 1/3 the cost if you opt for the Phonitor 2 (SE only āproā version).
Itās easier for me to say to wait since I already have the RNHP, but thatās just my advice.
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Yes, I agree, with the Violectric soundstage. That was the first thing I noticed when using a Violectric amp. I think it does well in presenting space and I felt that imaging was immediately noticeable when I first listened to the amp. Iām listening to the Clears right now on a Violectric and it is definitely as advertised.
I have also been enjoying the Aeolus on the Violectric, I hate say that it brings out the best out of the Aeolus, but in my amp rolling experience with the Aeolus so far, it definitely has.
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I can vouch for the power and quality of the Gilmore Lite Mk2. Great little amp.
I can vouch for the quality of the RNHP, too.
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I like both a fair bit, it just depends on the headphones you have for which one pairs better
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fun little amp? little dynamic punch? I heard this amp could trade blows with 1000$ amps. you make it sound like a toy lol
I have sold HPās in order to finance my next ZMF and I am more keen on quality than quantity or low budget stuff, so I am the type to aim for high-end audio equipment.
But it is an expensive hobby, so I have to be picky about what to get and I have my eyes on a Phonitor first and later a Cayin HA 300B. So holding back on buying mid-tier is wise for sure.
Right now I am just looking forward to receive my Eikon in Blackwood
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Iām the same stage. Expensive, for certian!
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So last week, the Focal Clear I got on Ebay arrived. Someone had warned me about the possibility of getting greasy pads when buying used. But that was after I already paid. Well lo and behold, them pads were GREASY AF. The picture below shows how they look like now after theyāve been thoroughly cleaned. Prior, they were much darker like the headband.
The visual appearance of the pads arenāt that important to me. But with the pads being saturated with oil and such, they felt perpetually damp. Obviously, thatās a problem that needed addressing. Luckily it turns out you can clean the pads with pretty good results. Basically it involves soaking the pads in a laundry detergent bath for 24 hours. I actually I had to do it twice since I only gave few hours the first time. The pads are much better now. But they still donāt feel quite right. So Iām considering getting replacements.
Does anyone have a good alternative for new pads? The OEM ones are overpriced. The Elex pads may work but Drop would need to start selling them again.
Early impressions on sound is this one could be my new favorite. I have a strong preference for these over the Elex. My issue with the Elex was that itās W-shaped signature just never sounded right to me. As far as technicalities go, they sounded practicality the same with the limited testing Iāve done so far.
I wonder how close I can get the two to each other with EQ. I will have to give that try while I still have the Elex around.
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Unfortunately from what I hear you should stay with the focal pads. You could also try the Utopia pads as well.
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From my experience, I really havenāt heard an alternative pad that doesnāt reduce fidelity imo besides the elex or utopia pads
The thing is that the clear scales really well, and to actually make it worthwhile getting a higher end amp is really something you would want to do to hear the difference between the elex and clear, the clear takes off with a higher end amp
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Woohoo! It turns out the Elex pads will be an option in the near future. I might get two pairs lol
Later down the line Iām sure Iāll eventually get something high end. For me itās still worth the ~$750 as is since I like it so much more than the Elex.
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Iām in the same boat, I have to save and wait.
Congratulations, those Eikons should be awesome. 
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If Dropās past performance is any indicator youāre going to have to buy two sets for one headphone anyway.
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Jokes aside, these are quickly becoming my favorite headphones. Iām amazed at their clarity (duh) and balance.
M0N aināt kidding about their scaling with equipment. When I take them mobile and then plug them into my desktop the amp difference is immediately apparentā¦and my mobile amp is pretty good!
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