[Puma Cat]

Part II: Equipment and Music Setup:

I evaluated these two headphones using a Schiit Gungnir Multibit DAC, Audioquest Columbia interconnects and a Schiit Valhalla 2 OTL triode amplifier. Yes, it's all a bunch of Schiit. There's that upstart company from Valencia again (Dang! Those guys? Again? Well...yes.) making waves by providing exceptionally high performing performing products that sell at exceptionally affordable prices. The Gungnir Multibit is a DAC fully capable of taking on a Briscasti M1 and sells for a whopping $1249, about *8X* less than the Bricasti. And the Valhalla 2 sells for a budget-busting $349. Roll some nice NOS Amperex PQ 7308s into it, and you've got Conrad-Johnson level sound quality. Music was streamed from a Mac Mini in another part of the house running Roon via WiFi to a Sonore microRendu driven by an Uptone Audio LPS-1 power supply to the Gungnir MB, aka Gumby. I used Gumby's new Gen 5 USB port with an Audioquest Diamond USB A-B cable.

The following playlist was used in this evaluation:

1. I've Got You Under My Skin, Diana Krall, Live
2. Lisboa, Melody Gardot, The Absence
3. Corcovado, Astrud and Joao Gilberto, Getz/Gilberto
4. Se Voce Ama, Melody Gardot, The Absence
5. Cry Me a River, Gene Harris and Ray Brown, Soular Energy
6. Idle Moments, Grant Green, Idle Moments
7. For What Its Worth, Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66
8. California Dreamin, George Benson, The Best of George Benson
9. Blue Rondo á la Turk, Dave Brubeck, Time Out
10. Asturias, Albeniz, Suite Espanola
11. Bach, Concerto for Keyboard, Strings and Continuo No. 3, Murray Perahia and The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, Neville Marriner.