Hi there!


Your upgrade path looks very similar to others I know. Welcome aboard!

It does! A very well reasoned and sensible path for sure.

While the k10 isn't exactly new, there seems to be a hype train for it right now which is scaring me off.

Pay attention to the identity of the conductor, that will tell you the relative risk of getting onboard.

Welcome! You'll be glad to know that we prefer ships here 

Like for CIEMs, I'm mostly looking at the UERMs and Noble K10s. The UERMs represent the safe, solid choice that's been around awhile and has a lot of sound impressions to back it up. While the k10 isn't exactly new, there seems to be a hype train for it right now which is scaring me off.

Read my review for the k10 on HF and you'll get a solid sense of the sound. The UERM and K10 are quite different, so if you're deciding between those two, then you haven't thought through what it is you really want, yet. There should be a Noble thread around here, you're welcome to post there or pm me.

and, on that note, welcome aboard!

Hi there,

I hopped onto this board after hearing about it from my friend as an irrelevant and honest alternative to head-fi. After lurking for a few months I was very impressed by the skeptical culture and the tight community and finally decided to join in.

I've been in the hobby for about 6 years now, though I've only really started building my desktop rig in the past year. I started with a Fiio X3 as a DAC with a DIY O2 to drive my DT880s before picking up an Audio-gd Wolfson DAC/Amp. Since then, with the help of the Pyrate Leaderboard and various threads, I've picked up a GO450, a Vali and a pair of HE-560s and Focuspad-As to make up my primary listening rig. I am looking at buying a Gungnir as a my first serious DAC after being blown away by it at a dealership audition, and possibly a more powerful amp.

I really enjoyed the discussions that go on in here and hope to add to them in future.

Thanks! 

Read my review for the k10 on HF and you'll get a solid sense of the sound. The UERM and K10 are quite different, so if you're deciding between those two, then you haven't thought through what it is you really want, yet. There should be a Noble thread around here, you're welcome to post there or pm me.

and, on that note, welcome aboard!

I read your review. My impression is that the K10's are warmer than the UERMs, but not in the full-on Audeze sense. Are they better technically? Like resolution/soundstage?

Also, if you want UERMs, Massdrop just did a UERM special not too long ago. I'm sure they will bring it back.

Yeah I saw that. If they come back at $650 or whatever it was I'll be pretty much obligated to go for it.