Sixteen months? You gotto be frickin kidding me... Is he mining aluminium and silicon himself? Sure, I understand and having owned a Headamp product know that Justin has THE best build quality, but one and a third years seems pretty excessive for any kind of product that I could see myself ordering.

That being said - good job on the writing, best review I've read in a good while.

P.S. How do the HD800 do for metal like Opeth? Is there enough bass and crunch to translate the energy?

I usually skim through reviews, but this was such a well written review I took in every word.  Bravo!
Have you done any mods (other than cable) to your HD800? In relation to soundstage you commented that the BD was the most realistic but the Rag was more expansive, did you find the imaging to be equally accurate in both and did the tighter SS of the BD result in more blending of instruments or did they still hold their individual space? Thanks.

No mods on my HD800s. I'd say the Black Diamond kept space between instruments, just closer together.

I have not heard the L-2, sorry.

Have you heard the Taurus mk2 and if so, how does it compare to these other amps?

Does anyone compare Ragnarok with something like the Krell KSA-5 or AMB Beta 22 with the HD800?

I have the Krell KSA-5 Klone in my house. It's important to note that the Klone I'm using may sound different from the Chinese knock-offs. From what I've been reading, I suspect the Chinese knock-offs aren't up to par. Cheap components, small board, etc. These things do matter. I'm not sure WTF the Chinese knock-offs use for the PS.

The Klone is a very good amp. Incredible resolving. But slightly brittle sounding in the treble. Just is just a nitpick and probably the result of the volume pot used. However, I can't say I'm sure the Klone would be a good match for the HD800. The Rag's smoothness works better with HD800 (but I mod mine).

Other than tonality differences, I found the Klone about on the level of the Rag's single ended outs. The Rag runs away once its balanced outputs are used (full circlotron goodness). The biggest difference is with the dynamic contrasts, or microdynamics. The Rag has this incredible ability to discern micro volume levels which can only be beaten by very good tube implementations. It's that circlotron circuit. (The Mjolnir could do this, but it wasn't anywhere as clear, smooth, and refined sounding as the Rag.)

The B22 actually works well with the HD800. It's a warm sounding amp with delicate smooth treble. However, being one of the earliest head-amp designs, it's showing its age. It's a bit murky in the bass and doesn't has as well defined edges and transient response of the Klone or Rag. Some people I know feels it doesn't let the HD800's capabilities shine through. My favorite B22 setup is with the HD600 running balanced.

Great writeup, Chris. Long time coming! Looks like the Rag is the HD800 ss winner we were hoping for!