It's good to hear all the positive input! This is the result of much research into different options and opinions.
Roy, my amp is the weakest link in my chain, so it's good to hear that you put a bit more weight on the upstream components.
I have an Audio Mirror NOS DAC that sounds very nice, Jellyfish power cables and blue jeans interconnects and speaker wire. Not 'SOTA' stuff, but sounds good to me with my headphone setup.
On that note, it will be interesting to compare my headphones (AKG K701 w/ APSv3 cable) with the C1s. It will be tough to beat the clarity and accuracy, but I'm not looking for a 1-up on those attributes. K701s are great, but a bit harsh on the high end at times, and a bit lacking on the low-end. Being tethered to your sound system can feel a bit limiting as well.
Plus, I heard that well designed speakers image much better than headphones. I can't judge whether this is true yet or not because my listening awareness just wasn't in an 'audiophile' realm until fairly recently in my life. K701s are known for a deep soundstage, but it seems to only really stretch out on a select number of recordings... often times I still feel like everything is very close to me, which can be a bit confining / tiring.
Also, there is something to be said about experiencing music with good company at times... which obviously doesn't happen with headphones.
Anywho, thanks again and take care all.
