Late 2019 I sold my record collection and stereo equipment in preparation for a downsizing move, and replaced it with a Bluesound PowerNode 2i streamer. Unfortunately the move is on hold for the time being, so I went ahead and bought some Zu Audio Dirty Weekends, a SVS SB-1000 Pro subwoofer and a few pairs of headphones. I also bought a Stressless Admiral chair, upgrading from an IKEA Poang. I wanted to raise up my speakers about 12 inches so painted some concrete blocks and steps, and put some washing machine isolation blocks underneath.
My wife and I needed to downsize, and I decided to shift from vinyl to streaming. I bought a Node 2i, but enjoyed it so much I went ahead and upgraded to a PowerNode 2i to save the space taken up by my receiver. Needless to say, I have much less clutter. This space was originally taken up by my old stereo system, 2600 records and a ProJect VCS. When we finally do move to a smaller space (temporarily on hold due to COVID-19) this system will probably be in an entertainment room.
Zu Audio Omen Dirty Weekend Mk.II
New Zu Audio Dirty Weekend speakers, with the satin black finish, rubber feet and Clarity cap upgrade.
Hifiman HE-400i Headphones
Some very nice planar headphones I got on a Black Friday sale last year.
Grado Labs SR-80
A Christmas present from my wife. She even got me some G-Cush pads.
Meze Audio 99 Noir headphones.
I keep on hearing wonderful things about Meze, especially the 99 Classics headphones. Since I didn’t have any closed-back over-ear headphones I thought I would indulge. I came across the Meze 99 Noir on Drop and loved the look. I purchased the 3-meter cable and Brainwavz sheepskin angled oval ear pads for added comfort.
V-Moda Crossfade LP
Got these at a flea market for $5. Not bad, a bit too heavy on the bass for my taste.
V-Moda Crossfade M-80
Got these at a flea market for $5. Pretty good noise isolation for airplane travel.
Monoprice BT-500ANC
Monoprice BT-500ANC Bluetooth headphones with aptX-HD, Google Assistant, Wireless Over Ear Headphones with Hybrid Active Noise Cancelling (ANC). Not bad, a reasonably priced pair of Bluetooth headphones for listening to TV while the wife is working from home.
Borykworkshop Black Hornbeam Custom Headphone Stand
Yurii Boryk from Borykworkshop handcrafted this headphone stand out of black hornbeam. Check out his Etsy website for some beautiful stuff.
SVS SB-1000 PRO
New subwoofer. More of a two-channel guy, but the early reviews and the price intrigued me. I am certainly enjoying EDM and bebop more because of them.
BeyerDynamic DT 770 Pro 80 Ohm
I was looking for an inexpensive closed back set of headphones, and found these DT 770s on the BeyerDynamic website as “B” lots for $99 (MSRP $259).
16f4 on BluesoundPowerNodeStreamingMusic StreamerHifimanHeadphonesBudget SystemBudget MindedZu AudioDirty WeekendsMezeGrado LabsV-ModaMonopriceSVS