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Having a cross-reference to products that have existing full-length reviews on AS would be a nice touch. In fact, before reading about the new section in depth, I had assumed this is what Polestar was. A categorized listing of reviews on the site. Now I realize its scope is intended to be much bigger than this, which is great, but I would have thought this would have been a part of it. An idea for future enhancement perhaps.

We had these and the top of the line SR-009s at Capital Audiofest paired with our Z10e electrostatic headphone amp, and there were more than a few people who preferred the SR-L300. Goes to show, follow your ears not the price tag. ~Nicholas from LTA

This is Nicholas from LTA. One reason we did not include two electrostatic headphone ports is that all the major electrostatic headphones on the market are open back. This means that you can hear other headphones in the vicinity if they are also playing music. This seems less than ideal from a sound quality perspective even if you do happen to own more than one pair of electrostatic headphones. I suppose only having one limits listening in tandem with a partner, but we see this as a limited use case. And in this case, you have speaker outputs with the Z10e to share the music, which most others do not have. Also, in our customer research, most of our customers have only two ears. When we expand to other galaxies, we'll look into adding a second port for more advanced lifeforms. 😉

Hi, this is Nicholas from LTA. Yes, the balanced inputs accept a standard male XLR cable.

This is... wow. Kudos on such an in-depth piece. The care and work you put into this is clear. 👏

I'm also reminded of World of McIntosh in NYC. This is more of a showpiece and than a showroom, but it again demonstrates that hifi can be integrated into a home, and more importantly, into the lives of those in the home.

I posted this comment on Youtube, but it bears repeating... Audiophile Style indeed! Love love love this showroom. I'm so tired of seeing generic man-caves and massive systems where the equipment takes center stage. Great examples of how you can integrate world-class audio into a home without it taking over. The topic of how we can bring more people into this hobby comes up often, and this is how. Take it out of the basement and put it in the living room - with style!

I adore Monty Alexander. He just played a four night stand at an old jazz club in DC recently. Unfortunately, it coincided exactly with Axpona, so I had to miss it. 😡

My word that's gorgeous.

More this. Much more this. Very well put. Can't upvote this enough.

Have to admit, I totally thought this was tongue-in-cheek when I first read the OP. I look at being an audiophile the same way I appreciate beer or coffee. While I can appreciate good beer and coffee, I won't turn down a Miller High Life or a cup of Starbucks if offered. There's a time and place for everything, and hobbies are at their best when they connect people, not divide them into cliques. I hate broccoli. I know many people love it. Does that make anyone right or wrong or say anything about them or their values other than they love/hate broccoli? Nope.

Makes me think of this article: https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2018/01/24/when-jazz-was-dangerous/ Excerpt:

About 80% of my at-home listening is jazz, but I have to admit that I had never heard of Benny Green. Since reading this article a few weeks ago, he's become a regular in the rotation. Thanks for the recommendation. More of this, please.

Looks like I'm one of the dummies who listens to jazz. 🤷‍♂️

Chris - I invite you to stop by Linear Tube Audio's booth (#8415) at the Ear Gear Expo at AXPONA. We (yes, full disclosure, I work for LTA) will be debuting the Z10e, our first electrostatic headphone amp based on ZOTL technology. Probably not what you're looking for as an entry into the world of electrostatic, given its price, but it might help you understand what all the fuss is about. More info: https://www.lineartubeaudio.com/products/z10e-electrostatic-headphone-amp-preamp-integrated-amp