Right on with the Link Wray there Greg!
We've sent out quite a few Deluxes and Deluxe Dungeness so far, folks seem to be enjoying them quite a bit.
Attached is a photo of our demo rig right now, which does double duty as my own computer work station at the shop:
Two Tone Orca Deluxes, Single Deluxe Dungeness, Desktop Stands. Driven by a Wavelength Brick into a Submissive and 300B Paramounts. Not surprisingly, the sound from this gear in the nearfield, ultra nearfield, and also across the room is superb.
I'd go so far to say that I've liked this ultra nearfield arrangement for the past few months probably more than almost any headphone experience I've had so far, and I was pretty big into headphones since I was a teenager and have kept my tabs on the industry ever since.
However, this stuff ultimately boils down to being a matter of taste and circumstance, Alot like cars versus motorcycles. Cars/speakers, even small/fast ones, may be ultimately a little slower and are usually less tightly sprung, but benefit from a less fatiguing ride and are more comfortable as a daily driver for most people. Motorcycles on the other hand are arguably more exciting every time you hop on to them, and will handle the most G's, etc, but are probably tough for most people to ride all day every day. And also look at how often people fiddle with them to keep them "just right!" And practically, there is only so much that a motorcycle/headphone can do (see pic of impractical free chair pickup from this morning!). Now, we personally own a motorbike, a car, a van and a truck. Each does its job. Just like the various speaker models and other gear (including headphones) we keep around. Each piece fits a situation (and particular listening environment). For my own personal desktop system, its been ultra nearfield with the Orcas/Dungeness/Desktop Stands, and high quality Bottlehead SETs all the way.
-Clark
