<soapbox speech>
My heartfelt suggestion: discontinue sending redundant wall-warts when people purchase the Astrodyne; or at least make it optional.
I made this suggestion in another thread, but I think it's actually really important and instant to put into effect. I recently purchased the Ultra Micro Amp along with the Astrodyne PS. I didn't pick up on the fact that the standard wall-wart PS would still be included in the package. Even if you make it purely optional (say, with a toggle button on the shopping cart), I think it would be cheaper for you, possibly cheaper for the customer, and above all certainly better for the environment if you would not automatically send a redundant (in the duplicative sense) power supply. From a marketing perspective, I know it's tough to try to promote a business like yours (a damn fine business!) as being eco-friendly, because class-a devices are as inefficient as they come, but a small gesture like this could at least serve to show you're making an effort, and at best could help your marketing efforts.
</soapbox speech>
And even though it's already been mentioned many times, I can't tell you how much I would lust after a balanced desktop with max module option. Before you say it, I know, I know, there's just not enough room in there. And even more than that, I can appreciate from a business perspective how important it is to be able to price discriminate so as not to cannibalize sales of your other lines. But what about this idea: I know you recently created a mini version of the max module board to cram into the Ultra Micro Amp (I know because I just purchased it). Could you fit two of those boards in the Desktop chassis if there was no DAC option? I would so lust for a balanced amp with max module option that I would totally accept a very crippled version of the Desktop line, in terms of overall features, in order to get it. So you could "cripple" a balanced max desktop by making it an amp-only option, with no outputs of any kind except the front headphones. Heck, I'd even be okay with it if you eliminated the concentric TRS jacks inside the XLR plugs and truly made this thing a one-trick pony. Heck, you could even require the DPS and say the Astrodyne won't cut it for this Max-balanced option.
If you did that I think it would have the following advantages: 1) wouldn't cannibalize your Home and Max amp sales because it couldn't really be integrated with a home entertainment system; 2) would spur more same-sale upgrades, like the DPS and balanced cables (because people would have no choice but to use balanced headphones with it); and 3) give a much wider array of people access, albeit in constrained form, to a true max balanced experience.
But I know you've probably already thought of all those things. I'm just saying, I'd be a purchaser!
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