I prefer for people to back their own assertions instead of doing their work for them. It's not that I don't believe it—it's that I've never seen the claim and want to know why the Vali is better than amps X, Y, and Z for the Q701.   What I care more about is getting an answer to the question...

Where is "pretty much everywhere"? Because I have never heard this. I've heard about the tube amps, but not about the Vali itself being a good pair with the Q701.

Is there a way to test the individual drivers? I think my right side isn't outputting at the same volume level as the left side. How can I diagnose and confirm that there's a problem?   Quote: Heard from whom and where?

Thing is, I don't believe I have an issue with the quality of my mains power. I do have two UPSes plugged in to the same AC outlet, but that by itself is not going to cause an issue. There are no electrical issues in my house, and incoming power is fine. Also, I think this line of discussion is...

Frodo and Sam strolled right through Mordor, in some very fashionable clothing no less!   Guess I'm not doing this mod, then. And judging from the responses, there are no other pipeline improvements besides input power and cable, so it seems I truly have maxed out my setup within the realm of...

After reading your updated link, I finally figured out that you were talking about the quality of the electrical power feeding the DAC and amp. Could have just said so! :P   My DAC Destroyer is running off USB power straight from the Mac Mini it's plugged in to. The Little Dot I+ runs via a...

Could you elaborate, please? I have no idea what the information at the link is referring to.

My Q701 is about a year old, maybe a little more. I've just recently (earlier this week) learned of and performed the bass mod, and I'm very impressed with the results; the mod adds the bass punch I've been missing from these headphones.   I'm running a USB line from a Mac Mini to a DAC...

Quote:   44100 it is. Thanks for the info!

Quote:   I'm in the process of transcoding my FLAC library to ALAC for OS X/iTunes compatibility, so whatever FLAC and ALAC output, that's what my settings are. Of course, I have no idea if that's 44100 or 48000.

Quote:   Great, thanks. Looks like I'm doing it right.    Did you ever adjust the sound quality output in Audio MIDI Setup? I'm sure it has no (perceivable) effect on sound quality, but I put everything on the highest available setting just in case.

Hey all,   First, Merry Christmas!   "Santa" was good enough to leave a Fiio E7+E9 combo under the tree this year. I've set it up with my MacBook Pro, and after some initial bumps—like not realizing that the E7 must be turned on separately from the E9—I'm off and listening. But I'm still...

Got home from a crappy day at work and found my newly-purchased 598s waiting for me at the front door. My setup is rather ghetto at the moment, so I just plugged them into my old Sony HT receiver I’ve been using as a source, and man… these are incredible. I don’t even have to say they’re a huge...

Quote: Quoting myself because, yes, the code BOUNTII works on the Sennheiser HD 598 at Electronics-Expo. $163 plus $7 for shipping. Just bought my 598s, a hopefully huge upgrade over my current JVC HA-RX700s.

Quote: Does this also apply to the 598?

Quote: I wouldn’t plan to upgrade from the 598s (if I get them) for quite a while. And it’s not that I’m specifically looking for a reason to get the E7 + E9 combo, but it appears to be everything I need (both an amp and a DAC) in a compact and relatively inexpensive package. If there’s...

Quote: That’s exactly what I suspect, that the Ear Force is meant for games and surround sound environments (probably including movies as well). I can probably stretch my budget and use the Ear Force with my PS3, the Xonar for PC games (Battlefield 3, Assassin’s Creed, etc), and the E7...

Quote: That’s pretty steep. I guess I’ll create an account and give it a try; that would certainly be the lowest price available if it works.

Quote: Maybe I’m missing something, but Electronics Expo lists the 598s for $300. How much exactly does the TECHBARGAINS code take off? I can’t imagine a single coupon code would drop the price in half.

Are there any known deals on the Sennheiser HD 598? I might break my budget if those are available for a good price (below $200).

Quote: Would it be practical to use the Turtle Beach Ear Force DSS just as a dedicated PS3 amp, and get the Fiio E7 + E9 for music listening on my MacBook Pro?

Quote: Thanks, I’ll do some research on those; the price is definitely right! How does the Ear Force DSS stack up to the Fiio E7 + E9 combo? Quote: Looks that way. Not sure I trust buying from a retailer halfway around the world; there’s no recourse if something goes wrong...

Quote: Where would I browse prices for the Sparrow? Google reveals nothing.   As for the AD900, it’s almost $100 above my stated budget, assuming the Sparrow costs roughly ~$200.

Been lurking for a while and finally decided to join.  With Christmas coming up, I've decided to treat myself a little bit, and I'm deciding whether or not to upgrade my sound setup or buy an SSD and new external HDD. I expect that the costs would be roughly equivalent (~$300-350) so I'm only...