Exactly. I don't think the lack of ventilation (though I, admittedly a non-engineer, find this decision utterly wrongheaded and baffling) was intentional so as to facilitate temperature increase (or any other reason). Almost certainly in an attempt to keep the price down, Aune used their...

I couldn't disagree with this more. No, all is not fair in marketing and iFi's practices--even if technically true--were tantamount to lies. Many, if not most. buyers (certainly including me) are not engineers and can't "read between the lines" of technical specs. And even if they are capable...

Watch this if interested:

My only problem with iFi (I have one iFi product, the Go bar dongle), and it's a fairly large one in my view, is an ethical one--they apparently tend to play fast and loose with their amp specs, significantly exaggerating the power output. As I understand it, they often (or always?) produce...

Well, that's my setup with the HEK Stealth--Aune S17 and Denafrips Ares 12th-1. It may be a relative "poor man's" setup, but it sounds terrific. But someone correct me if I am wrong, but I thought the poster was asking only for amps in the $2K range, not including an DAC .

I'm somewhat surprised by this debate. Lachlen isn't my favorite reviewer and I didn't agree with everything in his review. (Notably, his conclusion that the S17 is not a warm amp. It sounds warm to me and to most reviewers as well--Ichos was surprised to find it even warmer than the Vioelectric...

Has anyone heard both the Fathom and the 64 Audio U4s? I'm thinking of getting a new IEM soon and had narrowed it down to the U4s, but the Fathom looks intriguing at almost the same price. (Though 64 Audio does not include a 4.4mm cable termination, even as an option, and will ultimately cost me...

LOL, I do this also, except for the 10% off part. Though strangely enough, back when I bought the Arya Stealth, I confirmed that one retailer did not charge sales tax and then removed it from the cart. A few hours later, I got an email from them offering me a ten percent discount on the item I...

I upgraded from the Arya Stealth to the HEK Stealth with Hifiman last month (for $705 USD, which seems a decent deal at their current respective MSRPs). I liked the Arya Stealth very much and it is a ridiculous bargain at its current price of $759 USD. However, I found the upgrade to the HEK...

I don't know much about the Bokeh, but I suspect that's not a good pairing for ZMFs in general. Right now I'm using the S17 with the R2R Denafrips Ares 12th-1 and it does no favors for the ZMF Aeolus, which sounds overly warm and muddy. (The Aeolus sounded much better on my previous setup of...

I wouldn't rely on using lower case/caps to differentiate between two different models for multiple reasons. not least because posters here are frequently careless and/or indifferent to their use of capitalization. Ditto for punctuation, grammar, and intelligible writing. I'm sorry (well, not...

I haven't heard the V222, but I'm not sure that everyone would agree that it is a definite step up from the V222. Ichos reviewed and liked both a lot and thought they were very close. Though I admit that I'd probably go for the V222 at $900. But at its full MSRP, which is almost double the S17...

Yeah, I've heard a lot of negative things about Musician, all hearsay though. Basically, their units are said to be repackaged Denafrips designs (and the pictures of the internals, control arrangement, and back panel I/O seem to support that, but I'm no engineer) and I've read some horror...

LOL. OK, you guys have got me seriously considering this cable. TBH, I've looked at it before and while $125 is a major-ish purchase for me, it's not too much to take a flyer. Can anyone recommend a dealer? (A quick search gives me one US dealer that sells the one meter cable for $135 with free...

Upon reflection, maybe this charge was initiated by my bank for some reason and not Vinshine, though they were the payee. TBH, I don't know but was upset at the time, especially since there are times that an unexpected $30 charge could overdraw my checking account, though luckily not that time..

Which is why I bought the OCC copper, base price $259 IIRC.

I should clarify that I consider Passion For Sound's cable reviews to be sincere, I just think that most of this is snake oil and we'll have to agree to disagree. (FWIW, Wave Theory references SQ on cables frequently and he remains one of my most trusted reviewers even if I take those reviews...

Yeah, a lot of people were understandably mad about the quick release of the 12-1 version (that's the one I have), though I think audio quality is pretty much identical; the biggest change is the new aluminum chassis (and the silver color if that's your preference; I took mine in black). I...

I've never seen anyone trying to be helpful get such a rude response (and that's being charitable) on this site. I'm not sure this deserves any response, but--I did not imagine receiving a power cord with the Ares I ordered from Vinshine, the Vinshine website describes the box as containing "DAC...

Unlike their more expensive DACs, Denafrips does include a power cord with the Ares 12th-1, as indicated on the Vinshine website. However, I have no idea if they supply a region specific cord. I'm in the US and received a US compatible cord, but I don't recall that this was an option in the...

Actually that is exactly what I did--when I bought the 4.4 Audiophile Ninja cable, I bought a 4.4 to XLR adaptor from them to go with it since I was still using the Liquid Platinum amp that had XLR but not 4.4 (the Gustard H16 in my TV setup has both; the FiiO Q7 by my bed has 4.4 but not XLR)...

Well, I should disclose that I am probably going to soon spend three figures (starting with a 2, so it's exorbitant but not ridiculous) on a new headphone cable for my new Hifiman HEK Stealth. But it's solely for nice looks and ergonomics; I expect zero difference in sound quality. I'm currently...

I liked him at one time and still listen to his reviews on occasion, but his channel has pretty much become a commercial (which he is up front about with an explicit disclaimer that his reviews include paid promotion). Plus, he regularly reviews cables (all kinds, even USB cables) exactly as if...

Agree that everything is relative. If space was a non-factor, I might well have saved another month or two for the R26, which appears to be a terrific unit. For better or worse, I live in a smallish studio apartment and my "desktop" is actually my kitchen table which contains the S17 and...

You might also also take a look at the R2R Denafrips Ares 12th-1, which many reviewers found pretty close to the Gustard R26 for around two-thirds the price. (Also, I have no idea what your space situation is like, but that was a major consideration in my choice of the Ares, which is roughly...