The very best S/PDIF output is from a Lynx AES16 card, but they are over $600. For nearer $100 which card has the best S/PDIF out. Transformer isolated outputs and a good clock are features that seem to me to be good indicators, but what you you think.   The S/PDIF from my motherboard is...

I'm thinking of driving my HD600s directly from a DAC/Sound-card - likely candidtaes are either Asus ST/STX of Cambridge Dacmagic (not decided yet, and not important for this question). In either case I can easily get at the balaced output signal, and would just need to amplify the current...

It is often said that the HD600/650 really need a home amp with lots of voltage to get the best from them, and balanced is even better. Now, I was reading the HD600 specs and the sensitivity was stated two different ways: 96dB @ 1mW and 112 dB @ 1V rms (which would be only 3.333mA for the 300...

I was just browsing NewEgg soundcards while a process finiished on my machine and I found this: Newegg.com - DIAMOND XtremeSound XS71 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card - Sound Cards According to the reviews, if you download the CMedia drivers off the web its bit-perfect. It...

Two questions about these pre-amps: 1. They have a headphone out, and knowing Bryston id high quality and in to fully descrete as a general approach, I was wondering how good the head amp was. 2. Even more fun. Reading the specs I found it will swing 30v into 600 ohm from its balanced...

I read some great reviews of the new LD dual-mono sold state (V I think) and I started thinking, as I don't really need a portable perhaps I souldn't go the Pico route (I'm on the list, but way, way down). So, for about $500, what would work well. I don't mind a build-for-hire of an AMB or...

I was planning on getting a Pico, at least in part because of the great DAC. Then I saw great review of the dual-mono LD MKv and thought, as I don't really need a portable and I have HD600s which most people say benifit from a home amps grunt, should I get a LD MKv and a DAC instead. So, two...

Because I will need to archive my LP collection to FLAC in the future I was thinking of a Lynx L22 as both my source DAc and for later recording - the Apogee, mytek, Lynx etc external stuff is too expensive. There is often a heavy only external is any good bias here at Head-fi, but does any...

Justin from Headamp seems to a great deal of respect, even before the Pico came out. I'm sure it is all justified, but as I'm new on the forums, I was curious what he had done before such that people were expecting such great stuff from him.