I was thinking of designing a high-end PCDP. Now I'm considering a portable external DAC/amplifier combination for use with the PCDP of your choice. Basically it would be much easier & quicker to eliminate the transport section and the related control software.

I'm thinking Crystal CS8414 receiver, Burr-Brown DF1704 8x upsampler, Burr-Brown PCM1704 DACs, discreet I/V conversion and output stage. All could be run off batteries TBD decently. Volume control could either be digital or smooth/stepped attenuator. I'm thinking that somehow it will mechanically clip onto a PCDP to avoid extra baggage. A universal system would have to be developed of course to be able to mate with everything out there.

I know some people in my previous query (http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showt...threadid=44798) were concerned that they wanted to use their own amplifiers and didn't even want a headphone out on the PCDP. Does that make this idea right out? Let me know your thoughts.

Please, comments about harddrive based players are not productive to what I'm trying to do.

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I could imagine that some velcro straps should be most simple and versatile for that purose.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini

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I just want to post to say that I think I missed that first thread. I mean, obviously, I didn't, since I posted in it, but I don't think I understand how seriously you were on a fact-finding mission, so I will answer it seriously this time:

This is a fantastic idea, and certainly leave the headphone amp in. It would be really nice if it was half-decent, even if not on all headphones (most headphone jacks handle low-impedance headphones better, albeit still not very well -- it'd be nice if you just said, "use low impedance headphones, period", and then just target it towards those). I know I will probably get banned for even admitting this, but I listen to an unamped M-Audio Sonica out of my computer every once in a while, and enjoy the sound quality. So yes, leave the headphone amp in. Please. For people like me.

You gotta realize that a lot of these guys are DIY'er's and tweakers, but there's a fair lot of us who want plug'n'play, even if we don't talk about it much. I mean, why do you think the thread keeps coming up, here?: "What's the best PCDP w/o an amp?" I think there's a definite market for it.