Xp7 !!!!!!!! - Page 3

I got my xp-7 today. Thanks so much todd for the excellent service. Letting it burn in w/ new phones overnight and gonna take it for a spin tomorrow.

Received it today too...
Will post impressions in a pair of days, basically because I've not burned in my brand new HD650s yet...so results may not be on the par with other posted here...and last but not least, I've heard that it would be better letting a product approach the ambient temperature level before using it for the first time!

Even if my HD650s aren't burned in yet, I simply couldn't resist and just gave it a try. I attached it to the line-out of my Iriver SlimX 550 and tested it with one of my most demanding cd's in terms of dynamic range...a Chandos disc containing Stokowsky's arrangements of some Mussorgsky's pieces played by the BBC Philharmonics...
Well, even if the SlimX certainly hasn't an audiophile sound quality (but it still sounds pretty good...so good that Headroom recommends it as portable cd player), the XP7 presents himself with absolute silence... no hiss or other artifacts at all! The sound is cristalline and (of course) much, much fuller and better placed on the soundstage than it was straight from SlimX's headphone out. There is no hint the amp is approaching its limits even in most demanding climaxes (I think anyone who knows this disc can confirm that some towering crescendi and climaxes with full organ pedals, grancassa and tam tam could give some problems to some cheap amps).
I think no one should worry about the XP7 being capable of driving high-end Sennhesers from a portable device...my SlimX 550 was set on 28 (max. is 40), and it was loud enough (comparable to the volume level you would hear in a GOOD concert hall...that's what I want relating to volume, not more and not less) even without pushing XP7's to its limits! Shouldn't this be enough for some of you, you can simply set both SlimX and XP7 to max...still, perfect sound with no hints of artifacts or loss in detail! Simply awesome...
Will post more comments after the burn-in period ;-)

I'm using the line out...if you play with the volume setting of the SlimX, the volume of the line out actually changes. Don't know if all player's line-outs behave this way! I remember I had tested both headphone out and line out connecting my old HD570 without an amp...the volume level was exactly the same!

Yep, the so-called "line out" on the SlimX series is actually a second headphone out.

However, the SlimX iMP-550's antishock system doesn't really have an "Off" setting per se, as its memory RAM buffer is large enough to store 80 seconds of non-compressed antishock music. So, setting the antishock system to the lesser of two settings (in this case, 80 seconds instead of 320 seconds).

It's an hybrid line-out. It's an optical one when connected to a DAC or a digital device with an optical cable...it's an analogue one (some say it isn't a true line-out) when you connect a device using an analogue cable. Still it's supposed to have an at least decent SNR of 90...are there portable (mp3?) cd players with better values? I know there are flash memory or hard disk digital players with some good SNR-values, but what about the good old cd players?

Hi Todd,

Just ordered the Xp7 from your website. Do you have one in stock or will these be backordered?

Yahoo! Just got the XP7 from Todd. Just made it in time too, as our post office here will be closed tomorrow until the 28th. Thanks for the Xmas gift Todd!

Congrats, Tortie! Looking forward to your impressions!