Hey guys, the amount of feedback is overwhelming (in a good way). I've only been away from the thread a day it seems and there are four new pages to read :)
Thank you very much for the passionate conversation. I understand that this crowd votes in the majority for SQ and in the minority for long battery life (oops, I may have just offended some people - sorry!).
I see that the 5-hour mark is the "magic barrier" for many people. It's partly psychological, partly convenience-based, partly based on the fact that so many of us spend much time on the long plane ride. I got all the feedback -- thank you again. Let me share a bit of the philosophy in an attempt to calm those dissenting voices out there...
- We are re-using the DACmini headphone amp in the M8, so there will be plenty of output power. The DACmini headphone amp is Class-A, which means that it consumes about the same amount of power constantly, whether it actually plays music into headphones or not. This Class-A topology is what gives it the best possible linearity and lowest distortion, but alas, comes with the penalty of increased power draw.
- We will not replace the headphone amp. I confess -- we tried to go for a "portable", "battery-friendly" topology and that's what we have shown at RMAF. People voiced their opinions clearly and definitively: "Need more power". So, there will be no compromises in that department. This is why spec-wise there will be almost a 10x difference in power output between M8 and those "sane", "battery-friendly" devices out there. Call me insane, but I'm choosing SQ. I submit this is bordering marketing suicide, but then again, this is not your typical market :)
- As far as the opamps are concerned, we have already found something that "feels" about the same, but adds a whole extra hour to the battery. But we need to do more listening to see if SQ is actually, truly the same. If not, we will go back to the original ones and find places to optimize the power consumption elsewhere. We are nowhere near done "scrubbing". As a matter of fact, I'm quite happy that the entire product is now alive in front of us, which allows us to attack the "total device", square-inch-by-square-inch.
- Changes will only be made in those areas where there exists blatant, unnecessary fat (read: "sub-optimal design decisions"). We will not compromise on the SQ, so don't worry. I'm ready to take the hit (and, alas, public ridicule) on the subject of battery life in order to satisfy those who need the best possible sound on the go. Having said that, again, we are not done fighting...
- Regarding yesterday's question about a PMP device with a USB "Output". I don't know of a device like that because in order to offer "USB output" rather than input, the device pretty much needs to be a full-fledged computer. Most PMPs out there are not a computer, but rather a peripheral device for a computer, even though many are running an OS internally. It seems that a $300 laptop (heck, a $250 laptop) would do just fine, although yes, it would be larger than a PMP.
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- Regarding charging the iDevice. We are not planning to give any of our own power away. We will only charge the iDevice when M8 is plugged into the wall. We will NOT charge the iDevice when M8 is running off its internal battery.
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- Regarding using the USB input for charging the M8 and using a laptop at the same time. Only the USB input that's labelled USB (the squarish USB-B connector) can be used for charging the M8 from the outside. It's the larger USB jack on the left, the one that the laptop connects to. You can charge the M8 from the computer like you could charge your phone.
The second USB jack (the rectangular USB-A connector) is used for connecting to an iDevice and charging the iDevice. This jack actually moves power in the opposite direction -- from the M8 to the iDevice, so you cannot use this jack to charge the M8 (it's a source of power, not a receiver of power).
I suggest that you use the squarish USB jack for USB audio (laptop) and the external power jack for charging. Then, an external battery pack with the appropriate round plug would be a great way to recharge the unit or extend battery life. Those companies like Energizer, Eneloop, etc., are proficient at battery management and volume-based cost management, so we might as well know that we can rely on them for those extra-long flights or extended listening sessions.
CEntrance will not attempt to be Energizer. CEntrance will deliver SQ, then battery life. In that order.
Edited by mgoodman - 12/14/12 at 9:40pm
