First, simple thing.  The plugs are now in stock and available for DIY/custom cable work, they're on the accessories page.  Be sure to order two for any Alpha Dogs.
 
Second, for the stand.  I have made it work well in three ways:
 
1) No cable
 
2) With the cable on, and letting the phone rest on the cables, leaning back a bit.  
 
3) With a block underneath or a pad on top
 
A little creative and easy DIY makes it more flexible, for sure.  

matttcg said:

 

tmraven said:

  I'd probably hate that CD.  Please, no Allison Krauss, anything but that.

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No Allison Krauss. 

...blasphemy. Here is what I'm using to test AD's with:
 
1. Patricia Barber: Modern Cool. The first track has wonderful bass extension and Patricia's fantastic raspy vocals. 24/96
 
2. Daft Punk: RAM. Just how well can the AD handle electronic and super deep bass?  24/96
 
3. Muddy Waters: Folk Singer. One of the most intimate and realistic studio blues recording I know. 
 
4. REM: Murmur (MFSL recording) Just a great pop album. Stipe just really rocks this whole album out. 

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The MFSL versions of the REM CDs are a classic example of bad remastering.
 
The MFSL cleans up and improves the bass and treble - the result is that the instruments are clearer - and so the mix is all wrong.
 
The cymbals, drums and bass become higher in the mix and it sounds more like a high energy jazz combo.
 
The original REM CDs are just fine, and they sound the way the band should sound.  They have what Mike Ting of headfonia.com calls "PRaT" - Pace, Rhythm and Timing.   The MFSL remasters have less.
 
This same thing happens with a lot of the remasters of rock albums - more clarity and less rhythm.
 
===
 
By the way, I would say that the reason you think you can't hear soundstage very well, is that you test headphones with tracks that don't have a very good soundstage.
 
This is the problem with only using "music I like" to test headphones.  J. Gordon Holt once told me "The quality of the recording is usually inversely proportional to the quality of the performance".   You need to have at least a few tracks that are great recordings, even if you do not like them.  Usually this means two mikes (left and right) in a room with the musicians.   Otherwise, the soundstage is fake, because it is created with pan pots on the mixing board (he said from experience doing just that).

kstuart said:

   
J. Gordon Holt once told me "The quality of the recording is usually inversely proportional to the quality of the performance".

  You need to have at least a few tracks that are great recordings, even if you do not like them.  Usually this means two mikes (left and right) in a room with the musicians.   Otherwise, the soundstage is fake, because it is created with pan pots on the mixing board (he said from experience doing just that).

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"In whose ears we trust."  OK, I'm dating myself, but that's what the other writers at Stereophile used to say about JGH.  
 
Of course there are others, but one broad exception to this is Chesky records.  They have absolutely fantastic performances and recordings.  At least half my reference tracks are Chesky.

kstuart said:

 
By the way, I would say that the reason you think you can't hear soundstage very well, is that you test headphones with tracks that don't have a very good soundstage.
 
This is the problem with only using "music I like" to test headphones.  J. Gordon Holt once told me "The quality of the recording is usually inversely proportional to the quality of the performance".

  You need to have at least a few tracks that are great recordings, even if you do not like them.  Usually this means two mikes (left and right) in a room with the musicians.   Otherwise, the soundstage is fake, because it is created with pan pots on the mixing board (he said from experience doing just that).

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Well said and so true, unfortunately 99% of pop music is created on a mixing board nowadays.
 
At risk of going OT we really should create a thread naming albums/tracks with wide soundstages recorded using the traditional twin mic method, I could suggest a few notable tracks and would love to hear other suggestions.

A question...Are there any plans to offer the Alpha Dog using the Shure pads, particularly for upgrades?
 
The Alpha Dog pads look very similar to the pads on the LCD-2/3 and I hated those pads (they pressed against my jaw and face in all the wrong spots, so I could only wear them maybe 15 minutes at a time). I can wear the Shure pads on the Mad Dogs for a long time. To me, they are just right.
 
I am afraid of upgrading my Mad Dogs to something that is technically superior, but too uncomfortable to wear.

^^ You might consider the dog pads instead if you'd like to try something other than the alpha pads. I don't recommend the Shure pads and I'm reasonable certain you can still get the dog pads.
 
@kstuart...I have several tracks that I use to test for sound stage. Every track on the Wailin Jenny's Live at the Munich Opera House and also Willie Nelson Teatro. Both of these albums have tremendous depth and space. I can hear a difference but only slight. It has nothing to do with the recording and everything to do with my ear canal anatomy.

goldfishx said:

  A question...Are there any plans to offer the Alpha Dog using the Shure pads, particularly for upgrades?
 
The Alpha Dog pads look very similar to the pads on the LCD-2/3 and I hated those pads (they pressed against my jaw and face in all the wrong spots, so I could only wear them maybe 15 minutes at a time). I can wear the Shure pads on the Mad Dogs for a long time. To me, they are just right.
 
I am afraid of upgrading my Mad Dogs to something that is technically superior, but too uncomfortable to wear.

Click to expand...

 
Nope.  Alpha pads only.  Most people feel the Alpha Pads are a step up in comfort from the Dog Pads and Shure's.  

goldfishx said:

  A question...Are there any plans to offer the Alpha Dog using the Shure pads, particularly for upgrades?
 
The Alpha Dog pads look very similar to the pads on the LCD-2/3 and I hated those pads (they pressed against my jaw and face in all the wrong spots, so I could only wear them maybe 15 minutes at a time). I can wear the Shure pads on the Mad Dogs for a long time. To me, they are just right.
 
I am afraid of upgrading my Mad Dogs to something that is technically superior, but too uncomfortable to wear.

Click to expand...

I've never used the LCD or Alpha pads so this is all hearsay, but I've heard the Alpha pads described as quite comfortable and the LCD described as quite uncomfortable by the same person. Not all leather pads are the same. Plus the pressing might have more to do with clamp force than with the pad.

The Alpha Pads are the most comfortable leather pads I have ever felt, and a huge step above the LCD2's pads. No contest, whatsoever.

goldfishx said:

 
A question...Are there any plans to offer the Alpha Dog using the Shure pads, particularly for upgrades?

The Alpha Dog pads look very similar to the pads on the LCD-2/3 and I hated those pads (they pressed against my jaw and face in all the wrong spots, so I could only wear them maybe 15 minutes at a time). I can wear the Shure pads on the Mad Dogs for a long time. To me, they are just right.

I am afraid of upgrading my Mad Dogs to something that is technically superior, but too uncomfortable to wear.

Click to expand...

For what it's worth I thought the LCD pads to be a good bit better than the Alpha pads in comfort-- because of their larger openings-- and feel.  Any discomfort from the LCD stems from its weight and clamping pressure I would imagine.  I think you'd be fine with the Alpha pads.

mad lust envy said:

The Alpha Pads are the most comfortable leather pads I have ever felt, and a huge step above the LCD2's pads. No contest, whatsoever.

Click to expand...

 
The lambskin used in the alpha earpads look disturbingly similar to that of LCD3 brown lambskin leather pads, actually.

Thanks for the responses. Any chance anyone can compare the clamp of a Mad Dog with Shure Pads to an Alpha Dog? I'm sure the LCD-2's clamp was a huge part of the issue. I've had no such issue with the Mad Dogs.
 
I'm not sure I want to go the upgrade route at this point, so I will probably look to purchase outright later on. My Mad Dogs have earned their right to stay intact.

The clamping force of the Mad Dogs can be adjusted - there is a Youtube video where Dan demonstrates this.  Since the Alpha Dogs use the same headband, the same technique should work there too.

I think we just shipped our first headphone, an Alpha Dog, to Alaska.  

Mad Dog in the house. It has the Alpha Pads.
 
Overall, it sounds wonderful. After my HD600 got stolen, I've been looking for a replacement. This has mids that are almost as nice, with a more well rounded soundstage than the HE-500, with dat sweet ortho bass.
 
Can't wait for my turn with the Alpha Dog.