Thanks trip 7, excellent review. I'm pretty much looking for something with the same capabilities/qualities. I appreciate your taking the time to post. I do alot of skiing and mountain biking with the kids and can't afford ear canal type isolation. Maybe I will order these from Amazon and try...

  Thanks Mate for such a comprehensive reply. I'm a newb, yes,  but a quick learner. In a few short days I have done a lot of research, a forte of mine. I recognize the truth, wisdom, accuracy, and BALANCE in virtually everything you say. I hope I am as impressed with my new gear as I am with...

Quote: Sure, as long as you're rockin' some good tunes on the trip!

Understand bias and placebo very well, trip7. Also think NwAvGuy is a bit ahead of his time and a genius as well. I can see why advertisers/maufacturers would hate him.  I loved his "spats" with NuForce and Benchmark. SO funny, you couldn't make this stuff up!   Delta, I found this link that...

WOW again Deltaechoe. I sent DanBa a PM last night because he has been flogging this all over the internet. I thanked him and offered to help and he sent me about a 2 page reply with a dozen links! The guy is over in France and English is his second language which makes his efforts that much...

I thought that just like getting a DIGITAL signal out of a computer so that the internal electrics would not pollute/corrupt it AFTER the dac converted it to analog, a smart phone, now essentially a mini computer, would be the same. Besides, every smart phone I have ever owned has already had...

Thanks for the responses Guys and the reference to that other thread Brooko. I will definitely check it out.   A few brief answers.   1) Vendors are purchasing excellent but cheap electronic components, carefully assembling them, putting them in pretty boxes, marking them up xxx$...

Well scrypt. pingfloid, and especially you DanBa, THANKS!  for all your efforts. You guys were certainly well ahead of me on this critical issue. Some of the responses you got Dan Ba annoyed me so much that I started a rant/thread on portable source devices tonight, "Does being a portable audio...

All true. And besides which a HDD is not going to take kindly to skiing and mountain biking. And further, why should we have to fool with ANYTHING (especially a CLAS or HP1, $$$ better spent elsewhere) when Apple and Android should just eliminate customer abuse and give us usb audio to begin...

"But the criticism and haranguing are uncalled for - if you want more detail, ask a question, and if you get an answer, be grateful for it.  Don't assert your superiority in judgment or professionalism - invite whatever further discussion the OP is willing to share."   Good points, but what...

      Rants of a Noob.    1) Poorly engineered devices/buggy function/art vs. science/technology excuses. In looking for/researching/investigating portable audiophile solutions, I am struck by the number of high priced units that are thrown onto the market only to be followed by...

 Well thanks CSM. I'm a "reactive" person and a lot of people think I'm a prick/wanker (If that is not censored!). My response, "What's it like looking in the mirror?" Point: it is easy and a pleasure to deal with people with good heads AND good hearts. Unfortunately a dying breed.   Yeah...

WOW!!  I can't believe this thread died so quickly. I googled the same question and it brought me here.   It is an EXCELLENT question. In an age of minaturization and with all the hype on their websites about the quality of their $500-1000 PORTABLE units, it seem to me they SHOULD be damn...

LOL, true! But if they are, hopefully by something BETTER!

Well. a BIG thanks to Electropop. Derbigpr, and of course CSM. I have a pair of 550's on the way from Amazon because of this thread. It is my first foray into headphone hifi and you guys have all given me enough confidence (together with some trepidation) to take the plunge.   Just a few...