How is the microphone audio quality?

Some lighthearted indie pop

Thanks for the link

Do these ever go on sale new?

  While it is one DAC, it does have 8 channels I believe. 

  You can make a custom cable for it very easily

  I've only heard the PHA-3, but looking at the reviews, the Geek Out 1000 seems to be pretty good. Have you thought about a full size desktop amp/dac? It might be a better deal for the money if you already have a Geek Out 1000. 

The ZX1 does not output native DSD, according to my PHA-3. The Hi-rez light is on, but not the DSD light.

Since the ZX1 uses the digital amp system, I think they replace the DAC with some sort of DSP.

  The PHA-3's ES9018 DAC has 8 channels. It could be using four channels for the balanced mode, though I have no way to confirm that. 

One feature I really like are the Senseme channels. It does a fair job of finding slow or fast songs depending on the "mood" you select. 

  Drive-By Truckers: English Oceans One of the great modern rock bands, Drive-By Trucker's newest album keeps the song writing tight. A nice album for sunny fall days.     Cayetana: Nervous Like Me Fun pop punk.

Did he happen to get the SRS-X9? If so, how is it?

With all of this cable talk, don't forget there is a rather plain looking cable from the headphone's input jack to the driver. It might be something that modders will look into upgrading, maybe even completely bypassing the audio jack. 

For correcting artwork, I found the Media Go software to work best.

B&H Photo has it listed for a OCT 30 availability in the US. 

Apex Altitude

Sony's Media Go software now supports ASIO output to the PHA-2

Thanks to gmahler2u for setting up a great event! Lots of attendees and equipment. Some of the audio highlights for me were a Yamaha ortho out of a vintage tube amp, ecp Black Diamond headphone amp, and the Oppo HA-1. The CMOY I tried from stevovee was also very impressive and produced a big...

  For podcasts, the google music app seems to pick them up automatically and it is already installed on the device.

Here are some more images of it: http://www.phileweb.com/news/audio/201409/04/14861.html It has a DSEE HX toggle switch, and apparently the price is going to be €800.

Here is a promotional video for the Z7: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdpYCIbVHAU

Looking forward to the meetup! I'll be bringing some Sony portable gear and a Grado set.

What would be a good place for a meet up?