This is an XLR cable that sells for CAD $180 (USD $145) for a 3ft pair. However, you can save CAD $26 (USD $21) if you shorten the length to 2ft, which is what you should choose if this is being used as an interconnect from a DAC to an amp, and the two components are stacked or next to each other. 2ft is the length I bought. I'm firmly in the camp that you shouldn't spend a fortune on cables, and that cables should cost less than 10% of your system. But as the combined retail value of my DAC, amp, and headphones is over $5000, I figured I could try...

For those who think a $10 plastic optical cable is good enough, cool. I'm making absolutely no claims that this cable improves sound quality. However, as this is an optical cable, it confers specific advantages over USB cables which I'll detail further below. So why pay USD $135 for a 6-foot optical cable? What you're paying for is supporting a small, specialized company that produces a quality, handmade product. What makes Lifatec unique is that they specialize in supplying medical-grade optic fiber lines for endoscopes. Their optical cable...

BUILD Weighs 190g without cable. As a comparison... GH4: 180g; GS2000e: 270g; SR325x: 280g; GS3000e: 330g; PS1000e: 530g Wooden cups seem smaller than the RS2e. 80% of it is hemp, while the last 20% facing the ear is maple. The engraving on the medallions was sharp. 8-conductor cable had a few creases out of the box. Headband is good. Other brands may look nicer, but they're made of plastic or non-malleable metal. Grado headbands may be finely adjusted through bending, which is great because heads aren't entirely symmetrical. When someone complains...

FIRST AK4499 DAC TO MARKET The Topping D90 was the first commercial DAC using AKM's latest and greatest DAC chip, the AK4499. On paper, this DAC chip boasts a THD+N of -124dB, which is lower and better than AKM's previous flagship, the AK4497 at -116dB. Many people believe that DAC technology has been more or less figured out at this point, and that a $100-200 DAC is good enough for most purposes. Therefore, at $700, the Topping D90 is held to a higher standard and must perform flawlessly for it to be a good buy. Upon release, certain sites measured...

MICRO IDSD BLACK LABEL'S BIG BROTHER iFi's Micro iDSD Black Label (shortened to the MiDSD BL for the rest of the review) is perhaps iFi's most popular product. It's a portable combo DAC/amp unit that packs a comprehensive feature set, along with a ridiculous amount of power, at a price ($600 USD) that doesn't break the bank. What's very notable is its analog tweak features, XBass and 3D+. I own the MiDSD BL, and used it as my everyday desktop DAC/amp, but there were a few things I found frustrating about it. It didn't provide enough power on eco...