Quote: I am pretty certain my macbook is limited to 96 via optical - no problem with USB.

Depends what the price is new.   It's now £150.00 in the UK = US$125.00 at £1 = $1.60.

Quote: My K702s were made in Austria. They are 18 months old, so the current may not be.

I have had my Teac UD-H01 for a couple months and I am pretty pleased with its performance. It replaced a FiiO combo so not that much competition.   However, I am considering a headphone amplifier to bypass the Teac's. Has anyone else done this?   What is likely to be the minimum cost to...

My K702s are about 10 months old and are made in Austria.

I have the FiiO E10 and E7 which have worked fine. I had to return the FiiO E9 headphone amplifier (and dock for the E7) as it developed a crackling noise on the right channel of the volume control.

Just bought a Teac UD-H01 a few days ago to go with my AKG 702s (with KImber replacement cable).   Only about 20 hours of burn-in so far - but I am liking what I hear (as I type it's  Fleetwood Mac's Tango In The Night @ 24/192kHz flac file). A significant improvement over my FiiO E7 & E9...

I use a FiiO E10 and a FiiO E7 which are both USB headphone amplifier + DAC combos. The latter is portable (battery) but can also be docked to the FiiO E9 headphone amplifier.   Although not expensive, they give a lot of bang per buck - used with my iPod Touch and Macbook Pro.

I have an E5, E7 and E9.   I am amazed at the build quality and performance for their price.   [And have no connection with the company, other than as a customer. :) ]

AFAIK, the E7 only works as an amp when connected via a LOD to an iPod - i.e. like the E5?

Quote: I have the AKG K702 which AFAIK are the same to drive as the K701. My E7 has no problem with the K702 via a LOD on my iPod.   The E7 is even better partnered with the E9.

Quote: Originally Posted by Lord Chaos Squeezebox with Benchmark DAC1 is cheaper, and you get a free built-in high-quality headphone amp. I like listening to mine every night. I just fall into the music. Likewise - SB3 with Zhaolu DAC + HD595 headphones. Also, I use the...

Yes, a good soundcard can make a big difference. I went back and tried a Turtle Beach Santa Cruz (analogue) in my new PC and was amazed at the improvement. So I bought a M-Audio 192, and it was better still. Then a new DAC, then a new amp, then new speakers, new cables, then a better DAC...

Quote: Originally Posted by lextek Nanybodt else getting "error 500 or 504" while trying to "ugrade" their songs? Yes. It has taken over 15 hours to download 3 tracks. I assume Apple has massively underestimated demand?

PX100 - mine arrived today.