Thank you for the great advice. I am not sure if the issue is jitter or other. I will keep you posted on whether the Grace M900 improves the situation.

I have invested in the Campfire Audio Vegas and am very pleased with the results. The only negative is the moulded right-angled 3.5mm jack on the otherwise excellent ALO Litz cable. I would ideally like a 3.5mm or 6.3mm straight cable of identical specification. But ALO only make the above or...

It is a simple USB-powered Fostex PC-100USB-HR2. Connected to a Microsoft Surface Pro 4 or its Surface Dock. Often it operates silent(ish), but sometimes noises and crackles occur. To remove all electrical noise, would it be necessary to interpose something like a Schiit Wyrd into the USB...

When listening to IEMs through a USB DAC/Amp, I hear static and interference noises from time to time. What is the cause of this and how can I prevent it please?

I received the Turtle Beach USB Amigo II today and it's working brilliantly.   It took my a few minutes to get it to work with XBMC (Live) on a Zotac Zbox ND02.   I only found success once my Audio Output settings were configured as follows:     Hope this helps somebody one day.

I have already pulled the trigger, and the Nuforce seems to be more than four times the price of the Turtle Beach Amigo II.   Thanks anyway. :)

Thank you for a brilliant recommendation! The Turtle Beach Micro II looks perfect for my simple needs.   I am going to buy one right away. Thank you!

Thanks for the suggestion, but the HRT is clearly out of my budget.   Can anyone suggest a good DAC for below £50?

I would like a simple USB-to-phono DAC to connect my media pc to my stereo amplifier.   There seem to be a few budget options: Musiland Monitor 01 Mini TDA1543 DIR9001 AUNE PCM2707   Any recommendations or opinions on these?   Advice would be much appreciated!

It hums? How strange. Every professional review I have seen proclaims it to be among the quietest tube amps ever found. Interesting to hear an unbiased review.   Here's a thought - has the performance improved since it's been run in?   And what colour did you buy it in?

The AudioEngine A5s are active (self-powered) speakers. The Fireye II USB DAC would supply them with a totally clean analogue signal, directly from your computer. This would therefore be the best possible way of driving them. In fact, a pre-amped signal from the Fireye would absolutely spoil...

Quote: Originally Posted by eyecon82 so, would most agree the Shure's se-530's have more bass? The SE530s probably do have more bass than the Super-fis, but neither will have as much bass as the vastly superior Atrio M5s. Future Sonics Atrio M5 / M8 Review

Quote: Originally Posted by shigzeo ...despite not being the most detailed of outputs... I would wager that anyone other than a studio mastering engineer would not be able to notice any such deficiencies in detail in a double-blind trial. Seriously, ther Fireye II is more...

Great review! The Fireye II is indeed a marvellous DAC and a most worthy external soundcard for any personal computer audio environment. I use mine with a pair of the superior Future Sonics Atrio M5s. This is, in my opinion, the best in-earphone personal audio solution available today...

If you are using earphones such as the Shure SE530s, or similar, then I can indeed understand that you may experienced a distinct hiss with practically any input device. The SE530s are of such notoriously low impedance that a hiss can hardly be avoided. Perhaps this is the problem which you...

I have been extensively using the Fireye II with the Shure SE420s for post-production mobile audio work and I have not experienced any noticeable hiss whatsoever.

McCol, your detailed and incredibly helpful review has sold me on the Atrio M5s. I first owned the UE Super.fi Pro5s for a year, and found them really good in the sound department, aside from the shockingly poor build quality and cable construction. I have now most recently owned the Shure...

I must say, by way of update, that I purchased the Fireye II some months ago, and I am absolutely delighted with it. It drives my Shure SE420s like nothing else I have ever experienced before, and I am delighted with the performance!

Thank you for the incredibly helpful and informative post!

I only require USB computer audio functionality, so the Fireye II looks ideal for me. Also, it is less than half the price of the iBasso D2 Boa, which is a big plus for me. I imagine that any perceivable difference in 'sound quality' would be negligible at most.

Hmm... I have just had another look at the Fireye 1, and a crazy thought just struck me... It would appear that it's USB connection, is not a USB connection at all, but rather, just a socket for its charger! So it would appear to not be serviceable as an external sound card at all? Have...

Quote: Originally Posted by ClieOS which Fireye 1 is not Is it not??? If that is the case, then I am very glad to have had the opportunity for this to be pointed out to me! However, please forgive me if I am wrong, but the details on what seems to be the distributor's website...

Gents, I fear you may have overlooked something important, in your hasty critique of the Fireye I's lack of volume control for PC use... Please see the comments on this page, following a review of a similar product: iBasso D2 Boa Headphone Amplifier Comments - TrustedReviews For iPod...