Question: Is there a sweet spot for the balance between max gain and minimum distortion? Is it fine to run the SH-9 at 99 on the volume level, or is there measurably less distortion at 90 or 80? Why asking? I received my SH-9 and am using unbalanced inputs, into a pair of HD600s. Gain setting...

Thanks - looks like something along the lines of the SH-9 is my best bet then.

Hi all, I hope I'm not being too lazy here by asking before I've done all my research, but my scenario isn't fitting cleanly into a google search, so I'm bringing it here to get some direction and ask a couple questions. I was well into head-fi for a few years and it was instrumental in the...

There's an Amazon vendor called "World's Best Cables" that uses Canare star quad cable with Amphenol connectors for a reasonable price. The three-footers are out of stock right now but they have some two-footers. Edit: this is US Amazon.

The Squeezebox is going to be a lot more flexible, but it isn't portable. Sound quality should be much better than an ipod. (and supports open standards, flac, etc) If you need portable you need the ipod, but if you're ok with your clip for the road, then I vote Squeezebox. I am very happy...

Headphone out, vol at 40, all effects and e.q. off. Sounds great, and performs great on square wave tests, etc.

What happened to the FLAC files? Gone eh? "How much" is a quantitative question. What is your unit of measure here? if the unit of measure is a smile, I would say you would lose one and a half smiles per song.

So there is no software client written that allows you to use a 5th gen ipod without itunes? I thought people had solved this issue already. On the flip side of the coin I really have nothing against rockbox, except concerns about battery life and some frustrations with the ease of use of...

If it has wifi, is it gonna have a web browser? Also imagine if it could stream/trancode from your slimserver.....

Yes it is unfortunate that you have to plug your phones/amp into the remote, rather than plugging them directly into the player. I wish you could have the remote display plugged in and still run the sound directly out of the player.

Here's a link to back up my post: http://www.iaudiophile.net/forums/showthread.php?t=3709 The problem is that this issue is so old that many of the linked pages with graphic comparisons are now gone, and the iaudiophile forum also underwent a reorg, killing links to older posts. Anyway...

The X5 headphone jack with the vol maxxed (40) and all effects off is a great line out. This is old news.

Quote: Originally Posted by Vista DRM paper linked above Say you've just bought Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side of the Moon", released as a Super Audio CD (SACD) in its 30th anniversary edition in 2003, and you want to play it under Vista. Since the S/PDIF link to your amplifier/speakers...

Here is some more detail on the Vista DRM nightmare: http://www.cs.auckland.ac.nz/~pgut00...vista_cost.txt

Maybe they'll make the black bezels available separately. I know I replaced a silver bezel. They just stick on there with adhesive strips.

Quote: Originally Posted by strangemusic Hmm.... this discussion is opening up all kinds of ideas.... would going Comp>SB->DAC->amp->phones be any different than Comp>USBDAC>Amp>Phones? Quote: Originally Posted by jmmtn4aj I'm having difficulty understand what exactly...

Quote: Originally Posted by regal With this can you use digital eq or crossfeed plugins on your computer? You can actually use a plugin (and a microphone) to do digital room correction. Search the slimdevices forums for "inguz" http://forums.slimdevices.com/index.php edit...

"A squeezebox without any mods and a better dac like the lite- dac 68 or xindak dac3 mkII or maybe an MDHT Paradesia( getting an amplifier from china so this will save shipping costs)" This is what I would recommend. I also recommend getting an inexpensive "Power One" brand 5-volt 2+ amp...

I use the Renaissance with a tube amp (PPX3) so the end result is quite "tubey". I think most of the character of the sound comes from the amp though. I was serious about not having budget to play with different dac's though. I don't have a list of previous DAC's to compare to. My other DAC is...

I have the Digital Renaissance I, and I really enjoy it. It's quiet, it's articulate, and it never bothers my ears. I don't have the resources any longer to consume audio equipment like sushi (and haven't been able to attend any meets yet), so I can't really give you any head-to-head comparision...

Are the hd-25-sp's better than sony mdr-7506's? Those have been my "camping cans" for many years and seem pretty portable/comfy/indestructible. They sound great under the stars... Edit - just saw the standard $200.00 HD 25's. I suppose they're significantly better than the sony's as they're...

New Day Rising.

Korn touring their first record as openers were an exciting band. The sound was fresh, percussive, and very aggressive. The problem is that there's no way anyone can sustain mayhem at that level. Recently since they lost their second guitarist they've lost their dissonant harmony signature...

I recommend getting the Squeezebox, and then seeing if you can test drive various DACs in front of it (without having to buy them first, or get them used an resell them). Your ears and system will tell you if it's a worthwhile upgrade to run an external DAC or not. I like the sound of the non-OS...

The cheap option is a conversion cable made by "Hosa" available at your local Guitar Center (or similar) in the pro audio department. -Dan