[a_recording]

Ooooh, so Arly meant Tyll looks like Phillip Seymour Hoffman...he is so good. He was great in the Master recently.

 
I also very much want to see Phillip Seymour Hoffman play Rob Ford.
 

 
 
 
They don't look that much alike but I reckon Hoffman could pull it off with aplomb. For reference this is one of my favourite scenes with Hoffman from the movie Punch Drunk Love (The 'good' Adam Sandler movie):
 

Spoiler: NSFW with BAD WORDS

 
 

  So, I had a birfday party at home yesterday for family. It went great, but it was a bit hectic. Also, it wasn't just my party but also my wife's, so fortunately I wasn't at the center of attention the whole time. I got a Gorillapod Tight Grip for my phonecamera, and I have to tell you, it's darned awesome. I actually saw it and tried it at the camera event, and I fell in love with it there already. Having one at my hands is just awesome. It's very sturdy too, IMO.
 

 
That looks really neat. I have a Gorrlapod tripod for normal cameras, this looks quite convenient.

 

[Magick Man]

Don't forget - there's two parts to driving 'phones. Impedance and sensitivity. Adding all the damping in the cups might not change the electrical impedance, but it can certainly change the sensitivity. I suspect much more of the sound energy will be absorbed into the clay and stuffing, and blocking the ports probably also changes the SPL output for a given voltage input.

Bingo, billy is 100% correct. Modded T50s, with all the additional damping, are tougher to drive. The native 98dB sensitivity takes a nosedive to the mid-80s, making them some of the more demanding headphones out there to drive.

 

[Mimouille]

   
 For reference this is one of my favourite scenes with Hoffman from the movie Punch Drunk Love (The 'good' Adam Sandler movie):

It indeed is a great scene. I like the scene when Adam Sandler meets him and shuts him up too. In a much less refined tone, I like this scene a lot:
 

Spoiler: Very (un)poetic scene

 

 

[Coq de Combat]

   
Congrats on your party! I loved my GTG!!! - used it for my mobile, compact Canon, iPod and several other things around the home and cafes. 

 

   
 
 
That looks really neat. I have a Gorrlapod tripod for normal cameras, this looks quite convenient.
 

 
Thanks dudes, yeah, and since the grip itself has a tripod screw, the gorillapod is interchangeable to other tripods and stuff as well. Of course, it would probably be a little overdoing it by mounting the iPhone on a big tripod, or a big gorillapod, but knowing I could, is in itself a damned cool thing. I've already started planning slow-motion videos with the kids R/C cars and the gorillapod mounted on them, and other stuff. Getting the iPhone, the Olloclip and now the GTG -- has done wonders to my creativity, and my instagram has come alive as well. Weirdly, since instagram has come alive, and I use my phone for things other than reading Flipboard as well, I've gotten a little bit closer to my not-so-immidiate family as well - my wife's uncle, my mother-in-law and so on. Feels like I'm communicating with pictures, and like some of them are getting it. Also, because of all that, I feel a tiny bit less like an outsider.
 
Anyway, as for the GTG, it's just pure awesomeness. Small enough to carry around wherever I go (pretty much, as long as I have a bag) yet sturdy enough to make it practical and useful.
 
As for the Nespresso, yes, I've finally made up my mind about it:
 

 
 
So, I can have a nice cappuccino, or espresso, in the morning with basically pressing one button. Well, technically, two - I have to turn the machine on as well. So it can do its magic while I'm taking my morning piss and smoke.
 
Yes, I am admittedly already planning how to do the light for when I'm going set up my phone on the gorillapod to film this magic, LOL

 

[drez]

   
 
 
Thanks dudes, yeah, and since the grip itself has a tripod screw, the gorillapod is interchangeable to other tripods and stuff as well. Of course, it would probably be a little overdoing it by mounting the iPhone on a big tripod, or a big gorillapod, but knowing I could, is in itself a damned cool thing. I've already started planning slow-motion videos with the kids R/C cars and the gorillapod mounted on them, and other stuff. Getting the iPhone, the Olloclip and now the GTG -- has done wonders to my creativity, and my instagram has come alive as well. Weirdly, since instagram has come alive, and I use my phone for things other than reading Flipboard as well, I've gotten a little bit closer to my not-so-immidiate family as well - my wife's uncle, my mother-in-law and so on. Feels like I'm communicating with pictures, and like some of them are getting it. Also, because of all that, I feel a tiny bit less like an outsider.
 
Anyway, as for the GTG, it's just pure awesomeness. Small enough to carry around wherever I go (pretty much, as long as I have a bag) yet sturdy enough to make it practical and useful.
 
As for the Nespresso, yes, I've finally made up my mind about it:
 

 
 
So, I can have a nice cappuccino, or espresso, in the morning with basically pressing one button. Well, technically, two - I have to turn the machine on as well. So it can do its magic while I'm taking my morning piss and smoke.
 
Yes, I am admittedly already planning how to do the light for when I'm going set up my phone on the gorillapod to film this magic, LOL

 
Looks like a nice coffee machine - all I can say from experience is that not all Nespresso machines/pods are made equal - I have tried some that produce coffee as good as the best cafe coffee, and others that produce completely ordinary coffee.  My guess is the only variable the machine can make is the boiler and therefore the water temperature, maybe the connecting plumbing.  The coffee grinding and compacting is already taken care of inside the pods.  
 
On a smooth sequeway the gorrillapod looks cool as well.  I wish they would make something exactly like that but with those alligator clip sort of things you find on helping hands.  Wouldn't you know it such a thing already exists:

 
EDIT: Actually this is not an off the shelf product but a modification

 

[DigitalFreak]

The audio360 stocking stuffer guide is now officially live gang

 

 

[Coq de Combat]

 

[Argyris]

You know what they say about the dismal state of broadband in the US? Well...
 

 

[MuppetFace]

Listening with the Vali out of my [relatively] modest Onkyo DAC, the sound it produces reminds me of rigs many times the price. In fact if it came in a bigger, fancier case and another zero were added on to the price, I think folks would put it alongside their more expensive gear without batting an eyelash. It drives the immensely persnickety HD800 surprisingly well, though personally my favorite pairing is with a well modified pair of T50RPs. Add in the GEEK, and you've got a desk rig that is pretty hard to beat for the money.
 
IMHO.
YMMV.
WTFBBQ.
 
Of course the Vali isn't perfect. In fact it has some definite issues. For one thing, it is incredibly microphonic. Tubes are naturally microphonic; tap on one with your fingernail (but please, not your skin) and a glassy sound can be heard through your headphones. As tubes warm up, they're also prone to making little pinging and clinking noises. With the Vali however the problem is more prevalent than anything I've heard before. When you plug in your headphones, you'll likely hear a sustained ringing for around ten to twenty seconds or so. The sound will naturally go away and wont interfere when you listen to music, though if you tap on the case it'll come back. Adjusting the volume pot can also cause some brief ringing. It doesn't hurt my ears, but it's something that makes me pause and wait before I start listening.
 
The other issue with the Vali is that it is best suited for less sensitive headphones, and it is especially not the sort of amp I'd recommend for IEMs. There's just too much hiss. Basically anything 30 ohms and up should be fine I'm guessing. So most Sennheiser, Beyer, AKG, Audez'e, and HiFiMan stuff.
 
Aside from these quibbles, I have to say the Vali is the only tube amp I've heard anywhere near this price point that can give you a taste of "tubes done right." Most cheap tube amps by comparison sound overly warm and mushy to me, lacking dynamics and good spatial separation. The Vali in turn probably isn't going to measure perfectly, but its creators---who have quite a lot of collective experience---went with what sounded good to them. 

 

[Coq de Combat]

  You know what they say about the dismal state of broadband in the US? Well...
 
 

Wow, and how much are they charging you for that? Also, when listening to Tek syndicate, there are some pretty dubious ideas in the planning for your networks, such as charging companies (like Netflix) for the traffic they generate, and other more evil stuff in the making. In a way it makes me think of the internet of today as a bit of a time bomb in a sense -- it could explode any minute now -- yet I can't help but to feel that it's probably too late for ISPs to become evil and greedy at this point in time. The internet is already too wild, and trying to fence it will probably lead to more startups digging their "free" versions of fiber, and other crazy projects like the 'loon'. It's a shame that sometimes it feels like your ISPs are actually counter productive, but the bigger shame (imho) lies in the elephant in the room: whole industries whining about teens stealing their stuff instead of trying to provide sustainable, working alternatives that actually are prized accordingly. Because, I can't shake the feeling that piracy is partly to blame for ISPs trying to monetize traffic -- however, I think piracy is only partly our fault, but also "their's", for not knowing how to step into a new millenia with a new channel to provide entertainment.
 
I only wish the internet is here to stay as free as it is, without governing agencies and ignorant and suspicious decision makers getting too much to say in this matter, however the way we're headed: it's only a matter of time before we're all affected by stupid, counter productive regulations.

 

[MrEleventy]

 
You know what they say about the dismal state of broadband in the US? Well...

Wow, and how much are they charging you for that? Also, when listening to Tek syndicate, there are some pretty dubious ideas in the planning for your networks, such as charging companies (like Netflix) for the traffic they generate, and other more evil stuff in the making. In a way it makes me think of the internet of today as a bit of a time bomb in a sense -- it could explode any minute now -- yet I can't help but to feel that it's probably too late for ISPs to become evil and greedy at this point in time. The internet is already too wild, and trying to fence it will probably lead to more startups digging their "free" versions of fiber, and other crazy projects like the 'loon'. It's a shame that sometimes it feels like your ISPs are actually counter productive, but the bigger shame (imho) lies in the elephant in the room: whole industries whining about teens stealing their stuff instead of trying to provide sustainable, working alternatives that actually are prized accordingly. Because, I can't shake the feeling that piracy is partly to blame for ISPs trying to monetize traffic -- however, I think piracy is only partly our fault, but also "their's", for not knowing how to step into a new millenia with a new channel to provide entertainment.

I only wish the internet is here to stay as free as it is, without governing agencies and ignorant and suspicious decision makers getting too much to say in this matter, however the way we're headed: it's only a matter of time before we're all affected by stupid, counter productive regulations.

Probably around 50/month. I'm paying 35 right now for 15mbps and that's through a new customer deal. It'll hike up to 50 after 6months. The main problem is that there's little to no competition in each region. You're locked down to either DSL or Cable. DSL is typically ADSL and for the most part, farts out after 7mbps. Since that's a lot of region's theoretical max, cable companies don't see a need to exceed that by too much. 10-15 is about the standard. You can pay more to get more tho. It's 60 for 30mbps and 70 for 50mbps. My region doesn't qualify for the 107mbps.

 

[DigitalFreak]

An with Muppets above posted impressions I'm off to read some raving reviews on the official Vali thread. Nice impressions Romy, sounds like the Geek and Vali have proven you don't need to sell a kidney to enjoy acceptably good hi-fi sound.

 

[gikigill]

MF, you got the Geek already? I ordered one ages ago and still waiting.

 

[gikigill]

WRT US isps being greedy and evil, they have taken 100s of billions in subsidies but still won't activate the Dark Fiber laid all around. The USA actually has a lot of underground fibre optic cable, just not activated by the isps. Why?

Because F you, that's why

 

[Argyris]

  Wow, and how much are they charging you for that? Also, when listening to Tek syndicate, there are some pretty dubious ideas in the planning for your networks, such as charging companies (like Netflix) for the traffic they generate, and other more evil stuff in the making. In a way it makes me think of the internet of today as a bit of a time bomb in a sense -- it could explode any minute now -- yet I can't help but to feel that it's probably too late for ISPs to become evil and greedy at this point in time. The internet is already too wild, and trying to fence it will probably lead to more startups digging their "free" versions of fiber, and other crazy projects like the 'loon'. It's a shame that sometimes it feels like your ISPs are actually counter productive, but the bigger shame (imho) lies in the elephant in the room: whole industries whining about teens stealing their stuff instead of trying to provide sustainable, working alternatives that actually are prized accordingly. Because, I can't shake the feeling that piracy is partly to blame for ISPs trying to monetize traffic -- however, I think piracy is only partly our fault, but also "their's", for not knowing how to step into a new millenia with a new channel to provide entertainment.
 
I only wish the internet is here to stay as free as it is, without governing agencies and ignorant and suspicious decision makers getting too much to say in this matter, however the way we're headed: it's only a matter of time before we're all affected by stupid, counter productive regulations.

 
It could be worse. We used to have 3 mbps down. The 12 mbps is an upgrade for an additional $10 per month. I think we could get up to 20 mbps on the AT&T U-Verse package. I seem to recall seeing that 105 mbps is available for something like $100 a month, but it's an ala carte thing and I might be confusing it with Comcast, which is our only other option for Internet or line-based television service. Either way, we're never going to get it, so it's kind of a moot point.
 
Your suspicions about the ISPs' intentions are probably pretty close to accurate. There's the whole "net neutrality" debate going on, and the ISP and TV providers are dead set against it. They want to be able to categorize and prioritize different kinds of traffic, for all the usual marketing BS reasons (e.g. "an optimized experience"), meaning they have another, more lucrative agenda they're not telling us. For one thing, they are under a lot of pressure from the likes of the MPAA and RIAA, and so they figure the best way of placating these groups is to throttle any traffic that might be infringing. The real goal, however, is to degrade the quality of, and eventually stamp out, competition like Netflix, so that they can instead offer their own fragmented, unintuitive, and inferior streaming services, at whatever price they decide you should pay (with obligatory price hikes over time). What they also ultimately want to do is move everyone to a metered, pay-as-you-go system so they can charge us up the yin-yang for our data use, and setting up arbitrary limits for specific big bandwidth traffic (e.g. you can only stream so much Netflix before you have to pay a set fee for each additional gigabyte) is the stepping stone they want to use to get us there.
 
If they can justify being able to prioritize traffic by claiming that they're defending artists' rights (by curbing piracy) and by feigning infrastructure limits and turning everybody against the "big data users" (i.e. Netflix users) who are, like totally soaking up all the bandwidth; they figure they can get us used to the idea of throttling and a metered pay structure, and then they can roll in the megabux for all of time with no threat from competition.
 
Bastards. I hope every single one of them steps on a Lego.