HiWire

My co-worker told me about these... they seem to focus on "other" priorities: http://www.wearefrends.com

I can't wait to try this on my discs... the Slim PS2 is a terrible video player.

I just read about the Darbee Edition of the BDP-103... looking forward to the possible 105 version.

For pure entertainment value, this thread delivers. I am curious whether a decent amp can be made in this enclosure. Their product names remind me of diarrhea, unfortunately.

Sony wants yo money: http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/sony-backs-hi-res-audio-big-time/ http://youtu.be/fTV6-zDXxkg

Thomas Dolby – The Golden Age of Wireless

Duran Duran – Greatest

Orbital – Orbital 2 (The Brown Album)

Beck – Midnight Vultures

Clapton

It's a good article. I've read the same kind of thing before, but SACD still works better for me than digital files. Different strokes for different folks.

Klipsch X7i. Porcelain like a toilet bowl.

It's a pretty bold claim. Hearing is believing, right?

I noticed that Acoustic Energy finally released a floorstander model in their Reference Series. My pair of 12-year-old Aegis Two speakers (made in Malaysia) sound pretty good for super-cheap $200 speakers – it makes me wonder what they've done since then. Online reviews of the Reference 1 and the rarer Reference 2 seem pretty positive... has anybody heard them?

My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult – Death Threat

Bryan Ferry – Boys and Girls The Cardigans – Long Gone Before Daylight

Why re-invent the Grado? I kid, of course.

Moloko – Catalogue

The Cars – Heartbeat City

Livingston Taylor – Ink

Chick Corea – Return to Forever (SHM-CD)

Enjoy! I'm curious to hear if there are big differences between the Oppo's Red Book and DSD playback. I've been slowly, but steadily collecting HDCDs and SACDs for the last few years, so I'm hoping for some kind of sonic revelation when the 105 arrives. I'm really happy with the sound from my Arcam FMJ CD36, but it will be interesting to hear if a player 1/3 the price can match it with hi-rez recordings and newer technology. Worst case scenario – it will still be a great video player. Also, I wonder if hi-fi manufacturers have been able to extract 99.9% of what is possible from Red Book – i.e., is it close to becoming a dead end, marketing hyperbole aside. It seems that almost all the high-end CD players are upsampling designs, including mine. I was looking at the dCS and Wadia players for a kick last week and I wonder if SACD and hi-res digital files will be the final frontier. The new Wadia, Simaudio, and Meridian players are Red Book only, while Esoteric, dCS, EMM Labs, Luxman, Accuphase, etc. are still selling SACD players.

Zero History by William Gibson:

Very nice. I'm looking forward to listening impressions from the new modules.