HiWire

Thanks! I ripped my CDs in AAC for the Shuffle, but I'd want to go with lossless if I was upGradoing. Also, I just found out Sony still sells a bargain-fi D-EJ011 portable CD player at $30 – it runs on 2 AA batteries. Perfect as a backup for me. I kind of love that they think "Full-Circle Design – Hand Strap – 20-20000Hz, 1/-2dB" are still considered relevant marketing points. I've been having problems finding and charging gumstick batteries on my D-EJ2000.

I wish Apple would upgrade to a 320GB iPod Classic. Their current lineup really doesn't work for my music collection (320 kb/s AAC) – about 300 CDs.

I use a 4GB third-generation iPod Shuffle + Klipsch S4i in addition to my Sony D-EJ2000 CD player + Alessandro MS-1. It's the teeny-tiniest.

Sony is also big enough to dictate or manufacture custom parts (e.g. ICs, etc.). You can only get so far with off-the-shelf parts and some of the "good ones" have gone out of production. That and the small market size probably account for the Astell&Kern price structure– it has been shown, over and over, that the market for high end consumer audio is outside most manufacturers' comfort zones (compare with HiFiMAN, for example, or V-Moda's Vamp Verza). Their re-interest in portable hi-fi is a good sign.

Write to AKG.Maybe it's a QA problem they can fix.

Thanks, Tyll!

Me neither. But somebody must be able to afford these things.

I think I'd want one if my Sony D-EJ2000 went kaput. Has anybody tested one? Cry me an iRiver: http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/couple-nice-improvements-astellkern I'm a little confused at the specs – shouldn't all the players support 64GB micro SD capacities?

Tyll, do they sound much different than the K 701, then? Are they easier to drive?

Looking forward to the reviews. They are supposed to be moar better than the other one.

Review from Hi-Fi+ Playback: http://www.hifiplus.com/articles/beyerdynamic-t5p-headphones-playback-38/ They should list their test equipment.

It looks like Audeze have become headphiles. I wonder if microsuede is as sweaty as lambskin.

It's a short review – as in thumbs up.

A sad story. Maybe not so oddly, I thought of James Dean when I read about this.

Sound On Sound wrote positive reviews on the AKG K612 and K712 in this month's issue.

All the reviews seem to come from fashion magazines. They should release an amp that integrates into a purse... calling Val Kolton.

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