HiWire

This sounds like a new Head-Case motto: "Burn in your headphones or we'll do it for you. This is not a threat - it's a promise."

Welcome to Head-Case! The abuse never stops

Looks good, Voltron. I'd join the Stax Mafia if I could afford it, but I think the money will go to a speaker-based system for now.

Heck, even classical needs those lower octaves... nice cabling job.

Gap between the teeth or another hole in the head? Does the whistling sound happen when you're sitting in a very quiet room?

Welcome to Head-Case.

I'd like to hear it anyway... ears first, theory later. I didn't bother to read their technobabble jibber-jabber... I find most audiophile companies blather on about unimportant or misleading stuff.

I think they were just announced at CES.

I'd go with the K 601, myself.

It's a great review. I also like the fact that it took him 4 years to summarize his findings. There are way too many "impressions" out there, mine included. I prefer real reviews.

Has anybody heard this player? Their website is a bit messy and old-school, but it sounds like an interesting Redbook source, for the low, low price of $10,950 http://www.novaphysicsgroup.com I found out about it from doing a bit of research on Melos Audio - these are the same guys, I think...

I would agree with the suggestion above... improve your upstream components while keeping an eye open for HP-1000 deals. I've heard the HP2 is noticeably better than the SR-100, but I think your cans are "good enough" for most setups.

Haha, that's why I didn't bother to audition the Audio Aeros Just kidding. I liked the sound of Focal JMlab speakers, and they're French

I haven't heard either amp, but it's possible that the GLite has less noise and distortion than other solid-state or tube amps. If people become accustomed to compromised music, the Gilmore might sound leaner or more sterile... just a theory I've heard the other amps have better soundstage, though...

So Aerius, is the Capitole SE the best CD player that you've heard or for the price? I've heard that the Simaudio Andromeda fixes some of the issues I heard on the Supernova, mainly the inherent brightness and aggressiveness of the player.

The reason is partly because of Headroom's successful marketing campaigns... people read their marketing copy in Stereophile and the other magazines, do some research, then go and buy cheaper or other amps. Unfortunately, a lot of people are riding on the backs of more established makers like Tyll, Ray, and Jan Meier. This is not unknown to Tyll, either. It's fairly easy to make a headphone amp - a number of designs are open-source and the manufacture is not particularly complex using normal electronic parts and standard enclosures like Hammond cases. As the market matures and volumes increase, you'll see more standardized designs and lower prices... witness the popularity of the Chinese products, for example. However, I think the headphone manufacturers have already responded by designing headphones with lower impedances that are suitable for amplification out of stock iPods and other portable media players.

I'll give it a shot. There's a bookstore across the street from my home, and I think they might carry it.

That's over double what I paid for my new Arcam player, for probably a lot less than double the improvement in sound. I'm most interested in the APL Esoteric X-01, but the tube output stage is a turnoff. Back to Stax - has anybody heard of the Kimik(?) mod for the SRM-007T? I read about it in a magazine review today, but can't find anything on the internet. I'd probably go for the SRM-727II anyway...

That's exactly the sound I'm looking for... I can't afford APL gear either, though.

Getting lossless through this would make for an interesting experiment, at the very least...

True enough. Those IEM and mobile products will make more money for them - development of a new flagship is probably not cost-effective. Also, I think it's a bit weird that they still carry the HD 600 concurrently with the HD 650.

Yes, I get that, but I'd rather save $500 for more music, a home amp upgrade, or whatever. No slam against Justin or the other portable amp makers, though. I generally run my Alessandro MS-1 directly out of my Sony D-EJ2000 PCDP - it gets the job done when I'm on the go. I've got enough gear to carry in my bag, and I listen at fairly low volume.

It's possible that the gas price will drop again, even though we're at a record high for oil barrels right now. Nevertheless, the overall trend will be an increase in fossil fuel prices across the board. Back on topic - the Pico looks real purty and is handy with that optional DAC. It probably sounds good - (un)fortunately, I don't understand the market for portable headphone amps. The demand is certainly there... congrats to those who have received their amps.

Just bend it back in with your hands, trying to keep it straight (e.g. don't twist). Don't use too much force - you can do this a few times until the fit is right. Try to keep your hands away from the ends, since you don't want anything to snap near the rods. If the fit gets too tight, just do the reverse - your ears shouldn't be pressed too hard against the driver screens. If you end up getting other kinds of pads, you might want to adjust the headband again to improve the fit.

It's just a matter of funds and availability. Besides, the Headsave Classic sounds quite good - definitely better than most people would expect. My point about the audiophile equipment is this: I'm listening to the Crystal Method's Vegas at work right now, which was recorded in a studio environment, but meant to be played in clubs, etc. Some rock and pop music recordings sound good on audiophile equipment, other recordings sound better on "everyman" setups.