AlanY

Looks like one heck of a phone. Does the Pre support read/write calendaring via CalDAV? (As in, can you edit a subscribed Google Calendar without having to sync to your desktop?) It's kind of disappointing that CalDAV on iPhone 3.0 seems to be read-only. (I'm not asking about Exchange or MobileMe calendars.)

You're looking at this from a small-business owner's perspective. People's impressions of you matter. Large organizations do not operate this way, for the most part. "We value your opinion" is meaningless; they don't believe it themselves. Showing up is a "communications strategy" designed to maximize revenue or attain some goal.

This is not my experience of how large corporations operate from the inside. Showing up means they saw it as a profitable advertising or public relations opportunity. Anything else is speculation. (Monster in particular is not generally well-known for caring about the opinion of the public.)

Did anyone save the Lawton Audio rant before Markl changed it? I wasn't checking the forums yesterday afternoon and missed it. It's no longer up on the Lawton Audio website.

Keep us posted. I'm still on the fence about the HF-2 partly because I had a love-hate relationship with my HF-1s. But I could definitely go for a slightly more remote midrange. Is it the midrange or highs that are remote? I'd be interested in any other comments you have about the HF-1 vs. HF-2 as well.

That Millett Hybrid is the second version. I have one of the originals, with the BUF634 like that one... it was an excellent match with my HF-1s. Don't know the builder. It's a good price; you probably won't be disappointed IMO if the HF-2s are anything like the HF-1s.

It seems digital isn't really McIntosh's strength. The Stereophile measurements of the McIntosh networked audio server were pretty abysmal. It'll be interesting to see if this one is a different story.

Let her know how much the HF-1s appreciated in value. My girlfriend actually wants me to order these for that reason. Never show your spouse/significant other the "Greek Audiophile" video on YouTube though. That one really scared her.

I sold my HF-1 in January... not sure if I'm interested in this. The original HF-1 was a good deal at the original price, but I wouldn't have bought it for the price I sold it for. I think the price here is probably too high.

Thanks for all the suggestions. While I make up my mind I picked up a pair of JVC Marshmallows. Awful. I can see why Kramer wanted to mod these things.

I've been thinking of picking up a pair of closed headphones again. I used to own the Beyer DT250-250 a long time ago based on Headroom's ancient recommendation and liked them. Tried the AKG K271S when it first came out and liked the midrange but disliked the strange quality of what bass there was (no impact at all). Haven't really been following closed cans since. There's a thread on Head Case about closed cans but it's somewhat dated. It looks like the HD25-1 II was the flavor of the month on the other site for a while and has a persistent following. I listened to this at the local dealer out of a NAD integrated (not the greatest audition, obviously) and felt that the bass was a little excessive, making the overall sound muddy, but overall I didn't dislike them. Anyone willing to suggest their favorite closed can in current production? If nothing else I'll probably pick up the DT250-250 again.

Interesting that they're also on the minimum phase bandwagon, like Ayre. The WM8741 is a good choice of DAC. Looks like a nice unit.

The linear phase filter is the same as the brick wall filter. I think "listen" is the Ayre minimum phase filter.

If you're looking to scan individual receipts, the Neat products are good. Most sheet feeders can't handle them. If you're looking to scan manuals and books, it's worth considering a book scanner like the OpticBook 3600. I really liked mine, but then the lamp died and it's absolutely impossible to get replacement lamps from PlusTek. Not sure about home sheetfeeders, though I've heard the lowest end HP device is not worth the money.

MDF swells a bit once you apply sealer. You want a small gap like that after routing otherwise it can be hard to get the drivers in. So it sounds like what you have is perfect.

Anyone willing to venture a guess why Beyer charges $400 for these?

What's your feeling about how these DACs compete with the Benchmark or Lavry units?

Has anyone here ever heard the DT48 or are we just talking out of our a**es?

It's probably fair to say Beyers don't get enough attention. You rarely see the DT150 or DT250-250 recommended even though they're among the better closed cans. I liked the DT250-250 a lot. I'm pretty skeptical about the DT48 though, but it's probably worth a listen.

There's only so long a state can operate with more than 10% of its population either in prison or working for the prison system before the whole house of cards starts to collapse. It's a huge waste of money. Not sure what the solution is.

No idea. The guy only posted that he heard from a Sony rep that the 5500ES is coming in October.

One of the posters on AudioCircle claims the XA-5500ES will be out around October. Maybe it will have a digital input.

Anyone ever see: Abraxas: Guardian of the Universe? Abraxas, Guardian of the Universe - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Terrible movie.

Whoever does the chassis design for Woo Audio is talented. Cool looking without being garish or over-simple.

Yeah, but solid state gear tends to add odd-order distortion, moreover, higher-order distortion that's much more audible, even at a lower absolute level. Makes sense that he's using tube gear for accuracy.