Ben Gramain

I was actually going to recommend another soundcard which has a headphone output which is not bad at all (comparison base for 'not bad at all' being with the Headroom Max), but not until I'm sure I can get it to run in unconnected mode as a DAC as well (I'll have to scratch my way through the manual and attempt it). Off on a tangent but here's an idea (and no I haven't tried it)... how about an Apple TV + HDMI>DVI cable + 17" - 19" monitor + decent budget DAC? You've got a nice standalone system there which can also stream from 'puters.

Is this predominantly PC use?

What's the actual total budget? $800? $1K?

I'd say just go for something portable. With earplugs and stationary equipment, there's probably more chance of cables being trapped, you walking away without realising it (owwwww), etc. The Etys are champs for isolation, but the Ultimate Ears do undoubtedly sound better. Problem is, for some people their fit is crap and even if you do get them to fit you properly they still don't offer anywhere near the level of isolation of the Etys. You might like to get both from suppliers who offer returns and try'em out. Oh yeah, forgot to pontificate. I rule.

That wasn't a retort, that was a "I can't be bothered to argue this one out, numbnuts". I love a good retort as much as anyone

The 4P/S's certainly slayed my ears. Holy Christ. BT inears looks like a cool idea but jeez it looks dorky. A panyard setup with just the mic moulded in to one side of the in-ear assembly would have been a little cooler looking. Also is it sending re-compressed audio or uncompressed / lossless? Cuz the latter would as far as I know be a first...

Meh... whatever.

Of course. I know there's all sorts of way you can justify it. But it is a form of idiocy all the same.

Hmmm... Ponders the idiocy of hooking up an decent portable source - but nevertheless a significantly inferior non-portable source if it were to be used as such - with something that is not portable in any way. If you can afford a Manley amp you can probably afford a Sonos system and a DAC at home. As a viable everyday solution and as a facility to actually incorporate into a product, it is undoubtedly an excellent marketing move but it is idiotic all the same - unless there is a DAC built into there of course, in which case I take it all back. I have an iPod dock nominally wired to my 383 which I use for charging only in most cases and I have been known to do this... but purely for the sake of amusement.

Refinement is always good. I've gone right off any generic in-ear (bar casual use of the Sony EX-type earbuds) since they started playing havoc with my ears but it's always good to see the designs getting more and more tractable.

No, the epitome of dumbassness would be the 'portable' DAC + amp. That on the other hand is just irrelevant.

Define 'portable'. Numbnuts.

... Of feeding a digital signal from a Creative X-Fi Elite Pro to the RME Fireface directly for all purpose (i.e. including gaming) use? Let me explain. On all of my PC's at the moment used seriously for any sort of audio use I run both an RME Fireface 800 and a Creative X-Fi Elite Pro. The Elite Pro handles gaming audio and is the default audio interface in Windows. Anything music or media orientated gets squirted through the Fireface. I've standardised on J.River Media Center for that purpose, along with the Algorithmix PEQ bundle of linear phase DirectX EQ's. All that then goes out either to Headroom Max's acting as headphone / pre amp, or Crane Song Avocets connected to monitors. How is the X-Fi connected to the Fireface so that both go through the same audio chain? Analog. The Line Out from the X-Fi goes into the inputs of the Fireface. The Fireface is the only output for whatever amp I'm using, be it digital or analog. The Firefaces are usually clocked at 176.4K or 44.1K in Media Center. The problem is that the X-Fi's can only be clocked at 48K if in gaming mode, so going SPDIF > SPDIF doesn't work very well. Being the nit-picker, I'm looking to remove that analog conversion from the chain. I can't pretend to know everything about either audio interface so there is perhaps a solution I haven't considered. Any resolutions to this conundrum gratefully received.

No need to rephrase... you got it right the first time. Hoity-toity? Talk about pot kettle black eh

I'd say it's mostly down to the ritual involved with the O2, the babying the W5K requires (and it's character which I'm not as willing to futz with as the W2002) and the headaches the K701 gives me. Headaches due to the phone design, not the sound which I find very decent. The HD650 is pretty close to the O2. Tonality is not that different and it's generally all-music-friendly. I can probably get over the clamp if I carefully straighten out the metal strips and I know it doesn't give me a headache. I'm willing to take a slight hit in SQ for far greater throwaroundability and practicality at this point. Any others worth looking at? Ampwise I'm happy enough to have standardised on the Max, although the real-world difference / improvement between them and the Fireface headphone out (and yes I have taken a hearing test) is a debatable matter. My inner audionerd is happy with it and in practical terms it doesn't compromise everyday usability unlike many other headphone amps I've had. I don't plan to change. Oh yeah, and I don't need that holier-than-thou music lecture oo!o

WTH do I go for now? Bit bored of O2. And the 701 does give me a headache after all. Don't really fancy another CEO's Mother's Cat's 15th Birthday Anniversary limited edition A-T's either. Kinda actually hating the 'rituals' that come with higher-end phones in general, be it care in handling, audio / placing juju, comfort issues, etc. Thinking about going back to the HD650. Anything else on the horizon I can get interested about?

I like my O2's apart from the weight, and that I have to put tape on the earpads to keep them in place. But that aforementioned sense of refinement can get a bit boring after a while, the same way I slightly tired of the Orpheus after a while. I'm at that stage now. My ears might just need a period of sandpapering with a pair of Grados so that I can slink back to the Omegas with a sigh of relief. And no bass? I call 'electrostatic bullshitter' on that one. Even as is the O2's can put out plenty of bass. I don't use my main system much anymore, so it's usually out of the computer where I have an EQ and in those cases you might even be surprised how much lows the O2 can put out if you're in the mood for it.

I've been meaning to ask - what's the High Rollers stuff about? I haven't been back on this board in a while but I could swear I saw you earlier than Christmas on here, Pinkie. Or maybe my brain's just gone.

Yeah - I still find Windows better for a lot of stuff but for the committed audiophile getting bit-perfect SPDIF out of iTunes without an addtional soundcard is handy. Incidentally, while the Creatives are poorly supported there's a very good UMS plugin for iTunes on the Mac called iTuneMyWalkman. You can sync playlists on iTunes with UMS devices pretty transparently. I use it with the Meizu and the iRiver for syncing podcasts. It doesn't support things like played time / number of plays (although you can set it up to increment play counts on sync) but it's the nearest a UMS player will get to an iPod with iTunes.

Dunno if I'm late to the party and XNJB works but the 'iTunes integration' is terrible. Once it's de-bugged and released (e.g. does weird things with Sony ChronicShitage), Coherence on Parallels should be the most usable way to operate Windows-native apps under OS X. USB transfer is still slow, and the last time I tried it PlaysforSure DRM'd transfer failed (if you're into 'all-you-can-eat' services).

Anyone know of the situation in the UK? I've tried contacting Harman but no reply, the *******. Seems like a shame to let my soon-to-be-replaced K701 collect dust as I've 'customised' them for my use by cutting the bungee cords. If anyone else is to use it I need to re-install the bungee cord assembly, and while I'm at it I'd like to replace one of the perforated metal earcup caps I screwed up trying to twist it off.

Quite apart from the fact that everything about that picture makes me laugh aloud, how do you know it's crap if you haven't tried it?

I'm not absolutely sure the ALAC extension to AAC is actually covered under AAC. It's unlike Apple to do things without nominally adhering to standards these days so who knows yes it may be written into AAC specs. I've just never seen AAC lossless elsewhere.

The iPod has a proprietary (but unsecured, and therefore readily transcodeable) lossless format. If you stick Rockbox on it it will play FLAC. I'm not a huge fan of Rockbox to date, mainly because the iRiver/iAudio like nature of the Rockbox UI really doesn't work all that well with the iPod's hardware interface... but plenty seem to love it. All iPods bar the Shuffle have provision for (optional) Line Out capability. On the other hand if you want something which will play FLAC out of the box, iAudio is the way to go. The X5 is getting on and undoubtedly will be replaced soon, but it's not a bad machine... apart from the line out unfortunately.

Would it be possible to order the GS-X with the Gilmore and the new modules?