Tachikoma

A rectangularly shaped driver could just as easily have a larger diaphragm than the O2. I'm guessing that the round shape was simply... better? The vintage stats all used round drivers, and I prefer them over the lambda series.

Err, because the omega 2 uses round drivers as opposed to the rectangular drivers in the lambda?

Nah, underpowering it won't harm it. I've never heard of a stax amplifier clipping...

Yes it would be. All of my headphones sounded better through the 717, not just the highly inefficient O2. (Although I will be putting my 717 on IC soon, this is an honest opinion.)

Erm, anything that outputs a digital audio signal = transport I suppose? So your soundcard is a transport, a CDP is a transport, the Transporter (name of the product) is a transport, etc.

This is the transporter I was talking about: Transporter Wireless Network Music Player: The wireless digital music player audiophiles have been waiting for. It is sort of a DAC (based on reviews, a decent one...), but it is mainly meant to be a high-end computer based transport for other external DACs. It should be better than any computer soundcard simply because it isn't inside a computer. You can buy a used unit from audiogon here: AudiogoN ForSale: Slimdevices/Logitech transporter But there might be better deals out there if you can wait. I don't know much about high end DACs to be honest, but the names usually tossed around here are the Chord DAC64, Lavry Gold, etc. The Benchmark DAC-1 definitely isn't one though.

What makes you think the DAC1 is actually jitter-proof/immune to differences in transports? You're probably right about changing the RME for yet another high end card not making too much of a difference though, the RME is already relatively high end and anything else would be more like a sidestep. Personally I'd sell the RME and benchmark, get a transporter and start saving up for a real high end DAC. Note: Emphasis on "personally". New (electrostatic) headphones could be nice

The Madi probably won't give you anything besides more features you won't use. If you are really keen on a good PC transport, what about the Transporter? There's one on A'gon right now for $1.45k. It might be a better DAC than the benchmark DAC1, too.

Happy birthday

Going by their price ranges the Lynx L22 and Lynxtwo would be more like a sidestep than an upgrade to the RME... Some DACs have word clock output; you're supposed to hook that to the soundcard and slave the soundcard to the DAC. This is supposed to greatly reduce jitter ie: make the soundcard a high-end transport. I'd get a DAC that has a word clock output but they're kinda rare. The only one I can think of at the moment is the Lessloss DAC, but I suspect that its well above your price range.

Then it will resonate/synergise/cause a chain reaction with my laptop fans and go WWWWROOOMMMMM...

So... any updates on what it sounds like? There's an LD mk6 in Sydney that I'm tempted to snag.

Happy birthday

The only time I've heard of that happening was when Darth Nut left his T2 exposed to the rain which resulted in fireworks, as you might have expected.

Well, it is the T2 plus the O1 after all, so whoever it is who won it paid about 600k for the T2 and 300k for the O1 which sounds... reasonable?

I reach for the SR-5 pro when I want that Granted, I don't have a BH. Oh yes, the 717 loves balanced drive.

Don't worry about it, it will probably survive. And... Yahoo!??? - STAX SRM-T2 ? SR-? ??

EIFL's supposed to be much cheaper. Audiocubes II used to be reasonably priced.

Sigh, I wanted that DAC (the Buffalo DAC)

Try talking to the seller of this item: AUDIOSYNTHESIS Da-X CD Digital to Analogue Converter on eBay, also, CD Players, Home Audio Hi Fi, Consumer Electronics (end time 13-Sep-08 19:13:31 BST) I think its still quite well-regarded even to this day, and it uses the ultraanalog DAC and receiver. Don't. They don't even compare with my $120 M-audio SuperDAC. (the 2.5 at least)

[stax Mafia]You need... advice.[/stax Mafia]

The amp was an MF X-Can V3 with blackgates + a custom external PSU. The source is a heavily modded M-Audio SuperDAC, which I am still using with my O2 and friends. The amp did improve the HD650, but it still didn't stop an SR-5 (when it was still unmodded) with a SRD-X that was literally in pieces from eating them for breakfast. Having said that, they aren't horrible headphones. They're just boring.

This calls for a /b/ reply but I can't be bothered to google one up My opinion of the HD650 is the exact opposite of that. They have no major flaws besides being dead boring.

HD650s "up close and personal", and getting a 9/10 for dynamics? Those be some magical HD650s he's got there.

The dust isn't large enough to be seen by the naked eye, most of the time.