manaox2

Yeah, it makes some sense and will probably make a difference. I don't think its going to knock out all $1500 transports. I've seen other guides that were similar that I didn't think much of. I think it might be a little over the top in some places for sure. Its a little expensive as a HTPC as it is, I'd probably just mod something like this first: Denon Model DVD-1930 CI Universal CD/DVD/SACD Player - eBay (item 270524200106 end time Feb-07-10 12:51:21 PST) . Plenty of computer digital adapters already buffer and reclock the data, so I bet you may be able to get better results for much much cheaper. You could modify a USB port to use a separate regulated power supply fairly easily and with some memory management, probably get a similar result using a nice external digital adapter. I compare this to the M2Tech HiFace i2s to Buffalo mod which is something I would probably want over the Juliet at the same price. I do want a fanless HTPC one day, so some of those tips are useful.

Heh, not serious about building at all yet. Maybe someday, but I just barely purchased the minimum parts so far for my new computer and have a bit farther to go on it before its how I want it.

I'm using a mux, so maybe that will help. Mostly been running it from crappy USB receiver and its running well. Mine is also the 9008, so I am looking forward to possibly picking up a Buffalo II someday.

Happy Birthday Jeff!

Thinking maybe something like a thread in a non-public location that people could opt-in to add location/contact information?

That is interesting. I'd want to put an Intel 40Gb X25-V SSD for very fast read/boot speeds and silence at an affordable price and two 1Tb spinpoint F3Eg drive with two platters in RAID0 to store music and remain idle at low power for less PSU noise and silence. It'll need a BD-Rom for the BD-A. I'd probably load it with enough ram to properly have a ramdisk buffer inserted cds, store temp files, and albums before playback. I'd also be more likely to put more money into an 850W or higher PSU to decrease instead of modding with a regulated PSU for the Juliet to get about the same performance for less money. Lots of XP tweaks and stripping down of services could be done to make this very optimized. Honestly, I would want to add in a cheap passively cooled video card with HDMI that would be disabled when not in use to make this an HTPC as well, it just makes sense if your already spending the money. It should be able to play and stream almost any format, the only thing that makes me sad about this a bit is that it won't support DSD. That should still make a pretty fucking sweet digital rig that is upgradeable. Prices are getting about right to build one this summer if funds were available.

Ouch Al, when it rains.... Hope you and your friend find your way to better comings soon. @Aura, best of luck to you and my condolences @Tom, glad to hear your surgery was successful and wish you a speedy but relaxing recovery.

No obligatory Pico Dac suggestion? I like all your options, except maybe the DACmagic, which I haven't heard, just am not as interested in it myself.

Clean up needed in the toy aisle.

I just enjoy putting an s on everythings.

Good article. Makes me think do we always need to take a step back to take a step forward? Why didn't they just throw a modified OS X on the iPad to support the touch screen and introduced new apps designed around the touchscreen over time instead since they obviously have to release them that way anyway. Why take away running tasks in the background? Why no flash and java? If people don't understand all of it, then they don't have to use all of it, as it always has been before, its not likely they want to anyway. Slap a multi-touch screen on a computer with gestures programmed in and add in the capability to dual boot iPhone OS and/or emulate it on autorun and you have a real capable computer there with the same ability. I don't think the additional software would kill their price point as most of it is software they own and could afford to bundle, any upgrades to it would also increase sales without being a huge consumer turnoff. They can have a cripple button built into the device for all I care, call it simple mode, I'm sure people would love it. The iPad doesn't have an excuse of being great yet, its pretty crippled for no real reason for much of it, many of those lack of features have very little to do with making it simple. Its main focus is hiding what people who have never used a computer don't understand, its all still there and will be for long time to come, its just make it harder to access. Its like using quicktime player instead of a real video player with options and actual customizable features. Its not the multi-touch screen thats going to prevent the need of people to tinker. Damn if people should be paying extra for what they could already do better with just as little effort if they wanted it to be so.

Thanks Nate for sharing the awesome smileys.

How am I supposed to interpret that 8? Some of those blocks have different colors for the same score.

Murder rate and divorce rate both in the red for Nevada and Alaska. Coincidence?

Oh yeah, I completely agree. I'm not upgrading my car stereo, which is pretty crappy. I don't mind listening through computer speakers while working at a desk. Some music also sounds more listenable to me without exposing all of its flaws, but I don't find much audio gear or formats disgusting in sound quality. Many nights, I use a little 1st gen iPod shuffle full of mp3, t-amp, SRD-7SB, and SR-Lambda to listen as my bed rig, its pretty darn satisfying and something I could be close to perfectly happy with in a main headphone rig. It takes a lot to make good music unlistenable, something that only a few surprisingly bad products (full size bass boosted skullcandy) have proven possible.

There are times when I really love something and would like to hear it in as high of quality as possible. Its not really a problem of good enough, its more that there is noticeably better for what appears to me to be only a little more. And that is where a problem is found with this hobby sometimes.

It has a little color touch screen, but it uses an eInk screen for the ebooks themselves. [ATTACH=CONFIG]2564[/ATTACH]

Because its corny sounding. Wanna listen to my grandiosos? Nope, gonna reach for the Omegas.

If you decide to buy, most Lambda variaties can be bought used for under $500 (SR-404LE is the only one not in that category yet). The dealers charge a large amount more then the used market and they have proved to be very durable, I doubt you will notice a difference between a lambda used for a week or used for 30 years if intact and the pads are still decent. Try the SR-202 and SR-404 if your dealer has them. Also, I don't know where your at, but check for meet locations on head-fi.org so that you can audition some of those no longer being sold new and all those other phones you've mentioned will hopefully be available there as well.

Yeah, there have been times where I noticed the difference while listening with lower bitrates, but -v0 or higher is not easily noticeable to me unless I'm actively trying to compare. Definitely recommend having the lossless for archiving and reference listening whenever possible though, its just less to worry about.

-v0 or better is not as good as lossless IMO, its easily noticeable, but its not going to probably make or break the experience with those cans. I think they would be fine for comparison testing. I definitely would wait a while on selling them just yet, I think the gamma 2 and minimax sound like a pretty good combo in a grado rig, most hybrid amps I've tried had good synergy with them. Sounds like you have already had some good advice. I think you have a decent choice with the Grado from your description of what you listen to, if you still can't stand them after you get your gear, maybe try the HD600. The HD650 is a bit demanding to give it the control to tighten up the sound and the K701 needs some pretty serious stuff too to bring out the bass more IMO. Though, not surprisingly to people that know me, my honest advice would be to sell everything but the gamma2 and go with Stax. JH13 is a little pricy, but its ok I guess.

You've got to make the album unprivate or give us a password for us to see it.

Oh yeah I get that. I am honestly only hoping it makes a good contender in the best out of any balanced source under $1000 market. I think it may do that.

I bet that combo is not bad though I'm sure its beatable judging by the TPA Buffalo24, its probably worth listening to.

Not to mention software crap changes so fast, any meet impressions focused on it would be invalidated in a month for most apps. Amarra is even said to sound different based on versions, with the newest version not sounding the best. I've heard some version or another and liked it.