elnero

Just reading this as I'm installing Orange Box.

Definately looks to be one of the few bright spots in the new fall show line-ups this year. I also watched the first episode of Reaper awhile back, looks like that might be good for some silly, stupid fun.

I've been wondering about that, I've seen a few of his fanboys allude to some secret amp and from the hints it sounded like something else that's portable which if true considering his lineup now only a portable amp/DAC really makes much sense. Oh and I'm liking the new volume knob concept a lot more than the original, it's kind of a blending of the original and the AE-2's.

I haven't heard the Triple.fi but I've been living with the E500 as my only headphone for quite some time now and I haven't been happier. I can listen to them just about everywhere, they're the first IEM I've been able to use while lying on my side which is nice. As far as the sound goes I think there has been a ton written about them. For me the E500's offer a darn near perfect balance but it can be a bit of a chore to find the right tips for comfort and balance. I should note that I tend to be very sensitive to treble so I love the E500's smooth, detailed yet not abrasive treble.

Fair enough.

And come on now, you have to admit seeing Monica Bellucci getting raped and the crap beat out of her was at least just a weeeee bit disturbing.

I hope Bakker matures, like you I feel the best is yet to come. Thanks for the list, I'll definitely be checking those out!!!

I didn't think Deadwood was that bad either. Irreversible on the other hand... It's been awhile, I just remembering flipping the channel one night and it was on, just before the scene in the bar where the guy gets his face completely bashed in.

Have you seen the movie Irreversible http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0290673/? There are some incredibly brutal scenes in that, not to mention the rape scene is truly disturbing.

Yes, it definitely was quite an accomplishment and for the most part I enjoyed it. What irritated me the most about it was his introduction of characters, places, events, etc. that either had no relevance or were killed off ten pages later. And I agree Achamian was a great character. It will be interesting to see what he comes up with next. I've got a bunch of books that I haven't had a chance to read yet but after I do I'll have to check some of the author's you listed. Any particular authors/books that stand out as exceptional must reads?

I thought WoT had so much potential early on then it just sank into drudgery, I don't know when I stopped reading it but it was quite some time ago now. Terry Goodkind's stuff has been OK, I thought it had moments of being really good and moments of being crap. The writer I've most like from the epic fantasy genre has been George R.R. Martin. I've quite enjoyed his books although I haven't had a chance to read his latest because I got caught up reading R. Scott Bakker's Prince of Nothing series. Great concept but had some aspects to the writing that just made it really difficult, for some reason I felt I had to finish it even though it took forever. I'm reading Garth Nix's Lirael now which is a total change of pace.

How?

When?

Why does everyone seem to think they're just ES7's with wood cups?

mackay maus, another other local headphone geek and friend, has kindly loaned me his Headroom Micro stack to play with for a few days. I was playing around with the DAC in conjunction with my AE-2 last night using both USB with my computer and optical via my Philips DVP642. I have a few thoughts but I'm not sure what to make of them exactly so I'm curious for those that have heard the Micro DAC what their impressions are so I can try to get a handle on what I'm hearing.

Have you thought about doing the logo on the top at all? I remember seeing a custom amp you did awhile ago and I believe it had the logo and HeadAmp name on the top. It was maybe a bit large but something a bit smaller proportionally on the top of the Pico might look nice.

As a stylized mock-up that looks awesome, edwood is very talented. As an amp from HeadAmp I'm a little less enthusiastic, I'm not sure exactly what it is about it. The volume knob is definitely a turn-off for me, I would have much preferred to see a smaller version of same style as the AE-2. It's not just the volume knob though, there's something else I can't quite put my finger on, maybe it's that the screws look like they're sticking out? Or maybe it's that I prefer the aesthetics of the layout of the AE-2 with volume knob in the middle. I notice that in this mock-up there's no actual HeadAmp markings, will that be on top of the amp or something like that?

What's the build quality like on the MS2i's? Do they have the leather headband of the RS series or is it the crappy plastic one?

I haven't heard them but it seems Joe D'Appolito had a hand in their design. I've liked most of his designs that I've heard plus he's a really great guy.

From iBasso's site,

I already have an AE-2 for amping purposes so my interest lies more in how the DAC sounds. At this point I have approx. $200 - $250 for a source upgrade, that could be put towards a Monica 2 or something like the iBasso, that the iBasso has an internal amp doesn't really factor in to the equation for me, if it's decent all the better but I already have an AE-2 for amping purposes so my interest lies more in how the DAC sounds. I've already gone the "team minimal" route and have some solid ideas of what I'd like to have in my future minimalist rig. Although unlikely, optimally I'd love to have an iPod with a digital output to a reasonably small DAC/Amp combo unit that could also be connected to a home rig or computer if desired. The iBasso is the first product I've seen with most of the functionality I'd like to see. At it's price point I don't expect it's is going to perform miracles as an all-in-one though, it might serve as an interim solution for a portable DAC but as I've said optimally what I personally would like is an AE-2 (or similar quality) with the same connection scheme it has now but that has a decent quality DAC with similar connectivity and function as the iBasso.

The thing with the Move and Justin's upcoming DAC/Amp combo is they are USB only DAC's which might work for many people but personally I'm most interested in something like the iBasso that has more versatile DAC connectivity. Having USB, toslink and Coax makes it incredibly versatile but of course it has to be of reasonable quality. I had been considering getting a friend to build a Monica 2 but the iBasso is intriguing because it's more portable. Jamato8 is a big Monica 2 advocate so it will be interesting to read his thoughts on how the DAC compares. Before I do anything though I need to talk to Justin, something like the iBasso but with an AE-2 amp section and DAC section like he's talking for his other new portable would be killer.

I kind of have to agree with Filburt on the Pico name, sounds a bit too DIY like the Pint or Meta.

TheSloth, Just to be clear, I was being a bit sarcastic to make a point which I think you illustrated in part with your post. We all hear differently, have different preferences and as you stated our ears seem to all interact differently with phones. As a general rule I've found myself quite sensitive to treble and anomalies in the treble region. I could live with Ety's for portable use if there were no other options but they could never be my only or my main headphone like the E500's are.

On the flip side, Ety's are disgustingly bright.