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I haven't compared the two directly but I did give the Ety's an audition quite awhile back. From what I remember they were better than I was expecting but still a bit too brittle in the upper region and lacking weight in the bottom for my taste. When I got the E4's I felt they were more suited to my tastes but ultimately felt they still lacked a bit in the bottom. The E500's are darn near a perfect balance for my preferences and are a step up in resolution/detail over the E4's. I think if you're happy and like the balance of the Ety's you would not be happy with E500's, the E500's are basically the antithesis of the Er4's in a balance and tonality.

Receiving some hype over at Head-Fi but I'm curious to hear what people on these boards have to say. Ooops this should probably be moved to the portable forum

I don't know all the model numbers and brands but that sounds like a Wolfson?

hehe, we keep overlapping posts.

As I noted above I prefer not to be tethered to a stationary rig at home if possible. Let me explain that a bit further, we're in a relatively small space, it was ok before we had our second child and I had a dedicated room for listening/computer use but now all that is in the living room so after I moved the system out of it's dedicated room when I wanted to listen I had to wait until there was no one else around, typically at night after everyone had gone to bed. Now though, I can listen just about anywhere, anytime without worries. Yes I trade off some sound quality but I'd much prefer that than to not be listening at all. Also, as I mentioned, I'll get another better source for more "stationary" listening but I still plan to use my AE-2 as an amplifier at least until finances permit the use of something else but part of the decision to buy the AE-2 in the first place was based on it's versatility.

A lot of it is probably perception and needs. At this point I don't take my AE-2 out of the house but I prefer not to be tethered to one spot so with my iPod-->AE-2-->E500's I can have reasonably good sound anywhere in or outside the house. Are any of these components comparable to some of the other gear I've owned like the MiniMax CDP, HeadAmp GS-1 or even the Singlepower PPX3? No, but I was willing to make a trade off for portability (never mind that it was really necessity financially) but together this setup makes some very enjoyable music wherever I want to listen and when I add on a decent DAC to my DVD player and computer to the AE-2 and E500's I'll have a reasonably nice stationary setup as well although admittedly not at the level that some of you would find acceptable.

Are we talking iMod or iPod here? The thread is actually in regards to the iMod so I can't help but wonder if that poster mispoke. I haven't heard an iMod myself so I can't comment on how much better than a stock iPod it is but my feeling is a stock iPod is very good for its intended purpose which is a decent portable source. It's strength's are it's portability and that it's sins are mainly of omission not commission so it's reasonably enjoyable to listen to but as a reference I'm pretty sure my Philips DV642 bests it.

Agreed. It definitely sounds like it's going to be a great little product, especially considering it's size it should be a hit on the market. For myself though, I'd be more interested in the larger version with more options because now that I'm not tethered to one stationary spot I tend to move around the house when listening. My one gripe right now is my source is pretty much limited to an iPod but with the addition of something like what I was talking about I could use the amp/dac with the iPod alone (albeit losing the DAC option) or in my stereo rig or from my computer at home and work. It's maybe a crazy idea but it's nice to dream.

Wow! Justin, that sounds like it's going to be really nice. I'm assuming the DAC is USB only? Is there any chance of it having a coax or optical input as well? To me that would make it much more versatile which would be more in keeping with your other offerings. The versatility of the AE-2 and GS-1 are part of what I love about them. I absolutely love the fact that my AE-2 has both a mini input on the front and RCA's on the back, in fact, what I'd personally really love to see would be something along a similar line as the AE-2 with all it's features but adding a USB/Coax or Optical DAC of reasonable quality.

It's here!!!! Unfortunately it didn't quite make it in time for the meet yesterday and me being a dumbass I forgot my dock cable at home so I'm haven't actually been able to listen to it. All I can say right now is it's tiny and downright gorgeous!

Probably a TDA1541, those chips are supposedly the real winners of that family but they're a bitch to implement correctly and they've become fairly rare. Most NOS stuff available these days is based on the 1545 or 1543. The 1545 is supposed to be a poor mans 1541 while the 1543 is the most common and cheapest/easiest to implement.

I broke down, I've got an AE-2 on the way, hopefully it'll be here for our meet next weekend.

Was that TrevorNetwork or something like that?

I absolutely loved my GS-1 when I owned one, it paired with MiniMax CD player was blissful. I think adding the tubes of the MiniMax's nice output stage took things to another level. Unfortunately I couldn't afford to keep both and after I lost my job couldn't afford even to keep the GS-1 So that does leave me thinking the AE-2 should get special consideration, but also the Millett Hybrid because it adds tubes to the mix. The Millett's probably more of a dream at this point though, finances are still pretty tight so even an AE-2 might be a stretch. We're having a meet here next month and Xenos is supposed to be sending a couple of amps for that, I wonder if Justin might send one along as well? I guess there's no harm in asking, I'll have to send him an email.

Just looking for some impressions, particularly with E500's. I'm currently making do with a Go-Vibe 5 but I'm looking to upgrade on that. So far the contenders are the Xenos 1HA-EPC, the AE-2 and the new Millett Hybrid portable. Sound quality of course is important but budget, or lack thereof, will probably end up being a big determining factor.

I mentioned it before but I'll post here and send you an email as well, I'm definately interested in beta testing the new modules.

Oh and CONGRATS!!!

Not as isolating as the ER4's? I thought custom molds were supposed to give better isolation? Did you hear the E500's at the National meet as well?

No that DAC has more in common with the Constantine, both those use the TDA1545 DAC chip and an opamp output stage whereas his Dialogue II and Renaissance II use TDA1543's with passive I/V stages. The Renaissance II not the Paradisea has some similarities to the Dialogue II but from my understanding they are quite different designs as well. From my admittedly limited understanding of non-oversampling DAC's a big part of what sets them apart from other designs is the lack of digital filters. The idea behind not using digital filters is less manipulation of the signal which supposedly gives a more natural sound that lacks an element of glare and hash typically found in oversampling DAC's. The passive I/V stage means that the output from the DAC is high enough to be used without an added output stage, in a passive I/V stage a resistor is used to convert the signal from current to voltage. Again the feeling is using opamps or even a discrete output stage is going to add something to the overall sound. So I see the general idea behind non-oversampling as being less manipulation for a purer more natural sound. Of course nothing is perfect and non-oversampling DAC's have their own limitations and hurdles to overcome. I think part of the reason they're so popular today is they are reasonable cheap to produce and they generally sound pretty good but in the end it's the implementation of the design that's going to determine the final sound. I figured because my new Storm Digital D02 used the same DAC as the Dialogue II there would be general similarities and I guess there are some but not quite what I was expecting. To use an analogy I would liken the Dialogue II to the stereotypical SET amp, it has a warm character with rich tonality and an easy treble and bass is a bit fat and round. It's a pleasant "musical" DAC to listen to but ultimately it falls short of the big boys but I think it does quite good for a DAC that typically goes for around $225 - 250 including shipping. The Storm D02 on the other hand is a completely different beast, that plays in a completely different league. I won't go into too much detail about how it sounds here, for that you can read my impressions thread and I'll also try to get a more indepth review posted sometime in the relatively near future. Suffice it to say, I think the D02 overcomes most if not all the limitations and shortcomings of the Dialogue II and can play with the big boys.

Well my black D02 arrived yesterday, I picked it up at the post office on the way home from work. Unfortunately I had to go to my in-laws for supper so I didn't get to listen right away but I did open the box to get a look. Boy, this is one stunning piece of equipment, the case work is just incredible, pictures just don't do it justice. This is the type of case you would find on multi-kilobuck gear not something that sells in the $500 range. Another unfortunate occurence was customs opened the box and it appears they didn't repack it very well so the bottom back corners suffered some damage, nothing too serious just a bit disappointing. When I finally got my new baby home and plugged in I was greeted with a sound that was different than I was expecting. Because it uses the same DAC chips as my Dialogue II I had figured they would sound very similar and yes, in some ways there's a resemblance but they seem quite different as well. The Dialogue II has an almost rich tube-like character in that it has a somewhat warm, smooth midrage and highs, bass has decent weight but is a bit round, detail is good but this DAC's strength is it's musicality. By contrast, and take this with a grain of salt because I've only listened for a couple of hours, I wouldn't characterize the D02 as either warm or cool, it gets the timbre of instruments right without overdoing it. Transparency and resolution are better. Highs are excellent but I haven't as yet got a handle on whether they're more extended than the Dialogue II, they definately seem even cleaner and clearer though. Bass on the D02 is pretty spectacular, tight well defined and deep with lots of weight. I did notice almost right away what others have mentioned regarding a somewhat narrow soundstage but I think it was starting to expand a bit after a few hours listening. Although the stage is narrower the D02 seems airier and instruments have more of their own space. The Dialogue II has a nice relaxing flow to music whereas the D02 seems lither, quicker on it's feet with better PRaT but PRaT might not be quite at the level I remember the MiniMax having. Again, this only initial impressions and subject to change as I acclimate myself to the sound and the DAC itself burns in more but if my initial impressions hold or even improve I'll be one happy camper.

lol, from what I understand those are pics of my actual DAC so I can kinda post them.

I believe they've all been or are in the process of being shipped. I don't know this for sure but I got that impression.

I believe it was a problem with the tops of the cases, they had to be redone or something to that effect. In addition it seems Hong Kong has been getting hit with very heavy rainstorms which made shipping difficult.

Got some pics of my black D02 which is on it's way to me, hopefully it will arrive in time for our Maritime Provinces meet.

I think the Dialogue II is a pretty decent DAC for it's price, it has a smooth, full sound that is just on the warm side of things, it has decent detail retrieval and the build quality is decent for the price. On the flip side, although I've not noticed it with the RS-1's it can exhibit a bit of noise which I noticed with the E500's this past weekend. One of my gripes with my system right now is a slightly bloated bass that lacks a bit of definition that I've had in the past, sorta like when HD6x0's are underpowered. I've been trying to track it down and I think it's a combination of things, the transport, IC's and the DAC. The Dialogue II uses a single TDA1543 with a passive I/V stage so I'm suspecting that it might be lacking a bit of "juice" in the output stage. For the most part I really like the sound from the Dialogue II though so with my initial foray into upgrading it I decided I wanted to try to not stray too far from that signature but try to find something that would address my concerns. I looked at different options and in the end I've decided to give a Storm Digital D02 a try. It looks to use a higher quality of parts, chassis if far superior, it also uses a rather innovative battery/AC scheme which should address noise issues. The DAC itself is still TDA1543 based with a passive I/V but instead of using a single DAC chip it uses 8 in parallel for increased output and linearity. The hope here is that I get better resolution, less noise and a more dynamic sound while still maintaining a smooth, non-fatiguing slightly warm sound. My D02 should be here this week or maybe early next so I'll post some impressions when I get some time with it.