I put this up on the other site as that's where the epidemic lives - maybe it'll help a few people. Toss your 2 cents in if you agree? Maybe they'll listen.

I know, I'm being pretty optimistic

Leaving portable hifi - it's too silly - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio

Edited October 21, 200817 yr by Luminette
I goofed the thread title.

Look what you did

As I said in another post, I'm sure the Pico is top-notch both subjectively and objectively (although Luminette's post questions that assessment). But I saw that the Pico's DAC and oversampling chip cost about $20 combined, wholesale (I don't know about the amp parts).

Hi-Fi for $20. In a $499 product. That hurts.

Shame on you Justin for charging so much for this stuff since we all know that the chassis, battery, PCB's and all other components are included with the chips.

ZOMG! Justin, you better ship my pico with $480 in refunds inside the box since your secret is out and it cost you only $20 to build it.

I love how the guy takes the value of 2 of the 50 or so components and calls it the total... epic:palm:

so, what's a piece of gear with a 2SJ109V in it worth? infinite?

so, what's a piece of gear with a 2SJ109V in it worth? infinite?

It's all about the parts cost... so yes.

design by marketing is so much easier. you don't have to deal with these questions and the parts can be cheap -- all that matters is that it sounds amazing!

A set of electrolytic output caps makes any turd sound great and you could say that it was OTL... I really don't see why you wasted time to design the PICO with built in battery charger when you could have some massive external unit and tell everybody that it sounds better that way.

design by marketing is so much easier. you don't have to deal with these questions and the parts can be cheap -- all that matters is that it sounds amazing!

Keep your specs supar sekrat next time:popcorn:

Not surprising news that you've stepped up past portable, but good news nonetheless. I have also once broken my portable rig because it was made of poop.

I am all about DIY, but the Pico is one of the few things I didn't mind shelling out the cash out for. For what it does in such small well built package just can't be beat. Even if it does only have a $20 Dac chip;)

Keep your specs supar sekrat next time:popcorn:

I understand that red paint works wonders...

Sorry Justin, newbs will be newbs :{

You're joining the club a little late, don't you think?

And as a reliable source told me some time ago, almost all portable amps are relative sidegrades from each other technically (or downgrades, as some cases might be). Doesn't really take a genius to figure it out either. The best portable amps in the arena are either DIY or produced by HeadAmp.

As for portable hi-fi, I think it's patently absurd to amp from a DAP. Most DAPs don't have enough storage space for uncompressed files, and amping MP3 is just plain stupid. That is why I personally use just my IEMs from my DAP, they're more than revealing enough without an LOD & amp (and I hear plenty of MP3 artifacts as it is anyway with 96-256 VBR MP3).

It seems like only yesterday when you were on irc and I laughed at you. Glad you ditched all the bull.

WRONG STEVE WHAT ABOUT THE HEADROOM PORTABLE DESKTOP U NO U WANT ONE

You're right hydro, I do want one of those, but I don't think it'd be that much of an upgrade over the Pico.

A set of electrolytic output caps makes any turd sound great and you could say that it was OTL... I really don't see why you wasted time to design the PICO with built in battery charger when you could have some massive external unit and tell everybody that it sounds better that way.

Piggy-back the batteries on the line-out cable (sold separately) and refer to it as an "active" line-out which obviously provides superior sonic performance to those flawed "passive" cables made by everyone else.

Piggy-back the batteries on the line-out cable (sold separately) and refer to it as an "active" line-out which obviously provides superior sonic performance to those flawed "passive" cables made by everyone else.

Make the cables liquid and I'm sold.

Make the cables liquid and I'm sold.

Cryogenically treated of course.

Make the cables liquid and I'm sold.

That shouldn't be so hard. Just use little plastic tubes filled with mercury.

I somehow doubt that the mercury would pass the RoHS mandate... Not much of an issue since most of the crap sold in this hobby would never be UL or CE approved.

How about nitrogen filled insulation around a nitrogen-treated copper core?

(air)

How about nitrogen filled insulation around a nitrogen-treated copper core?

(air)

How about a patented mix of super heated nitrogen?

(hot air)

I somehow doubt that the mercury would pass the RoHS mandate... Not much of an issue since most of the crap sold in this hobby would never be UL or CE approved.

Hopefully nobody will try to reterminate my mercury cables.

How about nitrogen filled insulation around a nitrogen-treated copper core?

(air)

Your nitrogen insulation has too much impurities in it.