While no one has heard it (and probably won't for another month or so), the Cambridge Audio DacMagic could be good. I'm interested in seeing if this can keep up with some of the "big boy" DACs.

Without knowing your definition of cheap, I'm going to suggest the Squeezebox. No, it doesn't have its own hard drive, but it uses your computer's hard drive to store the files. It has both optical and coaxial out. $299.

Quote: Originally Posted by bigb_ Is there anyway I can give you guys samples of these files without violating a million copyright laws? Probably not. I'm curious as to how you were able to rip the audio from the DVD since there's usually some copy-protection in the way.

Quote: Originally Posted by bigb_ Or is it possible that I ripped the DVD wrong somehow?! Its definitely possible. How did you rip the DVD? Have you A-B'ed the rip to the original, making sure both are at 96 kHz?

I'm guessing no one has responded because we don't know what you'd like out of your sound. Buying a Sennheiser Orpheus would probably enhance your listening experience, but seriously deprive your bank account (so a budget would be nice to have as well). What do you like about your setup? What...

The DT770's are a closed headphone. While I haven't heard them, they seem to have a reputation for being bassy. Closed headphones are good for situations where you want isolation (you don't want to hear anything other than the music and/or people don't want to hear your music). Open...

Since I don't have my pair with me, I'm trying to think of specifics. Make sure the mini-plug is clean. When there's an imbalance, hold the cable close to the driver thats quieter. Wiggle the cable gently both sideways and up/down. Don't use much pressure. If the MS-1's cable has ever been...

You need a lyrics plugin for foobar2000 to display the lyrics. A quick Google search for [foobar2000 lyrics] came up with a few here: foobar2000 3rd party components. If you can get the theme file (.fth), you should be able to put it in the foobar2000\themes\ directory and have it available...

A Squeezebox or similar device might be a good bet since if you're in another room you'd have no control for playing, pausing, etc. if you were just using a DAC hooked up to a PC. ... slightly OT, but when'd Logitech buy Slim Devices?

Quote: Originally Posted by kidda89 I've got a question! Is it normal for a sound delay when using the DAC function when playing games? Because I played StarWars Battlefront 2 and the audio-video sound lag is annoyinggggggggggg, seriously. Is there any latency control? Minimizing...

Have you looked at the cable to see if its been messed with in any way? The way they "suddenly" open up makes me think its cable related.

Quote: Originally Posted by Aura I'm up for a summer meet in June/July/very early August. Us college kids will have issues if the meet is set for late August/September. Agreed. I'd love to get to a meet before I have to be back at school.

Quote: Originally Posted by ZepFloyd that looks daunting..i dont type the normal way like you would being taught in a keyboarding class...so this might take some adjusting too...i kind of like the logitech wave or whatever its called as well...i dont know..keep the suggestions coming...

Pretty much anything will run the MS-1s, so I'd suggest focusing on source (DAC) first, then the amp. There are threads on both DACs here, though I don't know if anyone has compared one against the other. Take some time to read through the big threads on each.

Quote: Originally Posted by morphsci You are quite correct sir. They cannot output to a USB DAC. I also believe that limitation is more than just a firmware situation. While I don't have a PMP with the capability nor the programming experience, I would be interested in seeing...

Quote: Originally Posted by Jaska Why would there be an additional requirement for an amplifier? I've re-read the OP a few times. I'm not sure if the poster wants a new amplifier for their equipment. Actually, I'm trying to figure out what exactly feverfive wants: just a DAC &...

My plan is to eventually have a RAID 5 server or network appliance with a few TB of space that would be able to back up not just music, but other files as well. But, thats something to do after I get out of college.

The Headamp Pico seems to be getting a lot of good reviews around here. Its a USB DAC and headphone amplifier in one.

Since you have a Mac, I'd suggest looking at the Apogee Duet. The reviews of it I've seen here look really positive. For $500, it seems like a great deal. Then again, it might be a little too much since you'd also need an amplifier, and it sounds like you also want new speakers. And...

Quote: Originally Posted by justthinking Is the deal over? Yep. Most of the Woot! sites (the regular site, shirt, sellout) are one-deal-one-day. Wine.Woot! goes a week. Only when there's a Woot-Off on the regular site do you see multiple items on one day.

Like a few others here, I like FLAC because it keeps everything (good for archival). While I haven't DBT'ed MP3 against FLAC, I feel like there isn't much need since hard drives are getting bigger and cheaper. Who knows? Maybe I don't hear artifacts with my current gear, but if I upgrade...

Quote: Originally Posted by musicmaker Interesting. It says USB host on the spec which as you describe can feed a dac. The A3s spec also says USB host. While I'd be glad to be proven wrong, no portable player can take advantage of a USB DAC. Maybe a software/firmware change could...

Microsoft Wireless Desktop Pro (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...2L._SS500_.jpg) My first computer came with the MS Natural Keyboard Elite, and since then I've been hooked on the split keyboard design. Since I'm on break, I'm using my laptop's keyboard which gets the job done. That...

Quote: Originally Posted by Rednamalas1 I went from SR80-SR225->MS2is and thinking about RS1... Any particular reason why you went for the Alessandro's instead of the Grado's?

Maybe in a day or two sejarzo will let me A-B his 600's against my 580's. He listened to my 580's when they had probably less than 20 hours on them and thought they were brighter sounding than the 600's. While graphs can't tell all, HeadRoom's chart of the 600, 580, and 880 shows that the...