Just on that point, did you try test the connection with a genuine 192khz source file ?

There are many debates about sound quality and the value of higher sample rates, in general i prefer just to use 24/48000 , but the merit to going higher than that for recreational listening is shaky at best, but thats an argument for another thread.   My point being is that you should just...

Since your component chain is simply Dell XPS -> Fiio E17 then it would suggest that your Dell doesn't support outputting optical at 24bit / 192khz    The reason you can hear anything at all is because the 192Khz is the rate at which it samples the input signal , if you set something to...

Just to re-iterate what Craigster75 said... Quote:   I have an iPhone 5, and support for it is quite a big issue to side-step in the press release documentation.   Every apple iDevice is lightning from now on , will we get support or should i just stick to the lightning...

I would say yes, better off with the Lyr and Bifrost , mostly because your headphones will change far more often than your amp, as you add new ones to your collection etc, but this amp purchase will be unique, so you might as well splash out 

OP , Keep us informed of what you went with in the end, + impressions etc :) 

Quote:   I wholeheartedly agree about the comfort of the Senns, afterall for the last 2 years my HD 595's have been my college / work commute headphones , they are very light and comfortable, but there is just something missing in their sound, its just "good" its not "wow" .    I'm...

Just FWI - Rule out the Sennheisers ( well at least rule out the 555, 595 , 598 ) , the Beyerdynamics and the HM5( ficher audio clone) are far stronger headphones.   I would also suggest you consider the Sony MDR-1R ( I just got the bluetooth variant for about $280 usd and I love its sound...

I would personally suggest getting the Fiio E17 , and the HifiMan HE - 400 , however those together come in way under budget.    The Fiio at about $120 and the HE-400 at $400 , however pairing a stronger HifiMan headphone with the Fiio would be ill advised, as the Fiio wouldn't be able to...

Just a note on using the fiio for our new brother ;P    I often have it in my man-bag as i bring it to an from work a lot, if you do this be sure to put the device powered off and on hold into your bag.   More often than i'd like i'll be out on the road, either shopping in town or on a...

The Good-bye after turning on happens when the battery is practically dead , give your fiio 10 mins of good charging then turn it on , it will stay that purplish color when on / charging at the same time.    As to the feet, they are on a strip of rubber with like 6 bumps sticking off of it...

Quote: As soon as you start wearing them i'm sure she wont find it very exciting, wify will have lost a husband to albums for hours on end , and will be constantly badgered by you saying ooooh listen to this song , its way different !!! :P    Personally my other half loves it when i go...

Oddly enough the Dixons in Dublin Airport Terminal 2 has a fantastic selection of headphones to audition , sennheiser momentums and other high end senns, your typical selection of beats & bose, and the Denon AH-D600 out on display, with AH-D7100's boxed behind glass , there were a few more cans...

It stressed me out to no end waiting for mine, be prepared, get out your flac collection and begin preparing your session with the big hitters, bitta Queen , The Beatles , then onto the likes of Bon Jovi, Eric Clapton and Pink Floyd , and then begin the rock session proper, whip out the Pearl...

Quote:   I dont have an odac but I had a desktop amp and the Fiio E17 , and i must say it is not a downgrade in my opinion, I love how it drives my HE 400's and wouldn't trade it or sell it for the world, the Fiio is a "fun" amp, because it lets you EQ the treble and the bass to suit your...

Quote:   It does , and i dont know what quality it is ( probably mediocre ) 

Quote:   Yea, I got the iPhone 5 going in fully knowing this was gonna happen, and so far i havent been too upset , i cant appreciate the nuances on my commute anyway, when i get home I dont need my phone to hear awesome music :)

Quote:   Thats quite a sweeping statement.  So far ... you cant just recommend "a dac" for the iPhone 5 , no-one has build a digital out connector yet and no-one has promised compatibility with the digital out signal that apple will probably encrypt or do something else with , its not...

  If you dont like their sound sig then move on i would say, the K701 is where their sound is at, and from my time auditioning it with my own amp I found the detail to be clear and the bass present where it was needed, IMO its their best can, however if that is not to your liking then I dont...

Quote:   TRRS for balanced ? What would be the point, I wasnt aware of any desktop amplifiers that supported such a format , seems a bit pants, it is a huge mess, the closest we have to a standard is XLR / mini ... oh well , ya learn something new every day.

Any TRS connector is single ended, ( Tip - Ring - Sleeve ) Where the Sleeve is the ground and tip / ring are the +V for the left and right channels, so thats your 3.5mm or 6.35mm jacks sorted.   When you are going Balanced you will most likely be using an XLR or mini XLR connector to give...

Thats actually the plug of my HifiMans which are sitting somewhere to the side :) The Alessandro MS-1 Plug is identical to the SR-60/80/125 etc plugs afaik

Thats an E17 ( has the buttons on top ) and nope, these are my grados ( those headphones ^^ in my last post are my sennheiser HD 595's )

use a safety pin, push the reset button, sometimes it gets "stuck" in dead mode