sspiper

Well is it good Schiit?

Thank you, this is truly gorgeously played and recorded.

For me I truly love this sonata and am always excited to hear another interpretation. This is lovely. I plan to enjoy it tonight with a more critical ear ?

Also I know the Fostex is supposedly easy to drive but the headphone amp in the chord hugo is doing a fabulous job. Wish i had an Audeze to report on for you ;-)

Considering my relative roll of the dice I couldn't be happier. I looked hard at the Auralic Vega, fabulous reviews here and all over, but the combination would have broke the bank for me....I am sitting here listening to the Bill Evans Trio Sunday at the Village Vanguard, damn that's all I can say. The Fostex sound absolutely alive driven by this tiny little chord hugo. Now the Vega and the Cavali that would be something for sure. This is a very expensive hobby but one that brings much joy!

Ok Folks, I've been listening for about 48 hours to everything from red book to DSD. I recognize this is subjective but the utterly black noise floor and immediacy to the music I am getting with the combination has given me goosebumps. Call it hyperbole but I believe the chord is utterly amazing. Anyway that is first blush with these wonderful headphones and tiny power house dac/ headphone amp.

http://http://www.capitalaudiofest.com/ Kelly you are full of great ideas! I have been on the head fi site reading reviews but had no idea there will be a meet here in the dc metro area in July "D.C. Area Meet (Saturday, July 26th, 2014) - part of CanMania @ Capital Audio Fest (CAF) 2014" It looks like they will have some great gear so I am adding this to my calendar! 2014 Capital Audiofest | capitalaudiofest.com | High-end Audio Show on July 26-28, 2013 | Silver Spring MD, DC, VA | stereophile, audiogon, analog audio, audiofest, turntable, vacuum tube, speakers, amplifier, electronics, preamplier

I agree. That combination was high up on my list and I am sure would have been a fantastic choice. in Fact when I can swing it I'll definitely be getting a pair of either the JH13s or 16s.

Yes those where my choices and I am so excited! It will be a week or so before my dealer gets another shipment of Chord Hugos. It was so much fun doing the research and looking at all the possibilities. I was very tempted by the Alpha Dogs and the centrance hi fi M8 that you suggested. Also the AK 240 but I hadn't really started out looking for a media player. I was very intrigued by the Auralic Vega and Taurus, too. They are really well reviewed and very cool.. But that would have broken the bank. My hope is that the Chord Hugo will prove to be a very capable (reference quality) DAC/ headphone amp both for my office system and on the road. If I could I'd own them all ;-)

I am really excited to say that I'll be listening to the HUGO soon, can't wait and will let you know if my experience is different than yours. I know much of this is subjective but the feedback I had was: "The Chord is Jaw dropping good. It is a game changer. I can not say enough good things about it. Just amazing..."

So many great suggestions here. And as esimms86 pointed out so many potentially correct answers. Fostex TH900s and the Chord Hugo.... a leap of faith!

I'd be really curious if anyone has been able to compare the sound of these. They are obviously different in that the hugo is a dac/amp while the Ak 240 is a Media Player. But the Chord blurs the line with its portability. What is the sound quality of one vs the other?

So cool. Can you mention the components? Also the brand of whiskey on the desk? ;-)

Great advice! I am looking at the Alpha Dogs which have a ton of buzz right now and will look at the TH-900 for sure. Separating amp and dac makes great sense but it increases the possible choices even more! Can you name some separates you would consider? This is great stuff......

Well said. I believe I may go for the LCD XC. And possibly an Auralic Gemini. It would be great to read a thorough review but I've yet to find one. A combo vega and Taurus would be awesome but dear considering this is my office. The meridian still tempts me too... Easy and well reviewed, there are so many possibilities I am obsessing a bit reading about all the choices, woo, burson and on and on....