cubbie5150

Wow...my head hurts a bit after reading most of this thread. I just recently got back into caring about audio (after ~4 years away from it...sold pretty much all my gear too), and today I downloaded A+....and bought the license about 3 hours later!! I am taking baby steps back into this hobby (I learned some hard lessons when I was into speaker rigs back in the day, which for me was like 1998-2008). My "gear" list is short, & hardly "hi-fi"...and I'm more about headphones & portable sound these days because that is just the life I live now. Anywho, I'm enjoying A+. I do have Power of 2 oversampling enabled (all other settings stock). I like what I hear, and maybe I'll even play around a bit w/ settings at some point. Just wanted to thank all the contributors here for taking the time to test & share.

So a couple of you are using the ALO Rx MK3-B amp? I was thinking about going that route, but was put-off by something seemingly minor: the inputs are on the opposite end of the amp from the output jacks. It makes having a low profile set-up more difficult, and means there's the need for a connection on both ends. I know...kind of trivial, but at this level I guess it's things like that which focus buying decisions, at least for me. I might have to re-visit my reservations about the ALO International....I still don't want to spend money for the DAC feature that has, but based on reviews I've seen on head-fi, it seems that would be a better match, amp-wise, than the amp-only ALO National.

I just got my RWAK100 delivered today (I ordered it from ALO & had them drop ship directly to Vinnie for him to do his thing & he then shipped to me). My Earsonics SM64 iems sound terrific straight out of the hp jack. It's not often that I've been able to say a ~$1,200USD investment (AK100 + mod + shipping + leather case + 2 micro SD cards) for an audio device was totally worth it, but in this case I most definitely can say that. I will say though that my 250ohm Beyerdynamic T70's don't sound "awesome" out of the RWAK100...the T70 is a brighter headphone (I tend to love detail), but the highs are well, "strident" out of the RWAK100, and the T70 is found to be lacking by bassheads as well (though I have gotten great bass response out of my transportable Retina Macbook Pro set-up (only using the Meridian Explorer). The RWAK100 doesn't seem to give my T70 enough current to have more bass presence. I am seriously considering purchase of either the ALO National or International to use as an amp. I like the International, but don't want to pay extra for a DAC I just can't see myself using (I love the Meridian Explorer via USB out of my rMBP already).

O.K., I'm allowing myself to be vulnerable by asking such a basic question: which output do I use to connect the ME w/ a portable headphone amp (like the Pico Slim)? And can I use just a simple 3.5mm to 3.5mm audio interconnect?

Just ordered this earlier tonight...gonna run it out of my rMBP. Heck, I even just now purchased an intro offer for J River's MC, Mac version. Guess I'm gonna get back into computer audio...at least in baby steps.

iTunes has gotten so bloated over the past few years; it's starting to remind me of Windows apps... Why even have Quicktime anymore?

Yep, this is a very handy utility. I use it on my Macbook Pro to switch between my Apogee Duet & internal sound.

This in no way helps, but I use an Apogee Duet & have never experienced what you're describing. I'll ask a colleague who also uses a Duet to see whether he has any insight. I doubt it though, as he bought a Duet on my recommendation a few months ago, and he surely would've griped about it!!

I use an ATV in my relatively humble setup... I run it's optical out to a PS Audio Digital Link III DAC (Stage 3 modified by Cullen Circuits). All I can say, is wow!!! For almost $100USD less than the cost of a Slim Devices Transporter, I get audio quality that is truly terrific to my ears. I think ATV gets ignored. Concerns about jitter from its optical out are noted... However, IME, w/ the DAC I use, I sense zero sound degradation. Granted, some people prefer NOS DACs...that's another discussion (Re: upsampling & its impact on jitter)....

I recently bought some IC's, speaker cable & a power cord from Frank @ Signal Cable---> http://signalcable.com/analog_interconnects.html Build quality is great, and Frank is just a good guy. You can get his Analog Two IC's w/ Eichmann Bullet Plugs for significantly less than your budget. If you're dead-set on spending more, PS Audio makes nice cables too, IMO.

Oh yeah, Chris... I LOVE the search function too!!! I feel like such a geek! My only wish is that my Airport Extreme Base Station's Air Disk functionality was more robust so that I could attach a drive to it (w/ my iTunes library on it) rather than use a FW 800 drive like I do now. Why? Just because......

The Remote App IS terrific!! I now use my iPod Touch (1st gen 16GB) as a remote--hardly ever use it any more to listen to music!! I only wish it would display album art all the time...it seems to pick & choose which album art to display; not a really big deal to me though. This makes using my ATV all the more enjoyable--don't even need to have my HDTV on anymore!! Yay!!!

I in no way want to star a flame war, but Logitech software also leaves a lot to be desired (it's endemic to Logitech software in general, IME). I know it's merely anecdotal, but I have several friends who have had nothing but multiple problems w/ SqeezeCenter (or whatever it's called now). That's why for me it ultimately came down to Mac Mini vs. Sonos vs. Apple TV; I opted for ATV for many reasons, even though it isn't high up on the list for the vast majority of folks looking for a music server solution. For those who have had no issues w/ SB, congrats, and I'm happy you have a solution that works for you!!

Very nice... After an email exchange w/ Rick Cullen yesterday, I ordered a Stage 3 modified DL III from Cullen Circuits. I should have it sometime next week. Can't wait to use this w/ my now week-old Apple TV!!!

Thanks Rick & Chris.... I especially like the insight, Re: Class D amps. I've read conflicting things about them & TBH, I am drawn to them b/c of smaller form factor & less heat. BUT, sound quality is most important, so I will re-examine what I want to do. I'll be looking at good ol' Class A/B amps too, and I'll up my budget if needed. What do you think of Class H amps, in general? Can you suggest particular brands/models to look at in the $1,500 - $2,000 range? I also appreciate the advice regarding bass management, or more accurately, how best to implement it. I see what you mean, and I think I'll get off my fixation on that feature. My current main speakers are Monitor Audio RS6, so I think they are capable enough at running full range. Like I said, I do plan to upgrade speakers too, though the RS6 are a very good product given the price (~$1,100 retail); a pretty decent bargain, IMO.