HiWire

It's a great video. People were accusing Ars of promoting Grado, but I think the Grado house and business model are different enough (from overseas factories and multinational conglomerates) to deserve a feature article. Also, it inspired me to research headphones again, for no good reason. I'm already very happy with my current setup (Sony D-EJ2000 + Alessandro MS-1 at work, Arcam FMJ CD36 + Headsave Classic v2 + Grado HP-2 at home). I started a long time ago with stock Panasonic over-the-ear headphones and a portable cassette player, moved into low-buck Koss headphones when the Panasonic broke, and stayed with Sennheiser HD 320 headphones for ten years with a Panasonic SL-S160 portable CD player (still working). After updating myself for a few days on the interwebs of headphone stuff, I'm still glad that I went with the MS-1 for portable/desk use (and grabbed the HP-2 when the opportunity came up). There are a lot of new products on the market, but the classic stuff stays around too (e.g., Sennheiser HD 600, Koss PortaPro, etc.). I have mixed emotions when I think about people who are new to the headphone game – they have a lot more choices, but too much information (and hearsay) are overwhelming. Higher prices on the new flagship products are also discouraging... fortunately, the market is big enough that you can still find value for your dollar. At one point, I found myself reading reviews of Monoprice headphones. That was ludicrous... after you've heard the good stuff (AKG K1000, Grado PS-1, I'm looking at you), it's very hard to go back. It always comes back to a long, careful equipment audition, which is hard to do at headphone meets and audio stores. System synergy is also important – testing a piece on other people's gear, music, and listening environment often leads to a misleading impression.

Yes, I was surprised to find out that the drivers are made nearby. The commenters on that article that describe Grados as "tinny-sounding" probably haven't heard Grados before. That's what you get when you rely on internet reviews.

This video gives people a good look at the factory and their manufacturing process: http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/07/some-of-the-worlds-most-reknowned-headphones-built-in-a-brooklyn-townhouse/ SFW: hot glue action It should be interesting to see if their e series headphones are a measurable improvement on their predecessors. It seems like yesterday that they announced the i series.

Okay, slightly less facetious – dCS talks about DSD and DoP: http://www.audiostream.com/content/dcs-puccini-plays-dsd I didn't know dCS used Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) in their equipment.

The online review of the Audiocom Signature edition: http://www.hifiplus.com/articles/oppo-bdp-105d-audiocom-signature/

The Absolute Sound gets mobbed in the comment section: http://www.theabsolutesound.com/articles/comparing-sacd-to-a-dsd-download-a-follow-up-report/

Macworld discusses the implications of a Lightning-only wired audio output: http://www.macworld.com/article/2365061/hit-the-road-jack-why-apple-may-say-goodbye-to-the-headphone-plug.html One step forward, two steps back. Lightning–analog adapters are going to be a pain in the ass.

Air – Premiers Symptômes

What a pity. His microphone project sounded interesting.

I kid you not: http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=120&cp_id=12008&cs_id=1200801&p_id=11567&seq=1&format=2 Looks like a candidate for the Inner Fidelity test bench.

Seems pointless to the end user, but they're probably a-fixin' to eliminate the 3.5mm (1/8 inch) jack: http://9to5mac.com/2014/06/03/apple-introduces-mfi-specs-for-lightning-cable-headphones-support-arriving-in-future-ios-update/ Obviously, this could lead to new headphone and accessory sales (again – moar DACses?). Bluetooth still seems to be a muddle re: sound quality: http://www.cnet.com/news/can-aptx-give-you-better-sound-over-bluetooth/

It's a good start, anyway: http://anandtech.com/show/8078/smartphone-audio-testing-htc-one-m8-and-samsung-galaxy-s5

Tweak Audio also does Oppo mods: http://www.tweakaudio.com/EVS-2/Oppo_105_Mods.html I've never heard one of these boxes, so I can't comment on whether people are getting their money's worth. I'll stick with the stock player.

Hi-Fi+ has a review of the Audiocom Signature mod to the BDP-105D in the May 2014 issue. Pricey stuff: http://www.audiocominternational.com/37-blu-ray-players-mods

I thought it was an interesting list. Too bad nobody can ask Steve how he chose his equipment (e.g., bought everything from one store or based on recommendations, magazine reviews at the time, etc.).

I liked it. It took a few listens, though.

I like the universal design and JH pedigree, but $1,300 seems like a lot of money.

I've got the Led Zeppelin II remaster on pre-order. Not optimistic about the sound quality on the discs when they are released in June... but best of luck to Pono.

The shape seems like a hack, then. They should have a flat face for the display and controls, and a cylinder for the rest of the body. It would be more comfortable in a pocket or in the hand, and you could fill the extra volume with a bigger battery or something. Mo' Shakey, Mo' Money: http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/03/neil-young-endorsed-music-player-kickstarts-past-1-6-million/

Neil Young's name still gets the gold: http://www.theverge.com/2014/3/12/5499450/pono-music-player-reaches-kickstarter-goal The device design, battery life, and storage capacity aren't particularly impressive to me, but the price is much better than Astell&Kern's.

Also, I haven't heard the Blockhead mentioned in a long time.

I'm glad to hear that. The M51 has been getting a lot of good reviews. The fact.12 seems do be doing the right thing as well: http://www.hifiplus.com/articles/pmc-fact12-loudspeakers/

You've got an interesting gear setup. The room looks comfy! I wonder if your speakers would sound slightly different in a carpeted room. I hope the twenty series won't sound too harsh with my solid-state gear – I chose Arcam electronics for their liquid, effortless sound and they seem to pair well with PMC's accurate, dynamic sound. My listening room is drywall and wall-to-wall carpet, with a low ceiling. I noticed that PMC has removed many of the i series models from its website – I wonder how the twenty.26 will compare with fact.8 towers.