HiWire

My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult – Spooky Tricks

Perfect. The more I read about these speakers, the more I like.

It's hard to say – Apple doesn't like to discuss those kind of specifications. Flash memory is definitely getting faster, but it does depend on the controller. If you had, for example, 64 GB of data you'd like to load on your shiny new 128 GB phone, it would take about 18 minutes to upload it at ideal USB 2.0 speeds (probably a bit more, considering the overhead), and a little less than 2 minutes at USB 3.0 speed. USB 3.1 is also on its way – Apple might skip 3.0 and go directly to 3.1 speed, which is double 3.0's (under 1 minute for 64 GB). It would be a bit of a marketing coup. Thunderbolt 3 is also a possibility farther down the road. People can only stand to have so many ports on their computers (using the MacBook Pro as an example), so Apple might reduce the number of ports by 1 (eliminate HDMI) first, leaving only USB and Thunderbolt, then bring it down to one kind (e.g., Thunderbolt and use adapters for the rest), and eventually none (all wireless, including charging and headphones). The only people left using cables might be power users with Mac Pros – it certainly would be consistent with Apple's minimalist design ethos. You can bet they'll advertise it when it happens – I think most people have become accustomed to waiting that chunk of time for the initial load, syncing, and backup, but it will make a bigger difference as media files and apps grow. Wired I/O probably isn't their main priority, since the "average" user may be expected to keep things synced over 802.11ac wi-fi or the new "150" Mpbs LTE.

Nobody has mentioned the I/O speed on the new iPhone. I think it's still getting USB 2.0 speed through the Lightning connector. There have been rumors online that Apple is investigating a USB 3.0 upgrade for future products... that should make people with large media libraries rejoice.

Chromeo – White Women

Beastie Boys – Check Your Head

Sister Machine Gun – Metropolis

The Buggles – The Age of Plastic

Yes – 90125

... and it's here: http://arstechnica.com/apple/2014/09/philips-debuts-headphones-that-connect-via-apples-lightning-port/ What a pain in the ass this is going to be when they change interfaces again.

It's a trip down memory lane: http://www.theverge.com/2014/9/3/6100385/move-over-neil-young-sony-is-making-a-walkman-for-audiophiles Is the A17 some engineer's idea of an elaborate practical joke on the marketing department? Once again, this applies: http://www.theonion.com/video/sony-releases-new-stupid-piece-of-shit-that-doesnt,14309/ P.S. fake marble > fake carbon fiber

The Prodigy – The Fat of the Land

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