Concerning the cable, one thing I noticed when I had the demo is that the clear cable and black cable do not feel the same way. The clear cable is smoother/softer to the touch while the black cable is a bit stiffer. I prefer black equipment for aesthetic reasons, but I think I preferred the feel of the clear cable. One guy at the Montreal meet pretended that the clear cable sounded better than the black cable... not sure about that. Also, the 64'' length works great for my needs, 48'' is ok for portable, but it's a bit too short for home use IMO.