Beefy

And in the freshly paid-off car too......

Well this is the age old question...... I would certainly rate the extremely plastic nature of the brain as a much stronger physiological phenomenon, but I doubt anybody is going to change anybody else's mind on the subject. Compared to what other playback software though? Did you try a few other 'bit perfect' solutions before you tried the audiophile quality computer music player for the most discriminating enthusiast?

The real question isn't the security you have, but rather who has the target painted on their back?

That was certainly my first thought. Ticks all the function and performance boxes, with a top-shelf headphone amp a great bonus.

Pretty much...... everything except taking the drivers apart. All wisdom everywhere suggests that would be a bad idea But on one of the drivers I will still need to find a way to straighten out the black steel mesh that sits against the ear. It has been bent/pushed-in a bit and is touching the internal dust cover. Ripping the dust cover would be a baaaaad outcome.

Well, at least it would be one less job to do around the house......

Stax extension cable, replacement cable, headpad, earpads, backing foam, mineral wool...... and Yamas seems to have sent it all UPS Standard despite me asking for USPS, so I will get hit with custom broker fees, duty, and I can't just pick it up at the post office at the end of the day

No, that wasn't my intention at all, just throwing in my $0.02

Ti posted good info on his Dynahi build a couple of years back...... Ti Kan's Dynahi Headphone Amplifier

If that is the case, then what did you just spend $1000 for? Plenty of bit perfect solutions without spending that sort of cash.

I haven't heard any really high end AT, or any of the limited editions, but the ESW9 are VERY different from the AD900......

Every comment I have read everywhere has been that Exstata toobs are moar betterz, so I'm really pleased to see at least one opinion contrary to that

They probably wouldn't. But I don't think anybody who spends $1000 on media player software and I will agree on anything. EVER. How does resampling your music through a bunch of fancy algorithms count as bit perfect?

You don't sit with the douches, because you actually have the ability to set things up properly - you just don't like how it sounds. My original point still stands...... MAC versus PC gives you no inherent benefit to sound quality, it all depends on things downstream of that base platform. If you could use the same audio hardware on both platforms, and set the software (driver, audio stack and player) to be bit perfect on both platforms, it would sound identical. If you can't get the same hardware to sound the same on PC versus MAC, then it is douche all the way.

The ESW9 aren't all that great in a technical sense, but the overall tone is fantastic and they are really fun to listen to. I use mine at work, because they have just the right amount of isolation and are fairly discreet. I wouldn't use them as my primary home headphone though.

I never much cared for Catcher in the Rye. I found that the Holden was far too much of a whiny little bitch for me to feel even the slightest amount of empathy. So thanks, J D Salinger...... you gave use the first emo.

Drivers, kmixer, software. It all makes a difference. So my point stands, you're a douche who doesn't know how to set up PC Audio correctly.

Perhaps it is because you're just a douche who doesn't know how to set up PC audio correctly, and need it handed to you on a platter?

I tend to agree. But that is how the mounting holes line up to completely cover the enclosure without overhang. On the balance, I think flush around the edges is going to be better than centered holes

Ha! That's mad..... and I'd imagine pretty difficult to fake. Love it when they do the overtake at the end......

I've had good luck with Schaffner products. They seem to have two lines with voltage selectors that may be worth checking out: FN390 FN370

This was the niche that netbooks were supposed to fill. But instead of becoming serious business machines, they seem to have gone the way of getting mom and dad on the intrablogweb. While I'm certainly no Apple fan, it is something I would like to see happen.

...... well buy panels from Ti then? The margin on his panels is pretty tight, and shipping is shared/covered by the PCB order anyway. If it weren't for me specifically wanting less I/O, I would buy his panels.

Nice! I prefer silver, and don't want filter/clipping switches, so I went in a slightly different direction with mine...... Because of my location, and the fact that I will be ordering Exstata panels at the same time, it probably makes little sense for me to try and group buy them. But I am also happy to share FPE files to anyone who is interested.

The previous AT amps have all been shockers though. I think when I was a total noob, I was looking at the HA-20? Terrible, terrible piece of kit...... Hopefully, this is an improvement.