scanfiend

Old does not mean it's not good Thoough admittedly their design is less than inspiring I have been using the X5L for a number of months with no issues. Battery life is outstanding. I get about 28+ hr playtime between charge (as opposed to the quoted 35hr playtime) No issues with the headphone jack so far (touch wood), but I have been using 'phones with L shaped plugs as opposed to straight plugs. L shaped plugs put almost no stress on the headphone jack. If you want to play around with different encoding formats, then the X5 is a no-brainer. It supports just about every major codec out there. Using the UM2, it has absolutely no hiss out of the headphone jack. SQ using the built-in EQ is pretty poor, IMHO, with significant distortions in playback. Fortunately, the supplied BBE tweaks is fantastic. This is my according to my ears, I hasten to add. Bad thing is that it only allow audio line-out (if you want to use an amp) using the adaptor that attaches to the bottom (similar to the Vision:M). If you hunt around the DIY threads, you may get a DIY line-out cable that clips directly to the bottom of the player similar to the following: http://www.audiolineout.com/x5.html But at a considerably reduced cost

ermmm....that "unknown korean amp" is actually the Crossroads

hey, I thought the HPI was the name of the Cardas interconnect cables? Pretty sure the HP1 was the moniker for the Crossroads....heard the HP2 will be coming. But I forget

Hi there gongkia2000 Were you the young gentleman I saw yesterday? Depending on your source (Ipod 5gen?), the UM1 can be easily driven without an amp. Some people cannot tell the difference between amped and un-amped, so your mileage may vary. So you might want to audition some to see if it makes a difference to your ears before plonking down the cash Having said that, some folks in headfi.org said that the UM1 really benefits from amping For less than $100, you can give the Crossroads HP1 a try. It's a great little amp for driving low-impedance 'phones and has great battery life. Jaben carries them, but I think they're out of stock. They run about $85. Wilson mentioned that updated Crossroads will be coming, so you might want to wait a bit

[Top-Gun], there's a few reviews in dapreview.net if you're interested. Seemed to be a well regarded DAP in general. But having said that, nothing beats having an actual unit in your hands to see for yourself

It need not be an expensive excercise. I have a entry level Marantz CD4000 CD player. Cost me all of $180+ I think, brand new. I got the gold model because it looked more bling Gave me many years of pleasurable listening. Hook up a nice little amp like the Firestone Class-A Beyond via RCA to RCA and you're pretty much set. Trouble with this setup is that you're pretty much tethered in one place. If you want portability, you could get a PCDP with a good line-out for your amp and your headphones. Trouble is, PCDP's seem to be a dying breed, being rapidly replaced with DAP's of all kinds. I remember just a few years ago, you'll be spoilt for choice with all the different models from the major manufacturers like Sony, Panasonic, et el. Now you can hardly find more than 2-3 models. I'm still using a Sony PCDP for my pre-bedtime listening Hooked up to a GoVide V5 headphone amp and the AKG K601, and it still sounds damned good!

When it's your time, it's your time. One of the Australian wild-life guys said that he cannot recall anyone being killed by a stingray in living memory in Australia. I saw a documentary that the sting gives you a nasty, painful-as-hell wound, but is rarely fatal. Apparently the sting went through his heart. It's a 1 in a million unfortunate mishap. Feel sorry for his wife and 2 kids.

I bought the Maha charger for $49 - bought it with 2 older 9.6V 200mAh batteries some months ago when I got the Xenos REP amp. How to tell if it's regulated? With a voltmeter, I suppose That's why I am hesitant on buying those "switchable" type power adaptors - i.e. those with adjustable voltages. You just don't know about the quality of these things.

I just bought a 9.6V 230mAh battery from Eastgear - costs $19.00. And yeah, the 24V Firestone Amp AC adaptor in Jaben fit the GoVibe (the demo set), but the one I have at home is too big?! I went round checking the prices for regulated 24V AC adaptors with changeable tips, and they range from $24-$79. All are switching types, and feature a big, honking, transformer module And yeah, the GoVibe V5 sounded divine with the AKG K601. I really should be trying it out with my other phones, but I was having too much fun with the AKG K601

A few times when I was using the Senn CX300 They blocked off the sound better than any earphone I used at that time. It also prevented me from hearing the announcements from the MRT Remember one time I overshot Jurong East and winded up in Lakeside MRT. Only problem was that it was kinda late and that there was no more service going back to JE from Lakeside! Wounded up taking the taxi to CCK

Audio products were fairly well represented....I saw Klipsh speakers (only GMX 2.1), Sonic Gear, Altec Lansing, Divoom, Edifier and of course, Creative....plus all kinds of MP3 players. Audio Technica has a small corner featuring their headphones, but not their higher end ones Prices were not particularly cheap. I can get some of the products cheaper outside, Comex or no Comex. No price reductions, but they usually throw in "freebies" like T Shirts / watches. Good deals can be had if you want to buy memory cards like SD, CF, mini-SD etc. My friend bought some really cheap.

Glad that you managed to isolate the problem. Technically, the digital signal should sound the same. However, the devil is in the details, as they say Here's some technical reading on USB based DAC on 6moons. I must confess that the details made my eyes glaze over, but it may be useful to you. http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/wavelength2/brick.html

This is my link-up: PC >USB2 cable->FuBar->RCA to mini female adaptor->nEar04 Speakers. PC->USB2 cable->FuBar->RCA to mini adaptor->Xenos REP Amp / Crossroads HP1->AKG 601 / Senn 590 I am happy to say I have no problems with clipping and distortion, even at high volumes. I wasn't using particularly fancy cables either, just Daiyo ones Distortions would imply a deficiency in power, or perhaps some electrical inteference from the PC motherboard. I would focus my attention on the USB connection. Are you using a USB 1.1 or USB 2.0 port on your PC? I have read that USB soundcards have issues on the slower USB 1.1 connection. Also, switch USB ports and see if the problem persists. The best is to try it on another PC, if possible. Additionally, try to use the USB ports behind the PC, not the front mounted ones. The USB ports behind the PC are the ones that are hardwired into the motherboard, so the power supply should be more constant. Best of luck.

I really don't know, RLN, some of the universal AV adaptors look kinda cheap, and may skimp on quality components. Some amps are sensitive to "dirty" power, which can cause audio degradation. Some guys use a regulated power adaptor, which are expensive. I figured it might be overkill. Best for me will be to go down to Jaben to investigate the anamoly of the different plug sizes

If you really want to give the amp a workout, try playing some opera vocals - the lows and the highs should give you an idea of the dynamic range of the amp. I play the CD Voices (Label: Universal Music -2002 featuring Freddie Mercury, Andrea Bocelli, Luciano Pavorotti, et el), and lesser amps usually clip and distort when Luciano sings, Those amps have no problems with pop music though

^^ lol, what about anything fruity?

Heh, he should also have tried the UM2, also

That is a mighty fine amp you bought, RLN! I have one, and I wrote a review on the REP and RHP sometime ago. Highly recommended (IMHO) I am now "burning" in the GoVibe as I am typing this. Initial impressions: a slight bass hump and treble compression compared to the other amps I have (see my sig ). Soundstage is a little congested - perhaps my battery wasn't fully charged. It's a Powerex 9.6V 200mAh - it's been sitting there for a couple of weeks since the last charging. You saw me fiddling with the 24V AC adaptor at Jaben, right? Funny thing, it fit at the shop, but the plug of the adaptor I have at home was too big - doh! Can't understand why, since I have the same Firestone amp at home You guys should try plugging in a 24V AC into the amp....fantastic

And a fine hello to you, too, RLN! Incidentally, which other amp did you purchase?

Wow, they must have had a huge price cut. I bought mine from Challenger at $179!! Sold it off for about $140

I just got my 2 GoVibes this afternoon (reserved, my man!) For those who wants to audition, you better hurry! When I was there, there's only 1 demo set available, and another newly opened one for a young gentleman to audition.....and erm, that's it!

Yeah, it's a competent headphone with decent isolation, but I wouldn't pay $170 plus for it

Top-Gun....er, "significantsly"? Heh heh, I understand, because sometimes I get excited as well Will bring my Kelly Flynt CD down to audition tomorrow....I also hope to borrow your Eric Clapton, too, if you don't mind I hope the Go-Vibe can take the 24V Firestone AC adaptor. I heard it's performance improves significantly when fed with 24V of juice instead of just that 9V battery.

I was at Comex this afternoon....man, they really blast those speakers loud! Could hardly hear yourself think When I inserted my custom UM2 molds....instant bliss.....great way to test the sound isolation properties of your IEM's

Hmmm....it seems to be a fairly well-regarded amp in Head-fi, but then those guys can get pretty emotional over there sometimes For only USD75.00 + shipping, the price is right! Yeah, I'm definitely interested. Here's the link for those interested in knowing more: http://go-vibe-headphoneamp.com/