Same here, SE sets idle alot. 
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I have a sizable credit/gift card to amazon. I have decided that some/all of it will go toward some new piece of audio gear(s). But what?
So, for fun, I want suggestions based on the following rules.
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I am not saying the exact amount. Be creative, consider all options.
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any suggested items likely need to be prime for the full credit to apply.
I am currently shopping for all types of gear from dap, to stack to headphones.
I have the qudelix 5k, dunu zen and lsa hp-2 ultra as my only permanent gear currently. So lots of things I could do to improve my stuff.
What do you think I should buy?
I have already owned this. Twice. And I am not opposed to a third time. It’s portability wasn’t convenient enough which is why I don’t own it anymore. But, it is the best sounding dac/amp I have heard so far. But now, I am ok with something stuck to a desktop. (Which both makes this ok but also other options)
Any feeling on how it compares to the neo idsd or zen stacks? Can I do better with a similar priced desktop system? If not, this may get a third spin.
Without wanting to appear euphoric 
, I have to say that the iDSD Signature is the most versatile and most widely used HiFi product of the last few years, for me personally.
And that despite the purchase of a Rebel Amp, a Marantz SR7015, a ZEN DAC / AMP combo, etc.
I use it at my desk, mobile and as a DAC to transfer Apple Music from my iPad to my stereo system via chinch cable.
I’m actually considering buying an additional device so that I can use it permanently and with a power supply at my desk.
What was particularly impressive for me was the symbiosis between the Siganature and Hifiman headphones.
I was definitely never a fan of Hifiman, neither of the processing nor of the sound, but the ifi has “kidnapped” me, especially through xBASS & 3D, into a completely new world of sound.
Since then, I’ve actually bought two more headphones from this brand and I’m very enthusiastic.
He also has my GRADO’s under control and gives them the gentleness that otherwise only my Questyle CMA400i is able to convey.
In addition, this DAC / AMP harmonizes extremely well with my Campfire Audio models
and an in-ear, which I personally always found “difficult”, the Tin HiFi P1, which can actually sound very impressive with xBASS, 3D and a lot of power .
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The sundara, arya and he6se all sounded awesome off this. The he6se, however, couldn’t get to high volume without distorting.
The dunu zen, audeze euclid and b2 dusk were all also amazing. The zen, in particular, could get to ear drum tickling bass at a volume that I could listen for a bit. The euclid actually fell apart a bit compared to the zen at high volume on this. It just started getting shouty and prickly. The zen maintained composure until your ears would bleed.
I was never a fan of the xbass or 3d effects in the same way I haven’t liked EQ. But they were far more acceptable.
My only reservation is would I find more of that special sauce with r2r or multibit dacs and a really good desktop amp? If not (or not enough to justify the cost difference), there is no question that the micro signature is the audio device of the century (so far).
For me, the xduoo ta-30 did similar things with the arya. But I never back to back tested against the micro signature.
Did I already find my end game dac/amp and simply didn’t keep it?
How would it do with ZMF?
Uh, at ZMF, just like with Focal headphones, you run into a sore spot with me 
.
Both are manufacturers that I would love to “love” so incredibly 
.
Both make headphones that look incredibly good, feel very valuable and with which you can make an impression 
in front of your friends without asking.
But even after hours and days of desperate attempts to bring their sound into line with their pricing, I am unable to make an investment.
With Focal it is generally the rather “mechanical” sounding overall picture, due to the driver technology, that in my ears is far from natural.
The ability to give music a certain speed and to punch really hard doesn’t change that.
At ZMF it is simply the case that other very well made headphones, with the same driver technology, and natural, rather warmer sound reproduction, detail ability and tone color, simply cost half the price.
I know that with my opinion, especially in this forum, I am far removed from the general tenor that specifically raises these two manufacturers to heaven.
I had and still have the opportunity to test headphones relatively extensively, thanks to this shop.
So far, other manufacturers have always managed to convince me of their qualities, sorry.
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I mean, it’s really very obvious.
Your wife needs noise cancelling headphones.
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For context, is this still current and representative of your preferences?
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By and large, yes, thanks to the iDSD Signature, Hifiman has made a big leap forward and I usually use my Clear’s for bass-heavy electronic music, for example:
In which these are indeed addictive.
I try to keep Focal away from all songs in which voices are decisive.
Sorry, too unnatural for my taste 
.
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Tried already! She owns the sony xm3 over ear headphone. Didn’t seem to help. Never uses it. 
Ha! Pretty sure my opinion is off the beaten path as well. I have not yet tried any zmf or focal. But the more I learn, the less confident I am about the value proposition. Unfortunately, I can’t help but want to try them anyway. It took trying the arya to get it out of my system. (And that ultimately got all hifiman out of my system)
What’s your alternatives to ZMF? And are they on amazon?
I need to feed my Chord TT2 via USB from my Lumin U1 Mini about 20 - 25 feet away. Anyone have a good lengthy USB cable to recommend?
Not seeking to engage in the “are all cables the same” debate - just looking for a recommendation from folks who’ve connected these or similar devices and are happy with their choices - thanks!
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Take a look at Supra USB cables if you want long lengths…
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I’ve never tried a USB cable over 3 meters. 5m (16.5 feet) is the max for USB 2.0 connection.
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We were just discussing something similar a couple of months ago. I haven’t used one, but I’ve read a lot about Supra USB cables being designed for long lengths.
Take a look at the post by John Swenson on the audiophilestyle.com forum. He did a test on USB cable lengths and found that all his USB cables between 6 and 10 feet had errors except for the Supra. Note that even the Supra had errors above 10 feet.
Both the Lumin and TT2 can use BNC and optical cables, can’t they? I think that both BNC and optical can handle longer lengths than USB.
Or your other option is to bring your streamer closer to the TT2, assuming you’re using ethernet cable for that.
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I currently use BNC without issue on the TT2. My concern, if I read the Chord documentation correctly, is that if I want to squeeze out the most up scaling out of the M Scaler (which I’m thinking of purchasing), I might need to connect via USB.
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That’s well above the official spec limit for USB cables. There will likely be bit-level errors at that length. I believe Chord DACs mute momentarily if there is mismatch between the sample data and the packet CRC (I know they do with DSD inputs). So you may run into a situation where you keep getting dropouts with a USB cable that long.
The USB input on the M-Scaler accepts a wider range of inputs than BNC does. If you need to feed the M-Scaler a signal of more than 24/192, or more than 1x DSD (DSD64), then you’ll need to run it via USB. Otherwise, COAX-BNC input is fine.
The “most” upscaling comes with a 44.1 or 48 kHz input, since the M-Scaler always upsamples to the internal same level (effectively 2048 fs), and then downsamples to the selected output rate … and to get the best of that (705.6/768 kHz output) you HAVE to use Dual-BNC from the M -Scaler to the TT2 (how you feed the M-Scaler there is irrelevant).
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Thanks – this is really helpful. I had thought, from the M scaler manual, that in order to get maximum upscaling I needed a USB feed to the M Scaler, but Chord support, and now you, tell me otherwise. I am perfectly happy with my BNC connection so this is a bit of a relief.
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I’ve been thinking of getting the signature due to its versatility. You’ve just convinced me that would be a good purchase. What hifimans have you found pair well with it?
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