Yes, I am a semi-hardcore music fanatic. No, I don’t spend tens of thousands of dollars to get that last speck of sound quality, but I do research midpriced (or low priced by audiophile standards) solutions that lead me to different devices for music.

Along the way, I read many reviews of devices from Little Dot and David ZheZhe. I had a decent system in just about every nook and cranny of my house, so I just read for amusement. Well, the Entech DAC in my bedroom died and I decided I needed a replacement. The DAC was being fed by an Airport Express that was streaming Apple Lossless music from my computer. Anyway, I had a nice headphone amp (X-Can V3) in the bedroom, so it was not really something I was planning to update. However, I temporarily moved a Beresford DAC to the bedroom and it made a really nice pairing. So much, in fact, that I decided to keep the pair together and move them to my favorite spot near the couch in the living room.

With my nightstand completely bare, I decided I would look for a new DAC and headphone amp. The process is not easy because there are A LOT of products that look desirable. I was leaning toward getting a Little Dot MKII amp that I had seen on eBay, but then I ran across a Stereophile magazine positive review of the MK III and it made me rethink the decision. I started reading Head Fi and other user reviews and decided I would spend the extra money and move up to the MKIII.

Now which DAC? From past experience, I know DACs are very important in the sound of digital music. They take the signal from a bunch of 1s and 0s and, if they are good, make them sound like live music. Well, I have a Cambridge DacMagic and was looking for something in the same price range. I thought about adding a V-DAC, which also gets great user reviews, but I simply don’t like the look of it. I thought about buying it and just leaving it under the bed, but decided to read up on the Little Dot DAC_1 first. One user actually liked it more than the PS Audio DLIII DAC that I LOVE and it looked like it was made to slip under the MKIII because of similar casing.

I thought that I might get a discount if I bought them both from David, and while they weren’t discounted, it did cut down on shipping costs. For aesthetic reasons and because of the quick responses from David, I went this route. I ordered both and during the wait I sent David a couple of emails. His responses were unbelievably quick and helpful. Nothing makes me feel better than buying from a small vendor than quick feedback!

A few weeks went by (the MK III was on backorder) and I got the packages on the same day. The equipment looks great and much more expensive than I expected. The DAC_1 feeds the MKIII from one set of outputs and I have RCAs running from the second set of outputs to my Denon receiver. The MKIII also has RCA outs, so I have it feeding my Super Sonic T-amp and Realistic (electrostatic) headphones. Talk about bang for the buck!! Three systems all taking advantage of the new Little Dot devices!

I know some of you may have wanted a long review about sound quality. However, I can just say that I am very happy with the sound of the combo. I have a pair of Audio Technica ATH-AD700 headphones that I run off the system most of the time and the sound is amazing. The sound stage is huge and nearly makes it possible to forget you are even wearing headphones. I have also tried out AKG k701 and Senn HD580 headphones with the setup and I think anyone that owns these headphones would be happy (I prefer the 701s over the HD580s with the setup, though).

The MKIII has gain switches to make it easier to drive different types of headphones. It ships with the switches in the medium position and I intend to leave it there since I may switch headphones in and out. The tubes are also supposed to be easy to switch out (roll), but I have not tried that just yet.

Anyway, check out littledot.net , head fi forums , or Stereophile’s website if you want to learn more.

Well, I have been called an Apple fanboy despite the fact that I own 5 PCs, so I thought I would make it official and get a Mac, too. For my first Mac, I decided to get a Mac Mini and see how it went. I already have monitors, so I did not need an all-in-one solution.

I ordered the mini online since I wanted to get it over a tax-free weekend that we have in Memphis each year. I went by the Apple store and there was a long line out front and the heat index was over 100 degrees.

I decided to get them to set it up with 4GBs of RAM to make sure it could run everything I need. The mini has 2 separate video ports. Therefore, I hooked it up to my LCD using a miniport to HDMI adapter. I also ran a long HDMI cable from the mini into my living room through a shared wall. The HDMI is hooked to my Denon receiver and it feeds a plasma.

I decided to just mirror the displays to show the same thing on both of them. This way I have access to all of the programs from both displays. I also downloaded a program called Plex to add all of my media. I am still messing around with it, but it handled everything I threw at it (from HD to SD, DTS and DD5.1).

In addition to the mini, I also got an Apple Blutooth keyboard and a Magic Trackpad. I just started using the Trackpad, but I love it already!! It allows ultimate control with finger swipes. For the living room, I control it with an iPad. I can use Logmein to take over the mini completely or Rowmote Pro to act as a keyboard and trackpad.

Since the main reason I got the mini was to act as a media server, it has already accomplished that task with Plex. However, I also bought it to mess around with (since I am a gadget freak) and I think it will keep me busy for a long, long time. I am not throwing out my PCs, even though I am currently in the middle of a restore of my Sony Vaio , but I thought it was about time to get on the Mac bandwagon, even if I am still, don’t tell Jobs, mostly PC.

As a Canon 20D owner, I have been waiting for a long time for the perfect camera - for me - to come along before I decided to upgrade. It has been hard because it is outdated because of its puny LCD screen, no live view, and 8.2 megapixels…my cheap point and shoot has 12.1, a bigger screen, and live view!!

Well, before I update, one thing I need is a flip (or rotatable) LCD screen which the 60D has been rumored to have. Being tall, I think it would be easier on my back if I had a a flip LCD that would allow me to mount the camera down low while I stood up and looked down at it. Also, another feature is taking pictures in a crowd. Parades at Disney (one example) would be easier to shoot.

Nikon has been putting these type of screens on their newer consumer grade models and I was about to start kicking myself for choosing Canon several years back. I have also heard it would be 18 megapixels or something like that. If it comes out in September/October, it may just have to be an early Christmas present that I buy for myself.

Well, I have had the iPad for a few months now, so I have plenty of time under my belt to get an idea of what it can or can’t do. The responses below is the second entry related to some of the trolls that go to forums and look for mentions of Apple products and then go in and make posts that attack the product. I have gone out of my way to answer most of their concerns, but new trolls pop up every day with the same comments. Therefore, I thought I would address their concerns specifically related to the iPad:

1. No multitasking - this is one of the only criticisms I actually agree with. The lack of multitasking is a pain when you want to listen to Rhapsody/Pandora while doing other tasks. A web jailbreak was put out in the last week that will probably solve this issue. Also, I have no doubt that Apple will actually add multitasking by the end of the year. Since I mainly use the iPad at home, I am just going to wait it out.

2. No Flash - I could care less. If I did not have Slinbox, Orb, and Netflix on the iPad I might care, but as it is, the addition of it would just mean that I would have to see more annoying advertising.

3. Some netbooks have better specs - No one is using a netbook because of specs. They make laptops that kill them in the specs department. People buy them for portability and getting on the web. The iPad is more portable (1.5 pounds), no clamshell design/bulkiness, and has a better screen. In other words, it beats the netbook at its own game.

4. Too heavy - it weighs 1.5 pounds. If that is too heavy for you, you just might want to visit a gym.

5. Too big - it is smaller than most (all?) netbooks and with the Apple case it is pretty much like picking up a book. Once again, if this is an issue for you, it is more of a limitiation of you rather than the iPad.

6. Other tablets are better spec’d - which one is better than the iPad and why? Please comment with your example. I had someone tell me this on a forum and they said Lenovo S10-3t. When I told them it was reported to be buggy and sluggish with limited viewing angles, I never heard from them again.

7. E-ink is better for books - Okay, I could have bought a similarly sized $489 Kindle, but I loose backlighting and color? I like landscaping, art, and photography books. I bet those are fantastic on a colorless one trick pony. Also, I want to read magazines, RSS feeds and blogs. All are better in color.

8. No USB - it is a portable device, it loses its purpose if you have hardrives dangling from it. Instead, you can use a variety of wireless solutions to access your entire music collection, data files, or video. It does have a camera connector for photos and for sending out a digital signal to a USB DAC. Also, there are blutooth options for speakers, keyboards, etc..

9. Apple fans are sheep - some variation of this is inevitable because trolls aren’t very creative.

10. I have no need for this gadget - No one says you do. Some people do have a need for it, which is why it is selling like hotcakes. It is also the reason people start threads on the subject. They want to learn more about apps, its uses with different DACs, etc… They don’t need a new troll showing up after the last one left to ask the same exact questions or make the same exact attacks.

The iPad is a unique device that some people like because of its form factor. It can access the Apple store and iPhone apps, it has great battery life, a beautiful screen, ease of use, and a slick interface. It gives the user the ability to watch video, read books, read magazines, read blogs, read newspapers, use as a remote to control itunes, ability to take over your computer via logmein, view photos, listen to music, read email, plan your calendar, handwrite notes, draw, play games, etc..

If you are stilling having problems understanding the appeal, maybe it is time to face the fact that you aren’t very intelligent.

8/3/10 More stuff being added by trolls by the minute, most is just rehash of the above, but here are a some more:

1. It can’t replace my laptop, phone, or DAP - Well, it can replace your laptop and DAP if you want it to. I really don’t have much use for another digital audio player. The iPhone works for when I am on the go and the iPad works for everything else. I still want a desktop PC for serving media and running iTunes. Many devices I own rely on a media server. Also, no one says every new device has to replace the old. When I bought a Wii, it was not because I wanted to replace my PS3.

2. It can’t play FLAC files - It plays Apple Lossless. If you have a lossless library, you probably should have a backup. Just transcode your FLAC files to Apple Lossless (without deleting the original FLAC file) and you are all set. I did several batches with Foobar to get all of my FLAC files copied to Apple Lossless. It took a while, but it was as simple as selecting files and pushing a button.

3. It gets awkward to hold after several hours - Unless you live in a room with one chair, you should not have much trouble maneuvering to a lounge chair, to the couch, etc. The iPad can rest on your chest while you are laying down, on your crossed leg while you are sitting up, in your lap, sitting on a table while watching video, on the arm of a chair, on cushions, on the bed while laying on your side, etc.. Laptops have been responsible for neck strains, back aches, over-heated nether regions..which has been linked to fertility issues, etc.. If you don’t have the sense to move around every now and then, PLEASE stay away from ALL gadgets.

4. Many modern phones can do a lot of the same things in a much smaller package - that is the problem, their screens are too small.

5. It has a horrible headphone output - I don’t agree. However, as I have written before, it can send a digital output to a DAC. I use it with a uDac on the go and with desktop DACs at home. It simply outperforms every other portable DAC that does not have a line out.

My canned response related to Apple products that I own

Back in 2003, I bought my first iPod. It was the 2nd Gen version that had a firewire port and predated iTunes on the PC. It was one of the few models out at the time that had 20GB of storage space. Over the course of time, I have gathered a few more products (Shuffle, iPod Classic, iPod Touch, iPhone 3GS, Airport Express, and iPad, respectively). In my quest for more information related to gadgets and audio, I participate in a few online forums. What amazes me is that whenever I mention any Apple product, I get some ludicrous comments from one or more members. As a result, I am creating this blog entry to put in my signature link that can respond to these comments without derailing every thread in which an Apple product is mentioned into a debate about Apple.

Below are some of the most common comments and my reponse to them. If you want to add further comments, use the comment button, send me an email, or PM over your issue using the forum where you got this link, and I will try to answer the comments here:

1. You are an Apple Fanboy - this is by far the most common comment to any of my (or others) posts related to Apple devices. The comment is meant to imply that I only like Apple products because of some sort of blind loyalty to the company. This would make sense if I did not also own two portable players by Creative and own several computers running Windows. In fact, I have never owned a Mac computer. So much for fanboyism.
(UPDATE: I just bought my first Mac. It is a mac mini, but it still does not compare to the five computers around the house running Windows)
2. Apple products are gimmicky - I think some people confuse ease of use and cutting edge devices as gimmicky. iPod hit the scene back in 2001. By 2007, over 100 million iPods had been sold. A gimmick is a “quirky feature that distinguishes a product or service without adding any obvious function or value”. Most people do not think of ease of use, apps for everything, 160GB hard drive space, etc.. as quirky features.

3. Faddish - A fad usually means that it is a product that is fashionable for a short period of time and then disappears. The iPod is not going anywhere. Also, I would argue that other players are much more faddish. An iPod is about as common as wearing socks. A SanDisk player (for example) is much more likely to be faddish because of their small market share and its flavor of the month status in some circles.

4. Trying to look cool - Many have their own interpretations of “cool”. However, if owning an exceptional product is part of being cool, then I guess some buy them for the coolness factor. However, they are only cool because the product is viewed by the buyer as an exceptional device.

5. Trendy - How trendy can something be when 100 million+ devices have been sold? Once again, iPods have been around for 10 years. If they are still trendy, it is because of their exceptionalism when compared to the rest of the market. There is also news out that the iOS devices have now sold over 100 million, too.

6. Build Quality is suspect - I am sure every brand of electronic device has had an example of it being broken or just stopped working at some point. I still own a fully functional 2nd Gen iPod. So, from that perspective, I would say that this iPod is exceptionally well built. My shuffle also works like it did the day I bought it.

Also, the fact that the popularity has not diminished seems to point to the fact that people are happy enough with the product to buy a new version of one. This is extremely common for iPhones and iPods. If people were miserable with the build quality, why would they buy the new version when it came out? There are many other options…many that appear to be copied directly from Apple. The fact is that the build quality is good enough for most people.

Sound quality sucks - I think that this is marketing hype put out by companies trying to get some market share. The fact is that sound quality is in the ear of the beholder. I would not argue if someone claimed that they prefer the sound of a Fisher Price record player to a VPI Scout. The fact is some like tubes, some like solid state, some like analog, and some like digital. Its not an absolute. However, Apple makes some of the most flexible players if you want to improve on the small amps and DACs in a portable player.

There are many LODs (line out docks) that skip the internal amp to send the sound to a better portable amp (PA2V2 and Fiio E5 are two products I own). Also, if you want to spend the money, you can get a Wadia or Onkyo dock that will allow you to dig out the digital stream and send it to a better DAC (digital to analog converter). Most portable players have no way of doing this.

For the iPad, you can get the camera connector and send out a digital signal to a DAC via USB. Once again, this is not possible on most devices. While some people may appreciate Sony’s tweaked sound (for example), the fact is that most of their players do not even support compressed lossless formats (FLAC, WMA Lossless, etc..). As a result, the source file is lossy and I would argue garbage in/garbage out.

While the above are general comments that appear in any discussion of any Apple device, here are some popular comments related to specific products:

iPhone
The iPhone requires a jailbreak to be useful - OS4 should have put an end to this complaint. With it, you now have multitasking…which is the reason I jailbroke my 3GS. While many gadget fiends like myself will jailbreak, mod, and push a product past its basic commercial limits, it does not mean these products are useless before geeks get ahold of them.

There are better phones on the market - I don’t think there is a better phone for me. I like to have functionality across platforms. For instance, I download the Orb app to my iPhone. I then sync it to my computer. After that, I sync my iPad and iTouch to my computer and now I have Orb on all three devices. It is simplicity at its best. I also like the way the “Remote” app integrates with iTunes on my computer.

iPad

For more specific comments about the iPad, see here

Here are a couple to address some concerns:
Its a big Touch - umm…yeah…that is why I wanted it. If someone wants to argue that a 3.5 inch screen is better than a 9.7 inch screen for anything visual, I would just have to say they are a liar. Fortunately for the iPad, the 9.7 inch screen makes it better for Netflix, Orb, ABC, USA Today, Pulse, Zinio, Pandora, etc.. The Touch is only more portable…but comes in handy when you need a pocket device and don’t own an iPhone.

A netbook does more - Who cares? My laptop does more than a netbook. My swiss army knife does more than my butcher knife. The question is what you use it for and how well it does those tasks. Most people have netbooks for quickly getting on the net. They like them for their portability and battery power when compared to a laptop. However, it has a keyboard that takes up half the space. As a result, the iPad is easier to read on, carry from room to room, and it is faster to boot up. In other words, a netbook may do some things that iPad doesn’t, but I would use it much less… We own an MSI netbook and I would gladly trade it in for another iPad. At this point, I also use it A LOT more than my fairly new laptop. Form factor is everything!

iPod Classic 160GB - I rarely post about this product, but I have a good reason for selecting it instead of Cowon (which I also like). My car has a plug in that works with iPods. It allows the user to control what is playing (via genre, playlist, album, artist) using the head unit or the steering wheel controls. There is not another brand that will work with it, so it is what it is. However, the fact that so many accessories (I also have a Sendstation pocket dock for attaching my iPhone to my car’s USB input) are made specifically for Apple devices makes them more user friendly than other devices. I should also mention that I wanted 160GB, so I could use lossless files.

Ipod Touch - I got one of these while I was locked into using a Treo on Sprint. The apps and the wifi capabilities are incredible. While I rarely use it since I got an iPhone, it is what got me interested in apps and the iPhone. It also has an LOD output that allows it to be used with outboard amps.

Airport Express - Inexpensive music server. Unlike the Roku Soundbridge I also own, it does not take up any desktop space. It can be controlled using the Remote app.

While I am not saying that Apple devices are perfect, AT&T for the iPhone in the USA is an issue, I am saying that making a bunch of ignorant comments about them anytime they are mentioned serves no purpose…other than derailing threads to a point that the original post is no longer being considered. Admit it, Apple makes some decent products.

Well, the 6 month lottery for LeBron James has come to an end. He chose to play for the next few years in Miami. The big surprise for me is the number of sports writers, commentators, and talk show hosts that are now calling him a loser.

I remember Dan Marino setting several NFL records for a team that refused to build up a franchise around him. How many Super Bowl rings does he have for staying with a franchise that refused to make the necessary moves to become a contender? ZERO!!! The sad fact of the matter is that no one is claiming that Marino is better than Joe Montana because Marino never won a Super Bowl. Joe was great under pressure, but most of his career consisted of throwing the ball eight yards to Jerry Rice and watching him run for another 35. Montana also had a genius in a coach. The “west coast offense” run by Bill Walsh is now used around the league. Even after Joe, Steve Young had great results in the same system. Both have more rings than Marino. As a result, we hear that Montana was the greatest NFL quarterback to ever play the game…if he had never one a Super Bowl, would anyone be claiming he was better than Marino?

The Next Marino?
What does this have to do with LeBron? Well, he was facing a situation where he could have been our next Marino. He is clearly one of the two best players in the league and his franchise has done nothing to help him. He could stick it out, win a few more MVPs while he watched more complete teams win rings, but he decided to make his own destiny rather that waiting for the Cleveland franchise to make a good move. Personally, I respect someone that is willing to forge ahead and create their own destiny. Why have someone else to blame when it is all said and done?

Michael never had to leave Chicago:
Another argument is that players in the past have never had to leave their franchise to get their victories. Moses Malone did not start his career in Philly. Shaq did not start his career in LA or Miami. Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen did not start their careers in Boston. The list goes on and on.

Michael never had to leave Chicago, but he did not win a title until they got Scottie Pippen. When MJ was playing baseball, Pippen managed to lead the Bulls in every major statistical category: assists, rebounds, points, steals, and blocks. Only four players in NBA history have accomplished this feat. In other words, MJ had one of the top 50 players in history by his side. Where is LeBron’s Pippen or Rodman or Grant on the Cleveland team? No where to be found.

Reality is what you make it
As we know, to be considered the greatest player in the NBA, LeBron will have to win a lot of titles to catch MJ or Russell. As I illustrated above, championships define a player’s career. In the NBA, you can’t just win one or two. Don’t you know that is the knock against Wilt? The guy scored 100 points in a game, the NBA changes numerous rules to stop him, he averaged 50 points a game for a season, he averaged 22.9 rebounds a game over his career. Yet, somehow MJ is the greatest ball player ever…it is stamped in stone…or as Al Gore would say “It’s a consensus”, argument over. Why would people have this misperception? Media Hype? Yes, but they back up this absurd claim by saying MJ has more rings than Wilt. Russell has more rings than MJ and Wilt. Yet, look up the stats and Wilt outplayed Russell every single game. More points and rebounds:

“Chamberlain outscored Russell 30 to 14.2 per game and outrebounded him 28.2 to 22.9 in the regular season, and also in the playoffs, he outscored him 25.7 to 14.9 and outrebounded him 28 to 24.7″

The reason, and the only reason, anyone would dare say that Wilt was not the greatest player ever is because he only won 2 championships. Maybe LeBron does not want to leave that door open as the only reason he is not eventually considered the best player to ever play. Personally, I see no way he will be better than Wilt, but he could pass MJ in every statistical category and rings…at that point I think the “consensus” may change.
The Zone Era
In 2001, the NBA allowed a rule change that allowed zone defenses back into the game. This makes it nearly impossible for one person to beat an entire team, although I have seen LeBron do it more than once. Unfortunately, a team like Boston can put three people in positions to stop him and dare him to pass to his teammates. You would think Cleveland would be able to get a couple “pure” shooters, but somehow that hasn’t happened…just in…Mike Miller is rumoured to have signed with Miami.

Is LeBron a Loser?
I think that remains to be seen. If he can’t win with Wade, then maybe he is. However, leaving Cleveland gave him the possibility to win rings. If that happens, and Cleveland becomes mediocre, I think we can make our minds up about who lost and why. Let’s just hold off our conclusions for now, shall we?

One last note, being born in Ohio doesn’t mean he should have to serve a life sentence. Maybe it’s just the Memphian in me, but at least they get to keep the Rock and Roll hall of fame that they don’t deserve….for now anyway.

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