A Geek Goes Flying

I picked up a second-hand Schiit Jotunheim 2 for a great deal, but it does not have a DAC card installed.  Schiit Jotunheim 2  For my arrangement, I kinda need one. ( Trying it out with a Topping D10 Balanced revealed what the amp is capable of.) Having Schiit install it blesses the entire package with a 2 year warranty (and since the Jotunheim is second-hand, it has not Schiit warranty otherwise): For out-of-warranty products, having Schiit install the DAC module re-activates the warranty on the complete product for 2 years. ( Source ) So I ordered the 9028 DAC card , which is balanced (and half the price of the multi-bit card): Schiit ES9028 DAC Card I placed the order on April 18th, at which point I was #2 in a queue of 2. By the 24th there were 5 in the queue, 6 as of the 29th, 8 on the 1st of May, and 9 by the 4th. I got the email with the RMA number and ship-to address on May 8th and mailed it out yesterday (in the original packaging, the whole thing was 5 lbs., and it...

Topping D10 Balanced, Schiit Jotunheim, Loxjie A40 On April 18th I ordered an ES9028 DAC card from Schiit with installation (for the warranty), for a Jotunheim headphone amplifier . As of this writing I’m still #2 in a queue that apparently hasn’t moved in ~9 days (but has grown to 5). But using the Schiit with single-ended inputs was decidedly meh . Into my low sensitivity HE400se headphones (got mine for $79 open box ), I had to crank the volume all the way up on high gain to have a comfortable listening level. At 32 Ω, the Jotunheim puts out a maximum of 2W RMS/channel in single ended mode, which jumps to 6W in balanced mode. At 300 Ω (for, e.g., Sennheiser HD600s or HD660S2s), it’s 330mW SE and 1.2W balanced. The ES9028 card will supply a balanced signal and unlock the full capabilities of the amp. But I don’t have it yet. With an eye towards a dedicated listening station I’m planning, I figured I’d pick up a Topping D10 Balanced DAC to use in the interim, that I could repurpose...

Shanling M1s on top of Kobo Elipsa 2E Got a Shanling M1s digital audio player (DAP), and a Kobo Elipsa 2E eReader, for Xmas this year. More as I dig into both, but some first impressions and notes: Kobo Elipsa 2E This trick still works to bypass the “download our software, create an account, login” hoops you otherwise have to jump through. I’m sure I’m missing out on some functionality but I can’t be arsed. I’m excited for the bigger screen and the stylus / notetaking functionality. Loading it up with my .epub (etc) library. It’s not waterproof. But I still have my Libra 2 for hot tub reading, which I keep saying I’ll do but never quite seem to get around to. I got this cover for it ( learned my lesson a while ago with these things). It has a slot for the stylus. It was relatively inexpensive, and it’s relatively cheap. Stay tuned. Shanling M1s I’m using these with this 4.4mm male to 2.5mm female balanced adapter and currently trying them out with my HiFiMan HE400se planar magnet...

My cheap XDP-30R came with no case, no clip, nothing but the player itself. It’s kind of old and junky (as one redditor accurately described it: “Volume wheel, one click, volume goes up +30 or -40” 🤣), but it’s my DAP for the moment, and I don’t have any desire to kill it prematurely, so ... 5127 Phone Holster CLC Custom Leathercraft 5127 Large Cell Phone Holster , Black , $11.90. It’s the perfect size horizontally and in thickness, and the pocket is deep enough, and the Velcro flap flexible enough, the player can be inserted with the Youkamoo 2.5mm Balanced Headphone Cable without conflicting or putting any pressure on the 2.5mm end or the cable coming out of it. There’s a belt clip and a ring on the back for hanging it off a lanyard if that’s how you want to roll. It’s a bit on the clunky side, since it wasn’t meant for this application, but it protects the player and keeps your hands free to do other things. Obviously, you can’t access the controls with the player in the holster, ...

(With apologies to Thanos. Cute idea for a headphone stand !) Thanos bust headphone holder I recently picked up the Drop 2.5mm to Sennheiser headphone cable (for $19, I wouldn’t have at $50) (the 3.5mm single-ended cable that comes with the Sennheiser HD58x Jubilee headphones is hilariously long; the balanced cable is only slightly awkward in comparison). I’m using it with my EarStudio ES100 MK2 portable Bluetooth DAC/Amp, and it does seem to make a difference - the headphones seem “punchier” with the balanced connection, and can be set at a lower volume for an equivalent sonic experience. Liking it. So of course that set me down the rabbit hole of DAPs with balanced outputs. The least expensive seems to be the $130 SHANLING M0 Pro , but to use a 2.5mm connection with that you’ll need their $14 3.5mm to 4.4mm adapter , plus another $10+ 4.4mm to 2.5mm adapter like this , and now you’re at like $160 for the audio player, and you have something akin to a Rube Goldberg machine sticking...