Gear Ideas for Loaner Program (old thread)

Far be it from me to stop you- last I saw, the one at the end of the corridor from me seems to be turning out tiny radar domes for some reason. I didn't ask too many questions, in case someone answered.

 

INEAR PROPHILE 8

 

I'm personally not too much of a fan of the Fidelio (X1 or X2), I think the bass is overblown and the headphone has a bit of a "hard" sound to it. The price of the Fidelio is great, and it's a good match for rock and rap. But I'd much rather send someone the HD600, or even the HD598. The HD598 doesn't have the bass of the Fidelio but is IMHO more pleasant to listen to overall. I wouldn't feel comfortable sending someone the Fidelio and saying "this is Hi-Fi"... because I don't think it is.

I wonder how people feel about in-ears? One of the Campfire Audio in-ears could be interesting. I'm not sure about this myself but maybe with alcohol cleaning or disposable tips could be doable? Like I said... not sure but an idea.

 

oh, how about a Monoprice 1060?

 

How about something wireless like the Sony MDR-1000X?

 

Breeze Audio DU-U8 (as mentioned by AtomicBob) or similar Usb converter things (the Singer one seems popular).

 

What about something like a Lynx card and a PCIe enclosure?

 

I have no idea how to get one cheap enough, but I'd really like to see a Lynx Hilo. It's a nice all-in-one. Should sound the same as a Lynx card & PCIe, but the Hilo can use Dante and that seems like an elegant solution.

It'd be nice to send around an EAR 834p phono stage. I don't know what tubes to put in it, but I'm sure @shaizada could help. A Nighthawk would probably be nice too.

I really, really, really, want to have people try the new MFSL phono stages, but they haven't been released yet. Should be in the ~$500 range. It'd be fun to ship out a turntable rig, but that's just crazy talk

 

I'd like to see a grab bag of say 5 top budget (<100) IEMs. Even people who are primary HP guys probably need some IEMs for travelling, working out, etc so it might have broad appeal. And us portable guys are always looking for beaters too.

Getting multiple comparisons of the same things would also be fun.

Though maybe the low cost/risk of budget items defeats part of the purpose of the loaner program.

 

I'm ready to contribute with a bunch of tubes if this becomes reality.
(And if not, I'll release a test kit of tubes for Vali2 owners anyway)

 

1) Raspberry Pi's with different HAT and DAC's could be a great way to good sound for little financial outlay. I have not seen any impression of for example the DAC+ Pro.
2) Sony NWZ-A30 as an cheaper alternative to the Sony NW-WM1A.
3) Fidelio X2
4) Phonak Audeo PFE112's I could put on a loaner.
5) DIY amps - Bottleheadcrack / Butte / ECP Audio Torpedo III, etc.

 

I have a potential loaner available from Raven Audio - they are coming out with a new tube amp for headphones. If interested I can try to put someone here in touch with them.

 

How about a cable comparison pack? a 3 and 6 foot RCA cable from:

Monoprice Premium
Monoprice Monolith
Blue Jeans
Moon-Audio (or other "high end audiophile" cable company)
maybe AudioQuest since they seem to be a big name
really "high end" like a Audience Au24 SE

Put them all together is an official SBAF box and send around for folks to do a personal cable comparison.

 

I just want to second the Mogwai. There's a boon in Blumenstein Orcas and other high efficiency speakers here lately. Seems this would tick many boxes around here with speakers and headphones...

 

hello,

really like the idea of a RPI. i can build a PC, but i am flummoxed by all the perambulations available for that little box.

a collection of DAP's would also be helpful to me at least. MrsForBin won't give up her iPod Classic and it will be a very bad day for me when it dies,and i need a replacement yesterday. she dislikes my SONY NW-A17 for some reason. i find it perfectly acceptable.

a collection of pocket-able amps would be nice as well, but may be a bridge too far.

 

Necro:

We should buy the ampsandsound Mogwai from @gbeast if possible and send that around.

 

Just tossing out Focal Clear and Senn HD660s as potential loaner candidates that seemed to be the talk of RMAF.

 

Wait, there are Sennheiser HD660s now?