inputs.text: firestone spitfire mkii little box could - firestone audio spitfire mark iidac reviews always seem bit like crap shoot least like trying draw broad stroke differences two items minor changes sound however regard last two dacs firestone audio people put forth product draw distinct clear differences fromthe spitfire mkii sells anywhere 200 260 usd right couple different vendors selling amazon around 20600 however audio focused vendors seem selling closer msrp 26000 price point spitfire comes relatively decent package cardboard box probably somewhere retail wholesale class not exactly type packaging going catch eye retail outlet like say alo audio amplifier packaging dont particularly care card board wrap products admit alo audio boxes portable rigs came serve cord storage desktop system marshall amp aesthetic nice enough keep desktop fact firestone didnt put packaging far cry deal breaker inside box youll find warranty card quick start users manual small wall wart power supply usb 20 cable thick though cheap looking rca cablethe spitfire mkii adds usb 20 input first run spitfires limited optical coaxial usb 20 input run usb 20 plug laptop computer plug superspeed power boost usb hub met nasty static feedback signal chain not overt obvious itll scratch crack edge transients drives deep fear music lover new piece kit either crappy exposing itunes library bunch compressed junk take heart simply move cable proper usb 20 youre good firestone usb 20 not play well usb 30 make sure youre using correct usb hub without \\ss\\ markings lightning bolt one things seems obvious could cause unnecessary grief people arent aware class usb inputs also not cut dry thing since use little laptop stalwart fiio dac ss powered hub without problem spitfire whatever reason not forgivingthe real knock device rca jacks spitfire not inspire confidence seem fragile connect cable brusquely without taking care likely snap whatever connectors hold place cannot say certain fail seem likely fail one pulling reconnecting rca lines constantly based uneasy feeling got connecting desktop amp not type dac want include semi portable set going breaking evening throw bag impression jacks wont hold rather tempt fate ive opted buy pair rca cables specifically spitfire need connect disconnect another dac swap amps pull wires side chainintel insidethe spitfire uses burr brown pcm 2704 usb receiver chip dir9001 digital audio interface burr brown pcm 1793 dac chip 2496hz capability pcm 1793 solid dac chip though not quite super desirable chip view audiophile elite however implementations matter dare say firestone gotten much 1793 get much higher regarded 1794 final output buffering done socketed lm4562 opamp rolled affect soundthe usb input limited 1644 considering wont running anything itunes usb perfectly fine wont upsampling music good many place dacs value called resolution capable see anything lower 2496 primitive dont see hear much difference 1644 2496 understand may minority herefor sake stirring pot ill say not audible spectrum key word audible captured 1644 playback certainly 2496 freak two hear beyond 8db noise floor wants destroy ears 130 db onslaughts happens able hear beyond normal human range 20khz well guess theyll take exception rig means spend 24 even 32192hz capture sonic frequencies bat dog make outi understand fact resolutions used called \\studio master\\ quality tantalizing mite bit misleading face tantalizing nonetheless ultimately makes someone happy happiness good thingbut purposes 1644 finebuild qualitybesides big question mark regarding durability rca jacks really nicely executed device ive done fiddling rca jacks though see may initially pensive durability look inclined believe snuff overall build somewhat dainty may expecting bit muchthe spitfire much smaller envisioned measures mere 4\\ long x 3\\ wide x 2\\ tall however still nice looking little box array led lights along front facedisplay power signal lock playback status usb connection status black anodized aluminum face roughly 10mm thick small grain blasted finish \\spitfire mkii\\ print face printed white paintthe sides back anodized aluminum fine grain blasted finish ribbing along sides not exactly saying \\look me\\ like handsome components collection \\cute\\ form factor doesnt scream high end well done price point sits also opted build computer audio set exclusively firestone audio components shipped identically sized enclosures stack amps psus dacs neat 4\\ x 3\\ tower without taking much desktop space actually separate \\supplier\\ power unit coming well see adds anything sound b cute little boxes look stackedthe soundmind dont extensive experience dacs ive used older nos chinese cheapies stereo setup usually played speakers assume krell dock system internal dac pretty tight lipped not silent conversion technology krell papa dock kid system hell even go length explaining nothing use serviceable inside understanding no reason open didnt cost total 5k would pull wrenches screwdrivers right dont want tempt fatethat said listening firestone audio dac dont see need upgrade keep searching dac found iti switching carver receiver pioneer vintage rig laptop staple fiio e10 firestone one thing stood headphones not test speakers extra weight firestone brought fight sounds dense impact full bodied love little fiio e10 itunes using little bass boost switch made number tracks pretty close tonal density like seemed add extra oomph weight full spectrum sound firestone every regard bass mid range firestone strong robust hard hitting not overpowering even bass heavy cans like denon d5000s bass big weight thick not get boomy starts impeding quality mid range sound actually surprised heard went scrolling settings computer see bass enhancer sound settings weird eq set itunes presets nope firestone people done goodwhat spitfire able mine deep lower frequencies get meat song without forgetting quality uppermids treble transients like cymbal crashes constant snap high hat analog quality spitfire provides clear clean upper mid range treble \\hotter\\ recordings older punk albums recorded small studios likely sub par gear wrong setting wrong cans wrong volume level hit note two every scorch ears let alone nerves white hot treble kinda like little knee buckling zinger youll get every dentist spitfire charge laying everything none high harsh sibilance brightness moves beyond enjoyable treble sounds like cymbal hit drum kit not screeching hiss coming headphones claw ear drumsthe treble detailed present avery smoothed quality especially contrast fiio older nos chinese valab knock 40 odd 1543 phillips chips kiddingi imagine sounds band played iti guess best compliment give little device made excited music library havent spending lot time itunes library recently little device tethered laptop excited go back library enjoy tracks hadnt operation ivy sounds good jawbreaker going soundthe spitfire isnt exactly audiophile grade device chinese heritage diminutive form factor make nonstarter many stodgy audiophile however common folk like interested getting big gains sound quality without breaking bank simply want enjoy music library set forget device spitfire deserves consideration earned big scores big shots reviewers experience deserves give huge improvements board computer leaves budget grade dacs dust makes inherently hot itunes music sound much analog liveits awesome little dactry youll like