Wes Phillips

The Emmeline SR-71 portable headphone amplifier ($395) is small but not light. Housed in an extruded-aluminum chassis with a bolt-on faceplate and a rear panel and battery cover that attaches with a thumb-screw, it measures 3.5" by 2.5" by 1.5" and weighs 11oz. That sounds light, especially compared to some of the headphone amps I've carted around in the past—not to mention their four–D-cell extended power supplies—but in the iPod era, it's the portable equivalent of a class-A power amp. So why would anybody be willing to lug it around?

Rocky Mountain Audio High: The Rocky Mountain Audio Fest will be held at the Denver Marriott Tech Center Hotel (4900 South Syracuse; Denver, CO) from September 30 through October 2. In addition to over 70 demo rooms, there will be seminars and musical entertainment. Details and pre-registration can be found here.

For all of the audiophiles who lament that the industry is simply preaching to the converted, Harman International's Mark Levinson® brand has a response: Wait'll you get a load of this.