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As for the effects from optical audio cables, they're all lying sacks of shit. You either have bit loss or you don't, any changes in sound quality is a result of the AD/DA chips or speakers, not the cable.

Most digital audio interfaces have an implicit clock that is recovered from the data being transmitted. If the interface between components is crappy, you can end up with the right bits but at the wrong time. This effectively reduces the quality of the audio. As the impact has been both measurable and audible for almost 20 years now, suggesting "you either have bit loss or your don't" is provably false. There is a clear intermediate state where bits are delivered, but with enough timing jitter that the result is slightly degraded.

Cable changes aren't necessarily the best approach to resolve this though--some audio interfaces, like the common Toslink optical one, are really problematic no matter how good the cable involved is. If you have a good enough system for these problems to be audible, using a better digital transmission interface, or something that buffers and reclocks, would be better solutions.

Suggested reading on this this topic:
Jitter explained,
Digital Domain - Jitter,
Jitter, Bits, & Sound Quality

...every minute.

Henry Kloss died in 2002 so it's not a problem for him anymore, especially since he used the bnrand name Tivoli Audio for his fabulous radio-sets.

Don't forget about Cambridge Soundworks which is now a Creative company. The Model 88CD Table Radio by Henry Kloss was still being sold until mid december of 2004. Not to speak of KLH (Kloss, Lowe, Hoffman) or Advent. See This small memorial for some more details.

The problem with Henry Kloss is he always had his finger in a number of companies... but you could always tell it was one of his designs when it was marked Henry Kloss.

Henry Kloss died in 2002 so it's not a problem for him anymore, especially since he used the bnrand name Tivoli Audio for his fabulous radio-sets.

My 4th gen iPod does an excellent job driving my Beyerdynamic DT880's. Hell, it even makes my head rumble from the bass, and the sound is completely acceptable. Not quite up to par with, say, a Linn LP-12 but none the less I feel that the iPod provides decent sound.

Although I wouldn't be caught wearing the DT880's in public since they make you look like a total dork.

I totally agree. Speaker technology has seen little innovation in recent decades (finer points have been improved, but no 'breakthrough'), the 5.1 and 6.1 extensions are jokes, OK for games they are good but any 5/6.1 system is crap at music/DVD for your $, better spend hard earned dollars on good quality stereo speakers that _really_ do sound like gold.

OK, was making a break for OT but restrained myself. Foam sucks. If you are passinate about your speakers/sound, I recommend you check out these groups:

audio asylum
audiocircle or
TNT

Buy the Densen De Magic Demagnetizer cd, rip it to an AAC file at a high bitrate, and play it several times.

This will align the magnetics in the chips that run the encoding and decoding process in your computer, giving you less granularity on the high end of the spectrum.

Why would a company make a good product that won't break, when a product that will break means people may buy another one to replace it?

It seems the tube is a Sovtek 6922 - which this page references as followed by one Sovtek 6922 double triode per channel.

Cheers, Andy!

But, there are hypodermic needles this size! Maybe that's what he meant.

0.9mm=19 gauge. You can get 18 and 22 gauge needles.

Yes, there is a big difference. I have been an audiophile for a long time, but I also care about my pocket. You will find there is an intermediate segment with a very high quality for far less money than the one described in the original article.
Speakers for example. Low end is just low end. But in the 5-6K range, you can find speakers that rival to those in the 12K and above. I've noticed that people in Canada and the UK are much more sensible to that issue than people in the US, and they have interesting magazines like the $ensible $ound, and What Hi-Fi, that recommend great systems for lower budgets. I personally own legacy-audio signature speakers and Krell electronics, and I'm extremelly happy with them. Regarding to cables, you can do your own
Cheers,