Ben Gramain

... I kind of lost the will to live when faced with 'ripping' (i.e. Dig out to Puter) them in real time. Is there seriously not a method or a company who will rip DSD's and I dunno, maybe put them in 24/96 or something. Failing that a regular 16/44.1.

Qualia? I know that's OOP as well but it's only been a year.

Inoffensive and reasonably versatile are the sonic characteristics I'm looking for... casual PC listening, gaming, etc. If it's less solid than the A900/1K though I defo have issues... with the usage I see them breaking pretty fast. The cable also has to be able to withstand the occasional chair-rollering. Wondering if I should just stick to the K701 but I don't like the 'nodules' on the headband, plus the band is a tiny tad too small. Soundwise I had few complaints. HD650 - well it's a nice to have and it doesn't squeeze the top of my head but one is enough. It's been a while since I bought a proper open phone (bar the GS1000, which even if I rated it highly wouldn't fit into this usage pattern) so I'd like to hear options.

Haven't got around to ordering a K701 replacement yet. Considering AD2000 for A-T's proven noggin-friendliness. Source: PC > Fireface > Max or direct from FF Gets tossed around a lot (the K701 ended up looking very secondhand before it died, and the HD650 doesn't look a lot better). Unsure whether the AD's will hold up. If they're anything like the A900 / A1000 the chances are not so I'll avoid. Yay or nay. And why. Thanks. ?300 ($550 + ship if abroad) is the max I have in mind for this phone, so any other (open) suggestions and why appreciated.

I still have the not-quite-finished UZI42. Charging handle knob is the volume control (originally charging handle was attached to a linear pot), trigger connected to the power switch. I didn't get around to finishing it as although the BOIL42 was weird enough, the UZI42 wouldn't be a terribly practical portable amp... don't fancy being dragged off by the cops after my train ride. The only portable amp I'd even consider buying nowadays is the Supermicro or the Supermini. Unless someone does an even smaller, better packaged version.

That's because the circumaural cans provide a resonance space for the low-frequency noise. The HD25 doesn't, so it works fairly well but the comfort is an issue. Stick to IEM's for planes.

Not exactly, but I have always thought faster runners could use them as head-mounted spoilers.

Make ice cream that lasts longer?

I have the gunmetal ones on order but I'm reconsidering. Perhaps I should go for teh ghey.

None of the high-enders isolate any. 10db tops for the A-T's, and they'd be the best. The other 'closed' phones are merely 'enclosed'. HD25 is your phone if you want real isolation. Velour pads + OFC cable increase comfort and lessen grate. Ultrasones might be up your street too. 280Pros send me to sleep. zzzzzzz.......

The phone + amp is in my sig. Should be pretty obvious really what it is. I just get the feeling I'm unnecessarily complicating things where there are no concrete benefits. I guess I've started to lose the certain degree of self-delusion necessary to sustain a certain level of audiophilia.

In my case, Before I automatically started ordering an isolation platform with any disc player. Before I lined up several portables in a level-matched (to sub-0.5dbs), blind-switch test. After all, if you're going to do it, you might as well do it properly unlike the fanboys. Before I could quite breezily say spending $10K on a used headphone was not entirely unjustifiable. Before I knew what word clocks were. Before Geekophilia. I think I might finally be approaching that phase.

Odd, a liquid cooled system is quieter than a fan-cooled one. By quite a margin in many cases. But that aside, no-one said you have to use your existing machine: you're not looking for speed in a music rig, you're looking at silence. Which is why my HTPC has a fanless PSU, a relatively basic Core 2 Duo, a radiator case, quiet cooling and notebook drives. A stock PC also isn't totally out of the equation: There are some very quiet ones around. I've gone with outboard soundcards for reasons of taking interference away from the PC: The RME Fireface is my audio soundcard of choice.

Dunno if you want quantity and quality or just quality. I'd look at computer-based sources too. I don't have any experience of the Slim Devices Transporter but that's an option. As is (my way) building a silenced computer with a decent soundcard and a tablet PC as a remote control. I suppose it also depends on what sort of person you are as well though: I'm not really a 'rituals' person, so I regard CD players as a hindrance these days. Can't wait for something which rips DSDs.

I think I see the four horsemen approaching. I wonder if they're "scented" with Armor All too As for Biggie and seeing black and white, if I'm a deaf 'tard I guess he's as blind as a bat

I'd go for in-ears myself. Not as good a sonic bang/buck as phones, but more manageable. UE Super.Fi Pro should be within your budget if you shop around. If there's hissing you can use the included airline adapter. Headphonewise the HD25-1 would be good choice as it looks a bit hokey, but I don't find it that comfortable for more than a couple of hours of contiguous use.

As much as I like my O2's they still don't sound totally 'right' in the way the HE90 does to me. The O2 is technically superior to the HD650, but in terms of the overall listening experience I'd say the HD650 is closer to the HE90 than the O2. It's moot now of course - but as I said, if it would have been a significant stretch I'd have said stick to the 650.

Most likely, but I was referring to the sonic character not the technology. Besides, I've only heard the HE60 at meets and that to me is not enough experience to say anything about them.

I'd say buy it if the money is not a huge issue. I sold my HE90 a while back (for the same as I paid for it - Meier price, plus a bad trade in hindsight for the Stax amp) and have reacquired the combo this time when the chance came up. Ultimately I'm not into modding and I don't want multiple phones for doing X and Y. The Orpheus gels quite seamlessly with most music styles, especially with the mood that I'm usually in to listen to my main home rig on headphones (late night, usually after a drink or with a cup of hot chocolate / tea, reading a book or something) and while I'm not happy with some of its ergonomic aspects it is a very, very easy phone to listen to. As for the cost, I think if you really have to stretch for it, then stick with the HD650. It's definitely an 'Orpheus Lite' overall. Having got over the 'new toy joy' I could be practically as happy with it as with the Orpheus if I were more constrained for money and had to figure 'value for money' into the equation. The 650 out of a good amp is hard to beat, and certainly if I was being more wallet-sensible I'd have to seriously question even the minor superiority of the Omega II over it. If you do buy, as I've said before the overwhelming component (I'd say 99% ) of the 'Orpheus sound' is in the headphones... placebo permitting of course Get them, a competent estat amp designed/capable of driving the HE90 and you're pretty much set for an effortlessly 'nice' sound.

Ah for f's sake this edit time limit is annoying for a serial editor like me. Continuing from the last post: For someone who can't drop a grand on an amp or source to try every six months, are studenty and therefore mobile, portables are the shit for audiogeeking. It's what drives the market at Head-Fi. The RSA's are popular because among other reasons they're well put together. If sound quality alone sold amps of any kind, Alex Nikitin would be making a nice living from amps right now.

I don't think the bitchfest is new, its just that there's a lot more of it these days. Then you've got the board here, which has it's own peer group who perpetuate their own myths. It's only a better myth because it's your peer group but ultimately plus ca change. If this place gets bigger, it's going to end up pretty much like Head-Fi, or go down in flames. (The latter seems more likely) I've given up on doing anything fancy with my portables. So much placebo, so much bullshit. I wonder how many who bought an iMod also hung onto a variety of unmodified iPods as well like I did. And about the only amp worth bothering with for all sorts of reasons - an amalgam of size, performance, etc - are the Xins. And even then the difference is marginal at best when you're actually portable. To the OP - it's not about the sound, it's about the geeking involved.

The last bastion of a bad debater is to post something in haste that he has to apologise for Muhahahahahaha.

Got/Had one?

That's sort of stoked as in an 'I'll be weirdly happy it doesn't completely blow chunks' way.

Nah, Bob was just lame. I'm sort of stoked. I'm getting a Zune.