yourmom

The iPad is nothing more than a tablet pc minus the keyboard which date back to the early nineties, nothing new at all. The iPod also wasn't a completely new approach. They took existing technology and applied massive marketing.

I think it will take some years until there's some real alternative to the Apple products but until then, Apple will have come up with even newer products. Most companies are not interested in being the pioneer publishing new and advanced products but in making money. So it's enough for them to sell cheap hardware that might lack good software. Microsoft e.g. might come up in the future as a real competitor but they are always a step behind Apple if you think about new inventions and also marketing. I'm currently interested in a product similair to the iPod touch with less restrictions in the software but there is just no alternative available.

Would you mind telling me what is so wrong about my thoughts? The DT48 sounds interesting but that's about it. So, what it is a better closed headphone? The difference between an open baffle and sealed speakers is a good example, thanks. I see that the reflections might be the biggest problem with closed headphones. Is it wrong to say that in theory very large cups with good dampening should be the best alternative to an open design when you need isolation?

I see... Let me sum up my thoughts: The bass needs some space behind it to "breathe". Otherwise you end up with a DT48. Good inears use more drivers to compensate this and use the canal to form one sound source. If you'd build a headphone with bigger multiple drivers, you need a certain distance so that you will perceive them as one emitting source. The space between drivers and ear must be rather small so that you don't lose too much energy... Enough constraints making building a good closed headphone. Is there something I forgot? Well, the pads. Pleather pads will reflect the sound in a different manner than velours or whatever so it would be wise to make them very flat which leads to a not so comfortable fit.

Well, ok. Maybe I put the question wrong and you also don't want to talk about headphones... But can you tell me why closed headphones just don't work as good as the open counterparts? I mean aside from a large sound stage that imitates a loadspeaker. Some better Inears just work and deliver a rather accurate frequency response so what's the problem with normal closed headphones?

I'll add a cat for your personal enjoyment and to make the thread more interesting for the rest: Meanwhile, I'll be collecting some further suggestions...

Maybe, maybe not.

Ahoi, I've been searching for quite a while now. What I want is a comfortable, good sounding headphone which offers a bit isolation. First, let me sum up what I already heard: Shure SRH840 (good overall but not good enough in the end) Audio Technica ATH-W5000 (very nice overall but the strange coloration can be a problem, I really loved the bass and highs) AKG K-271 (I liked the bass and the mids but overall I found it to be a bit too boring) Compact Monitors Stage 3 (custom inears from Germany, almost perfect but my anatomy has problems with inears so I left that path completely) Westone UM3x (before the Stage 3, also nice but in absolute terms a bit lacking) Audio Technica ATH-W5000 (once again, sometimes you just love those mids!) Ultrasone Pro 750 (bass was ok, overall too much power in the mids and highs, not really relaxing, bad fit) JVC HA-DX 1000 (not my headphone, didn't like the sound signature, had some honky mids, don't know better how to descrice that...) Westone UM-1 (not enough bass and highs but ok for the price) Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80 Ohm (too much bass, too much highs, not good at all for me) Recently I got the DT48e which is very good overall but it really lacks deep bass and that's a problem since I listen to a lot of electronic music. I also have the Sony CD900ST which has the bass I need (maybe a tad too much but that would be tolerable for me) but the Sony lacks resolution and the DT48e e.g. is better overall. What to do next? As you can see, I like a rather neutral sound with no emphasis on the highs or higher mids and I need a bass that goes very low but I don't need too much quantity. Hope you have some ideas for me

I owned a 303 for several months but sold it in the end. A bit lacking in bass and a bit too strong in the upper midrange or somewhere in that region. Sounded too "audiophile" to me if you know what I mean. Maybe I'll try the 407...

@The Monkey: Everything PAL which is only interesting if you're watching imported material. Since you're located in the US everything will be fine with a display from Samsung. In the US you should be getting either 24Hz or 60Hz.

I watch quite a lot of 50Hz material, that's why. They may have fixed the problem by now, don't know.

Who knows... Samsung used to have a bug with 50Hz material (resulting in worse black levels) which is a problem in Germany... If that's not a problem for you, I guess you could as well take a Samsung.

That's for sure! But I'd hesitate spending money on the 507 until I really know they're a reasonable step up compared to the 407 or 307.

But I can understand people who spend some more money on transports. I'm just not too interested, that's all.

If I were had to buy a HDTV again, I'd take another plasma from Panasonic which let's me bypass the internal electronics which most of them do, I think. Then, add something like the DVDO Edge and be settled for a while... I'm happy with my P50S10.

I never had perfect headphones so I never investigated my transports too much. I try to make sure that they are bit perfect and that's about it. The problem is that the sound differences are very, very small if there are some at all. So to me, transports do not matter too much, a good working sound card is enough for me.

I picked it up recently, too. It sounds a bit dated in comparison but if you like IDM you'll get over it

I got interested in the new stax... Before SR-303 and SR-404 used to be the same headphone, just differing in the cable. The 202 used different drivers. When I look at the specs, I might guess that the 507 is basically the same as the 407 but with the newer chassis and better pads. Now if the 307 was just the 407 using the chassis we already know from 303 and 404, I'd gladly take the 307 since I liked the 303 in terms of comfort. Does anyone actually know more than my wild guesses?

I find it very hard to find out what is IDM and what not... I just hate genres in general. Anyway, I listen to some music that would fit here. Felix Laband hasn't been mentioned before and that's a shame because I think all three albums he made are very good. Reminds me a little bit of Boards of Canada from time to time. You also get to listen to some real instruments, I just like the mood of the music. M