And it is totally worth the price. (Sorry about the second post, wanted to edit the first to add this)

I got mine months ago for about $187. I believe that the fact that prices didn't drop much further even when the model has been replaced speaks a lot about the players quality and its demand.

Once again I'd unabashedly state that I love my Shure e500's paired up with the Sony A818. I use either 320 kbps mp3 or wav files. Yes, wav files on an 8GB player !

1 GB is way too less even for me ! I would want to compare this player with the NWZ - A818 that I have. I wonder what you meant by 'cleaner' sound? I find the Sony to be quite natural / neutral sounding. Again, I need to compare it against more players out there.

Quote: Originally Posted by Todd R Never! A: You should but gear that sounds right to you in the first place and not try to fix it after the fact. B: A recording is what it is the way the artist thought it should sound. Would you buy a painting and then bust out the crayons...

Quote: Originally Posted by Fr3sH Man, they are a bit expensive compare to creative. I hope they sound even better or at least the same as the old ones. Why can't companies other than Apple make pretty mp3 players? My GF, my sister and most of my friends want ipod nano because they...

Quote: Originally Posted by warrior05 Or you can go to Amazon.com. Then there is our sponsor, Headroom. Where have you been looking? Or have you? People stopped using the favourites button since Google searches were reliable and quicker. Now, people stopped using Google since...

Quote: Originally Posted by Pangaea This really is a super sounding player, I sold mine when I got one of the new Sonys (only because they have AAC support)-but it is def. the better of the 2 SQ wise. Also, I cannot imagine using an amp with it- no need for the baggage. What did...

I have never really used the ipod buds, but I use some inexpensive Sony buds with my laptop for gaming and voice calls. I don't find them uncomfortable at all! Although for any serious listening I use my E500's.

hifire's test samples are missing. It would be nice if he could get those files up again.

I use the NWZ A818 with E500's and do not find the hissing to be an issue at all. To me it is audible only when there is no music playing, and is definitely not annoying.

I'm not sure exactly what the problem is, but let's see... You said that you didn't have the passkey when you tried connecting it to your laptop, so what do you normally connect it to*? The passkey to pair it to your computer/cell would be provided in the headphone manual. My Dell Bluetooth...

Quote: Originally Posted by shwicf i've been using a program called 'super converter' to convert pretty much all my videos, the program did a great job IMO. head to afterdawn.com and look for it under video converter/encoder, it is a freeware. i'll try that out. Videos actually...

i haven't heard the player, but don't remember reading about this high freq. issue in any other reviews. People have complained about the hiss though. Maybe the first one is an isolated problem with your unit (again, i'm just guessing). Let's wait for some Kenwood owners to post.

I believe a lot of people can benefit from such reminders. Cranking up the volume is the worst short-cut to "seemingly" better sound and a serious cause for hearing damage.