Hi all, My friend is looking for a set of portable headphones for her MP3 player. The criteria are: Nothing that goes inside the ear (very small head!) Fairly good isolation Decent sound for orchestral/classical/piano pieces Around $75 The PortaPros are ok, but there's little-to-no...

Hi all, I recently aquired the Future Sonic Atrio M5, and I'm having mixed feelings towards them. Perhaps it's because my ears are used to bigger phones such as the HD595 and MS-1. Most of the sound is pretty nice, but the mid-highs seem somewhat shrill and generally don't sound great. I'm...

I'm always pleased to see friends' reactions upon listening to my PortaPro, especially when I tell them how much they cost. Although IEMs are generally quite expensive, is there a relatively cheap pair that has the same bang-for-buck as the PortaPro? I'm not expecting anything approaching...

Hey all, After a year of contentment with my previous recommendations (HD595 and MS-1) I have decided that I need more headphones - in this case, some IEMs - and after hours of trawling the forums, I need some help in making the decision. I've just moved to London and will soon be faced...

Hi all... Apologies for yet another "which MP3 player is teh best?!11" thread, but I'm finding it really hard to decide, and time is pressing on. I'm looking for an MP3 player (around 20GB) for general use... mainly for trips to work/uni and long journeys. Portability isn't a huge concern...

Hi all... I've recently ordered the Chaintech AV-710 sound card and Alessandro MS-1's for my gateway into the audiophile sound. I read that although the quality is decent for a cheap card, the AV-710's output is somewhat weak and an amp may be needed to get the most of the headphones. Does...

Hi all... Can anyone recommend any metal bands/albums that include an orchestra? After hearing Dimmu Borgir - Death Cult Armageddon and Metallica's S&M, I've been trying to find more, as it sounds totally awesome. All suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Hi all... I hear that Grado SR-60's don't need amping, or at least there isn't a huge difference between amped and unamped. I'm about to buy some and a Chaintech AV-710, but I hear that the output on that card is really weak, so I will need an amp... Has anyone tried this combo? I want a...

I've read a fair few comments on the Audigy 2 being pretty bad for music, and I'm getting some Grado SR-60s soon, so I'd hate for them to be painfully gimped by my other hardware. I'm thinking of getting the Chaintech AV710 to replace it. Will I definately see a decent improvement over the...

Hi all... Does anyone know if it's possible to connect a third-party SPDIF bracket to an Audigy 2? I got the bracket with an old Gigabyte motherboard, and I really want optical out on the Audigy 2. The bracket's connector has 2 rows of pin holes, one with 5 pins and one with 4. I found...

Hello all... Always wanting to further my audio/visual media experience, I thought it was about time I got some decent headphones. I stumbled across these forums a few months ago and was instantly amazed and intrigued by the passion true audiophiles have for good audio equipment. So firstly...