Finally - found the *perfect* phones for my 2010 Shuffle :)

Those with a long memory will recall that the first Shuffle was a great player, albeit one with a meagre 1GB of storage space. IMO, Apple subsequently lost the plot up till the release of the 2010 model in September last year. I was initially sceptical of reports that the new Shuffle was a big improvement over previous models, but I bought one with the intention of making it a Xmas present, only to have my sister tell me that giving a young child an iPod wasnt a good idea.

I subsequently used the Shuffle to drive my Grados, A-Ts and PL50 IEMs. all with varying degrees of joy. While it was OK when plugged into my D4, I think that kind of defeats the purpose of something like the Shuffle.

Enter the KSC-75. While I'm less-than-entranced with  the clipon approach, the sound that comes straight out of these el-cheapo wonders is a revelation. So very Grado-like, but easier to drive (smaller drivers, I guess) - warm, engaging, musical - you name it, these little cans must be one of the best audio bargains anywhere. I had read about them before, here and elsewhere, but I didnt quite believe some of the hype. Colour me converted.

Similarly, after resisting the buzz around the 2010 Nano, I find my resistance faltering - if the Shuffle sounds this good through these things, I can only imagine that the Nano will be awesome with them. Or not - I guess there is only one way to find out.

Yeah, I completely overlooked the Koss' phones when I was told they sound a lot like the MS-1 : given that I had said headphone at the time, I couldnt see much point. This time around, I was unhappy with the combination of the PL50 and the Shuffle - I like the SoundMagic phones amped, but it all started to seem a bit silly,

Thanks for the correction on the 1st Gen - a timely reminder for those bleating that they cant possibly be happy with the 160GB Classic cause its too small .....

On the street - yes - but inside I dont find it hard to drive the Koss phones at all. I dont wear Grados on the street, but the Shuffle definitely has to work a lot harder to drive my 55 ohm PL50s, even when I am sitting still and have a good seal.

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Quote:

Originally Posted by shigzeo 

The 2010 shuffle is ... a beast of a tiny player. Low noise floor, good low Ω driving ability, and so bloody small. I is in love.

Shiggy, yours was one of the recommendations that pushed me over the edge with the Shuffle, and its all snowballing as I type this. Display case full of 2010 Nanos, employee discount and several hundred dollars burning a hole in my pocket. It comes down to waiting several weeks for a Fiio 'stack' (E7/E9/cable+IEMs) to arrive from mp4nation or the instant gratification of buying the Nano today. M-u-s-t   b-e   s-t-r-o-n-g  ..... :)