[JamestheRipper]

hi all i just joined the forums and i was looking for a bit of advice.
in short, i listen to alot of music whilst commuting (about three hours a day), plus i listen to more when i get home.
i recently bought the kilpsch image s4s, and they were great, but the right earphone stopped working after a couple of days (the cable detached inside) DESPITE 100% tlc, ie wrapping them up properly in the hard case.
anyways they are still under warranty, and as such im getting a full refund (actually opted for a replacement but for some strange reason they wanted to refund).

anyways. this got me thinking, i listen to a lot of music and being able to listen to better quality music is really important to me because i take so much more out of listening to music than the average joe.
im thinking of buying the westone 3s, just because of the endless praise they seem to receive all over the net.
i just wanted to check that this is a) still a great option, b) i dont need to buy any amps for it, c) what type of sources i should be using - is there anything better out there right now than an ipod in terms of quality and user interface?

i dont know much about earphones (in comparison to alot of the stuff i have read on the forums). but i just wanted to add i listen primarily to rock.
also does anyone else use a blackberry curve 8520 as a source? if so some feedback would be great.

 

[ZepherX]

amp 3 is a fantastic source

 

[Drubbing]

If you're goind to spend decent money, then a mobile phone won't be a great source for showcasing good headphones. Highly compressed music files can also bottleneck SQ. When you start looking at high cost gear, you can't expect them to create magic SQ all by themsleves, with mismatched sources.

While high end canals like Westones don't really need an amp, they probably deserve a decent portable one via line out from an iPod, which bypasses the cheap amp in the player. That adds a fair bit of extra cost though.

If you're going to stick with a mobile phone as a music source, probably better off spending less.