Is it actually worth buying this is I have a Clip+? Does it actually have noticeably better SQ?

I've bought the CAL on amazon, thanks everybody!

I'm drifting towards pushing the "buy" button on the CAL! - I'm just wondering if there's anything in the £50-80 price point that can beat them. They seem to be punching over their weight at £52!

The ZX700 had a nice overall sound, I guess I would call it 'balanced'. I'm looking for a warmish sounding headphone with punchy (but not overpowering) bass and decent clarity.   That seems like a very good idea actually, I'm currently looking at this or the ATH-M50 which seems to be about...

Are the Grado SR80i still good value for money at £99.95 ($178.54)? Do I need to buy an expensive amp?

  Those don't seem to be sold in the UK - google shopping comes up with no results and the amazon page shows them unavailable.

Hi, I'm currently looking for a pair of headphones to replace my broken Sony ZX700s. However, many of the more famously recommended headphones seem to be far more expensive here than in the USA.   Below are some comparisons of the headphones most recommended around here, all prices from Amazon...

Hi, I'm looking for something to replace my broken Sony ZX700 headphones. After a year or two of very light use, the sound in the right ear suddenly went completely. On taking them apart to try to repair them, I found that the internal wire is incredibly thin, like an IEM. No wonder it broke...

I have the same issue. After taking good care of them for about 1.5 years, the right channel goes silent. Not happy, looks like I'll have to get my soldering iron out!

I recently bought a Behringer UCA202 USB DAC, it's really great value for money, and in a small form factor. I'm using it with my Sony ZX700 headphones and connected to my speaker amp to my B&W DM601, and I've been really impressed. It should easily power headphones.

  Quote:   They are indeed bi-amplifiable, that is a good idea with the 2x amps, however I'm not very happy with my amp, at low volumes the right channel goes a lot quieter than the left - any easy way to fix that, or could I just attempt to solder in a different pot?

Very thorough and true there Headzone! The amp just arrived today, and the DM601s sound absolutely fantastic, I honestly think they are the best speakers I have ever heard. The Tripath amp can drive them to very loud volumes, though personally I only listen at low to mid, as the rest of my...

Wow, soldering SMT with a gun must be a pain! Well done, those look very clean considering the lack of soldering iron!

Buttnose, I'd go for the A2 speakers, they have excellent reviews, and as you will be wanting to switch from the speakers to your headphones easily you could make this very simple little DPDT output selector - the A2s are active, so using the same output as your headphones shouldn't be an issue...

Many thanks everybody :)

  Quote:   ಠ_ಠ

Ok, thank you. Is there any chance of clipping with this setup?

...anybody?

Quote: Hmm yes, looks like I will be wanting a small chisel tip, and around 25W, like this Antex XS25 - it has a 2mm tip, would this be suitable for surface mount as well as through-hole PCBs?  

Slightly off-topic, but I'm looking for a cheap soldering iron (<£25) that would be good for getting me started with basic DIY audio. Of course, lower wattage ones will be cooler and therefore easier to work with for small PCBs etc, but are there any downsides to something like this? I wouldn't...

Quote: I'd imagine that the block acts as a massive heatsink, though it's probably never going to be quite as good at actually dispersing the heat outwards; it might insulate rather a lot. Seeing the temperatures that it got to while curing though, I don't think the temperature will be...

Ahrgh now that I've bought them & am waiting for them to be delivered, I've come across a sudden realisation- What if the amp isn't matched to the speakers? From the specification lists of the speakers (DM601 S2):   Frequency Response: 52Hz - 20kHz ± 3dB on reference axis  Frequency Range...

Link HERE     What a beautiful amp, this guy meticulously constructed an awesome freeform circuit, and cast it in clear resin, which he polished. Absolutely spectacular! This has inspired me to do something similar for my first DIY project - I'll have to research his methods!    

Broken link 

Link HERE     What a beautiful amp, this guy meticulously constructed an awesome freeform circuit, and cast it in clear resin, which he polished. Absolutely spectacular! This has inspired me to do something similar for my first DIY project - I'll have to research his methods!