Entry-level: 244----------- Alien (1) AOL Picollo DAC (1) Apogee Duet (4) Asus Essence ETX (5) Audio-gd Compass (21) Audio-gd Compass - FUN (4) Audio-gd Sparrow Bantam (1) Behringer DEQ2496 (2) Behringer SRC2496 (1) Beresford TC-7510 (2) Beresford TC-7520 (5)...

Thank you for the great reference list, Otakusound The AD2000s are a completely different beast from the lower level Audio Technica cans. They also scale up very well depending on the DAC and amp used. IMO, although you can technically drive the AD2000s from cheap amps, I would advise against...

  Quote: FWIW, try the high-end line of Audio Technica's open ear headphones, such as the AD1000PRM or AD2000 I have had experiences with both, and for open style cans, they have excellent bass impact, but don't expect the same quantity that you'd get from the D7000 The mids are...

  Quote: LOL And don't forget the hot pink spandex with knee socks, belly shirt, and matching headband Seriously though, I usually listen to old-school Metallica (Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, Black album) or AC/DC when lifting, and trance/ambient for running, biking, etc

Not too sure about shipping from Germany to the US, but when I was overseas in Germany, German customs charged me 20% of the cost of an old, outdated, used internal hard drive. It only cost me $45, but they made me bring in Paypal receipts, etc. Where the item is manufactured usually...

Yikes, thats some pretty shady policies About 3 years ago, I accidentally stepped on my Sony Walkman and broke the LCD, so I brought it to an authorized repair center and they told me that the LCD isn't normally covered under warranty. Long story short, they gave it a shot and sent in the...

Well, if you can wait for the end of the year as Marshh said, perhaps the Zune HD2 might be a game changer, but don't quote me on that

Not sure about the salesperson you spoke with, but I found from comparing the D7000 to D5000 that downgrading to the D5000 would be a huge step down. They are just in a different class, whereas the D5000 and D2000 are in a similar class. In addition, I agree with musicman59 that at the...

Quote: You definitely have a point. The only time I ever drove with earbuds was once while driving cross country on the highway, and it was out of respect for the sleeping passenger since I couldn't use the radio

Sad to hear about the mediocre USB implementation Since FLAC files are so big, its a shame that the SDHC card has limited storage capacity (32 gb?)

I hope to hear the Hifiman at a meet soon. If the amp section is not as strong as the DAC, hopefully it will improve when paired with a separate full-size amp?

How much are looking to spend? Since you want 50+ gigs of capacity, flash based DAPs seem out of the question, so that narrows down your choices quite a bit

If you were happy with the EX500s, why not go for the EX700s? For $130, you might be able to find a used pair

I had a chance to listen to the SE420s, and found them to be relatively analytical with less bass than the Sony or Audio Technica IEMs. I'm sure you are correct, perhaps I should have been more specific     Quote:

Simplistic is not a bad thing. Its the implementation that makes the difference. IMO, the Sony EQ on the new X-Series, and especially the "Clear Bass" option on most of their other players is superb Have you had a chance to listen to a Sony yet?   Quote:

Couldn't have said it better Since you have no amp and its straight from a DAP, M50 might be attractive   Quote:

Toaster Strudels from Pillsbury is as easy as it comes. Although I always seem to run out of the sweet cream MMmmmm... sweet cream

By "fun", I assume you mean warm and bassy with a decent amount of clarity At ~$80, check out Audio Technica or Sony IEMs For a more analytical sound, Shure IEMs are a good choice

For mainstream DAPs, Cowon and Sony are the bees knees In particular, the EQ on the new Sony DAPs is pretty slick

No sure why, but this guy doesn't scream credibility. Perhaps he should wear glasses and a pocket protector to up his cred :p

What about Emu 0404 + Ath-M50 = ~$250 And then invest in a decent mic

x2 for a portable amp For a cheap full size amp, people have been saying the Corda Headfive is a good bang-for-your-buck amp, with a warm sound sig

John Digweed - MMII

The M50s are a fine headphone with decent noise isolation, and also sound good unamped. Although you didn't mention IEMs, for $100 you can find some pretty good deals on IEMs

x2 on hearing the comparison :D