Hi, I'm not sure if this is the best forum to ask this (so happy to move the question elsewhere). I'm thinking of getting the Flare Audio Isolate Pro "in ear" earplugs but the largest tip they come with (or that can be purchased) is too small for me. The Flare Audio tips are 13mm wide at the...

Hi,   I love my IE800 and Musical Fidelity M1 HPAP amplifier and have no desire whatsoever to change either of these components. Of course without any attenuation on the M1 headphone output, hiss is an issue when using the IE800.   Tonight I tried using an impedance adapter I purchased on...

I am not writing this for advice. It is because I really have to vent. I am explosive with annoyance if there is such an emotion as that!   A brief history: Over the last few years I have gradually put together a really decent headphone rig. Not an expensive one, but not a cheap one either...

Yes, I admit I am fussy but having read these forums for quite a few years now, I see that a lot of you are really no different to me. If you are buying better quality equipment you expect a high level of build quality. Me too. I won't go as far as some of you and try to return a pair of...

I have owned a Rega Apollo-R CD player for the best part of a year and am very happy with the sound of it. So much so that I really have no need for anything better for CD playback and would happily listen to it for the rest of my life were it to last that long.What I am not happy about...

Hi,   I have placed the Grado RS1i and RS2i on my shortlist as a replacement for my Sennheiser PXC300 headphones for classical music, since I like a clear, bright and sparkly sound for classical and it looks like these Grados may deliver in that respect.   I hav, however, health issues...

Hi,   I was wondering if someone who owns the HD700 (or has studied one in detail) can advise me on how the headband design works please? I was specifically wondering if it uses the same sort of design as the much older HD600 and HD650 (wide, thin, strong black metal spring) or whether it...

I note that the ER4PT comes with a certificate of sorts indicating the left and right channels are balanced to within a certain tolerance. The ER4S, however, does not come with this certificate. Does this mean the ER4PT are made to a closer tolerance than the ER4S? And if not, why don't Etymotic...

Hi,   After several months trying different headphones and IEMs, I have come to the conclusion that I can only use IEMs or an actual speaker system. I have a long term neck injury and even wearing headphones as light as the HD25 / Momentum cause neck issues after about 30 - 40 minutes use...

Does anyone know any place or even someone who owns one (or both) of these earphones and might be able to give me a listen? I have been attempting for a good week to obtain an audition prior to purchase via official channels to absolutely no avail. I am a bit tired of buying IEMs completely...

I dont seem to be able to find any mention of thse here at Head Fi. I would have thought there would be at least some interest, given that many people including myself are fans of their existing gear. I would be interetsed to hear them myself, but I am out of funds until around March next year...

I have decided that due to my permanent chronic pain and neck problems, I am going to either use IEMs from now on (as there is no additional weight on the cervical spine), try the Stax portable unit (feather light) or go to speakers (in that order of preference). I would prefer not to go to...

Hi,   I am currently experimenting with a pair of Shure SE215 earphones connected to my Musical Fidelity XCan V8 (I am actually very surprised at how the amplifier significantly improves the sound quality even from these earphones). But the Shure SE215 earphones hiss like crazy when...

This question could easily sit in either the fullsize or portable forums, so I will just ask it here.   I have had my Sennheiser PXC300 headphones for a number of years now (since 2007 I think) and overall have been very happy with them, owing to the superb comfort and the clear sound...

I could not find an existing thread on this one...   Music Hall have just introduced a budget priced DAC - the 15.2. It has USB, optical and coax inputs and uses the PCM1796 chip. Given the specs and price it would seem to be a competitor to the Project DAC Box USB which I currently use, but...

Hi,   I am trying to identify the stock tubes that came with my XCan V8P, as I have decided I am happy with the sound as it is and don't wish to go tube rolling (my one and only attempt with a significantly more expensive tube saw the sound quality go backward significantly). It seems these...

Hi, I am wondering if there is a way to adjust the latency on the Essence soundcard when used with a application which supports ASIO but does not have an ASIO control panel function? For example, a couple of programs I have used in the past let me adjust the latency and bit depth for the...

I am told that the Wireworks company will soon be introducing a toslink to mini version of their Supernova optical interconnect. Apparently it is currently under manufacture, but no actual shipping date yet. This might be of interest to people who have been looking for a glass-based optical...

I am not having much luck with electronics lately. My three day old DACMagic now sounds like a coffee percolator and is going back to be replaced. Now, my 4 month old Essence has gone bad. The headphone section and the DAC section are fine, but the analogue line-in has gone crazy. I have...

Hi, I was just wondering if DACMAgic owners could quickly check to see if there is a soft noise coming from inside the DACMAgic's cabinet when it is in use please? The noise is a little like a hard drive noise. It is louder on the two SPDIF inputs and softer on the USB input. You might...

Currently I am using the DAC on my ASUS Xonar soundcard, since I have no other DAC at the moment (I used to own a V-DAC but ultimately did not like it). So this means I have the two RCA outputs of my Xonar Essence connected to the inputs of my Lehmann Audio Rhinelander headphone amplifier...

Hi, Just wondering if anyone knows of any reputable commercial vendors still selling new iriver T60 players. I have found one, but they are charging extortionist prices.

Hi, Three months into ownership of my Xonar Essence and I remain blown away not only by the excellent AD and DA conversion quality, but the headphone amplifier as well. The problem is that a PC is not a good look in a small and otherwise quiet bedroom (apart from a PC not being portable)...

I have noticed a very strange thing with Windows Vista. I have noted this phenomenon with two completely different machines (both using pretty up to date hardware), Vista 32 bit and Vista 64 bit, as well as four different soundcards (two Creative based and two ASUS - the latter being the...

Has anyone here any experience in building a power supply that involves DC input (i.e SLA battery) and produces a low voltage AC output? I would really love to get my entire setup running off battery power, but my XCan V3 of course has a low voltage AC input. I have seen circuits described...