I recently purchased a used Stax SRM-007t amp. The XLR connectors show pin 2 cold and pin 3 hot. Curious if other 007t owners can confirm this polarity as well. All my other balanced gear runs on pin 2 hot. Changing the polarity inside the Stax amp doesn't seem to be an option. Should I build...

I've been looking to get into vinyl for a long time. In my area, the only budget TT I can get my hands on are the Rega P3 and the Pro-ject Expression. I know there are other choices out there but I don't want to purchase a TT by mail or deal with importing stuff. Support your local hi-fi dealer...

After all these debates, A is better than B, is B better than C, C is the greatest ever....I've decided to rank the absolute best 3 headphones for all listening purposes. Don't think anyone can argue with my selection, but you can try. #3 is...(drum roll)... the Big O. Yes, those posts and...

There's a lot of reviews on the sound quality of portable mp3 players on the market, but I don't see too much online on the usability of these tiny units. Especially for someone with large hands and fingers, the tiny buttons and compact layout makes some players unusable. So, a question to...

I'm planning to hack up my Cardas headphone cable to install a 4 pin XLR plug. A quick search showed Dcameronmauch was brave enough to do this a few years ago. Besides enameled wires mentioned in his post, does anyone have any experience or suggestions before I cut this expensive cable?

Not sure if this belongs in the Headphone, Source, or Amp forum. Anyway.. Has anyone tried driving the K1000 from the DAC1? Either from the headphone out or from the balanced connectors on back? Impressions anyone?

Strange question to ask on this forum but has anyone heard or have any information on this Cary intergrated amp? Front label is Cary CAD-80 mkIII. Gold color front plate with 3 knobs for power, volume, and input control. The sample was missing all tubes. 4 large sockets, 4 small sockets. On the...

Hello all. I came across a small second hand shop that had a selection of PCDP. 3 caught my eye and I'm trying to identify the model and gather some information on the player quality and sound. The clerk wouldn't let me listen to them. Any help would be appreciated as my google skills haven't...

I've got a small DAC I'd like to use portably. A battery pack to run it should be fine but how and to what specs should I build it? The DAC draws 400milliamps at 14 volts. Do I just solder in series 12 1.2 volt NiMh of as high an milliamphour as I can find? Or is there a better way? Once I...

So I'm trying to connect the digital out of my CDP to an audio processor. The CDP has RCA S/PDIF out. The processor can take S/PDIF but the plug is XLR type. Is there a cable or adaptor that can solve my problem? Thanks.

I'm curious what experiences people use to reference the music they hear. We're beyond the general music listeners who can be just satisfied with average sound reproduction. Some of us really enjoy the detail or the midrange or soul or whatever enjoyment we each personally seek out of our...

"This one sounds better." That's what the stranger next to me said. The "one" that didn't sound as good was an R10. The "one" that sounded better was an Orpheus. Think he knew what was in his hands? That was at the local Nanjing headphone store earlier this afternoon. I had stopped by just to...

Does your number of posts matter a lot to you prestige-wise or is it just an indicator of how much time you've spent here? To the newbies here, do you value advice from higher post count members more than from lower post count members? Oh gee, look at that. It's my 100th post. Now I can...

What hobbies do you have that complements listening to music with headphones? I like a bit of classical music when viewing the heavens. Astronomy is a great hobby that's even better when listening to music. Speakers are hard to haul outside and even if it could would ruin a telescope's...

Roughly what percentage of your income/allowance did you spend on audio products this last year? This includes headphones, speakers, amps, sources, cables, accessories, CD's and other mediums. Granted most of us don't buy a new headphone or amp every year but just curious to what length some...

Pirated CD's are a fact of life around China and most of Asia. Even if you wanted to buy a "real" CD, the choices are extremely limited. I'm curious if the quality of the pirated disks (stamped kind) are different from original factory CD's. Also if you make CDR's from original CD's, does the...

I'm looking to upgrade my source and am overwhelmed by the prices of new CDPs. Figuring I could save a bit of cash buying used, I'd like to consult everyone for a checklist for purchursing used CD players. Not specific CDPs, but possible/common problems of buying used. Irregardless of price and...

I am shopping for a new CDP and came across this Cayin in the store. It has both trans and tube output like the Shanling CDT-100 which I was trying to audition. Has anyone here heard the Cayin or come across a review online....in English. How's it sound and is it a good value for around $450...

Has anyone actually purchased the Wedgy-Fi thong or Under-Fi boxers on the Logo products page? It just cracks me up for some reason. Hmm. Since I'm coming up on my 1 month anniversery here at Head-Fi, maybe I should sponser a contest with the thong or boxer as prizes. Winner would have to...

Raise your hands if you're in Shanghai or travel regularly through.