Here are the high end earbuds from the British company RMXdirect Limited (there is a cheaper model called TFTA 1200-V1). TFTA is short for Thin Film Technology Accoustics.   The earbuds are advertised in the following way: "Thin Film Technology is a passive dynamic-balancing system, combining acoustic know-how and material knowledge achieved by placing a thin film inside the housing. This creates and combines a deeper, wider sound quality with sub bass capability and enhances frequency range with higher fidelity."   So how does it perform in...

I bought a 16GB Sansa View when the HDD on my Creative Zen Touch broke. I had to go from 40GB to 16GB, but the MicroSD card slot would let me add 16GB to reach a total of 32GB. At least that is what I thought. The original firmware on the View was lacking, so MicroSD card integration did not work very well. Instead I used a 4GB card and put movies on it and the 16GB of internal memory for music.   Besides the UI not being very good, the View is an okay MP3 player. Sound quality is overall pretty good. I found bass lacking a bit so I bought a Fiio...

This MP3 player was released by JVC (Japan Victor Company) in 2005. It was available outside of Japan, but the supply seems to have been very limited. I managed to find mine in Japan in 2010. I got the silver version. I would have preferred the black version, but it seems to be even more rare and expensive. Listening to the XA-HD500 and comparing it to my Kenwood HD20GA7 and my Cowon S9, I feel that the XA-HD500 wins. This is however by very little, as the Kenwood and the Cowon both are great. They are all very detailed, but it is when it comes to...

I bought this one in late 2005 and used it for about 1,5 year until the hard drive broke in 2007. I kept it in a drawer for almost 2 years until I read about a CF card mod and tried it out. Now I have a working Creative Zen Touch again! As most older HDD based DAP:s, the Zen Touch is a bit bulky. The UI is simple but gets the work done. The only thing that really bothers me is the touchpad. Even at the lowest sensitivity setting it can be too sensitive. It sounds nice, at least on par with the Vision: M and better than the newer Creative MP3...

I bought this one used. I was curious about these rare Japanese MP3 players, other than the more well known Sony and to a lesser extent Toshiba.   I managed to win a black Kenwood HD20GA7 on Japanese Yahoo auction. When I first listened to it and compared it to my other MP3 players (Cowon S9, Sansa View, Creative Zen Vision: M & Creative Zen Touch), it seemed to have a much more smooth and less "strained" sound. Overall the sound this device produces is detailed but still smooth. It might not beat the Chinese current flavor of the month MP3 players...

I've got nothing bad to say about the Vision: M. It is seen as the best MP3 player made by Creative, and while I only have experience with four Creative DAP:s, I have to agree. It might not be the best sounding MP3 player out there, but it's got a nice and smooth sound and an okay custom EQ. I got mine used from Ebay in 2009. The hard drive was dead and the player was pretty beat up. I put a CF card in place of the hard drive and it works great. I have not changed the battery yet, so this is why I gave "battery life" such a low rating. Once I have...