How about these: Diva Swans M1 Bookshelf spk. (8 1/2" w x 13" h x 12 " d) w/ a ribbon tweeter, $799 Haven't heard anything about how they perform, but it does sound like a great deal. Also, the Diva brand name is very highly respected in audiophile circles as a best-bang-for-the-buck...

In that case, you might be better off buying the AMC CD8B from audioadvisor for $199. Never heard it, but it does come very highly touted. Some reviews of it: AMC CD8 - audioreview.com

As I remember it, the AV-8 should not be used because, according to ASL, the amp was not designed to drive such a high load (120ohms). Using it for this purpose would affect the damping factor and probably distort the sound.

Since you like the 580's, the DT831 may sound too bright, analytical, and bass thin for your liking. The 831's excel at giving a very detailed, tight sound, with a phenomenal midrange. I would suggest the Denon 950's, Sony V6's, Beyer DT250, or the Sennheiser HD25-1 for a slightly darker...

thomas, when I said that I thought he was crazy, I was referring to this (not his math or theory, which having taken a couple of EE classes, I understand and is correct): From Vadim: Quote: For instance with speaker wire, just for kicks as a joke, I went as far as I compared a rusted...

I am very inclined to think the guy is crazy, especially when he goes on to say that there are no differences between SS amps. He does have some very good theoretical points to back him up though, almost to the point of being convincing, that's why I suggested people read up on his rants. I...

The impedance/efficiency numbers show how easily the headphone/speaker can be driven, i.e. how loud (in dBs) a certain amount of mW will get (headphones, I believe, are stated in dB/mW and speakers in dB/W). Anyway, a sample calculation may make it easier: Say a pair of phones has an imp. of...

I read this the other day on avsforum: http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/003699.html. Very interesting thread, some EE prof. states that IC's only make a difference coming out of a tube amp, and have absolutely no effect on SS amps. He goes on to say that electrically the IC difference in...

but can your girlfriend give you a total eargasm?... One more vote for ditching the girlfriend. PS - My girlfriend is not speaking to me right now

If you have component inputs on your TV and can swing an extra $50, you may look at the Panasonic RP61. It's a progressive-scan player (the little brother of the Panasonic RP91 - which is what all the people at avs forum talk about) and can be had for ~$250. Added bonus: It also plays...

I can't really make any absolute statements saying they're the best, because the only other high end closed can I've heard is the Sony 7506; but, I do prefer them to the Sonys (I feel their bass is too loose, and the mids too recessed) and on acoustic rock / light modern rock (coldplay...

To answer question 3: Apollo has a feature that crossfades the incoming track to the one playing. The amount of fade-in can be changed, or set to zero, or adjusted to just fade-out. I find it to be a very useful tool. An added bonus: Apollo is a very good sounding mp3 player, prefered by most...