I know that HD800s are considered to be the ultimate headphones currently in production, but they are also open. I can tolerate open phones at a moderate price because the airy sound is a reasonable tradeoff for the background noise, but I would consider lack of isolation unacceptable if I were...

Which model of Ultrasone's hits the "sweet spot" in the sense of offering all of the sonic characteristics they are known for at the lowest price? In other words, I am interested in trying a pair where anything cheaper would not be good enough and anything more expensive would only be...

I love my M40fs. I wonder if there is something even better out there that keeps all the good properties and adds more? I can't recall ever seeing studio headphones for more than about $150 or so. Are them luxury ones that go for $300 or more and are worth it? One possible upgrade I have...

Most audiophiles purport to be looking for sound that is as uncolored, close to the original source, and "natural" as possible. Oddly, studio headphones (which are designed to have precisely those characteristics) are often described as "cold" or "boring" and given short schrift. By contrast...

I have recently been listening to the first couple of discs in the Ken Burns' Jazz soundtrack. I absolutely love the style of that really old stuff (especially Louis Armstrong and Jellyroll Mortin), but can't stand the recording quality. Most of the modern jazz I have heard tends to be either...

Currently, the only Phish CD I have is Round Room. I enjoy it, and especially the song Pebbles & Marbles. Their catalog is so huge that I can't possibly get all their CDs, and I don't know enough about them to make an informed decision. Which 2 or 3 of their titles should I try next?

A $10 banana hanger from Bed, Bath, and beyond makes an ideal headphone rack! The high tech look perfectly compliments the elegant beauty of my AD900s.

Even at full MSRP, the Philips SHP8500s are only $50. I bought them because they were on sale for just $15. Now they are well on their way to becoming my favorite phones! I have other cans that I absolutely love that literally cost more than 10X as much, yet these seem to do everything even...

I bought some open phones (Philips SHP8500) just because they were on sale ridiculously cheap ($15, and regular price is $50) They are pretty good considering the price (and outrageously comfortable), but the big revelation is that the openness doesn't bother me the way I expected. Even my loud...

I wanted a cd player with a headphone output, so I bought the Tascam. It turns out to actually sound better than my Cambridge 340C/340A combo with headphones. It is also compatible with low-impedance phones, the one area where the Cambridge had a weakness. Hard to beat for $250, and highly...

I have tried quite a few headphones at a wide range of prices, including the very expensive D5000s. I am back to listening to my $80 HD280s instead. I used to believe that "you get what you pay for", but I no longer think that that is true for headphones. The AKGs were 4X as much as the...

Everytime I get new phones, if they are any good at all, they become my "favorites". This lasts until the novelty wears off, and then I either want something new or discover that one of my older pairs is my preference again. Even though this applies to the ones I can afford, I have no reason to...

I use a Cambridge Audio 340C CD player and 340A integrated amp. They are about two years old (as far as I know, the warranty has expired), and have never been abused in any way. Last night, when I first turned them on, I got no sound for several minutes (through headphones), then it suddenly...

I have yet to go to a concert where I didn't have to wear earplugs, even if I am sitting way back in the nosebleed seats. Why? It seems like it would be more enjoyable (not to mention healthier) for everyone involved if the PA were set to a more reasonable volume! (Note: the same observation...

There are a fair number of older CDs that I enjoy as far as content but which suffer in the sound department. Several of these would benefit greatly from a remaster. What are your top choices in this category? Mine are: Styx-The Grand Illusion Sweet-Desolation Boulevard The...

The HD380s have the same impedance and frequency range as the HD280s. They have somewhat larger/differently shaped pads and cost 50% more. That is all I know about the differences. Has anyone heard both? Is there a definite difference in SQ? I ask because I want the best Sennheisers I can...

I have been enjoying my HD280s as an alternative to my primary cans. There is one issue, however: The combination of very low impedance and very high sensitivity causes me to set the volume on my amp near zero. At that level, the signal is almost as low as the noise floor, which leads to an...

I got my DT770s back, but without the 1/4" adapter. Can I use one of the spare ones I have laying around, or does it have to be the one made for that specific headphone? (I ask because bth the threads and the pin look a little different than they did on the DT150s.)

As a fan of the DT770 Pro/80, I am curious to hear the 250 Ohm consumer version. The Pro/80 sells for $150 or less pretty much everywhere. The cheapest price on the Consumer/250 is $200, with $270 being more typical. Why? As far as I can tell, the only differences are the clamping pressure...

Soundwise, my favorite headphones (by a wide margin) are DT150s. They are sure not comfortable, though. Is there anything I can do to improve the comfort without affecting the sound?

Does anyone have any information or knowledge about these? Ever since I first saw the awesome DX-1000s, I have hoped to find a more reasonably priced alternative with similar sound (rather like the D2000 is to the D7000.) Could the HP-RX900s (at $115 shipped compared to $1067 for the...

When I listen to some good music with eyes closed, I often drift off into a deep, deep trance. When the CD ends, I have to shake my head to wake up, and it may take a few minutes to come back to earth! Does anyone else experience this?

A friend is trying to decide btween the Little Dot Micro+ and the MKI. He wants the MKI, but hates to spend the money unless it is a really massive difference. His phones are DT770 Pro/80s (my old ones.) Anyone here heard both to know how they compare?

I already have a very good CD player (Cambridge 340C.) Would adding a high-end outboard DAC (such as the DAC Magic) be a significant enhancement, or are those mainly for use with computers or portable sources?

In the process of rolling tubes in my LD I+, I discovered the concept of opamp rolling. That got me to wondering, would the same concept apply to the DAC chip in a CD player? Would replacing the DAC chip with a higher-end one (something from Burr Brown, perhaps) be a cost-effective way to...