I want to buy my wife a portable MP3 player for xmas.  She isn't as a demanding listener as me and will mainly be listening to it via car speakers and a portable boom box.  I am looking to spend no more than $125 or so, and would prefer $100.  As big of capacity as possible, likely flash based...

I am a rock person and enjoy a variety of rock music. I recently tried Porcupine Tree's Fear of a Blank Planet and can honestly say I haven't enjoyed a new album so much in a long time. I am looking for other albums that are like this one. I've done some reading in forums and when someone asks...

I will be getting a new tube headphone amp soon and in the future will be considering having some mods done, e.g. upgrading capacitors, etc. I am looking for someone that does high quality work and is familiar with headphone amps.

I have an Imod, Ety er4s headphones, and a Meier Corda Move that I really like. However, I need a flash based dap for cycling and I really don't want to buy another set of headphones. Had I been thinking about all my possible uses for a dap, I would have originally bought the er4p headphones...

Although I like a lot of genres, rock is one of my favorites. I like rock from all decades and styles: Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Cream, Allman Brothers... AC/DC, Van Halen... Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains.... Tool, A Perfect Circle, Pink Floyd... Slipknot, System of a Down...

I've been using Sveta Portable Audio to convert my flac files on the fly to MP3 files for my 4g Ipod. I was going to recommend that my buddy get a new Ipod (because of the abundance of accessories) and use Sveta like me (he also has a flac file library). However, would he still get gapless...

I should be getting an Imod any day now and want to use it in my car connected to the auxillary input of my head unit. I know cable quality matters from my experience, but I am wondering if it would matter in my car. The speakers aren't that great, although head unit is new. I plan to get a good...

How reliable is the shorts test function of a B&K 747 tube tester? I have a tube that made popping noises when I put it in my Singlepower Supra. Everytime it popped I never had the headphones on my head so I couldn't tell what tube was shorting. It never popped continuously, just every so often...

I am curious how significant of a difference there is playing tunes (lossless or high bitrate MP3s) on an Imod using the ac adapter versus the battery. I want to use Rockbox on my new Imod (haven't got it yet) and I know battery life is not that good. Since my immediate uses will be in my...

I am looking for a high quality external enclosure. I have an AMS Venus enclosure that was rated pretty highly on Newegg, but it's still a cheap POS. The fan is loud and runs constantly. I have three of these enclosures and lost one within the year. Not a big deal, but I would like to find...

I remember reading that production models should be ready in about two weeks after the National Meet. That is about now. Just curious if there has been any recent updates to the shipping date.

Will itunes convert the albums on my hard drive, which are in the flac format, to an appropriate format (AAC, MP3, etc.) for use in itunes? Or, do I have to use a program like dBpowerAMP to convert my flac files into something that itunes will import?

compare two hard drives and tell me what is different between them? I have two hard drives that I use for my music, one as the primary hard drive and one as a back up. I've been making changes to my flac tags in my back up drive and then transfering the changes to my primary hard drive...

I'm just wondering the combinations everyone is using for 12sn7 tubes. I know they are supposed to sound appoximately the same as 6sn7 tubes, but I want to know the tube combinations everyone is useing in their Singlepower amps, or any other amp that uses 12sn7 tubes. I have a Singlepower...

After dealing with Mikhail of Singlepower, and reading the experiences of other satisfied people dealing with headphone amp makers, I am looking for similar manufacturers for a power amp. I am looking to spend $1000-$1200 and want a company that offers great service with high quality components...

I am looking for some modern bluegrass bands whose songs are creative, musicians are technically excellent, and the sound is well engineered with a modern feel to it. Two groups that I have which I feel represent some if not all of these traits are Alison Krauss and Union Station and Tim...

Is it correct for me to assume that the Microdac serves as a usb soundcard in which I can connect a pair of Klipsch speakers? I am thinking about getting this setup for my office. Do I only need an amplifier if I am planning to use headphones?

I'm burning-in my upgraded MPX3 and installed a set of tubes that I had used in the amp the day before--Sylvania 12sn7gta as driver, two Sylvania 12sn7gts as outputs. When I plugged them in and turned on my source, I could barely hear the volume, even if I turned it up ridiculously high. I...

I am going to get my MPX3 upgraded to 12v and was considering upgrading to Solen 3 and Black Gate capacitors. Currently I have Solen 1 and Jensen paper in oil caps. Is it worth going to solen 3 and black gates? That is, how will it change the sound? Earl (SACD lover) gave me some nice...

There are a few daps with good sound quality--Ipod, Rio Karma--but they all seem to lack features that would make a good audiophile quality dap: 1. Gapless playback - a requirement in my mind so you can hear music as it was intended. 2. Capable of playing various lossless codecs - I'm in...

I am considering getting the new Squeezebox modded. One guy in France who does these mods uses a word clock in the Squeezebox. I am know there are different types of clocks, but I do not understand the differences between them. I suspect if I get this modded in the states and wanted a clock...

I was set on getting a modified Squeezebox (either by Empirical Audio or Dan Belitty in France) because Foobar was a PITA to get configured to my liking without spending a ton of time. However, I discovered J. River Media Center, which has ASIO built in along with displaying cover art and a...

I'm somewhat satisfied at the moment with my upgraded MPX3, Ack Dack 2.0, and RS-1s. However, I would like to know of some reasonable upgrades for the RS-1s. Reasonable is no more than $1500. I know about the PS-1s, but I haven't got a clear perspective of whether they are a significant...

offers removable storage, has gapless playback, supports flac files, and sounds great without an amp? I was looking for something more durable than a hard drive based player, that I can use for skiing and can take 4-6 albums at a time. I figured if I took one or two 1 gb cards + the native...

I am looking for some Grado headphones for use listening to Internet radio. I am a Grado fan and like their sound (I have the RS-1s at home paired with Singlepower's MPX3). I realize the sound quality of Internet radio is fair at best, but that's ok as I am listening to it at work just to...