I have some control in my house (no really) but in the case of ripping music I have to make sure it works with an iPod and iTunes. I was wondering what are some options for maxing the quality of the source recording while keeping it compatible with iTunes and iPods? I've used EAC with the lame...

When you're trying to compare a set of headphones, do you switch back and forth over the same content or give each one a set period of time? It seems like doing an "a/b" test with the same song would be the best but it is pretty cumbersome with IEMs. I'm just curious what works for everyone.

Is there a "trick" to avoid cable noise? I'm trying some Image IEMs and one issue I can't pinpoint is why I will get line noise from time to time. I'm not sure if that's the correct term but it's when I move my head and the cable rubs against my collar or something and appears to transfer a...

I'm just starting to learn about DACs and considering something like a Pico but I'm about to rebuild my main machine on Vista and reusing some parts I'm wondering if I should bother with an extra sound card or just go with the one on the motherboard. If you use a DAC then aren't you just...

My girlfriend needs some relief from the noise at the office and I'm trying to convince her to avoid a typical noise cancellation solution for maybe a sealed solution. The beyerdynamic DT 250-80 are about the right price but I was wondering how well they isolate you from office noise? She'd be...

I was cleaning this weekend and found one of my old portable CD players which actually appears to still work. I then remembered that it seems like I've read several posts where people try to find these "vintage" cd players whenever they can. Which led me to this question ... Why are the old...

I wanted to get some thoughts on trying to decide between an RSA Hornet and a Glimore Lite. I hate asking such an over asked question, especially since there's a similar Gilmore Lite and TH post, but it's driving me crazy. I will be for my father who just started listening to music again...

Someone once posted that portable amps like PA2v2 are the "gateway drugs" to more purchases I am turning into a living example of that. Along those lines I think I may start looking into something non-portable. I was curious if there were any desktop amps that were similar to the PA2v2 and...

I wanted to take a quick survey or poll and see what cans people were using with their RSA Hornet. I know it's main target is the IEM market but it also seems capable of driving some cans. I thought it might be interesting to read about what combos people enjoy. I suppose it's kind of cart...

I think this is a really dumb question but I can't figure it out. I took an old Denon receiver out of the closet and was going to test out my new HD580s but I started to get static on the right channel. I thought it was a bad cable but once I thought I had a good cable it happened again. I went...

Is there one "agreed upon" reason why old Marantz receivers are so popular? I thought the general rule of thumb was that all receivers were inferior to amps yet it seems that the Marantz are sought after by some serious audiophiles. I'm only asking out of ignorance. I'm assuming there was...

With my new entry level purchases (PA2V2 and Grado SR60) I'm having a lot of fun and decided to look into another purchase. I can justify a purchase by getting a closed set of cans for work and travel. But, along the way I did demo some Senn 555 and 600 and liked the sound and (after reading...

I'm thinking about making my first purchase into the $150 range and my first thought was headphones but I'm debating whether IEM would be better. I own some 1.5 year Shure E2C and some Grado SR60. I like both but I was thinking my next purchase should be a headphone because I'm finding the SR60...

I've been lurking about and reading a few old-ish threads on the TH and Hornet and I'm kind of confused as to why a person would buy one over the other. I even read a review that had included both but I still wasn't sure what the difference was between the two, besides size. Is the size really...

I just went to a local store and tested a few hp and I ended up really liking the Sennheiser 555. I may end up getting them but my goal was something that would not leak sound so I could use it in the office (which I share). Is there anything that compares to this in the same general range? I...

May be a silly question but is there any list of headphones by impedance rating? I've seen sites organize the headphones by various methods but it seems like you really need to hunt yourself to get the impedance ratings for each. With my new amp purchase I'm trying to find a new headphone to try...

I just started playing with my new PA2V2 and I'd like to get a pair of sealed headphones to use in a shared office and on planes. My other equipment is an iPod video (I have a line out adapter), an old pair of Shure E2Cs, and some Grado SR60s. As you can see (besides the iPod) my setup so far is...

I just got a new iPod video and Grado SR60, and combined with my old Shure E2C (and some $20 buds) I'm having fun with my setup but considering going to the next step and looking at my first pocket amp. My music is pretty ranged - the only thing I don't listen to much is heavy metal and jazz but...

I just got my Grado SR60 from TTVJ and I really love them with my new iPod video but I noticed that it's pretty easy for the iPod to cut in and out with these full sized headphones. Normally I uses either my Shure E2C or some buds and I never have an issue. But I'm concerned that maybe my (new)...

I just purchased an iPod Nano for my 79 year old father and he's really loving it so far. But he's using some cheap $15 wrap around headphones he got from Radio Shack at the moment. I'd like to get him something better but due to his hearing aids and lack of place to test most popular brands I'm...

A while back I looked at upgrading my car stereo and wanted to include the ability to play my Zen Micro. I was frustated to learn that most after market manufacturers only supported iPod integration out of the box. Today while shopping for an accessory for an iPod Nano gift I was shocked to...

I'm no audiophile but I am somewhat concerned about getting good sound quality out of my recordings. Since I've almost finished ripping my CDs I'm starting to look at new music and downloading individual songs instead of buying an entire CD is pretty appealing. With all the choices out there...

I've been having fun dusting off my Dremel and trying to convert an Altoids tin to a case for my Zen Micro but I ran into a few odd things that I can't figure out. 1) I tried one tin with some felt on the bottom and on the top. The problem is that the tin doesn't "clamp" shut with the Micro...

Let me say that I'm no audiophile but after doing some more testing with my new e2c and ex81 I'm finding that the e2c are very lacking. From my research I've read that Shure makes excellent products so I feel like that maybe I'm missing something. But for a while I've been trying to figure out...

After some research I went with the Shure e2c to go with my new Zen Micro. I've only been testing for a few hours but here are some thoughts. This is mostly geared to the non-audiophiles as I'm not expert. * Wow. So this is isolation! Yea, believe the hype on isolation. If you want isolation...