Here's the criteria:   -$100-$200 -Soft/Lightweight and very comfortable (my mom has headaches, so "clamping" headphones are out) -Closed (little sound leakage as possible that can also block out external sound) -Mostly for TV/Movie watching -Small "back" (she sits in a rocking chair and...

PC: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit DAC: Esoteric K-01 Asynchronous USB   I'm a PC Audio newbie and this is my first try at using an external DAC. The K-01 comes with three USB modes: normal (up to 96kHz), High Speed 1 (up to 192kHz), High Speed 2 (Asynchronous up to 192kHz). Obviously, my...

I've had the K-01 since February and have been listening to it since March with a variety of different music, tubes, and the few headphones in my collection and thought I would post my (lengthy) impressions here.   Preface   Before purchasing the K-01 I had used (and still currently own)...

Since I'll soon be getting the SACD-capable Esoteric K-01 I'm very much interested in getting some of the best classical in the format, so I thought I'd start this thread for everyone to provide opinions on some of the best sounding performances they've heard of composers/works on SACD. I've...

I've finally decided to make the switch to PC audio courtesy of an Esoteric K-01 (via USB asynchronous input) that will also do SACD playback, but I'm not entirely sure what all I need to make that switch. I'm planning on having a Custom PC built from EndPCNoise, but I'm not sure what features...

This is a whole new area of music I'm looking to branch into and I'd love some recommendations. I've been doing a lot of previewing of Billie, Sarah, Ella, Dinah, and Nina and I'm loving what I'm hearing so far, but as all neophytes I'm lost in a sea of recordings and reissues and box sets, etc...

I've yet to hear the opera and it's certainly no small investment getting any of the sets. I know many of the older ones get consistent praise like Krauss, Kielberth, Furtwangler, etc. but I worry about the audio. Likewise, the only two on SACD haven't gotten great reviews. I guess I'm looking...

The Situation I've been an addicted audiophile for about the last six years. Since then I've amassed a small fortune in gear, and ever since getting into the "hobby" I've been aware of the immense debate surrounding the efficacy of high-end cables. It seems that nobody doubts that high-end...

I know this is a long shot since both amps are out of the price ranges of the vast majority of people on here, but I was wondering if anyone had compared them. I currently have a (broke, atm) SDS-XLR that I've been considering sending in to get fixed and perhaps upgraded. One reason I've never...

I ordered these several weeks back from Northern Sound and Light and had them shipped directly to Alex at A Pure Sound for a V3 Balanced (with Furutech Rhodium plugs) cable. I received them 5 days ago, spent one night listening to them, and have them burning in now (for the past 40 hours or so)...

...You'd like to get the word out on, and then tell us a bit about them. Ideally they would be a bit obscure, or at least not as well known as they should be. Mine: 1. King's X Rather well known among prog rock fans, but they've never received the mainstream attention they deserved...

I've been going back and forth on this for a while now. I know of a pair available and I've been debating on whether or not to get them. My main reason for wanting them is because it's finally reached the point where I'm just not completely satisfied with my R10s when it comes to my more...

It's been a while now and while I wouldn't say the magic of listening to my uber-system has "worn off", it's lessened to the point where I'm really starting to realize how badly I need to address my power situation. I live in the middle of the city, and we have power surges/spikes all the time...

It seems strange that the W5k has been out for so long and I still think I've yet to read a really CLEAR review of what it should sound like. I remember when the Qualia first come out, words popped up like "detailed", "fast", "digital", and sure enough when I listened to them, those adjectives...

I've been looking into getting a/some/ some kind of power conditioning setup for my system for a while but in looking into I've kinda gotten confused over what's what. PS Audio Power Plant 1000 is a Power Regenerator... Ok, what's that? My Monster AVS1000 is a Power Stabalizer which keeps 120...

I've been thinking for a while about buying some Hydras to semi-complete my system. I've been debating about whether to get a Hydra 6 for the player and Hydra 2 for the amp or a Hydra 8 for the player and forget about the amp. I know some people don't like plugging amps into power conditioners...

Got into an argument with a guy about my audiophile hobby and he sent me this (It's in PDF, you have to download it and use Adobe Acrobat to view it): http://www.theaudiocritic.com/downloads/article_1.pdf Can anyone flat out disprove any of this? I'm not so much up on the technical aspects...

I was listening to Reimyo setup yesterday and thinking to myself: "Can it get any better than this"? Well, yes it can because I know it can (I still have many pieces of my uber system left to be completed). But this got me thinking, as good as the best in digital sounds - especially players...

Ok, here's the situation: One of my favorite albums called Frances the Mute from the band The Mars Volta has these strange popping, choppy sounds on two of the tracks. At the beggining and end of track 4 and all throughout track 9 you can hear them clear as a bell. It kind of sounds like a quick...

A friend of mine (whom, I swear has every headphone ever made) sent me a pair of these a while ago to try out and I thought they were really great cans. Overpriced, but really good nonetheless. I was just wondering what everyone's opinion of them are, I've never seen them mentioned.

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZaswartzel4xouQQhtZ-1 That's a hell of a deal for those tubes if he's for real. I'd especially love those RCA Black glasses. Hell, I'd buy them all if I could confirm he was for reall. I'm almost tempted to just buy them and, well, if it's a scam, I can...

I have 650, RS-1, and SA5000. My main headphone is the Sony R10s but of course I get in the mood for something different now and then. I have my RS-1s when I want to RAWK out, my 650s when I want to mellow out, and my SA500s (that I just bought) were supposed to be the neutral phones. The phones...

Well, after months and months of meets and testing and me selling of practically everything I own, I finally bought a used Reimyo on Audiogon. It arrived a few days ago and I spent about 14 hours straight with it yesterday. What can I say but.... THIS, my friends, is what music is supposed to...

A friend of mine is wanting a pair and I told him I'd ask on here and see what the best/cheapest place to buy them (online) is.

*Linn Sondek CD12 *Wadia 270se/27ix *Naim CDS3/XPS2 *Classe Omega SACD *Reimyo CDP-777 I'm thinking of investing in one of these players used. But before I do some traveling and testing I wanted to get some impressions of any of them from some people on here - particularly from people who...