Thanks, purk, for the reminder. I confess that I wasn't fully aware of the advantages of amplifying for headphones until I discovered this forum. I'm all about portability: I want everything. I want sound equipment, in particular, to sound as good as possible at home, while being small and...

Thanks for the replies. Guess I'll give the 1000 a try (I see that it can be had for $149). (Now for some headphones.) The hardy welcome is appreciated, too. It's a pleasure to find this place.

I got (what I thought was) a great deal yesterday on the Sony D-EJ01 - $98 at my local Shirokiya store here in Honolulu (one of the advantages of living here is the close proximity to all things Japanese: Shirokiya is a Tokyo retailer whose only store outside Japan is here, and their inventory -...