Quote: I just got the Shure 215's.  I agree they sound like terrific all-rounders.    But does take extra effort to put them in.  Does cutting away the memory wire covers make 'em easier to loop over your ears?     PS -- How did you cut the covers away?  Used a crimping tool?

Quote: Great point!     Bose certainly knows how to market the hell outa' of their headphones.     I noticed a fair amount of isolation just from my vmoda m-80's when comparing to the QC20's.  The QC20's *appear* to reduce more of the ambient distractions: car traffic, sirens, etc...

Quote: There is a hiss, a sort of white noise hiss.  You can't really hear it out in a busy street.  But in quieter settings, especially at home, it is there.  If a Bose showroom is in a crowded, echo-y mall with lots of foot traffic than that's why you didn't hear it.   What I notice...

So I got the much hyped, brand new Bose QuietComfort 20i’s.  Does a fair job cutting out external noises, but comes at the cost of sound quality.  Basically – doesn’t sound as good as even my $30 SoundMagic e10’s.   (BTW, it sounds even worse when not using the noise-cancelling feature)   ...

Quote: Now that you've wetted my curiosity  -- what would be your choice for Classical but also in the same $100 price range?

Quote:   I realize this may be opening up a whole other can of worms, but...   I really don't understand this whole notion that Grado cans are bad for Classical and only good for Rock.   I find the detail and great-mids they provide works quite well with solo, chamber and...

Quote:   Thanks!  I'll probably wait then for the SF Audio Meet in August to try one (if they have one).  I called a local high-end audio store and they said they know no one who stocks AKG's in the SF.  What a bummer!      PS -- Yeah, I don't want a "master of none" situation.  I...

Hey there K550'ers!   I currently own a Grado SR80 (for home) and V-moda m80 (for portability).     The AKG K550 sounds like the perfect blend of the two.   I found myself not using the Grado's much because of the comfort issue, plus it starts to feel too warm on my ears.   Plus...

Sounds nifty!  I'm in. Where do all the Headfi'ers meet exactly?  Do people have to bring gear?

Okay, I've got a big question for all my fellow Grado SR80 and 80i owners --   Are Grados truly lousy for Classical Music?   It must have some validity being it's a frequent criticism.  Yet, I fail to see (or rather hear) the actual problems.  Of course I don't have super-super-high-end...

ClieOS,   I am absolutely leaning towards the Objective 2.  But I am afraid.  Why? Because I've had headphone amps in the past and returned them because the improvements were so minimal they were not worth the hassle of using.  I previously had the Fiio e11 and Cmoy (JDS Labs).    ...

ClieOS,   Any thoughts on the NuForce Icon iDo?  Surprised it gets so little attention being a DAC/Amp for only $149.  About the same size as the Objective2.  Sure, not exactly "portable" since it needs a DC adaptor.  But still, pretty small for all it does.  

Quote: Ok, I may give the NuForce a shot.  I had to be skeptical because for the price it's hard to believe the claim it has an "audiophile-grade" DAC.  Still, if it improves the sound it improves the sound, right?  *fingers crossed*  I know nwavguy is rather controversial here, but he does...

MacedonianHero,   I've read a lot of conflicting views that say an external DAC is a waste of money, because the iPod DAC is supposedly quite good and most external DAC's, even expensive ones, are hardly better.  They say it's just a "gimmick."     Can you really say the improvement...