This is my progression of portable headphones: 1) Westone UM1's - Good headphones, but they were expensive, and broke after a year and a half (no sound from one of the sides of headphones). I didn't like Westone's policy of making me pay for shipping back and forth, so I decided not go to go...

Quote:   Presumably option a would be the most expensive.  Could you give me some  good combos to get started with?   Noted regarding the hardware.  I'm guessing if I had to prioritize at this time, I'd go for headphones, since the A900's blow out my cheap Logitech speakers. When you...

I've honestly never thought about my computer audio setup before,  But after I got some nice speakers for my home theater, I think it's time to conduct some upgrades.   Right now, this is what I have:   Speakers: Logitech x-230...

I know the Atimate has a built in DAC (16 bit), and one of the reasons why I was attracted to the set of speakers was because of this.  Will the fact I have to connect the Airmotiv's via my mini plug plug detract from sound quality?

Thanks.   I'm running an nVidia 9800GT card from 6 years ago and don't plan on upgrading, so I guess HDMI is out of the equation.    It seems a DAC/AMP/Speakers is going to exceed my budget unless I do some significant bargain hunting, so an all-in-one seems to be the best option...

Looking for suggestions for audiophile quality speakers (if possible for this price range!)   Budget: $400 Usage: 100% for music.  High quality FLAC rips of my CD's.  All types of music (Indie Rock/Pop to Jazz) Desired setup: 2.0   I'm considering two options:   1) The all-in-one...

Does anyone have the UM1's as well?   I bought the UM1's back in 2006, and am in love with them (as well as the company Westone itself, great support).   Anywho, I'm thinking of upgrading to the Westone 2's...anyone know if the differences are worth it?    My UM1's aren't broken or...

I just bought the LG enV2, and the jack in the phone is 2.5mm. I can't find any threads pertaining to this - can anyone recommend me some good 2.5mm headphones? I know 2.5mm-to-3.5mm adapters are available, but I'm looking for headphones...preferably portable ones. Thanks!

Wow, I'm surprised the 0404 and the GLite worked so poorly together... Thanks for the review!

But then again, I gotta live for the present also, and the present is now, with my ATH-A900's and my UM1's, and I heard the Petite drives both extremely well. I'd like to get a set of open cans eventually, and if I get the Petite, I'll be limiting myself to lower impedance cans, but I'm...

I'm still torn. I'm probably going to go with the Go-Vibe Petite, but I'm afraid if I get a set of cans with >200ohms (like the DT-880's), they won't be able to drive it, and I'll need to get a new amp...

Quote: Originally Posted by Dorito123 I was reading and stumbled over some talk of the Go-Vibe Petite, it looks very similar to the XM5 minus some of the bells and whistles. I cant seem to find a website for it but it looks like something that you might want to check into...

Quote: Originally Posted by Dorito123 Practical Devices Corporation XM5 would make a great partner for your notebook and it will offer you a usb dac as well. Its cheap and you can listen to great sounds while your spend as much time as you like looking at more expensive stuff. Just a...

I've got the UM1's. Can't compare them to any of the other ones, but I am personally extremely satisfied with the product. The customer service is also excellent. If you have cash lying around, get the UM2's

Quote: Originally Posted by Cankin Mini^3 is a portable amp, you can check Rockhopper Audio M^3 is a desktop amp. CKKIII are another good choice. These are DIY amps, but you can contact MisterX or thrice about building one. or, if you want DAC/Amp combo, you can try EMU 0404USB. It...

Still looking for suggestions and opinions (sorry to be a pain in the arse, but this is my only resource for Amps...) Of course, the Pico and Predator seem to be the top of the line DAC/AMPs, but I'm going to pass because of the price. The Gilmore Lite seems extremely nice too, but again...

Quote: Originally Posted by Cankin Basic M^3 for slight over your budget, and forget about upgrade your amp anymore! .......til you're looking at +$1000 amps Wow, I am an idiot. I kept searching M^3 in title search and nothing came up. Then, I put it on the backburner and...

Quote: Originally Posted by Penchum If you haven't thought about whether you want to have a tube based amp, or a solid state based amp, now would be the time to read about them. Considering you are wisely trying to future proof your options for open headphones later, you must determine...

Yeah, I don't need a portable one, but so far, I have only a limited idea of what to even consider for a DAC/AMP, so that's why I'm needing some answers on this thread...there aren't many threads that are specific for my needs, so that's why I would like some audience response...

Thanks! Anyone else have suggestions?

A poster on the Headphones Forum got me intrigued by the idea of getting my first Amp, so I figure I'd post here for some recommendations. Here is some background: Musical Tastes - Indie/Alternative (Belle & Sebastian, New Pornographers, The Hold Steady), Trip-Hop (Massive Attack, Morcheeba...

Coredump - I considered the Gardo's when I bought my A900's, but ruled them out because they were reviewed to be too one-dimensional - good for Rock/Alternative, but not so much for other genres. That, and others have complained about the comfort, so I passed. Thanks for the recommendation...

Quote: Originally Posted by Kasp3r I do not understand if you have 250 $ to spend, why not upgrade and get a amp/CDP? 250$ is not out of your budget, you can get a totalbithead which is both a DAC/AMP for 150 dollars. You can use it for both the a900 and on your ipod. I have it and it...

I am considering getting one of these two awesome open cans. I've read the thread comparing the two solely for gaming purposes, but I'm looking for solely musical purposes. I'd also would rather not at this time purchase an amp (out of my budget), and would prefer a can that's balanced, and...

He just said, without a good amp, they don't sound as good. That's his opinion, am I right...?