OK ... this is going to be a long and strange one. I have a Benq monitor with headphone output. I wanted to drive a pair of old Logitech speakers (8 ohm, passive) but obviously it was going to need an amplifier in line. I wanted to avoid extra transformers so I wanted to power from an existing...

I have an AK70, model PPE12 and it looks like I've managed to short the headphone socket and blown something inside. It works find and plays over bluetooth. Well outside warranty and I was wondering whether anyone had any wisdom concerning getting it repaired, places to try, places to avoid...

I've got one of these units and the volume knob feels to be analogue and is jumping volume. Potentially just needs a clean, but I've contacted Teac anyway. However, I have a suspicion that the cost of maintenance will be close on, or potentially more than, the cost of a new unit. However, I'm...

Hi Folks, Sorry for the silence; life is a little crazy right now... to put it mildly... but you don't want to know that ! I have a friend who has listened to my AK70 on some Senn cans, and he's decided that he wants to up his listening game but not spend a load of money in the first instance...

I had one of these many years ago, but it was stolen in a burglary. I've been looking to get another, partly to settle the emotions as well as practical usage... I still have a small cassette collection, but no portable player. If anyone has any advice beyond the usual (ebay, etc.) I'd be...

Hi Folks,   I've got a friend and he's looking for a 45 and other than Discogs and fleabay, I don't know where to search.  Particular genre is funk/soul, 1960's. US.

Well, this sort of took a bit of a twist, which is the primary reason I'm posting this.   The headline take away is this...   If you don't have wi-fi, or want to hook up uncontrolled devices to wi-fi... then perhaps A&K units are best avoided in the future.   I went to A&K's parent...

The AK70 seemed to be brand new and have a future... now, it's site is showing it discontinued and I can't source a firmware update.   Does anyone know what happened please?   I'm sourcing a firmware update after having to reset the unit at times because the touch screen goes unresponsive...

I normally use open back headphones, but have a need for in-ear to avoid mussing my hair during some events.   I'm not looking for wonderful performance, and I had the Sennheiser IE60 on my wish list at £100, but it recently rose to more than £140 and I thought... meh.   If there is such a...

Well, I walked in to Richer Sounds in Tower Bridge today.... very dangerous thing to do.  Ended up walking out with a Astell & Kern AK70  - good job my bank manager is a computer in a data centre, so it can't easily pick up a shotgun and come for my ass. Anyway, I digress....   I can't easily...

Hi Folks,   HDTracks have confirmed to me that they do not support Linux; their downloader is Windows only (so that presumably means no Apple either) ... and I don't really want to have to install Wine or chew space up with a virtual engine just to be able to buy audio files.   Does anyone...

Hi Folks,   I'm feeling like putting my adventurers hat on and taking another trip into the wild, wild world of music.   Does anyone have any recommendations for A Cappella music that they love please?   As an example of the things I like, one of the groups I keep coming back to is...

Folks,   I thought I would document roughly what's been happening with me and the Little Bear headphone amps.   I initially ventured in to them in the hope that they'd be a nice, easy, cheap way to discover valve amps. Oh boy was I mistaken.   I went for a P1 and a P2-1.   The P1 works...

I ordered some Mullard matched pair valves from Vita Tubes, and what arrived is pictured. Two Brimar, one which "might" be Mullard and a fourth which I can't identify. These are the valves as listed on ebay -...

Hi Folks,   I've noticed an issue with the Xduoo X3 - (I'm on the latest firmware 1.1)   The random play function is repeating tracks very frequently. In a collection of more than a thousand, it played a track, then played another, and then played the first track again. It really isn't...

Anyone know how to get hold of Line5 please? I've tried the usual searches and turned up nothing of consequence.   Long story short... I want to ask if they do something... like the A910 ... which is built to fit in a 5.25 or 3.5" PC bay, feed off the internal PC power and link to MB line...

Hi Folks,   After a less than stellar month long experiment with the Little Bear P2.1, I have some 5654 valves and no amp in which to use them.   What other amps are out there, that will also take these valves please?   Preferably something that will restore my faith in valve amplification...

...but something tells me that the only help anyone will be able to give me with this... is to point me to the nearest trash can...   Little Bear - P2.1 - the original caps blew, and so did the replacement... taking out a pair of Telefunken valves. - By the way, if you happen to have a Little...

I know... the title will probably raise eyebrows... but hear me out.   I have a small YouTube channel and I'm investigating headphones and amp options for the beginner who has a limited budget.   I'm opening the video with the beginning step of finding the impedance of all the equipment...

I've asked Ryan to refund, minus the postage... I'll take the hit on this and chalk it up to experience.   I mean, you can't advertise things based on their qualifications as tube amplifiers, and then find out that the primary outputs are integrated and the tube is on its own line out.  ...

Hi Folks,   I've been reading that the Tube Magic D1 (DAC+AMP) - doesn't deliver the valve audio to the headphone out jack... only to the rear output.   Can anyone verify or debunk this please?   I bought one a few days ago and I'm expecting this to ship imminently, and it's got me in a...

Hi Folks,   I've been messing around, and have come to a few decisions-ish.   I think my favourite headphones are the Senn HD600 for general listening and the Grado SR255e for the lively stuff - the Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro is coming in third place. I listen to all sorts from orchestral to...

I bought a second hand pair of Sennheiser HD 480 phones (70 ohm, non-Canford version) and they needed a complete clean out, which I'm working on.   However... the bass is muddy as heck, despite there now being no visible residue left. It led me to wonder whether the previous owner just...

I've been messing around, learning, making mistakes, as you do. Mostly with the Rig 500 and the HD 480   I've come to a decision on the kind of headphones that I'm looking for.   Looking to drop £200 to £300, potentially a little more if I have to.   I prefer the on-ear, flat style of the...

The cable on one of my HD 480 phones is crackling on one channel. Testing isolated the cable.   It looks like the connectors are relatively standard across a good portion of the Sennheiser range, and there are plenty of HD-25 cables on sale.   The connectors look like they'll fit, but the...