I have a MW1A that i've always used with the standard 3.5 output. Can anyone recommend a 4.4 mm balanced in ear phone for 200 to 300 dollars.

Yes. Take a look at Topping product line

Agree. People clamoring for a pre-amp, are unconsciously unhappy with the sound of the base system and want to 'improve' the sound by coloring it with a preamp.

George Harrison copied Atkins style on early Beatles

I,d take Oregon's Distant Hills 1973. Complex enough for multiple listening without boredom but sweet enough not to annoy.

Love Train

This recording is piano, bass and drums. I listen for the brush work on the cymbals. How well I can distinguish those and the placement in the sound stage

Amazon offers an opportunity to purchase an extended warranty by the company called Asurion. They will repair the item after Sony's warranty expires.

Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Autumn in Seattle The engineering of the recording was outstanding

Yes. that was my experience.

I borrowed an 800 to compare to my 600. I found the 800 gave more detail but not enough to justify the cost. I stayed with the 600

Life is a journey. Enjoy the trip.

I did a lot of A/B listening to various formats 10 years ago using a CAP computer as a source. I did not hear any difference between lossless formats but I did hear a distinct difference between compressed and uncompressed FLAC. Now I have all of my files in uncompressed FLAC.

Thankyou good tip

Recommend an over the ear headphone for Sony WM-A1M1 I have been disappointed with my old AKG702 that I have used with the WM-1A. The WM-1A does not drive the headphones well. Around $500.00 US

I noticed that some retailers like Amazon offer extended warranties on components. Do you think they could be trusted on something like a WMA1?

There may be another aspect to this. The amp will add power to both the signal and the noise. However, by amplifying both, it is easier for the human ear to distinguish signal from the noise. The s/n ratio is the same but psychological perception of the signal is interpreted as a 'cleaner' sound.

I checked the focal site. Utopia is $4000. Too pricey for me. I've seen other threads that recommend the HD800S for classical music. But, that is with desktop amplifier. I wonder if the high impedance of the HD800 (300 ohms?) is too much for a portable to get effective resolution. That's...

Hello I recently purchased a WM1A and would like to get opinions on headphones and or amps to complement the WM1A. At the moment, I'm using inexpensive headphones (non-balanced). Before I move to balanced headphones I wanted to get some suggestions. I listen primarily to chamber music, small...

Thank you. That's the fundamental question I had: can I get the sound quality from a portable system. So let me ask you, what is the sound of a portable HP system missing that speaker system has? Is it lower noise, wider sound stage, details? From the descriptions on this thread, I had the...

Hello I'm looking for suggestions. For weeks I've been reading this thread and the thread on the Onkyo DP-X1 I'd like to replace my main audio system with a portable system. This is part of my plan to simplify my life. Half of my music is classical. The rest is jazz from 1960s and...

Hello Long time lurker.  Decided to come out into the daylight.   Regards