CAD U37   I was also thinking about the Yeti or AT2020 USB but tried this one out beforehand thinking I would just return it to Amazon if I didn't like it.  It ended up doing everything I needed at half the cost.  No issues with it after 2+ years of use.   I thought I would be sacrificing...

I've been using a CAD U37 for gaming and it works great.    I picked mine up for $36 about 2 years ago and prices have creeped up a bit since then but I think it's right in the same performance levels of the Blue/Audiotechnica USB offerings for half the price.

I agree with vjack.   The D1 sound difference is very subtle.  Tighter bass, smoother vocals, slightly expanded soundstage is what I noticed out of a 2008 Macbook vs D1.  Again very slight changes though that you really need to focus in on to hear. It's not a night/day type difference.  ...

$1,200 cables for $200 speakers. I rest my case.

Don't bother listening to goodolcheez's advice. The more I see him post the more I realize he's trolling.   He's suggesting you buy a cable that costs more than either your speakers or DAC .... so just go out and buy a DAC that is 5x the price.

The static noise you're running into could be interference from your computer.   What soundcard are you using?   I had the same noise issue on my pair until I went to a USB DAC.  Completely silent even with the volume turned up all the way.   The A5+ are probably worth the extra $100...

Monoprice   A long time ago I bought one of the Blue Jeans LC-1 (still use it actually) but I could not tell the difference between the $40 BJC and the $2 version from Monoprice.   YMMV.

The best mic I ever used for gaming was a $10 mic I picked up from Walmart.   It was an older version of this mic.   I was really impressed that when I used it, it only picked up my voice and had no static or background noise.  Friends could hear me perfectly through VOIP.   Much...

With your music tastes, I'd look into the Emotiva airmotiv4.  They are on sale right now for 10% off so are right in your budget.

I like both Audirvana & Fidelia for different uses.   Fidelia works well with headphones because of the FHX processor. The playlist allows header sorting but it doesn't handle .cue files.   Audirvana has a much better GUI, handles .cue, and is much less buggy (on my system).  The...

Monoprice

I really didn't expect to find anything in this range but was surprised to find a pretty well reviewed set for $41 exactly.   Cyber Acoustics 2.1 .. over 1,500 reviews and most of them are very positive, they look pretty good and have a breakout box to control volume with a headphone jack...

Quote:   Do you have the link to his page?  Would like to see if he has any more ... especially at that price. 

Quote:   If you find you don't need floor-standers and want some bookshelf type speakers also look into the Ascend Acoustics CBM-170SE speakers.  I finally got the chance to listen to a pair about 3 weeks ago after reading/hearing about them for the past few years.  Very good sounding...

One thing you could try is to isolate the speakers to their own power outlet or power strip. Doing this fixed the same issue I was having with my speakers.   If that doesn't work, it could be noise interference from your computer.  Getting a USB DAC or sound card could fix the issue. 

When you say you want equipment and speakers, I'm assuming you need a cd player, amp and speakers.   Seeing as you want bang for the buck, do a google search for ' playstation 1 + audiophile ' .. quite a few people who think the original PS is a pretty high quality cd transport.  I went to a...

Quote:   $250 is a great deal when you put things into perspective ...       These cables are 12ft. in length and simply carry current from an amp to a speaker .... $21,000.   You could buy 8 of them in what you'd pay in sales tax for those cables. 

I've started using both Fidelia & Audirvana in tandem. I originally used Fidelia and shortly after replaced it with Audirvana but see that both have its benefits.   Fidelia is for mainly when I listen to headphones with the FHX processor.  I've been messing with it for a couple nights and...

Quote:   Are you saying this from actual side by side comparison or from hearsay, I'm guessing the latter.   Because I chose the A5 over the A2 (when compared directly against each other) because of the 'quality AND quantity'. A2's have a noticeable midbass hump which is much less...

Astro Mixamp Pro will work with both your PC/360 and it's supposed to do the whole DDS surround processing.

How about replacing that ' crappy ass headset ' with a good pair of headphones?  I find gaming much more immersive with headphones because of the ambient noise being blocked out and you're ' in the zone ' instead of dealing with annoying noises that you'll hear when using speakers.   If you...

2.0 Speaker Compilation : Best for $500

You can contact ALO Audio and see if they offer any help.  I believe they used to recable Ultrasones.   Do you feel confident enough in your technical/soldering skills to risk damaging a set of $1,000+ headphones?

How is anything definitive by individual tastes?   If someone has the choice between a dry aged porterhouse steak and a chopped beef sandwich but they prefer the taste of the chopped beef, is the porterhouse actually better? Not to them.   A lot of internet direct companies offer 30 day...

How loud do you plan on playing the speakers?   If you're using them in a near-field setup and don't need lots of power, then how about something like a Peachtree iDecco.  They are discontinued now so you can find some for close-out prices or if you look on the FS forums, there is one for...