Thanks for the replies. I have HD650, HD555, and a pair of AD700s are on the way. I'll be doing a lot of testing myself but generally which pair would you guys recommend? I'll only be using DH for games btw, maybe movies. oqvist, HD650 sound stage is narrow? I'm not an audiophile so I bought...

I've read somewhere that if you have something like HD650s then there's no need for something like Dolby Headphone, and I'd like to get opinions on that from here. Judging from the impressions on smyth virtual surround, I'm guessing simply having a great sound stage doesn't replace good...

Edit: nm, delete post.

I'm not talking about what I need to do, I'm just asking a general question. I'd just like to understand the relationship between headphones and amps a bit better. For what it's worth, I use my headphones for music and games; the former on a laptop and latter straight out of a TV (or PSP or...

Like say HD650s with no amp vs. HD555...? Basically I'd like to know if having an amp is necessary to getting the - most - out of a pair of cans or a necessity to them functioning? What do you guys think? Forget about price, let's say you've got both for free. Which one would you choose?

Quote: Originally Posted by SpudHarris Sorry to here about that, especially taking into account how much the Pico costs. Sounds as though the connections have become 'Slack' inside. Have you tried applying something like DeoxIt Gold. May be worth a try if it is out of warranty...

The headphone jack on my Pico is messed up, moving the 1/4 adapter (it's a Cardas, for what it's worth, and I tried two separate ones) changes the sound/volume. Not only can I not touch anything when listening to music, but apparently getting 'optimal' sound means changing the adapter's positon...

My headphones = a pair of HD650s but it's the same when I listen through my desk speakers, just some regular Logitech ones. I'll try quitting any music or movies/TV shows for a while and just read for entertainment, but I know that when I come back it might still be there so my brain will just...

Lately I started noticing that in speech, whether watching a DVD or a youtube video, people involuntarily whistle when talking. This mostly happens with a word that ends with the letter 's'. The more I listen to any human talking now the more annoying and attentive to this I get, and the...

Darkvoice 332 Headphone Tube Amplifier(2007new version) - eBay (item 260193226813 end time Jan-11-08 06:58:10 PST) How much of a better amp would that be over the Pico? I'm not going to actually buy it, at least not right now, but I'm curious.... milkweg: most of my music is from the...

Quote: Originally Posted by blipmusic Anyway, sorry if I'm being a bit of an insensitive jerk towards the OP here but may I ask for a pic of your [the OP's] Pico? (nah, I really do hope you'll find it was worth it after listening some more and that it grows on you) I've ordered the same...

Quote: Originally Posted by stevenkelby 320 should still be pretty good quality. If it's a good rip with LAME 3.97 or something it will be still excellent quality compared to lossless. What music are you listening to? Don't be embarrassed, I'll go first, right now, Michael Jackson...

Ah dammit. Now I'm noticing a lot of 'noise' and stuff in some songs. I'm guessing this is because of the low quality. The one I'm listening to right now is a 320kbps MP3 and I have no idea if it's the mp3 quality or if it's just information from the song that I just didn't hear before. This is...

Quote: Originally Posted by stevenkelby You're probably listening too loud. Are you using lossless files? Not 128k mp3s or anything are they? Most of my music is from the iTunes store so they're 128 or 256 AAC. Yeah I know that's nothing like what people here listen to but...

I'm getting headaches from listening through the Pico now... When I have something loud like Tool it gets harder to listen by the minute. o_O Although I'm not completely sure it's the Pico, guess I'll know after a few days of use. I'm not going to sell or return it right now, I'll just use it...

The HD650s I bought were one of the best purchases I've ever made. I love them. I really, really love them. At that point I didn't even know about amps and dacs, when I did I got a cheap ~20 penguin cmoy. I doubt there was much of a difference, I never bothered to test. Now I received a Pico...

Just checked the specs for this card on Amazon and indeed it really doesn't have SPDIF. Why the hell did they skip that for such an expensive card?

I thought X-Fi cards have SPDIF ports?

Hurray! A Pico with gray case/knob and clear panels is heading my way! W00T.

Quote: Originally Posted by powertoold Your future is two weeks! Are you referring to CES?

Cool, thanks for all the answers. I didn't know about those Peltor earmuffs, they're available on Amazon and have good reviews. I thought my only option was just getting a regular pair of ear plugs honestly. I'll also pick up a pair of CX300 phones from Amazon too since ADD said they don't...

I'm not looking for sound quality - I will not be using them for any listening, just blocking noise. For listening I use my HD650s. They're open yeah but I usually don't hear much from outside when music is playing.

I'm renting an apartment and god it's noisy, so noisy. I'll pay up to 600 dollars for something that can give me peace and quiet. Make that a thousand. In-ear monitors aren't an option, they're too uncomfortable for me. This is something I'll be wearing every time I don't feel like listening...

Quote: Originally Posted by som4ew what is the battery life per charge with/with out DAC? I think it's 20 hours and the DAC doesn't change that as it's powered by USB.

These pictures aren't good for my health... *continues refreshing pico pre-order page for updates*