Please please please check out the Dynaudio Focus series.

I completely disagree about Actives being better than passives. Went from $1.2k Mackie Hr824 (and previously Mackie MR8s to Adam A5s) to $600 B&W 685s and the B&W blew the mackies out of the park in terms of their overall presentation. Imaging and soundstaging really out did any active speaker I...

So I went to the audio shop to check out some of their amps and brought along my Little Dot MkIII to use as a preamp with one of their Rotel RB-5010s. I was COMPLETELY blown away. I literally spent 2 hours in the listening room and didn't notice it (got a ticket b/c my parking meter expired ). ...

I went ahead and purchased the A-9555. I'll let everyone know how it worked out.    Is there anything I should keep in mind when hooking up the speakers to the amp? Or is it as simple as connecting the wires and BAM?

I just purchased a pair of 685s from a local dealer. He has some rotels that he'd like to sell me, but the cheapest he has is 40wpc at 599. I was told that the B&Ws like more power than less, though, so I've been looking at some other options.   One amp that is highly reccomended is the...

I bought a Little Dot MKIII a couple months ago (love it love it love it), and it has been working great. No ground-loop issues, tube problems, or anything.   My setup is: Macbook -> uDac -> LD MKIII -> Mackie MR8 Reference Monitors   recently, when I plugged in the RCA cables from my...

$200 shipped on ebay. I haven't gotten them yet, though, so I don't want to jump the gun before I have a chance to try them out!   I'm planning on blasting them. I understand that 50W would be enough, but would it be more than enough, even if I was playing them at high volumes?

Update:   I found a NAD 326BEE refurbished for $399. It is only rated for 50Wpc.   This is the crutch of my problem - Will 50W be enough to power the speakers that I have? I failed to mention that they have a sensitivity of 93dB.   I'm sure that 50W will be enough - but the real...

Just ordered a pair of Athena loudspeakers (floorstanders) from ebay, and I can't wait to get them. I jumped on a deal, however, and have not yet chosen an amplifier or receiver to pair with them. As a long-time headpone enthusiast (and very new to speakers) I turn to you for help.     The...

Am I the only person who doesn't notice much of a difference between the 32ohm and 600ohm version?

Quote: Yep!

I'm in the same boat as you - having to re-*rip* a lot of the albums that I have. I set the bar at 256 CBR or ~200 VBR. anything below I have been trying to replace with 320.    It takes time, but I'm about 70% there. 

Quote: bada$$

Quote: I can't do that. Honestly, Lil Wayne may be an idiot sometimes, but when hes on he is a beast. His recent releases all have some really crappy songs, but they also have a lot of gems. I'd say Lil Wayne is better than Eminem. 

Quote: false   None of the rappers I've mentioned are "underground."   I'm not disputing that Eminem has good wordplay and lyricism, but I am disputing that they are unmatched.

There isn't a place for mentioning Eminem in a discussion of best rapper.

I don't know if I can agree with you about Raekwon, GZA, or Mos Def wanning right now.   Raekwon's OB4CL2 is a sick album, and is listed on most critics list of best rap albums of 2009.   GZA released Pro Tools in 2008, which was lyrically unbeleivable.   Mos Def put out The Ecstatic...

DT880

I don't know how your Philips sounds, but I know that getting an external DAC for my system was a huge improvement (relative to other upgrades not including headphones, of course). That said, why not spend $100 on a udac and save the extra 200 towards upgrading your amp?  

Or get a dt880 and see if the bass is enough for you. It is DEFINITELY better and more present than in the A700.

I don't understand how the K701 would be a good upgrade for someone who specifically indicates their interest in more bass.

Of the list I gave, only B.I.G. isn't currently releasing albums. Ghostface Killah, GZA, Raekwon, and OutKast all have recently released material.

A lot of people here seem to really like Lupe Fiasco. I've seen him live, and he's pretty awesome, but to classify Lupe as rap would be wrong imo. He leans way closer to hip-hop than rap. Furthermore, to classify Lupe as the best MC in any category is probably pushing it.   That spot should...

You should definitely consider the Beyerdynamic DT880s. Easily the best headphones I have ever listened to, and LEAGUES ahead of the A700.

Biggie.