Hi folks i'm looking to finally replace my stand-in amp, a Freds Amps dual chip Cmoy, with something better. Budget is low so i'm looing at a Vali 2. My current cans are AKG 712 pro, they seem quite power hungry for low impedance cans though i can drive them pretty loud from the JR4556 op-amp i...

Can someone recommend me a set of headphones for my cowon iaudio 7 please. I've got a set of Soundmagic ear canal types but i find them uncomfortable to wear and i dont like wrapping the cords around my ears so something like the type you get with an ipod would be ok, i just dont know which...

The Ming-da gear gets great press these day's, seems there finally getting over the snobbery that surrounds chinese manufactured goods. As to mr Shaws influence, i think he's had a fair bit to do with developing both companys products for a few years now. Good thing about the ming-da and...

Checked further, Icon and Mingda/Meixing are linked. Meixing electronics factory This may explain (or not) some of the similaritys between the goods. Seems Icon have been using Ming-da's factory for manufacturing their goods and now they have also merged their technical development.

Yup, same case - different internal components & the icon version has speaker output terminals on the back. They are both chinese built, but the icon amps circuit and components are designed and chosen by their own dude David Shaw who i have always found a real delight to deal with. Guess...

Not unless you use an integrated hifi amp with a headphone socket, but it won't sound as good as a decent dedicated headphone amp. You could check my post on the Icon Audio tube headphone amp as it can also run a very sensitive pair of speakers, their may be more like it about but i hav'nt...

Hi all, just wondering if anyone here has heard one of these? Icon Audio Leicester UK (Product HP8) Im very impressed with their ps 1.2 phono stage and the stereo 50 integrated and was thinking about trying their tube headphone amp to compliment my meier amp. Looks worth a try, anyone?

For what it's worth, i do hear differences between cables. I put it down to different cables having differing resistance and capacitance values combined with conductor purity, the biggest differences i've noticed are with speaker cables followed by interconnects. Cables can also be a...

Interesting points raised here, altho im still wondering how to drive my Sennheisers from a wax drum recording? There may also be a slight problem getting some releases in this format.

Very well put indead.

R.I.P Richard Wright, a sad loss to Pink Floyd and the world. B.T.W he thought sound quality mattered, after all if it did'nt we would all still be listening to wind up gramaphones or even wax cylinder recordings would'nt we? Nice to see that at least some folk here have respect for others...

Good Music can be ruined by awful sound quality, check out some of the so called remasters from the last ten years, to name a couple. The first remaster of DSOTM was awful. The remaster of Simple Minds - Live In City Of Lights was also pitiful. They somehow managed to make it sound like a bad...

Sound quality is only an issue when you realise a decent system, for many it sadly seems that an ipod is all they require, hence music eq'd to sound loud not good. Some artists who i think try'd a bit harder than most for decent sound quality are - Nick Cave. Eurythmics/ Annie Lenox...

quote (Ozrics rock Spirals in Hyperspace is one of best produced and recorded space-rock albums I have heard. Just incredible.) Hey Ozric have you checked out - Pungent Efulgent (think thats the spelling) thats the first Ozrics album i bought, still one of their best IMO. If you want...

I've seen the orb live several times in the past , they where much better than they ever got in the studio, shpongle seem able to make it all work very well though - shame so few others do. Just finished listening to tales of the inexpressable, very nice!

Will do, cheers Steve

I second nothing lasts but nothings lost, well deserving a listen if you like electronic music in any form, stunning sonic effects and quality. hav'nt had the pleasure of anything else of there's yet but hope to soon.

I've always loved the soundtrack to this film, one of my very first singles was from this film, it was fun back in the seventies and is still fun today. louis and friends havin the time of their lives by the sounds of it. Can anyone think of any other groups who have produced work like this, i...

Thanks folk, im familiar with air and zero seven but not the rest, i'll check them out.

Selling England! sounds good to me Can i also venture - Live over Europe, im quite enjoying this album at present.

Thanks Vali, i'll check that out. I quite like a bit of Nick Cave, mainly the unplugged session but i also like Dig Lazarus Dig. My favorite Cinematic Orchestra album is - live at the royal albert hall, followed probably by motion. I,ve come across other posts regarding this group containing...

Ry cooder - Jazz Simply Red - Picture Book

Im really enjoying the above at present, can anyone suggest other groups/artists producing similar nu-jazz/classical type material?

I can hear the difference between MP3 and FLAC on my system without even trying. After a while my ears got quite good at spotting the compression and once i started noticing it i could'nt ignore the effect. If you want to burn files as cd's to play in any conventional setup it's well worth...

Thanks, i may try that number but i doubt it's free for me. Im in the UK (Scotland) which makes it even more annoying cos they charged me $45 shipping for something i didnt order!