I just got a Zhaolu 2.0 with the discrete amp. Has anyone changed the pot on the amp? If so, what'd you try and how were your results? I'm using it with Grado SR-225s and it gets too loud about 1/3 of the way up. The pot is mismatched at lower volumes, so I'd rather replace it with something...

I spend a lot of time in the office lately and I doubt the headphone out from my ThinkPad would do a good job with my Grados. I'm looking for an external DAC and headphone amp that won't take up too much space on my desk. It doesn't need USB, but it would be preferable. USB to SPDIF...

As I posted earlier, I have been looking for a pretty good setup to play records. With a little luck and patience, I managed to put together a nice sounding system for under $300. The Preamp A few weeks ago I saw an add on Philadelphia's craigslist electronics section for a "25 watt preamp."...

Hey all, I'm looking to get into listening to and collecting LPs. I'm more into the "romantic" aspect of it than the sound quality. I'm looking for a system that will make records sound good, but not go over the top as far as cost. That said, I'm not against spending a decent amount of money...

I am a sophomore Computer Science major at Temple University. One of my electives this semester is a Technical Writing class. As a final project for the course we have to develop a substantial piece of tech writing. My instructor just approved my proposal--a computer program that will...

I currently have the K-12M tube amp kit--the 8w/ch one designed for speakers--and I'm looking to connect it to a pair of Grado SR-225s (32ohm). In the thread about it, someone mentioned a schematic online to build a headphone to power amp adapter, but the site now 404s. I tired searching...

I have a Mac mini that I'm looking to add an external DAC+amp to. I have free USB and Firewire ports, and the only thing I require is a digital out (either optical or coax is fine). I saw the Turtle Beach Audio Advantage Micro on NewEgg for ~$25, but I seem to remember reading that it resamples...

I'm looking for a pair of speakers for my room. Initially they will be hooked up to an 8 watt stereo integrated tube amp. I may at some point switch to a dedicated preamp/power amp setup. I've read good things about the Athena AS-B1s, saying that they were excellent considering their low...

I broke the pins off mine in an unfortunate soldering accident. I had no luck in my attempt to solder the pins back on, so I need a new one. :P I doubt I'll be making a $25 Digi-Key order anytime soon, and no local places seem to have one. If anyone here has one lying around or is planning a...

Hey all, I'm thinking of a unique gift idea for my girlfriend, and have been considering building her a headphone amp. She currently uses my HD580s on the headphone out of her Compaq PC (eew ) I'm looking to spend about $100 total on parts. A complete kit or one without too many parts to...

I realized today that I have an old Celestion S8 (100W 8") sub sitting around in my room. I hooked it up to my Woo Audio 1's preamp outs and tried it out. With my Ety 4s it makes a really big difference on some types of music. Not to start a flame war, but their bass never really satisfied me...

I have an old (and ugly!) Sony Sports D-421SP that has a much nicer headphone out than my crappy Memorex MP3 player. Trouble is, it kills a pair of AA batteries in about a day or two of subway riding. I remember reading online a while ago about places that sell rechargeable battery cells a...

I just got my AV710 all set up, and it's working pretty nicely. One issue that I noticed is that the included optical cable doesn't fit into the optical output on the card! It fit fine in my Sony SACD changer, but it won't go into the card. Do I just have to push harder or was my card...

I'm looking for a budget SACD player to add to my system. Right now I just have a pair of Etymotic ER-4Ps hooked to my receiver, but I'm going to be getting a headphone amp and ER-4S adapter in the near future. I have an AV-710 card in the mail for computer use (nothing critical, mostly...

I'm looking for a card with a coaxial digital out that doesn't resample to 48khz. I saw the AV710 mentioned in a few threads but it looks like it only has an optical out. Does anyone have any cheap suggestions? I don't care about playing games or analog quality, as long as it has a good...

I had a bunch of money burning a hole in my pocket last week and ordered a Scott Nixon TubeDAC+ with upgraded power supply from someone on Audiogon. I bought it knowing that I can likely sell it and not lose much if I don't like it. What I'm wondering is, will it really make a difference to be...

I currently have a Sony Mobile ES CDX-C910 which is a car cd player/headunit that used to cost something absurd since it's well known for its sound/build quality... it uses a pair of Burr Brown PCM-1702s which is a 20bit DAC which apparently was used in the Denon DA-500 and some other DIY...