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Since no one has chimed in, here goes.   There are two easy ways to tell the difference - 1. The cups of the new models stick out further. The old ones look flat. Check out the pictures  at headphone.com. The pictures on the SR80i page are of the current model. The pictures on the SR60i...

The K701s are my favorite headphones that I don't yet own. I have auditioned them extensively in B&H, where they are driven by inexpensive Rolls headphone amps. I thought they still sounded wonderful.   I would encourage you to start with an inexpensive amp and go from there. Buy more music...

Lejaz, your electrician friend is quite right but not in the context of headphones.   Matching the input impedance of the load to the output impedance of the source is necessary in electrical power transmission for maximizing power transfer and minimizing reflections from the load.   The...

Your music will be clearly audible to the passenger next to you, but not loud enough to bother him. Go ahead and give the Grados a shot, as long as you are OK with the ambient noise leaking in.

Both are excellent headphones. I bought an SR60i from Headroom last month. A few days later, I saw the older SR60 and SR80 at 30% off in the Virgin Megastore in NY. I bought an SR80 to compare with the SR60i. As far as I can tell, the primary difference is the earpads. The SR60i pads are...

Since the mortgage company is turning out to be such a poor sport, you can start with the Ety 4P without an amp. Mine works fine hooked up directly to a Sony D-EJ2000 Discman - which is a great CD player but hardly a powerhouse. The amp becomes more of a necessity with the 4S or P->S...

Great job, Tommy. I have owned a Delphi Skyfi XM receiver for a while, and want to offer two observations to supplement your review: 1) The output from the receiver is much lower than 2V (the standard output level of most CD players) even when maxed out. You will need to crank up the volume...

Rink, I would not expect a different sound signature with an amplifier upgrade because what you already have is a pretty good design. Perhaps you will get a little more refinement and transparency, but the differences will not be dramatic. If I had a couple of hundred dollars to spend and wanted...

Quote: Originally Posted by commando That sounds a bit expensive to me - it'd have to make an incredible difference to be worth it. Agreed. While we are on the subject of expensive stepped attenuators, check out www.placetteaudio.com for a home stereo application.

I have little to add on this contentious topic. Read the attached series of posts from John Dunlavy, who was known as a brilliant speaker designer and electrical engineer. http://home.austin.rr.com/tnulla/dunlavy6.htm

Like everything else, all stepped attenuators are not created equal. The Dact attenuator that ipodstudio is getting is a superb product whose quality is reflected in its princely price.

I haven't heard the Grado, but own the PX100 along with a couple of more expensive headphones. The PX100 is a great buy at under $40, but its strongest points are its portability and value for money. I will also add that it is very well built and relatively easy to drive. But it is certainly not...

Another option would be to get a preamp or integrated amp with a decent headphone jack. Some vintage Marantz integrated amps come to mind, as well as offerings from Rotel and NAD.

I'm with aerius, who is obviously a true intellectual and subject matter expert. A shot or two of Johnny Walker Black does the trick for me.

I often see used portable Meta42 amps listed for about $100. By all accounts, they are better than a CMoy. And yes, they are fine for your intended application.

I am sorry you have this problem. You are right that this seems to be a common problem with Toshibas and not specific to a certain model or price point. I believe that at some point it becomes hard to separate mechanical performance from audio performance, and your comment about distractions...

I have the US model D-EJ2000. It is an excellent player, very well built, slim and runs for a long time on a single charge and accessory AA cell. I use it without an external amplifier while on the road. Its sound quality is superb with the Ety 4-P and I usually have the volume control at 50% or...

I am glad you made up. This debate reminds me of another question I had regarding well-known headphones: Are there any reliable measurements of their performance? As you probably know, there are plenty of opinions about various high-end speakers. Some people swear by first-order crossovers...

gs, what is the best way to sugarcoat a stupid blanket? Seriously, I don't see the point of hurtful remarks over what is meant to be an enjoyable pursuit. The original message was obviously intended to be a guide and like most other guides, expressed the author's opinion. It was too...

Quote: Originally Posted by theaudiohobby It is theoretically impossible for a pair of headphones to even begin to approach the low-level dynamics and bass definition of the Beolabs. Please explain this theoretical impossibility for those of us who think that microdynamics are in...

I can confidently claim expertise on airplane noise and the Ety ER4-P, having flown over 30 times this year in small rear-engined regional jets while often sitting in the back near the jets. I haven't had any issues with deficient bass, and frankly do not understand how a semi-sealed design...

I am not an expert like some of the other posters, so I will try and answer only the original question - whether the Senn HD 580 would be a worthwhile purchase for someone who already has the Ety 4S. I have both these phones, and at least for me, they have roughly equal sound quality. I use the...

Here is an authoritative explanation from Audio Asylum, which bears out the previous post: The higher impedance you are working with (the output impedance of the amplifier), the more effect cable capacitance and inductance (and other electrical parameters/properties of the cable) will have...