[MD1032]

I was in CrapUSA today and saw this neat gadget. It's a combination amp/3-band equalizer. Pretty cool, it's even smaller than those mint amps people here make. I'd love to get one if I knew it would do its job well. Does anyone know how good these things are? This would save me from buying a mint amp later on.

 

[Eagle_Driver]

No good. The EQ-50 has very little headroom between the volume level at which it makes sound and the volume level at which it distorts badly. And that device is all too easily overloaded even at the output voltages common to portable players. Worse, it actually degrades the usable output power of your portable, because it puts extra components (cheap, crappy ones at that) between your source and headphones - and it doesn't amplify the output at all (as in, the EQ-50 has no gain whatsoever - and may actually attenuate the output from your headphone jack). Why spend $20 just to worsen the sound quality of your portable - or degrade the usable output power of a 5 mW portable player to less than 2 mW?

Speaking of "CrapUSA", two different "CrapUSA" locations are where I bought my Koss KSC-55 headphones, my current Logitech MX500 optical mouse, my Antec case and TruControl 550 PSU, and my M-Audio Revolution sound card...

 

[MD1032]

WOW, thanks a lot! I knew it was too good to be true. BTW, CrapUSA is indeed pretty good in terms of having good deals, however, they're HORRIBLE with rebates and their employees are complete morons.

 

[Eagle_Driver]

What you call "CrapUSA", I call "ChumpUSA".

At any rate, I would only shop at ChumpUSA for comparison shopping, unless I just happen to find something that I really want on impulse...

 

[MD1032]

That deal for the Audigy 2 Plat for 130 bucks (NO REBATE) was one hell of a hot deal! Wish I had the cash to take advantage of it. I also got some duster cans there for cheap