[meestafish]

im rather new to all this and was wondering if you all could give me some suggestions as to what my best options are for portable audio. i prefer pcdp to mp3 or md but it all works. also are there any good circum-aural phones that could be run from a portable? and about amps what are the pros and cons. any guidance at all would help. thanx

 

[ServinginEcuador]

I will respond to the cans question: get a pair of Sony CD3000 headphones. They sound great from a small PCDP, and if you ever add an amp in the future they will only sound better and better. They run about $350ish on eBay, and a little less used.

As to a good PCDP, do a quick search here and you'll find more than you ever wanted. I know someone just reviewed a Sony 2000 Traveler or some such thing and said it was pretty good.

 

[Sovkiller]

If he is planning to go outside with the setup.......the CD3000.....OMG, he will look like a freaking ET....if it is for home use it is OK to use the CD3000, even when IMO it will be a little bit of a waste there, I agree that the sound is good but there is also other cans that will satisfy this needs and are a lot cheaper and the sound is also good, and could be use also outside without turning too much heads when passing by, let's say MDR 7506 or V6 (not the V600) or even the V700DJ will be a lot smaller and will sound good out of a portable, and later on if the amp shows up, the sound will be better and better....(same as CD3000) of course you will not get the same sound quality

note: they are not circumaural, but are comfy enough....

 

[puppyslugg]

Quote:

Originally posted by meestafish newbie with loot

Not for long!!

Welcome to Headfi!

 

[Rizumu]

LOL, a question first before the CD3000's are considered. Are you planning on using the headphones for portable use? (seems likely since you're looking for a portable player) The Sony CD3000 is one of the largest headphones you can buy...truly gargantuan. I don't think you'd want to be carrying them around outside with you, or walk around wearing them anywhere outside the comfort of your own home

 

[stevesolo]

How are you planning on using your new portable audio?

Are you going to be using it while doing physical activity outside or are you looking for something portable to be used in the privacy of your home?

How much storage capacity are you looking for from a portable device?

Do you have access to a PC, how comfortable are you with creating MP3's and a music library on your PC.

 

[bangraman]

...CD3000...


<-----------


(and I have a HUGE head)

 

[strohmie]

Heh. Boy the CD3000s would look funny on the streets.


Alright, since cost is no object, here are some PCDP recommendations that can resist shock to some degree, approximately in order of sound quality (as far as I know):

Sony D-311 - no electronic skip protection, but won't skip while doing normal walking if placed in a backpack or such. Excellent headphone out and line out (ie. with an amp) sound quality. Cost: $225-$300

Sony D-515 - 3 second ESP (if I remember correctly), also excellent sound from both headphone and line out, though maybe not quite as good as the 311 (close, though). Cost: $300-$400

Sony D-211 - no ESP, again won't skip during normal walking. Excellent, agressive headphone out...good for rock supposedly. Line out quality good, but not the best. Cost: $75-$150 (and rising daily)

Sony D-E905 - ESP (10 sec?), one of the best true portables, better skip protection than those listed above, excellent sound quality, hard as hell to find. Cost: $200-$300 (if not more)

Sony D-777 - ESP (10 sec?), another great portable, similar look to the E905 and similar shock protection abilities, sound quality excellent as well. More common than the E905. Cost: $150-$225


Portable, Circumaural Headphones:

Sony D-66 Eggos - circumaural design, pretty good sound without an amp, and can be folded to a smaller size. Cost: $60-$80

Sony V6 (7506) - circumaural design, not as portable as the D66s , but still can be driven pretty well from a portable. Slightly bright sound (ie. treble a bit more pronounced). Cost: $50-$70

Audio Technica A500/A900 - haven't heard these two, but they're circumaural and heard of some people using them portably. Not positive about the price.


Can't think of any other circumaural headphones at the moment that can be used portably. There are plenty of other phones though. This is at least a start. None of the PCDPs are still in production, but they're some of the favorites of the portable community here. As for an amp, the Supermini V6 is supposed to have good sound and can drive better phones, and the Mint would work as well.

 

[cyberhazard]

Welcome to Head-Fi, sorry about all that loot!

 

[blr]

Quote:

Originally posted by strohmie Heh. Boy the CD3000s would look funny on the streets. Alright, since cost is no object, here are some PCDP recommendations that can resist shock to some degree, approximately in order of sound quality (as far as I know): Sony D-311 - no electronic skip protection, but won't skip while doing normal walking if placed in a backpack or such. Excellent headphone out and line out (ie. with an amp) sound quality. Cost: $225-$300 Sony D-515 - 3 second ESP (if I remember correctly), also excellent sound from both headphone and line out, though maybe not quite as good as the 311 (close, though). Cost: $300-$400 Sony D-211 - no ESP, again won't skip during normal walking. Excellent, agressive headphone out...good for rock supposedly. Line out quality good, but not the best. Cost: $75-$150 (and rising daily) Sony D-E905 - ESP (10 sec?), one of the best true portables, better skip protection than those listed above, excellent sound quality, hard as hell to find. Cost: $200-$300 (if not more) Sony D-777 - ESP (10 sec?), another great portable, similar look to the E905 and similar shock protection abilities, sound quality excellent as well. More common than the E905. Cost: $150-$225 .

I would perhaps upset many here but I'll oppose this trend that old Sony gear is recommended here all the time. Most of these old CDP cannot be used effectively outside due to their limited or absent anti skip. Also the prices are insane. The money can be spent better IMO.
Here come my advise:
Forget the old PCDP. If sound quality is your main concern get a newer Sony portable CDP and a portable amp. If portability is your main concern, go with PCDP from iRiver or perhaps the newest Sony D-EJ2000, (American version) which was reported to sound good and is as portable as a player could be.
MD is yet another choice. MD portables still sound good and are more portable than CDP. Sharp DR480/DR7 is reported to sound great with its digital amp and the majority of the Sonys available are not bad either.

 

[strohmie]

Quote:

Originally posted by blr I would perhaps upset many here but I'll oppose this trend that old Sony gear is recommended here all the time. Most of these old CDP cannot be used effectively outside due to their limited or absent anti skip. Also the prices are insane. The money can be spent better IMO.

Pardon me if I find it a little amusing that you recommend players that are pretty expensive themselves and degrade sound quality to some degree. You seem to forget that the premise of this list was "cost doesn't matter," which is the main reason I listed those items.

That said, you can buy a D-777 for about the same price as a D-EJ2000 (which is $200 new iirc) and still get better sound quality. Yes, the other ones are pretty high priced, but this one gives you antiskip as well as great sound. Besides, to get the best sound out of a PCDP anyways, antiskip should be off. As for being unable to use these players outside - I've used a D-311 in my backpack walking to class and it didn't skip. So it really depends on what you do with it.

MD is definitely a viable alternative to this PCDP stuff though.

 

[blr]

Well, the new players I recommended are expensive(you could perhaps use lower models) but IMO they're better value. First of all you get 2 year guarantee (in Europe anyway), fresh cells etc.
To me these deals on old PCDP sound very expensive. Surely the prices will rise as long as there will be folks ready to pay. C'mon 200 USD for a 10 years old portable with no guarantee-sounds a bit unjustified to me.

 

[strohmie]

I can understand your reservations, but these things were built to last. There hasn't been a single player I've bought used (and that's over a dozen) that hasn't worked perfectly thus far. You just have to be a little careful and buy wisely...and, of course, treat your player well. ^_^

And trust me - the sound quality on some of these babies is worth it.

 

[blr]

Quote:

Originally posted by strohmie I can understand your reservations, but these things were built to last. There hasn't been a single player I've bought used (and that's over a dozen) that hasn't worked perfectly thus far. You just have to be a little careful and buy wisely...and, of course, treat your player well. ^_^ And trust me - the sound quality on some of these babies is worth it.

I know, I've used couple of the so-called "old school" players and still have one D345. I've used it since 1997 and it still works although I don't use it much nowadays.
My point is that we have to be carefull recommending these to a newcommer especially. I respect people around here that collect these and are happy with them but for a first time user perhaps these old machines can prove too unconvinient to use.
Also. I've always fought against standard recommendations. We just keep repeating ourselves. These players, these phones, these cables etc.. There is more than one way to achieve almost any audio goal. I'm not saying that your recommendation is wrong just pointing another way that this can be done which in my view can save some confusion.

 

[strohmie]

I can understand your logic, but I've always thought of sound quality being a very black and white thing. Those that sound the best to me are what get my recommendation. The only reason I think recommendations get repeated is because they're solid advice.

For instance, you told him to get a newer Sony PCDP if they want good sound quality. So the buyer comes back and asks "which one?" From what I know, one of the few good recent Sony ones is the D-FJ401, but the sound from that isn't on the level with the old ones. So if this guy goes out and buys some random modern Sony PCDP, he's probably going to be disappointed.

I can understand wanting to recommend outside the norm, but it has to be a solid, informative recommendation. Again, not meaning to go after you or anything, but this is the best way to make sure the advice dispensed on this forum is clear. Your recommendation of the EJ2000 is a good one.

Really, we still just need to write a damned FAQ for this board, and add new models as they please people's ears here.