Post your listening gadgets!!!

[ferrar1]

Hi sirs & madams,

I would like to know what gadgets people here, use to listen to their favourite H!P tunes or other musics! :haihao: It can be headphones, earphones, DAP (digital audio player), speakers etc etc

Ill share mine first.

DAP         : Ipod video
Earphones : Westone UM1

Speakers   : Altec Lansing l25

[chera]

DAP: Palm Treo 650

PC SW:
 - Organization: Whereisit
 - Ripping: EAC
 - Encoding: LAME --preset extreme
 - Playing: Winamp with Vladimir Kopjov's binaural speaker simulator plugin

Headphone amp: Headroom Cosmic

CD Transport/External DAC/Preamp: Musical Fidelity CD Pre24

Amp: Musical Fidelity A3CR

Loudspeakers: Monitor Audio Silver RS6

Headphones:
 - Sennheiser 600 for the home
 - Grado SR-80 for the office
 - Etymotic ER-4P on planes and on the road


Audio CDs and PC digital output ->  -> ->

->   or or

It is a decent system that has aged remarkably well.  The Pre24 is really nifty: not only is it a CD player, but it can take both digital input and line-in from any source, whether it is a PC, iPod, or some wireless streaming system.  It upsources the digital signals to 24-bit/96kHz and keeps the analog-signals pristine.  I will never part with the Sennheiser 600, and have no intention of upgrading to the 650.  The Grados get me these weird looks at the office, but they sound great.  The Etymotics are due for an absurdly expensive cable replacement some time soon.

Ferrar1, those Westone UM1s look interesting.  Are the canal tips made of silicone?  Do the cables transmit vibrations into your ear?  Do the cables degrade over time?

[shadowstar]

I currently have the 3rd Generation iPod, but I'm hoping to get the 5th Generation one sometime soon

[ebc]

Audio CDs and PC digital output -> -> ->
 
-> or or

*Looks over at his 80's Pioneer amp :3
well, at least it was free
 
 
I'll post my stuff soon. Just waiting for something to arrive and it'll be complete

[ferrar1]

Chera: Holy shit, look at your setup!!! I wish i own an amp. *looks at hornet series... lol

The ER-4P good? i didnt have enough cash for that range of IEMs the other time, but i was looking at its small brother 6i. The UM1 though has been serving me well. Has a clear sound, good mids and balanced highs, very good for simple music listening. The bass aint that strong but i'm not a techno or rock freak so it evens out for me.

The cable build i must say is solid. Been using it for almost a yr and no problems with it so far. Microphonics isnt alot as well. About the tip, i'm not too sure what material its made up of. Will read my manual.

[chera]

The ER-4P good?

The ER-4P is very good.  The silicone earbuds block out a lot of external noise and that contributes a lot to making music seem very intimate.  That's why I'm interested in whether the UM1 has foam (earplug) earbuds or silicone rubber earbuds.  The ER-4Ps have 2 problems: 1) You can't really throw them in your bag.  It would be gross to get the tips dirty and then stick them in your ear canals.  So a pouch is supplied.  The cable wraps around the pouch.  2) Where the cable rubs against the corner of the pouch for years at a time, the cable rubs away exposing the cable core.  Doesn't degrade sound quality, but I've had to cover the cable up with scotch tape.  Looks butt ugly.  I'm interested in getting a cheaper version: something that I can throw into my bag or pocket, blocks out a lot of subway or airplane noise, and sounds good.  Sony's ER-series almost but don't quite fit the bill.  That's why I'm looking at the UM1.

[Arcadia]

I use an iPod video (everything standard)

and my PsP lol

nothing special about that

[Regal Shocker]

Gadget: Ipod Video
Headphones:  Sennheiser PX 200

[frblckstr1]

Listening: SONY NW5, 20GB/'Head'phones: SONY ER71 :


At times (but more for video: HM on the road HPx4700:


And sometimes these headphone: Bose QuietComport 2:

[reine]

Headphones: Sennheiser HDR 135 it's not high end but it's wireless and it works allright

PC Speakers : Dynaudio Audience 10, it's abit bigger than the 50 series, more rare also

Home Theather: 7.1 local made speakers, alot cheaper (10% of the price) and sounds better than the bigger brand names I auditioned

[delerium]

DAPs: iPod 5G 60GB, iPod nano 2G 8GB, iPod shuffle 2G 1GB, iPod mini 1G 4GB
Other music capable devices: Treo 650, PSP
Headphones: Grado SR60, Sony MDR-EX71, Creative Bluetooth headphones (they suck), and various freebies and cheapies.

Future: ER-4P, a portable headphone amp, whatever new iPod comes out, whatever Cowon's replacement for the A2 is

[ferrar1]

That's why I'm interested in whether the UM1 has foam (earplug) earbuds or silicone rubber earbuds.  

They give soft comply tips (foam) in their package, its very comfortable and provide decent isolation but does not last long (1 mth) as it is disposable. What i did was to get a shure tri-fangle ear piece and use it on the UM1. The store owner then advised me to modify it to bi-fangle to achieve better comfort and isolation. This ear piece lasted me 1 yr and costs S$8 for a pair which i find it worthwhile.

Ill put up pictures this evening of my stuff to show a better picture, but UM1 cables are definetely long lasting. It is braided by the way. Anyway i always keep it in the accompanying case so i wont know what will happen if i chuck it in my bag daily. One more alternative would be to look at superfi 3. It has superior cable build (about .5cm thickness cable) But because its thick, its not that comfortable to wear it because the cable wont bend naturally around your ears.

I use an iPod video (everything standard)

and my PsP lol

nothing special about that

no worries bro, i started off this way as well but upgraded to better earphones to shut off outside noises.

SONY ER71

ive used it before, has good bass but imo weak vocals. And as i tend to listen to acoustic music, and simple R&B i traded it off.

DAPs: iPod 5G 60GB, iPod nano 2G 8GB, iPod shuffle 2G 1GB, iPod mini 1G 4GB
Other music capable devices: Treo 650, PSP
Headphones: Grado SR60, Sony MDR-EX71, Creative Bluetooth headphones (they suck), and various freebies and cheapies.

Future: ER-4P, a portable headphone amp, whatever new iPod comes out, whatever Cowon's replacement for the A2 is

Another hardcore listener

I'm thinking of getting amps for my speakers and earphones as well, but definetely not for on the run because it would be too bulky for the pockets. Creative actually has releases a new product that acts like an amp and claims to make the sound better, but ill let people try it off 1st.

[chera]

Future: ER-4P, a portable headphone amp

I've found that the ER-4P is so sensitive it sounds great without an amp.  If you're planning on using an amp, the ER-4S supposedly gives even better quality, but has greater resistance and therefore would benefit from the extra output.  I used to use a 5 year old bottom-of-the-line Headroom amp.  It was very inconvenient for portable use.

[delerium]

I've found that the ER-4P is so sensitive it sounds great without an amp.  If you're planning on using an amp, the ER-4S supposedly gives even better quality, but has greater resistance and therefore would benefit from the extra output.  I used to use a 5 year old bottom-of-the-line Headroom amp.  It was very inconvenient for portable use.

Apparently, there is a P-to-S convertor cable for the ER-4P. So i'll probably start will the P and then get that cable once I get an amp.

*EDIT*
I'm thinking about picking up a Zune, just to see how the other side lives. xD
Kinda digging the brown one.

[frblckstr1]

^ Wish they released the Zune in Europe a bit earlier... might need to go import (or stay with my ASUS UMPC for video

[ferrar1]

New stuff from Creative.I'm really not too confident it can do what it claims because it sounds kinda far fetched, but i might just try 1 since its quite affordable. S$139 RP

Creative Xmod
* Restore the details and vibrance that your music lost during MP3 compression
* Enjoy all your music and movies in surround sound on any stereo speaker system or headphones
* Connect in seconds to your notebook, PC or Mac to create an Xtreme Fidelity sound system

[reine]

^^
Sound Blaster X-Fi claim all the above and I'm dissapointed with all those features, 24bit crystalyzer is just an equalizer set to boost volume level, bass and high pitch response. 3D Surround only works with headphone, even then true surround is much better. If I had known I would've gotten a sound card with digital coax instead.

[frblckstr1]

Creative Xmod
* Restore the details and vibrance that your music lost during MP3 compression

This part is impossible, you can't restore 'details' that where compressed away, you can 'simulate' but lost is lost. But if the user was is stupid enough to use badly/to highly compressed MP3's he/she will fall for this also. BTW there was a (HDX?) dynamic range compression on casette tapes at some point in time, but that required special recording from the start.

* Enjoy all your music and movies in surround sound on any stereo speaker system or headphones

Surround via stereo, yes that is possible. Its a question of applying different delays to sounds, but the source needs to be surround already otherwise you get 'synthetic surround'

[ferrar1]

Yeah i thought it was far fetched but an external sound card for a laptop would cost a bomb. And since mine are mostly 320mp3 & Apple lossless, i was hoping it would help to refine the sound further and not to restore details.

[chera]

Yeah i thought it was far fetched but an external sound card for a laptop would cost a bomb.

The theory is that an internal sound card works in a "noisy" environment, full of massive amounts of electrical interference.  Not exactly the best place to be doing sensitive stuff like DAC.  So even a cheap external unit has a theoretical advantage over an external unit.

There are external DACs that cost a bomb.  Most of them are aimed at either audiophiles or professionals.  Headroom has a range of combo DAC/headphone amplifier that cost anywhere from $800 to $2,000.  The top of the line got a very good review from Stereophile.  Pro units usually do both DAC and ADC, and are designed for people who need to do mobile recording and mixing.

I personally think the better deal would come from buying a good CD player that had digital inputs (ideally coax or Toslink, but USB might also be acceptable).  That way you can plug your computer directly into your hifi and take advantage of it for DAC, amplification, and speakers.  Of course, this assumes that your computer has digital audio outputs, which most laptops don't.

And since mine are mostly 320mp3 & Apple lossless, i was hoping it would help to refine the sound further and not to restore details.

You might benefit from a decent external DAC, but don't spring for ones with fancy features like those from Creative or Soundblaster.  Those are designed for people who listen to crappy 128kbps files or RM streams - stuff that's so crappy to begin with that even some simple EQ adjustments might make them sound better.  I'd personally start from a simple no-frills external unit (you should be able to find them for about $20).  Then step gradually up.  Don't expect miracles though, since the quality of what gets to your ears is limited by the quality of your weakest component.

Update: The Benchmark DAC-1 has had some rave reviews, and Stereophile has used it as a benchmark for some years.  It costs about $1,000, which is pretty reasonable considering that Stereophile claims it very handily competes with the Mark Levinson 30.6 - an absurd piece of audio engineering that costs $17,000.  This review also identifies some cheaper <$1,000 choices.