aeriyn

For something that beats the pants off of the V300, check out Sennheiser PX100. They're not closed cans, but they don't sound crappy. Edit: Ack, beat to the punch. Well, I second the recommendation. PX100s rock.

Word.

UMD is DVD... literally. It's a cut down DVD in a different form-factor and equipped with the full Region Codes just like a DVD. Uses the very same multilayer technology that full sized DVD discs use. It has absolutely nothing at all to do with Hi-MD. And as for the issue of speed, MO write speed will never approach the speed of HDD write speed and certainly not solid state. Removable media in portable devices is dying quick and Sony can't see that. Even the best professional digital recorders are either flash memory or HDD.

I don't know about lossless but UberNet offers music at very high quality (usually LAME -alt preset-standard or better). There IS a lossless channel on Soulseek, but it tends to lean toward classic rock and "old peoples' music."

It's actually best to do something outrageous like maybe buy your music and rip it directly from CD... Then, transcoding is a non-issue.

Try not to dig up old threads please.

I resent that remark! I would never use the stock buds... in fact, I've got no clue where they even are now. When it comes down to it, your mileage may vary. As of right now my iPod Mini does everything I need it to do. I just wish the battery life was a tad better. But that's not of such import that it would convince me to get rid of it. If you like your MD unit, great, it's money well spent. Same with me and my iPod. No one's telling you to get rid of it. Except maybe skyther.

I'd recommend plain ole jewel cases. Everything else, be it sleeves or binders or even slim JCs, makes contact with the read surface and WILL scratch it. I used to keep my CDs in a binder. I was shocked at how fast they got scratched when I am very careful with my discs. Now, I leave them in JCs they come in or in the case of DVD-Rs\CD-Rs, I buy empty ones. My CDs don't have a scratch on them and some I've had for years now... Yes, this does take up a good deal of space. But if it's at home, does it really matter? Buy a CD jewel case rack or DIY one.

Um... I barely have the Mini halfway full. And btw, all of those things save for the iRiver has less space than an iPod Mini. Removable media for portable devices is so passe now. It's not even remotely convenient except in the instance of recording where it makes a lot more sense than non-removable. Why does everyone call the Mini expensive?! Every other MicroDrive player is also 250USD MSRP! Sheesh! And I don't like iRiver, the Zen Micro is weird looking and the Carbon isn't pink. How's that? Um, you do know that you can delete files off the iPod and put new ones on in place of them, right? You're not gonna ever listen to more than 24 hours of music in one day anyhow.

Shure E3c/E5c/Ety ER-6/i/ER-4P/S all are balanced armature drivers and do not benefit at all from burn-in.

if he did he's going to need either a portable amp or some very efficiend earphones *coughshuree3ccough*

I don't even own a TV...

The difference between a $10 earbud and a $180 earbud is not something that everyone can appreciate. For instance, I let a coworker of mine listen to my E3cs (with a different set of sleeves obviously :laugh: ) and he proclaimed that he didn't like them. He said they didn't have enough bass. If you're used to the low-cost Sony lineup, the E3cs might sound shocking to you. But I would honestly recommend them to anyone for portable use. They are wonderfully comfortable and suitable for long hours of use, the over-the-ear cord style greatly reduces microphonics (my E3cs are much less microphonic than my MD33s and EX71s ever were). The Shures just ooze quality. The cord is thick, the individual leads going from the cable break to the drivers is as thick as a matchstick! The right angle miniplug is very robust and has an overbuilt strain relief sleeve. These are earphones that are designed to be used and abused. The sound is very good for the price. Honestly I prefer the sound of my Beyerdynamic DT440s to the Shures, but of course they're big, somewhat heavy circumaural home headphones and that's what I use them for. The Shures are perfect for on-the-go straight out of the iPod's headphone output. They are very efficient and should be able to be driven by even low-output MD headamps. The E3cs have tight, fast bass that isn't bloaty or gloppy like the low-cost Sony offerings. It's not as present especially with a bass-light DAP such as an iPod, but one of the beauties of the Shures is that they love to be EQed; I've never seen an earphone that could be EQed this much and not go crazy. You can change the sound to however you see fit if you've got a player with a proper parametric EQ. Bottom line is, the Shure E3c represents the best balance of comfort, isolation, build quality, sound quality and price that I've ever seen in a canalphone. I don't doubt that I'll still be using these buds five years from now. Oh, and Shure has incredible customer service. If you buy directly from their website and your earphone ever sustains any damage, they will replace it for nothing. :grin: Edit: I forgot to mention that the E3cs have a slightly exaggerated midrange which can be annoying to some people, but I like mids so it's all gravy to me. :laugh:

The cables on the MD33 are a "neck-chain" type and the long cable is designed to go around behind your head and slip into your right ear. This is the same cable split that is used for nearly all short-cord MD remote friendly phones. The downside of this is that the weight of the cable on the left side of your head tends to pull the earphone out of your right ear if you do not have it plugged into a remote clipped on your shirt.

Hahahaha, yes I do love my E3cs. :laugh: Glad you like them too!

I've actually never listened to the ER-6i, so I can't say anything for the sound quality. They appear to be rather fragile though. I've heard from many people that the sound is typical Etymotic though--hyperdetailed highs, lean on the low end. Also I've heard they've got the famous (or should I say infamous) Ety comfort issues. I'd actually recommend E3c over the ER-6i purely for the fact that they seem to run about the same price nowadays but the E3 is more on the level with the ER-4P, without the hyperdetailed highs and more bass (Shure phones are actually a bit rolled off on the highs, the E3s much less than the E2s, but not sure about the E5s). On a side note, both Shure and Etymotic phones seem to be very tolerant of heavy EQing. Too bad for me that the iPod Mini presets don't do much but distort the sound.

Dude, remember I'm stateside. The lowest I've seen them for is what I got them for, 120USD. That's nearly three times what the EX71s cost. =P Only about 40 bucks more than the eggos though.

Hmm. You got the plug from radio shack? The coated wires are your signal path wires. The uncoated are the grounds. Red and green sounds odd; that actually makes no sense. Everything I've ever seen has had black for left, red for right... or white for left and red for right. If I were you, I'd get a solder-on plug and check the datasheet to see a schematic of which lug goes to what part of the miniplug: tip, ring or sleeve. Tip is left signal, ring is right signal, sleeve is left/right ground. (common ground in normal 3-conductor unbalanced connections.)

My point exactly. :laugh:

My amp is dead... smoked TLE2426CLP rail splitter and no opamps at the moment. Waiting on some analog devices opamps from tangent and a rail splitter from another amp builder. I refuse to pay foul evil digikey handling fees!

"Sony" and "computer" just don't mix. They're like oil and water.

ROFLMAO I wonder if anyone will be stupid enough to bid... ... knowing eBay, it'll probably happen, too. :laugh:

I'm using E3cs with my iPod at the moment. I probably won't upgrade for a long time as pretty much the only thing over what I've got are the E5cs and I don't particularly like their sound. Sensaphonics are looking inviting but their 500 dollar price tag is making my wallet wince. :laugh:

Shure E3c... they've got a bit more money on style than the Etys do, but they're still solid cans. I got mine from MacMall for 119 with free shipping. Definitely check these out. Not as detailed in the highs as the ER-4P nor as clear and resolved, but they've got more bass and they just sound "fun." They're my portable groovalizers. :laugh: Also, Shure E2cs are down to the 55-60 dollar range at most e-tailers. Edit: Ah, skyth, it's more fun to post here now that you're back. :grin:

lol... CD's uncompressed though and I can play them in my Cambridge, or any CD player handy. Damn our dollars for becoming so worthless. The money in my pocket is becoming less valuable as we speak. It sucks. X.x