I'm sorry, I haven't got a clue.

Upcoming...

2008-02-15T15:33:00.005Z

And some of the phones in regular rotation in preparation...Update - May 2009.Ah... If only you could see the number of unfinished 'Draft' posts on this blog. So many reviews ended up this way - the D2, RH1, ESW9, etc etc...Considering what to do about this blog. In the meanwhile I've cleared out as much of the comment spam as I've been able to find. I wouldn't look for much in the way of

I hear you...

2008-02-05T13:07:00.001Z

...coming to pwn me. All the gear, no idea. A pic from a while back.

Bose Triport OE (On-Ear) review

2008-02-05T01:18:00.000Z

The newest Triport headphones from Bose are of a folding On-Ear design, and are intended to address a more mobile user than the older, non-folding Around-Ear Triport. The OE usually commands a price premium over the AE - perhaps unsurprisingly so, given the added accessories and the higher grade of materials used on the phone.DESIGN & PRESENTATIONThe Triport OE has a contemporary design which is

Sony MDR-710LP review

2006-09-10T21:45:00.000+01:00

Recently I was handed as part of a deluge of other gear a pair of MDR-710 headphones. I didn't actually get around to opening it for a few weeks, but closed mini-phones are something that I'm quite keen on. So, with the 710 being targeted squarely at the PX200 and the AKG K26P, I thought I'd give it a go.In the UK at least, the price for these phones is about the same as the AKG and the

Sony BMG Settlement

2006-03-13T09:44:00.000Z

Usally I don't put non-original material up on this blog, but the more news gets out about this the better... The settlement reached by Sony/BMG regarding the stealthed exploits (aka rootkits) that their audio CD's dumped on PC's upon insertion. These guys need to be punished for their contempt for the public in the only way a corporate knows... via it's bottom line. If you're affected, go

More updates. Zen Vision M with Napster To Go, amped or unamped progress

2006-02-25T16:21:00.000Z

Hello everyone. Just another brief update about what I'm up to these days.NAPSTER TO GOI've now got the Zen Vision: M working with the Napster subscription service, Napster To Go. It was a bit of a struggle to begin with, and it included various gotchas like your DAP's clock having to be basically exactly synced with the PC. But now it's going, it's going very well indeed. I love effectively

Updates

2006-02-13T23:23:00.000Z

The amp article should be done in 2-3 weeks time. Sorry it took so long, but you should know my frequently glacial pace by now. I'm about to swap gear with my colleague this weekend, and I'll have some time to myself during the two weeks after that so I'm doing writeups.I was planning to write a few words about the recent Sony players, but I've shelved the article. The NW-A3000/1000 looks great

Update on the 'amp or upgrade' article

2006-01-16T17:32:00.000Z

Just thought I'd let you know that I think we're about halfway through the article.

Audio-Technica ATH-ES7

2005-12-31T11:08:00.002Z

The “Earsuit” range from Audio-Technica extends further with the ATH-ES7. Audio-Technica’s intention with the ES range is exactly what the name hints at… something smarter and more upmarket than the rest, offering refinement in design. The ATH-ES7 has mirror finish stainless steel earcups on a lightweight, low-profile design and was created to fold flat in your briefcase, Prada manbag or whatever

Schedule

2005-12-13T17:25:00.000Z

Hi guys, yes I'm still alive.Still working on a replacement for this blog, but for now I'm trying to get some behind-the-scenes stuff sorted out.Next Major ArticleI and a fellow Head-Fi member are working on a comparison of unamped and amped configurations. Say you start with an Etymotic ER-6i and are looking to step up. You visit Head-Fi or other forums and they tell you that amping the ER-6i

Sorry!

2005-11-14T17:53:00.000Z

Hey guys, I'm sorry about the lack of updates to the blog. The truth is that I've gone directly from being ill and dragging my feet on an otherwise simple in-ear review to too much gear to review! Multiple DAPs have hit the bangraman household, and the people who provide these to me must be satisfied first. Not to mention other things taking up my time. I'll pick out a choice article and re-do it

Logitech Bluetooth Headphones

2005-10-26T21:02:00.000+01:00

I picked these up a while back as… well, they’re interesting, and usually that’s all that’s required for me to pick something up. I was not expecting a whole lot to be honest. My audio-based experiences of Bluetooth technology to date have not been, shall we say, stunning. The headphones retail for £99 in the UK and approximately $130 in the US. The Logitech Bluetooth Headphones use the

I have a good excuse, honest...

2005-10-26T01:04:00.000+01:00

So... some upcoming reviews have been delayed by the fact that I'm busy, and also because I've caught the flu. Not of the avian variety I hope.Although I am still generally listening, my nose is blocked and my ears are 'clicky' so obviously any reliable listening evaluations are out for the time being. I'm organising my notes (or in my present condition: "urganising by dotes") on the JVC phones

On the way: JVC HA-FX55 in-ear phone review.

2005-10-12T23:58:00.000+01:00

Initial opinions are that they seem a tiny bit less compromised than the MDR-EX71SL in certain sonic aspects, while in terms of bass they offer more of what people like about the EX71's (the amount)... and they're cheaper. Some ergonomic misses were apparent within a second of putting them on, but it's about the sound, innit? :pFull review up soon.FX55 on top, EX71 on bottom.The silicone 'bungs'

iCleaner

2005-10-11T13:40:00.000+01:00

My Nano took a couple of falls onto underground/subway train floors, both nice and gritty... and in one case, I accidentally gave the Nano a little kick, sending it grittily slithering across the floor to my dismay. Fortunately, although the superficial scratching was heavy I had no functional problems with it. I could still see the screen fine.But you know... it's practically new and a rough

Apple iPod Nano

2005-10-05T21:46:00.000+01:00

The player on the right is the Sony D-555 portable CD player. Introduced in 1989, the 555 is considered 'legendary' in terms of sound quality and desirability. They still change hands regularly for the ~$400 mark.The player on the left is Apple's latest......And for sound quality, it blows away the D-555.I briefly abandoned the iPod Photo because I felt its audio performance was compromised

A false hiatus? No, time for an overhaul.

2005-09-30T22:45:00.000+01:00

So... There have been a few posts during my so-called hiatus, but I'm REALLY quite busy over the next couple of months and while I'm away I'm definitely investigating what I can do to make the contents of this blog more accessible. It's now getting to the point where even I find articles slightly time consuming to find, and the whole initial point of this blog was not for promotion or related

Boil from the Past

2005-09-29T15:22:00.000+01:00

The image may not register immediately with the coffee-centric Americans, but that's a kettle. I made this a while back, found this picture yesterday.A META42 headphone amp was built inside it. The lid acted as a battery holder mount, so I could change cells by opening the kettle. The volume knob is just visible in the picture. I thought about adding a DC jack where the original cable existed,

What the fall-off sounds like

2005-09-21T10:26:00.000+01:00

Here's a brief test for everyone who's thinking about buying the Cowon iAudio X5 and concerned about the fall-off effects of the Line Out... and wondering what it sounds like.The music is from approximately 4:00 to 4:30 of the track "The Missed Symphony" of Infected Mushroom's Classical Mushroom (this is an amazon link) in 192K MP3. Well worth buying by the way if you have any interest in

Amping the iAudio X5

2005-09-17T13:02:00.000+01:00

Amping is something that I don't do very often, but the performance of the iAudio X5 in relation to the monochrome iPods has me wishing to reach for the Porta Corda II rather more often than I would like.The Meier-Audio Porta Corda II (now replaced by the Porta Corda III) is a generally high-performance portable amplifier. Because some elements of the signal passing through can be noticeably

Loading the iAudio X5.

2005-09-14T14:26:00.000+01:00

So... I've been using the X5 for a while now, and after I decided to forego the iPod as my main player (mainly because I do, for my own uses, find the UMS and USBOTG capability quite handy), I've been trying to find ways to get the X5 to... er... work like the iPod. Heh.I've not got further in the lack of album-based browsing when your folders are sorted by artists, but I have made some headway

iAudio X5, iPod 4G Photo and Sony HD5 without backlight

2005-09-14T12:01:00.000+01:00

A requested pic:All three players in subdued daylight with backlight off.

Sony MDR-J20 vs Sennheiser PX 10 : low cost ‘sports phones’

2005-09-11T13:18:00.000+01:00

Today, I’m looking at two low-cost earphones intended for ‘active’ people. The Sony MDR-J20 “h.ear” and the Sennheiser PX10. In the UK, they sell for a typical £15 for the J20 and £19 for the PX10.PX10 on the left, MDR-J20 on the right. Both the J20 and the PX10 are ‘partially in the ear phones’. These take a regular earphone speaker and turns it 90 degrees so that part of the speaker assembly

Sony HD5, iPod 4G Photo and iAudio X5 battery tests.

2005-09-06T22:31:00.000+01:00

I posted fragments of this in three blog entries, but I've decided to tidy it up. And add a nice graph :DI finally decided to run a 'sort of real-life' battery test of three players: The iPod Photo, the Sony NW-HD5 and the iAudio X5 (the standard X5, not the L).The test is pretty simple. Charge it up, leave for 48 hours, then play back my test MP3 library which has a wide range of songs, the

The blog is taking a hiatus

2005-08-24T21:50:00.000+01:00

Sorry for leaving a few things up in the air but the blog is taking a break. I'm a little busy right now and hanging around the forums is taking up all my free online time.

Extravagant & Premium : Sony Qualia 010 & MDR-SA5000

2005-08-15T20:34:00.000+01:00

How do they fare? Could I be bothered to write anything about it? Hmmm... Perhaps in the near future.

iAudio X5 vs iRiver H320

2005-08-11T10:03:00.000+01:00

The iRiver H320's relatively long in the tooth now and has been dropped or deeply discounted for clearance in some countries, but it does remain one of the few mini-Personal Video Players on the market. iRiver don't sell it as a video player, but it can play them back with the appropriate firmware. I've been carrying both around to compare them functionally for a while, and I've finally run the

iAudio X5 vs Sony HD5 musings, part one

2005-08-08T17:08:00.000+01:00

So I'm back home and while typing up some reports I was playing with the iAudio X5 versus the Sony HD5. I'm using the Audio-Technica ATH-W2002 to take my attention away slightly from the highs and lows and to concentrate more on the overall detail and presentation of these two players.It's interesting listening to just two as opposed to the broader comparison I'm doing at the moment, because the

And Sony smells a bit more of that coffee.

2005-07-30T02:13:00.000+01:00

Codec independence issues aside, Sony devices became more viable with the release of Sonicstage 3.2. ATRAC files can now be unencrypted and the new bitrates are welcome. 160~192K ATRAC3+ is pretty much the ideal blend of quality and storage efficiency.The core sound quality of the HD5 still needs work (the 'HD5's got a secret' tweak alone is not what irked me... the lower sound quality is the

Thinking about a revamp

2005-07-29T12:52:00.000+01:00

While hunting for new threads yesterday (I hate shopping), it occured to me that the blog is also up for a revamp. If anyone does read this and has thought "that could be better" I'd appreciate feedback.

mytego.com - custom covers for phone/iPod/etc

2005-07-28T21:54:00.000+01:00

I found this interesting.http://www.mytego.com/

Hyun Won mobiBLU DAH-1500

2005-07-17T20:54:00.000+01:00

Is that a pool cue chalk? No, it's an MP3 player.At 24mm cubed (under a cubic inch), Korean-based Hyun Won's mobiBLU DAH-1500 claims to be the world's smallest MP3 player. It probably is the world's smallest in terms of the features it offers. Just for sheer 'wowsers' factor the DAH-1500 has everything else beat, especially with the OLED display taking up one side of the 'dice'.(DAH-1500 in

iTunes 4.9 with Podcast facility has told me...

2005-07-02T21:22:00.000+01:00

... that all geeks talk like Kermit when they're in front of a mic.Don't sit bolt upright when you're recording. Loosen up those lungs for christ's sake.Edit: I admit this is a lame post, but so many people audioblogging or podcasting haven't figured out how to speak on-air. It only takes a listen to your podcast to realise what's wrong. That kermit voice from even regular-voiced people is due to

Logitech Mediaplay Mouse

2005-07-01T00:41:00.000+01:00

(Credit: Logitech)Why a mouse review on an audio blog? When it has transport controls of course :-) The Logitech Mediaplay Cordless mouse is, as it's nomenclature suggests, a wireless mouse designed for media playback.The mouse is shaped like a sleek running shoe and is symmetrical in shape. It has the usual left/right mouse buttons as well as the forward/back buttons found in many aftermarket

Sennheiser HD215 headphones

2005-06-28T15:23:00.000+01:00

(credit: Sennheiser)The HD215 is part of Sennheiser's new line-up and is a mid-priced, closed circumaural headphone intended for casual, studio and DJ use.It features fairly usual specifications for this type of headphone: 32 ohms nominal impedance, 12-22000hz frequency response range and 112db @ 1Vrms sensitivity. The single-sided coiled cable is detachable and is terminated with a low-profile

'De-hardening' the ATH-W2002

2005-06-22T09:04:00.000+01:00

The Audio-Technica ATH-W2002 is one of the few headphones out there which manages to look and feel like a work of art, and also sounds the part too. It features very resolving drivers and excellent technical performance, and on the art side also features Echizen lacquered earcups made of Asadazakura (cold weather cherry tree, more densely packed) wood. It's biggest failing is a tendency to sound

HD5's Got A Secret

2005-06-20T14:41:00.000+01:00

Having been voted the best sounding MP3 player must be a publicity coup......but, there's a rather calculated side to this apparent victory.Take a look at the graph below*.This reading was taken with all EQ turned off on the HD5. It's a shame I can't scale these graphs more to indicate the sort of impact it might have on hearing, but while for example the iRiver H320 has basically a flat response

I hate you, iPod Shuffle.

2005-06-19T12:13:00.000+01:00

Despite my initial reservations, I had began to like my iPod Shuffle. I really like the fact that I can just dock it, then it gets filled with a random selection and off I go with zero hassle. I've begun to carry it in addition to another DAP I might have because I'm warming to this type of listening on an occasional basis.A friend had heard that the Shuffle was supposed to sound better than the

Brief Look: iRiver H10 Cradle

2005-06-16T21:10:00.000+01:00

I looked at the iRiver H10 earlier this year. While I was generally impressed by the hardware, the firmware and software provided a less lasting impression. That hasn’t changed by the way, but I thought I’d update the review of the H10 by adding a quick look at the H10 cradle accessory. The first iRiver cradle I bought was for the H320. And I must say that it

WTF!?!

2005-06-15T13:46:00.000+01:00

I thought being an audiophile was weird. I thought being an audiophile who primarily uses headphones was weirder still. But this takes the cake. What next? Ummm... Actually I don't want to know the answer to that.

The iPod Bass Fall-Off

2005-06-11T21:19:00.000+01:00

NOTE: THIS ARTICLE IS ABOUT THE 3RD and 4TH GENERATION IPODS. The issue does not affect post-4G iPods in the same way.This is something that gets asked often, and when it's asked on anything but an iPod specific board, it gets lost in 'X is better than iPod' arguments. So let's clear it up here.The iPod is said to have a bass fall-off (i.e. decrease) with low impedance phones. This is most

Dead iPod Chronicles, Part 4

2005-06-03T22:51:00.000+01:00

It's alive. The iPod is back from the dead. The HDD swap worked given a little trial and error jiggery pokery in reconnecting it to the PC and cranking up the iPod Restore utility. It doesn't seem to work from the Firewire port so far, but it seems to be working fine through USB2.0. The 3G doesn't charge from USB of course, so I will need to keep my dual header cable or the PSU with me. Still,

Whats Up?

2005-05-28T14:03:00.000+01:00

I'm working on an incredibly boring thing this weekend, which leaves plenty of time for my head to wonder. I'm looking forward to getting the HDD to replace on the iPod. I've been relying on borrowed iPods to do comparisons recently and that is frankly tempting fate, recalling what became of my previous iPods.I have no idea how much the Apple specific ROM of the iPod-installed Toshiba HDD's will

Dead iPod Chronicles, Part 3

2005-05-25T12:50:00.000+01:00

Aha. Thought it was the end of that, eh? Well... things didn't go too well with ordering the replacement disk, because I killed said disk with a stupid, stupid accident a few minutes after I got the disk out of the anti-static bag. Since then I've gone through yet another refurb 3G iPod, which suffered a really, really, really stupidstupidstupid accident once again killing the disk.The cost for

No I've not forgotten about this site.

2005-05-10T14:17:00.000+01:00

Unlike many blogs, which appear then disappear like a used car salesman, this is a long term thing. Honestly, I've not had much time to write any thing about the new toys. And in some cases I'm not allowed to write anything.Up in the not distant future is the review of the Qualia 010 headphones, maybe something by Sony as soon as I decide which to focus on, and probably final comments on the Rio

Jetaudio the best?

2005-04-01T22:31:00.000+01:00

No April Fool post, sorry. I've always been wary of engaging in 4/1 pranks especially after the incident involving the bucket, the firecrackers, the condom and the rug...I had a Cowon M3 some time ago. I never bothered using the software that came with it as it was a drag & drop player. I eventually quite liked the player, especially the extremely informative remote, although it was at that time

NW-HD3 update.

2005-03-29T13:11:00.000+01:00

The Sony's been back from repair for a while, but I've been sidetracked by the Rio Karma. I've had both the HD3 and Karma with me, and inevitably it's been the Karma which has seen 100% of usage during the last couple of weeks. My long-term views of the HD3 will be coming in a few weeks.

Two weeks with the Karma

2005-03-26T23:30:00.000Z

It's been a while now that I've had the Karma, and I have used it in some capacity every day. So what do I think of it?In terms of a balance of usability, functions as a music player and attention to detail of the user interface, I would rank the Karma among the very best I've had to date. A couple of issues prevent me from saying it is the best... but it's pretty close.SOUNDSound quality wise,

Why choose "Canalphones?"

2005-03-24T15:10:00.000Z

Recently there’s been a stash of posts around the various forums I frequent about the choice of ‘canalphones’, (earphones which go inside the ear canal, as sold by Sony / Shure / Etymotic among others), with some negative comments about their use. A lot of the posts replying don’t really take into account the needs of the would-be buyer, so here’s a few words on what I have to say about

De-Bloating the Sony MDR-V700DJ

2005-03-23T10:05:00.000Z

The Sony MDR-V700DJ has to be one of the most villified headphones on Head-Fi. To me, these are bloated in the mid-bass and slightly "rolled off" in the treble, but I don't think they are sonically terrible bearing in mind their typical selling price and their intended application as semi-consumer / semi-pro DJ style headphones. The rolled off higher treble, combined with the bloated mid-bass

How the iRiver H10 fared.

2005-03-21T19:34:00.000Z

Well, the H10 went back. The guys I bought it from gave me an unlimited return period, but I thought it would be best to return it before the player started looking more 'used' as a matter of courtesy.I had a good chance to play with the H10 after the installation of the V2 firmware. I honestly don't know why they would bump up a whole version for a bunch of minor bugfixes, but there you go.So,

It has Karma....But it needs Atkins.

2005-03-19T08:43:00.000Z

Yet another player joins the jumble of stuff here. I have a hard time keeping track of all my players as at any time, half are likely to be broken, lent or otherwise unavailable at this time. With the NW-HD3 being increasingly used by others beyond my continuing review notes, I found it was time to look at getting another mid-capacity player. Rather than waiting for the forthcoming new-generation

Dead iPod Chronicles, Part 2

2005-03-16T08:30:00.000Z

I had, as some people might say in the UK, a "wizard wheeze".(translation: a "jolly good idea dont you know old chap")You can very easily follow my train of thought:Compactflash card reader = ATA interfaceiPod HDD = ATA interfaceI decided to give it a try to see if the broken disk would be at least recognised.Being of a "lets give it a try and deal with the explosions later" sort of guy, I of

Qualia Shmalia

2005-03-15T19:54:00.000Z

http://phonephile.blogspot.com/2005/02/return-of-qualia.htmlSo... I wrote about this a while ago. Since then, a friend of mine has also procured one of these phones and I had the chance to compare the two before I sent mine back. I've now reconsidered sending them back for now, as I don't believe they're broken... both sound the same.The thing is, the Qualia's sound is not so much 'broken' as '

Dead iPod Chronicles, Part 1

2005-03-15T19:41:00.000Z

From now, there'll be an infrequent range of postings tracking my success (or lack of it) in rescuing an iPod with a dead HDD. It is known that iPods have a Toshiba-tweaked HDD which does something different to a regular 1.8" HDD (in this case a MK4004GAH). So we'll see what happens with a standard MK4004GAH. I have a USB enclosure on the way, so at the worst (i.e. if it fails to work with the

Turbaned Revolutionary.

2005-03-04T10:54:00.000Z

I've finally realised why so many people assume I'm Asian in the Indian Subcontinent sense. For the record, I'm not Indian/Pakistani and I'm not some curry-fuelled beturbaned revolutionary as some have bizarrely assumed. I meant to call myself bhangraman on Head-Fi, but I misspelled it. What's in an online nickname? Not that much in my case.

iRiver H10 initial sound quality evaluation, voice recording.

2005-03-02T23:21:00.000Z

Unfortunately, the iPod Mini has suddenly become unavailable at the moment so a comparison can't be done yet. In a brief other comparison, the Creative JB3 sounds more incisive yet more natural, but the H10 doesn't disgrace itself. The sound is pretty well resolved, a little 'hard' as stock but the hardware is capable of some good dynamics. Minor problems I could hear was a slight general

I've figured out what the H10 actually is.

2005-03-01T09:29:00.000Z

It was one of those Eureka moments. As I posted in another forum, I was thinking about the unpredictability of button presses on the iRiver H10 after the backlight goes off, and also the way it plays back music in an unexpected order.The H10 is iRiver's entry into the 'unpredictable player' category started by Apple's Shuffle.With the unpredictable controls, they've gone one step better than

iRiver H10. OK, so...

2005-02-25T10:36:00.000Z

Now I can't get any music to load onto it. Searched, other people having same problems. No response from iRiver on my initial queries too.My overall impression is that as it is, the H10 is a C-minus player packing good looks and the colour screen to divert attention away from it's many fundamental flaws. The colour screen is also not that useful in the end, as photos come out in a pretty useless

So what of the NW-HD3?

2005-02-24T23:07:00.000Z

It's been a while since I wrote about it, isn't it? Am I twiddling my thumbs? No. It's been in repair since... well, since the end of January, actually. Broken headphone jack, plus a couple of other problems.

So, the broadside came... (iPod Mini)

2005-02-24T20:34:00.000Z

The updated iPod Mini was unveiled and as I suspected, it's definitely evolutionary. No OLED displays, no thought control, no tea making attachment... just a continuation of what works along with a very usefully bumped battery life (or so it seems).I'm tempted, but I'm also tempted to stick with the H10 as an academic exercise to see how iRiver addresses the bug-ridden player.

iRiver H10. Impressions after a day of use.

2005-02-22T17:55:00.000Z

Why ship dud products containing improperly tested firmware out? That's what really makes me mad. What the techie-perceived advantage of 'regular firmware updates' masks is an inability to test products properly. Geeks think regular updates are great, but have they considered how many of those iRiver / Cowon 'feature updates' actually give you new features instead of fixing bugs that Apple, Sony

iRiver H10. How useful is the photo viewer?

2005-02-21T17:51:00.000Z

I'm having slightly more than the usual 'new player grief' with the iRiver H10, so I've not started on the audio comparisons yet. I hope to get support from iRiver soon and do some comparisons with a clean slate... currently, the player and the hardware/software interface has a slightly excessive number of fundamental bugs for me to start reviewing in anywhere near a favourable manner.Instead,

Return of the Qualia

2005-02-09T01:35:00.000Z

Well, the 010 is going back for repair or replacement. I can't believe that these are supposed to sound like this. There's a very unnatural artifically enclosed sound to these phones, which is probably the result of uncontrolled resonance within the earcup. As a fellow Head-Fi member and I experimented and as some pointed out, limiting the highs controls this to a degree... but does not eliminate

Now I know why I started this blog.

2005-01-28T07:04:00.000Z

It's proving very hard to track down my old reviews that weren't put in the featured reviews section, and "extended preview" writings on Head-Fi. The longer I left doing this, the harder to find those p/reviews would have become. Part of this is my fault: I should have put something very clear in the title to identify them later, but I didn't. It looks like it might take a while to hunt down all

Testing, testing

2005-01-25T19:14:00.000Z

I sometimes get asked: What do you test phones/sources/cables/etc with? I have set 'virtual albums' which I use to select the stuff I actually want to keep. But in order for a review of something to be useful, you've got to cover a wide range of bases... there's not much point in reviewing based on just the music you like. The test tracks get chosen for a variety of reasons... specific tones or

Anonymous comments...

2005-01-24T20:01:00.000Z

... have been enabled. For now.

Sony MDR-XD200 Review

2005-01-23T15:23:00.000Z

The chances of you being able to buy a low-cost closed phone from Sony which sounds anywhere near acceptable has been, in my view, marginally less likely than the Apocalypse.Sony isn't a company which I associate with good low-end closed headphones. The MDR-V500DJ (actually not so low-end in terms of what most people are willing to pay) is one of the few headphones that I have actually dumped in

The sort of K2 of the headphone world.

2005-01-22T15:29:00.000Z

I don't think I can quite justify covering all the bases headphone-wise to include the Sennheiser Orpheus, so these two will have to do. (Click for bigger picture from my Head-Fi image archives) The spacialis(z?)ation problem is not going away afer pretty extensive burn-in so far. Let's hope it disappears during the next couple of weeks. I'm hoping that more extensive wear will perhaps help to

Case or Stand & Furoshiki?

2005-01-21T10:02:00.000Z

I must say I was at first very underwhelmed by the packaging of the Qualia 010. They came in a white cardboard box. Not even a really nice cardboard box like the Sennheiser HD650. Not even just a nicely designed box like the iPod. But basically, a cardboard box. Although I must admit I had a grin on my face when unboxing the 010 revealed that it was covered not by a plastic bag but by a white

Qualia 010 is here.

2005-01-19T13:19:00.000Z

I really don't know what to think at this stage regarding the sound. Something seems off to me going straight from the Omega II, but such jumps are usually misleading. So in the meanwhile, here are some piccies. The Qualia 010 phone is a gorgeous (if a little flimsy feeling) combination of thermoset carbon fibre, magnesium, leather, etc. The 'nano-composite' diaphragms (a polymer alloy) promise

100Gb Brick

2005-01-17T13:26:00.000Z

Over the weekend, I managed to bump up my Creative JB3 to 100Gb. I mean, for a player that was originally designed for a 20Gb disk, this is pretty impressive. I've now got ~10,000 files on it, and although it is a bit of a handful on both Notmad Explorer and Creative Mediasource, it is all up and working. Since I switched from iPod to going through a variety of other players for the purposes of

Shure E2c, Sennheiser PXC250 and Sony MDR-EX71 comparison

2005-01-09T18:11:00.000Z

(Another review from a while back) Prologue - Added January 2005: Some time ago, I decided to do a comparison of two of the more frequently mentioned earphones on Head-Fi, along with a headphone that not so many have talked about. The Shure E2c has since it's introduction made a mark on the portable audio earphone market, and has emerged as a very

Skullcandy LINK Cellular Handsfree converter

2005-01-09T17:56:00.000Z

(review from a while back) Not an anorexic redneck, but Skullcandy's logo. Being such a dynamic and successful entrepreneur (pause to laugh hysterically, then cry) yet with a craving to listen to portable audio, I have frequent problems in missing calls as I'm listening, especially when I'm using isolating phones. My hunt was for a handsfree unit that would act as an audio/phone mixer in

Sony MDR-V500DJ headphones

2005-01-09T17:03:00.000Z

Sony's entry-level 'pro DJ lookalike' headphones create quite an impression. Presented in stealth matt black, these cool looking supra-aural, closed headphones definitely gives you the look of the DJ without going all-out with the range topping MDR-V700DJ. They fold for portability and are exceedingly well made. The plastics are of high quality and the phone generally exudes a reassuring feel of

Audio-Technica ATH-D1000 digital upsampling headphone

2005-01-09T14:36:00.000Z

The ATH-D1000 is digital-only phone, which takes an optical TOSLINK signal, upsamples it to 96khz, amps it and plays it back. That's right, optical input only. No analog headphone jack on this baby. I bought it as a gimmick given my Audio-Technica higher-end completist leanings. I was intrigued at how a digital upsampling phone would sound, and have to say I was in all honesty not expecting

Stax SR-001 MK II electrostatic in-ear phones

2005-01-09T13:56:00.000Z

(reposted/edited from old Head-Fi post) Electrostatic in-the earspeakers. An intriguing concept, don't you think? The magic of electrostatics... The thrill of 580V pulsing away millimeters from your eardrum... So what do you expect out of an electrostatic in-earspeaker? Glassy highs, astonishing detail, and a lack of bass? Well I did. Imagine my complete surprise when the SR-001 totally subverted

Sony RM-MC40ELK Display Remote

2005-01-07T10:07:00.000Z

The Sony NW-HD3 hard disk player fits the RM-MC35ELK and the RM-MC40ELK display remotes. Both were designed for Sony's Minidisc players. I'm looking at the RM-MC40ELK because that's what most will go for given the choice. Ergonomically, the MC40 is rather hodgepodge, packing a scroll wheel, a jog dial and numerous buttons along the sides. The shirt clip of the remote swings around to

Listening Test: iPod (3G) vs NW-HD3 vs MZ-NH1 Line Output

2005-01-06T19:24:00.000Z

I thought I'd hold more formal listening tests than I've done to date, where the HD3 felt pretty similar to the iPod in overall terms of sound. These have been 'lazing on the sofa' and 'trampling along the streets' tests though, so not terribly controlled. Much cable untangling, switching and amp-warming later, I have a more definitive answer. I thought I'd start with the use for these players

When green fingers aren't the answer. (OT)

2005-01-06T13:40:00.000Z

My crassula ovata have started to flower again. This is much to the chagrin of several people I know who also grow crassula because they can't get it to flower. The interesting thing is that my home is basically a gulag for plants... a short, brutal life cut off by lack of any care. Many have risen to the challenge, but few have survived the test. chlorophytum comosum for example decided to

Sony's "iPod Killer?"

2005-01-05T22:33:00.000Z

I've had an NW-HD3 in my hands for a bit now. This is Sony's first hard-disk player which can honestly stand up and say that it's actually competition for the rest of the players out there on the market. You'll have to wait for a review, but my current opinion is split down the middle. Great hardware... potentially the best right now, sound's not bad at all either but it also has piss-poor

A.N.T. Amber headphone amplifier

2005-01-05T14:41:00.000Z

Link to my Head-Fi preview post What Alex is trying to do is quite intriguing, and you can read more about it on his site, www.ant-audio.co.uk. This amp is excellent for the money, although the strength of the pound makes it a bit of a mouthful for US buyers at the moment. Despite the paucity of the visuals, an objective assessment reveals that technically speaking, it does whip some $600~$800

Audio-Technica ATH-ES5 portable headphones

2005-01-05T13:37:00.000Z

New portable headphones from Audio-Technica, available outside of Japan from Audiocubes, Bluetin and so forth. Product Link (Japanese) The ATH-ES5 is a folding portable headphone designed for use with Walkmen, etc. It is claimed to be closed back, and is efficient enough to be used from almost any MP3/CD/MD player. It's primary competitor in Europe and in the US is Sennheiser's PX200, and

Extended isolation for Shure E5c

2005-01-05T01:20:00.000Z

Feeling cheated that the E5's don't provide quite the level of isolation that the Etymotic ER-4P/S does? Buy a bag of the Etymotic ER-6i/Etycom tips and seat them fully onto the E5c. Works a treat... although it will make them nearly as uncomfortable as the Etymotics in the process. Works on the Shure E3c as well.

Sony MDR-G74SL Walkman headphones

2005-01-03T11:38:00.000Z

(Reposted from May 2004) Finally, I had to do it... Rip the packaging off a Sony MDR-G74SL headphone that's been collecting mould in my 'things to listen to' cabinet. The 'Street Styles' are universally panned by those with and without experience of them on Head-Fi as phones that sound like ass and leak like crazy too. I wasn't too keen to stick the G74 on my head, but having taken them out of

Beyerdynamic DT231 headphones

2005-01-03T11:24:00.000Z

These phones are what I could call 'why spend more?' phones. OK, so they don't isolate surrounding noise. Maybe they aren't supremely comfortable. In fact, they're pretty uncomfortable if you try and wear them as circumaural phones, which is the best way to get the most impact out of these. But hearing them out of the headphone socket of my SACD player without a dedicated headphone amp, well a

Creative Muvo TX flash MP3 player

2005-01-02T01:05:00.000Z

The Muvo TX is a low-cost flash-based player available in a variety of formats. If you don't need radio, then this is among the cheapest 512MB players you can get. The Muvo TX shares the design of previous Muvos... you have a unit that you can pull apart to reveal a USB jack, which you plug into the PC/Mac. The player is powered by a single AAA battery, which is good for about 10 hours... I've

iPod Mini vs Creative Zen Micro

2004-12-23T22:30:00.000Z

I recently got rid of my iPod Mini and after that sent back yet another Zen Micro due to a recurring battery problem I had. And if the iRiver H10 had not been announced, I would have been ordering a third. As it is, I'm hanging around for the H10. First of all, let me be quite upfront here: Despite the problems I had with it, I really like the Creative Zen Micro. But I also like the iPod Mini a

Sennheiser HD25-1 headphones

2004-12-23T11:47:00.000Z

The Sennheiser HD25-1 is probably the best portable closed phone currently available. This is not purely for sonic reasons, but because of it's relative light weight, electrical efficiency, durability, isolation capabilities and compactness. In terms of a balance of all of those aspects, all of which are desirable for portable listening, no other headphone I have come across can match the HD25-1.

Hi and welcome.

2004-12-23T09:36:00.000Z

I've decided to start a blog where I can dump all my notes about headphones, portable and home audio and associated paraphenalia in general. I'm known by my nick of 'bangraman' on Head-Fi. This isn't my biggest geeky hobby (studying ancient writings is probably my geekiest) but it is the one which I generate the most words written by far. So, I've decided to collect my writings into one central

I love iPodStudio.com

2000-01-01T01:00:00.000Z

This sequence of blog comments was originally posted under "Amping the X5" post. Ultimately this was too off topic in that post, so I've given the comment sequence it's own blog entry. I do wonder just how many places that busy man is shilling on at any given moment... 12 Comments: Anonymous said... This post has been removed by a blog administrator. 2:36 PM Anonymous said...