Hi,
Im looking for hardware suggestions. I have an unusual situation/setup, which is I why Im posting...The details:

I work overseas and change countries about every 5 years.

my situation:

- I live in a smallish loft in the city with thin walls, so having "loud" sound is not a priority at this stage.

- Argentina, my current country of residence, uses 220V.

- Most electronic goods available here are at least twice their US Price. I plan on buying the items in the US and bringing them to Argentina. But Argentina has some weird customs regulations where if you import items with value over $300 USD you have to pay a 50% tax on the remaing balance. So for example, if you bring in a $700 laptop, they stop you after scanning your luggage, look up your laptop on the internet and charge you 50% x ($700 - $300) = $200 in import duties.

- Since I dont know what country Ill be in next, size, weight and voltage adaptability are all important factors.


Currently, I have the following equipment on hand:
Shuttle SN41G2 v.2 computer (only one PCI slot)
Chaintech AV510 Soundcard (in the PCI slot)
Leadtek TV card (currently removed, since the soundcard is in the PCI slot)
Logitech Z2200 2.1 computer speakers (powered through a 220->110 volt converter)
Sennheiser 280 Headphones
M-Audio Studio Pro 3 speakers (which I accentally fried before I had a chance to listen to them. I can bring them back to the states with me the next time I go and get them fixed if its worth it)
500 W 220 to 110 voltage converter

Im no major audiophile (yet) but I am addicted to music and a musician. I like it when John Coltrane's sax starts to scream for help.

Ive been disappointed in the logitech speakers since the day I regretfully bought them, and am looking to upgrade. In addition, I would really like to get those Sennheisers Headphones to purr. They sound OK now, but I know with a headphone/amp they might start to fullfil their potential. I have experimented with Foobar2000 and using the Wolfram DAC of the Chaintech soundcard, but I hear no major discerning differences between that and plain old Windows Media Player. Im thinking about pulling the Chaintech to get my TV card back in.

My current lean is towards a modest amp like the AudioSource Amp 100 ($100 USD) or the Adcom GFA 535II (which I think can be had for under $150 on eBay) and decent set of bookshelf speakers like the Paradigm Atoms ($200). They dont appear to have headphone-out. Can they still be used to drive the Sennheisers? Also, I read in the Adcom owners manual that by changing the fuses I can convert the 535II Amp to 220v...is it really that easy? Id love to find an amp that is 220V ready.

Something like this little amp http://www.firestone-audio.com/cgi-bin/pro....asp?pdtseqnm=8 could make an interesting solution, but I dont think it will generate quiet enough sound and servicability may be an issue.

Anybody got any creative suggestions/solutions?

Thanks,
Joe