I'm looking for audiophile versions of these:
Portable music player, does not need video, sound recording is not essential but would be helpful. sound quality is the defining factor, OGG and FLAC is the second most important, and Mass Storage support since I want to use MY software, not be locked into using something they made. (My favourite computer music player is Amarok).
Sound card, MIDI would be helpful, but if there is one without that sounds better, I'd settle. Needs good ALSA support (built into the Linux kernel, shouldn't be trouble, they almost all are). PCI or USB I don't mind, just sound quality that matters.
Headphones, over the ear (DJ). Again, sound quality matters most.
My budget is £135, so not professional level stuff, and that would be only 1 or 2 of these products, not all 3 for that price of course.
Cheers
Dan
Full Version: Music player, sound card, headphones
I won't attempt specific recommendations, but I'll talk a bit about headphones...
I'm a big fan of Grado headphones. (I have a pair of Grado SR225s.) They have a reputation for having good "sound for the dollar" in any price range. The "entry level" Grado SR60 goes for about $70 USD. Grados are open (hear through) design, and the general rule-of-thumb is that you get better sound with open headphones (in a given price range).
If by "over the ear DJ headphones", you mean that you need isolation, Grados won't work for you. The Sennheiser HD280 goes for about $100 USD (maybe beyond your budget) and it has a good reputation for a closed headphone in that price range. I have a pair and they are quite good, but I prefer my (more expensive) Grados. (If you're actually using the phones for DJ work, the sound quality shouldn't be that important.)
You can find some headphone recommendations at GoodCans.com. But of course, you should listen for yourself before buying.
There's nothing wrong with being an audiophile (a lover of good audio). But, it kind-of has a negative connotation around here... Audiophiles tend to be associated with $500 speaker cables, unproven claims of sound quality, and other (usually expensive) nonsense. In the "audiophile community", "audiophile quality" headphones probably start around the $500 range.
"Audiophile" equipment is often more expensive than pro equipment, although there seems to be a fair amount of expensive hype and nonsense in the pro audio world too.
I'm a big fan of Grado headphones. (I have a pair of Grado SR225s.) They have a reputation for having good "sound for the dollar" in any price range. The "entry level" Grado SR60 goes for about $70 USD. Grados are open (hear through) design, and the general rule-of-thumb is that you get better sound with open headphones (in a given price range).
If by "over the ear DJ headphones", you mean that you need isolation, Grados won't work for you. The Sennheiser HD280 goes for about $100 USD (maybe beyond your budget) and it has a good reputation for a closed headphone in that price range. I have a pair and they are quite good, but I prefer my (more expensive) Grados. (If you're actually using the phones for DJ work, the sound quality shouldn't be that important.)
You can find some headphone recommendations at GoodCans.com. But of course, you should listen for yourself before buying.
QUOTE
I'm looking for audiophile versions of these... My budget is £135, so not professional level stuff...
There's nothing wrong with being an audiophile (a lover of good audio). But, it kind-of has a negative connotation around here... Audiophiles tend to be associated with $500 speaker cables, unproven claims of sound quality, and other (usually expensive) nonsense. In the "audiophile community", "audiophile quality" headphones probably start around the $500 range."Audiophile" equipment is often more expensive than pro equipment, although there seems to be a fair amount of expensive hype and nonsense in the pro audio world too.
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