Simple Living

To complete my headphone collection I needed a good pair of earbuds and selected the Klipsch R6i Earbuds.  I tried to look for the now discontinued prior model S6i, but couldn't find any for a reasonable price.  Other contenders included the Jaybirds, but I wasn't ready to try bluetooth just yet. The R6i's are quite nice and little touches like the anti-tangling flat cable and in-line volume control make it useful.  This will be for traveling as I want to keep things light. Basic Specs: 6.5mm Drivers 10 ~ 19,000 Hz 110 db/mW 18 Ohms -22 Noise Isolation 3.5mm Plug

I've always wanted to try a DAC (Digital Audio Converter) and Amplifier for my headphones.  It's difficult at first to pick one and I settled on the Fiio model e10k Olympus 2.  In hindsight I should have gone with a model that's portable and accepts an audio line in...but the e10 proved okay when hooked up to my laptop. And I have plans to build a 'soundbook' with the Netbook. How's it sound? In some ways it improved the sound quality.  Certain frequencies are clearer and I do hear things that were not as noticeable before.  The music sounds more 'forward' if that's what they call it.  It's a bit overwhelming at first, but after a while I kinda like it and getting used to the refined soundstage.  Another thing I noticed was how awful sounding some of my cheaper headphones are with the e10.  I was hoping with increased power they might sound better, not so.  The exception were the Sony ZX100's...not bad. Overall For the price I paid

By luck I was at a thrift shop and saw a pair of Sony MDR-ZX310 for sale.  I scooped them up as I've heard so many positive online reviews that they are great for the price point of $18. Basic Specs: 30mm Drivers 10 ~ 24,000 Hz 1,000 mW -- Max Input Power 98 db/mW 24 Ohms 125g -- Weight 1.2m -- Cable Length I  also own the lower end model ZX100's and can compare the two. Sound Quality The 310's have a wider response range than the 100's and I can both feel and hear it on the bass.  Mid and treble are almost the same to me, but due to the weaker bass on the 100's it feels more pronounced on the Mid and Treble, but with deeper listening the 310's are at least on par with some frequencies coming through more that were not as clear on the 100's.  If you like vocal and mids the 100's might be better. Even with EQ bass reduction the 310's sound tinny and need the full bass to sound decent.  Overall the 310's are tuned for bass

Surprised I never discussed in more detail my pair of Audio Technica ATH-WM77 on-ear headphones.  I got these two years ago from Yodobashi Camera in Shinjuku Tokyo for $40 in Yen.  They are a fun pair of headphones and one of my favorites.  The one downside has been the plastic housing on the left speaker popped out of place and I had to use krazy glue to fix it.  They work just fine, but the left speaker has lost the ability to swivel making it no longer convenient to stash into my backpack. Basic Specs: 38mm Drivers 10 ~ 23,000 Hz 500 mW -- Max Input Power 103 db/mW 36 Ohms 133 g -- Weight 1.0m -- Cable Length