headphone amps..

[steveinspain]

Themis - I have a 1.5tb hard drive filled with music just waiting to be used outside my computer (actually I have two, so one is a back up, and what better use for a back up !)
I think it HAS to be the way to go, so will be getting one asap, especially as I am getting half the cost given to me !
A seperate amp would be lovely to try, but I am so new to all this that I really ought to go step by step...!
That said, I am off to look at the link you sent !

Andre - the canamp certainly comes highly recommended, so ought to be on the list if I were to buy..

[Themis]

One last thing : the software version of Squeezebox Touch at the moment of release will only support FAT32 file systems for external USB HD.
NTFS support is [at the moment] expected to start with version 8.0.1 (a later version).

Please take note.

[steveinspain]

Whoa - so does this mean I will have to reload everything once I reformat my HD to FAT32 ?
If it comes as at a later version, can I just reload it all /

I do not understand all this stuff. Can anyone please explain EXACTLY wht I need to do to play my music via a Touch ? (ie from burn to play - EVERY detail?

Thanks, nd especially to you Themis !

[Rare Bird]

BTW you have a comprehensive comparative review of some headamps here : http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f105/r...mpared-214588/

(Please, bare in mind that no review is totally "objective", and that head-fi has sponsors. It may matter, it may not. Go figure.)

I have easy rule of thumb! If a reviewer says it's crap it's generally good & visa versa

[Marktdac]

Whilst on the subject of headphone amps and headphones i ave a pair of Audio technica ATH-AD700 ,and am thinking of upgradeing

Where can i go from these to get a noticable improvement without goung stupid on price ?

Was thinking of Grado probably 125is ,but will there be an improvemnet the Ats are very good ,but do tend to leak a lot of sound

Thanks Mark

[Themis]

Grados are different from Audio-Technicas. Moreover, the 125i is also an open design, so the sound leakage will be the same as your AT.
If you are happy about the neutrality of the AD700, but you simply need a closed cabinet to prevent music/noise leakage, then you can try either an ATH-M50 (highly recommended) or an equivalent (to your actual) ATH-A700, or a more expensive ATH-W1000.

[The Grand Wazoo]

Grados leak like a sieve, I love my 325's, but my family hate 'em!

[Marktdac]

So sound leakage is a thing u have to put up with on an open design?,how does open/closed designs effect the sound?

BUT what i really meant about leakage was the ATs dont seem to fit ur head properly ,the top of the pad has less pressure than the bottom almost to the ponint where theres a gap at the top

Probably be ok if i had a bigger head! and for some reason they never incorportaed any adjustment in the design to actually change the angle of the speker pods

Thanks again mark

[Themis]

Whoa - so does this mean I will have to reload everything once I reformat my HD to FAT32 ?
If it comes as at a later version, can I just reload it all /

I do not understand all this stuff. Can anyone please explain EXACTLY wht I need to do to play my music via a Touch ? (ie from burn to play - EVERY detail?

Thanks, nd especially to you Themis !

Normally you need not format your HD to FAT32 : external drives are usually already formatted in FAT32.

To play your music through a Squeezebox Touch you need:
A. Rip your CDs somewhere in lossless format (please tell me what is the software you're accustomed to use, so that I can give you better instructions).
B. Copy your (already ripped) CDs to the external drive that you will use with the ST (Squeezebox Touch). Be sure this HD is formatted with FAT32 file system (click on "Properties" when it's connected to a PC to check the file system type).
C. Plug the drive to the ST. Plug the ST to your amplifier (or to an external dac, if your setup has one).
D. Wait for the ST to analyze your library.
E. Enjoy.

[Themis]

So sound leakage is a thing u have to put up with on an open design?,how does open/closed designs effect the sound?

BUT what i really meant about leakage was the ATs dont seem to fit ur head properly ,the top of the pad has less pressure than the bottom almost to the ponint where theres a gap at the top

Probably be ok if i had a bigger head! and for some reason they never incorportaed any adjustment in the design to actually change the angle of the speker pods

Thanks again mark

"Open" headphones don't need to fit exactly to the head. Only closed types need to have a good fit.

Some say that open designs have a more "airy" sound and more "space". Also, open headphones are less prone to distortions because they are not affected by earcup resonance.
Closed designs provide good isolation (especially circumaural types). The fact is that, I never noticed a lack of "space" with properly designed (ie good) closed headphones, nor additional distortion. Most professional headphones are closed, so... the design difficulties were solved long ago.