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Gouki

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Posts posted by Gouki

  1. Posted · Report reply

    I hear someone called my name :-)

     

    Well I actually bought the D66SL from lucky plaza, and I think I was very lucky to get it at around $100 or so.

     

    Because its more expensive in Japan (like $30 more) and I don't think that shop is going to sell at $100 anymore.

     

    My advice is, if you really want it now, get it from bluetin. I think you can do better than spending $150 on the eggos though.

  2. Posted · Report reply

    I tried them all (my 570s, D66SL, CD3000, e2770) on various sources such as my PC, portable, Pioneer system as well as on AMPs such as creeks and AT. The 570s (as I treat them) is not punchy enough for the kind of music I listen to (mainly dance/techno/rock). Ok, so I'm a little sold on Japanese headphones, but I"m very impressed with some of them. I still want to get a 580 or even the new 595 (but doing so will mean having to build a system around it).

  4. Posted · Report reply

    I can't understand why you would still recommend the 570s. I have them, and although they were great when I first got them, they are so lacking for the price one pays. My Eggos sounded clearer, bass were more definite. The 570s are comfortable, I'd give it that.

     

    Go to head-fi.org and do a search on the 570s. I think you will get the general idea.

  6. Posted · Edited by Gouki · Report reply

    Since I'm based in Japan, I can help sell them.

     

    I can't :

     

    - check and make sure that the cans are working without opening them

    - offer a return policy

    - sell on a weekly basis

     

    I can however :

     

    - offer to check the cans and make sure that they are working and not damaged

    - get other parts as long as people know what they want

     

    As for pricing, it will be under $750 for the phones, I'm not sure yet as I need to work out delivery cost and cost to get someone to pick up the cans and handle them carefully (probably my dad). They won't be $750 I will assure you (bluetin is $742). I will also set a target on the number of orders, if its not enough to cover delivery cost then it may not happen.

     

    These cans may sound expensive, but they are new (of course), they will have warranties (I think 1 year?). Please note that only serious buyers should apply. I can also get the MD7506/DS66L, but lets see how this goes.

     

    I am doing this as a favour, not really as a business (though if you guys want other stuff like cables or japanese products then I can work out something, I can make it a part time job like every Sat).

     

    I have the capital to buy these cans (even the R10), so no I'm not borrowing money. If somebody trustworthy (like a regular member) would like to work with me on this, I'll appreciate it. The CD3000s are great cans, but they are becoming limited items. I'll probably buy another one just so that I can store it away somewhere when they are no longer for sale.

     

    PS. I've been scammed before when I bought a car, so I know the importance of all this and I want to make it work (like make everything transparent as possible).

    My other part time job will be distributing car stuff tongue.gif

  9. Posted · Report reply

    We're going to be issued with laptops at the office sometime in the near future. I was asked to look into specifying something so I automatically thought of the (somewhat pricey) Sony Vaio Z1 series (ruled out Macs for specific reasons which I won't get into here). The form factor & functions suits our mobile engineers on site & in office perfectly.

     

    user posted imageuser posted image

     

    Besides that what would you guys recommend? Here's just a couple of specifications (from the top of my head):

    • OS: XP Professional
    • Productivity: use mostly word, excel & powerpoint (require something powerful enough for on the spot presentations) & possibly MSProject as well.
    • Digital imaging: Still photo software, archiving & minor editing. Digital video editing is not a requirement but is a Bonus.
    • Connectivity: Built in modem & ethernet, WiFi & Bluetooth (Infrared not a requirement but is a bonus).
    • Screen: Min. 12" high resolution (min 1024x768) preferably 14" & higher resolution.
    • Battery life: Should be able to run off batteries for at least 4 hours continuously.
    • Other misc: Should be able to detect & operate with overhead projectors seamlessly. It need not be a desktop replacement but powerful enough to work flawlessly with the above mentioned intended use. Doesn't have to be rugged but be able to take the hustle & bustle of office->car->site & back on a regular basis. For obvious reasons, it does not need to excell at gaming & audio. However the latter would be good for me!
    Thanks in advance.

    [*]OS: XP Professional

    [*]Productivity: use mostly word, excel & powerpoint (require something powerful enough for on the spot presentations) & possibly MSProject as well.

    [*]Digital imaging: Still photo software, archiving & minor editing. Digital video editing is not a requirement but is a Bonus.

    [*]Connectivity: Built in modem & ethernet, WiFi & Bluetooth (Infrared not a requirement but is a bonus).

    [*]Screen: Min. 12" high resolution (min 1024x768) preferably 14" & higher resolution.

    [*]Battery life: Should be able to run off batteries for at least 4 hours continuously.

    [*]Other misc: Should be able to detect & operate with overhead projectors seamlessly. It need not be a desktop replacement but powerful enough to work flawlessly with the above mentioned intended use. Doesn't have to be rugged but be able to take the hustle & bustle of office->car->site & back on a regular basis. For obvious reasons, it does not need to excell at gaming & audio. However the latter would be good for me!

     

    Is weight a main concern?

     

    I'm carrying my notebook, external HD and bag to work almost everyday, total weight is about 5kg (bag and HD are heavy).

     

    I was looking at the Z1 before I got mine, it is a very nice looking thing, light too. I would do everything that I needed. I didn't get it because :

     

    - it wasn't widescreen (mine is 15.4 inch)

    - graphics card was an ATI 7500 (hopeless for games)

    - Sony support is terrible

     

    They are just my opinions only, I like watching movies and playing the occasional games. I also do a bit of 3D work so need the extra real estate. Mine is only a 1.4Ghz, but its already faster than the 1.7 AMD Duron desktop that I've been using for the past 2 years (Pentium M 1.4 is about the same as a Pentium 4 2.2Ghz because of their larger memory buffer).

     

    All Pentium M notebooks support wireless, 802.11b is the minimum. Mine is a little special, it has B and G wireless network configuration, though I have yet to use the G network because its not that common yet here.

     

    If you want a notebook that will last about 4 hours, get a smaller one (like 12 inch or so). Few notebooks really run 4 hours unless you tone down the brightness and CPU utilisation. I got mine to work for the entire 6 hour flight from Tokyo to Taiwan (and I got to watch better movies too). The longest running Pentium M notebook I know is an IBM (8 hours).

     

    IBM is one of the best, especially for business. You can't go wrong with them, they were made for business and support is great in Singapore (I used to work with IBM).

    Sony is more of a leisure brand, I think you will get more multimedia features. They have their own software which makes life a little easier for people who are not good with computers.

     

    All notebooks these days will run your average XP, Office and the odd games. As for multimedia, they would be speed demons but they will do the job (I've ripped DVDs on mine no problem).

     

    All should have video out (composite, some may have S video).

     

    Sim Lim square has a lot of new notebooks, I know there are many. I would go with a company with good after service, that is pretty important in case something happens to the notebook (like bad pixels, accident).

     

    My Epson/Asus comes with a 2-3 year international warranty on parts only, not for accidents. If you have more than 7 dead pixels, then I think you can change it for free.

     

    P.S.Notebooks are very cheap here in Japan, I saw that Z1 for about 160,000 yen, which is about $2,424 SGD.

     

  12. Posted · Report reply

    Do not get the 570 symphony. I got it for about $200 and at first I thought it was great (was my first real headphones), it is overpriced compared to other phones like Sony, AT etc.

     

    Best to avoid unless you usually listen to music on low volume.

     

    Bass is not very good, sounds muffled and trebles are thrashy.

     

    Best to get the 580 or 590.

  16. Posted · Report reply

    As Mackie said, if your Aunt knows how to buy them (go to Aikiharbara, its on the JR line so its easy to get there from Tokyo or Ueno). Otherwise, the HD 650 is here, so are plenty of other headphones.

     

    Other things you might want to buy :

     

    - MD players

    - Computer stuff (notebooks are cheap)

     

    That's all I can think of at the moment.

     

  18. Posted · Report reply

    It's good that you learnt that MP3 suck. I guess if you do it yourself they may suck a bit less. My advice is stick to a portable cd player. Then you'll have reasonably good portable playback. The next alternative is to get a harddrive player and download from CDs without any compression. That's quite good too.

     

    Sony Cd-3K with MP3? Forgive me for saying this but you should have spent less on you headphone and got a better playback unit. It would have been more gratifying.

     

    My 2¢

    You said it Rameish!

     

    I'm learning how to enjoy music, thanks to a better quality pair of headphones, and more experiences.

     

    The CD3000 can be played with anything that I have so far including my handphone.

     

    I'm very interested in what that guy on head-fi did to his CD3000 when he covered the earpieces with a kind of woolly cover. That would be warm, apparently it improves the sound a little.

     

    Its 5 degrees here in Japan, so woolly covers would help!

  19. Posted · Report reply

    I have been playing MP3s through speakers, headphones, and recently amped headphones and never had a complain about sound quality issues. I did the listening in the office PC, which is a Dell PC with host audio, listening through a META42 and Sennheiser HD600, AKG K501; at home I use Sound Blaster Audigy Platinum and the same headphone setup, no quality issues.

     

    Sure, the original CDs sound noticeably better, but MP3 and other compressed audio like WMA isn't as bad as many made it out to be.

     

    Regards

    CK

    Well,

     

    I don't have perfect hearing (I can't get the high frequencies and some other parts that you guys can pick up), which explains why my ears can be so forgiving all this time.

     

    Even I thought the 570s were good.

     

    But yeah, the CD3000 suddenly made my ears realise how bad MP3s were no matter how high you encode them!!!

     

    So, now what I'm doing is just copying straight from the CDs themselves.

     

    File size may be bigger (ie. 40-50mb), but the sound quality is sure worth it!!!

    (these days hard disks are bigger so its no problem to have large music files).

     

     

  20. Posted · Report reply

    Oooo... I'd like to reserve a pair of L3000 instead please! But seriously, how much do they actually cost over there?

    Is the L3000 the limited edition with the leather ear covers?

     

    If so, then it is a total rip off if you ask me.

     

    Price is about $3000 or something like that.

     

    Better to get STAX or R10.

    I've never heard any of them yet so I can't agree nor disagree with your comments.

     

    Originally posted by matbon0013:

    N@z, has the cans landed? Need to hear them Cd3000 real bad

    Sorry dude, it's with it's temporary 'caretaker' right now.

    Between the STAX and R10, get the STAX. It comes complete with a dedicated AMP and they are good.

     

    R10, well, they are very much like the CD3000s, but better of course. The CD3000 seemed like a younger, less mature version of it although it has a lot of balls.

     

    I've never been interested in AT products, though they do look good (I'm just too Sony/Senns. bias).

  21. Posted · Report reply

    Well I had time to kill today, so I did a quick comparison of the headphones that I had including a pair which I have hardly used (earphones that came with my SHARP MP3 handphone) :

     

    - Sharp earphones

    - Sony EGGO 66SL

    - Senn. 570 Symphony

    - Sony CD3000

     

    Listened to mainly MP3s on my computer and the result was very surprising :

     

    - Sharp earphones

    The surprise of the pack! While listening to "Sakura" by Moriyama, his voice sounded so clear and sharp. The mids were OK and the bass were lacking in comparison to the others. I was really surprised with this one because I never used this pair since I got the EGGOs.

     

    - Sony EGGO 66SL

    Sounded a little muffled compared to the Sharp, though the bass was better, the vocals were not "as interesting" as the Sharp.

     

    - Senn. 570 Symphony

    This is a terrible pair of headphones, period. I realised how forgiving my ears have been because mentally I thought I paid good money for a nice pair of headphones. The music was muffled like hell, vocals were drowned out by some mysterious audio mist and was just awful. I don't know how I managed to put up with this pair for so long.

     

    - Sony CD3000

    What do you expect? Bass was good, vocals were not as sharp as they were on the Sharp, but were much better and clearer than the others. The music sounded richer but I know that with better quality music and system, this phone would be put you to a new realm of quality sounds.

     

    What did I learn?

     

    Well, I played MP3, not exactly high quality music, which seemed suited to earphones and not headphones. Some headphones like the EGGOs and the CD3000 may play MP3s well, but I think you need something like earphones if you want to hear the best from MP3s.

     

    BUT, why the hell am I listening to MP3s with the Senns. and CD3000? The CD3000 is more forgiving than the Senns., they can play MP3s well enough. But it proves that MP3s are no substitutes for CDs, and a computer is no substitute for a real audio system.

     

    I've tried playing 256k/bit and 360k/bit MP3s, and the sound quality wasn't necessarily better. It all depends on how they were encoded in the first place (56k/bit songs however are very noticeable in quality - ie. bad).

     

    Some people might have encoded 56k/bit MP3s into 256k/bit MP3s. The file size may be bigger, but the sound quality will not be better at all (and I think there are too many of such encoding practices out there on Kazaa).

     

    MP3s are mainly audio files, created to duplicate the "sounds" of their CD counterparts. It does a pretty good job of it, but high quality headphones will pick out the weaknesses in MP3s and you will definitely notice them when listening with various types of headphones. This is affect your judgement when buying new phones. There are many other factors, but I think some people (like myself) feel that headphones are like some kind of black boxes that will magically make your music come alive. They will not make your MP3s sound better, they will make them sound worst.

     

    So, to sum up, if you're only going to play MP3s on a computer, or a portable, a good quality pair of earphones will be more than enough. Headphones may be an overkill for MP3s since they are not high quality music, and doesn't use the full potentials of the headphones' capabilities (portables only need low ohm phones).

     

    The EGGOs does the job, the CD3000 is so forgiving (it is only 32ohm) that it will also play MP3s pretty well, but you will be totally underutilising these phones if you only used them for MP3s.

     

    If you must use MP3s, encode them yourself from original CDs and at the highest quality possible.

     

    As for me, I now know what I need to do to make my CD3000 match the vocals on my Sharp while playing MP3s. I need more CDs, an AMP and an audio system!

     

    Using MP3s to test the quality of headphones - DON'T DO IT!

  23. Posted · Report reply

    Heyy all, just wanted everyone's opinion on which cans or plugs would u recommend for portable listening.

     

    Here are my 2 cents. I currently own Senn HD 212 pro and PX 200. I've owned the senn mx 500 before.

     

    What i feel is the MX 500s are like Mighty mouse, small but mighty!!! The clarity is amazing and they sound really good for 30- 40 bucks!!! Transparent sound, don't look down on them cos they're cheap!

     

    The HD 212 pros are really suitable for teens and people who go for detail. Teens because of the bass levels. Really high! blink.gif Plus the isolation is so good!!! I almost got into so many accidents cos I couldn't hear cars from the rear coming beside me! I'm serious!! I was walking home along my street, and as i decided to look behind me, I got shocked that a car just glided past me. blink.gif

     

    As for the px 200, they sound great though i'm not too used to the sound as it has better mids and highs, then bass. Actually, I take that back, the bass is really good too... But i want MORE!!! possibly has to do with my previous headphones. rolleyes.gif

     

    Anyways, thoughts?? Also, if anyone can recommend me a good portable CD player that would be helpful too!

    Good portable headphones :

     

    SONY EGGO D66SL

     

    - pretty accurate headphones, bass may not be convincing but its there, sounds like good subwoofers

    - they wear on your head better than the ear pieces like ETYs or the behind the ear earphones

    - they are comfortable, looks like closed headphones, but they actually leak a bit (something like 90% closed 10% opened). This means that you can still kinda of hear the car behind you (beeping at you of course), I think Sony did this for safety reason though I don't think it affects the overall performance

    - not too cheap, not too expensive

    - easy to maintain, well compared to the bigger and cheaper Phillips phones, but I have found the paint to be peeling off mine now

     

    Good portable player :

     

    CREATIVE MP3/WMA player

     

    - I have no experiences with Creative products, but I think this is one of the better music-on-the-go products that you can buy

    - the jukebox is probably the best for people who need to carry a lot of music

     

    I used to want to buy the CD walkman that could play CDs with MP3s on them, but they are too bulky for me now.

     

    I used my handphone which has a 256 SD card (upgradable to 512mb), it records via optical from my computer or MD so the sound is not so bad. That is probably the best portable solution for me. The only thing that's bulky are my headphones.

  24. Posted · Report reply

    OT, I still have two units of Sony's D5 - the first "portable discman" manuafactured that needs to be serviced, anyone knows of a place or someone that have parts for them?

    HPC,

     

    Do you have the ATL-3000? If so, that is one hell of an expensive pair of phones!

  25. Posted · Report reply

    I can host you when you come to town, just remember to bring of those nice n tasty japanese pastries with the red beans to share with all. biggrin.gif

    Ha thanks!

     

    But I think you can't bring such food into Singapore as Japanese food are too high in MSG!!! (j/k).

     

    I can bring Japanese curry how bout that?

     

    I have some friends in Singapore so I will have a place to stay, thanks for the offer though.

     

    P.S. Do you happen to live in a Condo with a swimming pool and free maid service including free washing/food/DVD entertainment? I might change my mind hahaha!!!

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