sghound

u can try the thinnest 25-gauge Canare L-2B2 with Neutrik minis. get 'em from LHS in Sim Lim Tower.

LHS dun sell optical. for that 3m length, u need to good to Avit in SLS.

well tat sucks! how does anyone import anything into your country?

err...from that list, none. not when the Crossroads is priced similarly. no problems shipping overseas Jaben

@$750

Grados? go for the Cayin HA-1A. new price is a steal locally. check with Precision Audio in adelphi.

i have it and it's a very fun pair of cans. i strongly suspect it's using Denon D1000 drivers as both sound remarkably similiar. very nice balanced sound on pop, rock & hip-hop. jazz & classical lovers pls look elsewhere. the only thing i dun like about it is that the shiny surface attracts fingerprints. other than that, there really isn't anything to fault. plug and play, virtually no burn-in required. it can also be driven well by PC soundcards and does not need serious amping. the isolation is also pretty good and can be suited for portable use as well. super comfortable and ultralight for most but those with really large ears might find the circumaural fit a bit tight. it comes with a microfiber bag which doubles up as a shiny surface cleaner. i think this is Creative best badged headphone product yet though i really doubt it's totally of their own creation. i would still rec the Denon D1000 over this but it's not available locally. so the Creative would be the next best bet. Highly recommended SQ!! aside from the cosmetics, the Denon & Creative share some ergonomic similarities. specs-wise, both use 40mm diaphragms (denon calls it microfiber, creative calls it bio-cellulose), both are 32ohms impedance, both have 103db sensitivity, freq specs claimed are almost same (denon 8hz-37khz creative 10hz-30khz, weight very close (denon 180g w/o cable, creative 210 w/cable). my suspicion is that there might be some differences but after comparing both cans (Denon belonged to a friend), the sound is too close to call. smart marketing move by Creative to word certain features and specs differently, if Denon did indeed manufacture it for Creative. some will find the Creative more "chio" or better-looking because of the shiny finish.

not much diff when the Cowon's headout quality is more than acceptable. save the cash and buy some music.

wow, this is already an awesome sounding combo. u dun need any more bulk.

i think you should try the 4gb Samsung K3. audio from the headout is better than those players u've listed.

just saw the Furutech Fi-15 rhodium today at Musiclink going for $40. what a steal considering the economy Wattgate gold-plate is $35.

for entry-level DSLRs, always go for either Canon or Olympus, they're much more user-friendly. the nikon only starts getting really good with their mid-level upwards. eg, the 40x can't change simple things like ISO without going thru layers of menu. the 400D should suffice but the Olympus E-510 makes a really good case for the ultimate entry-level. the Oly has Live View which will come in useful for newbs and it's cheaper than the 400D. the Oly has very good optics and has the best wide angle lenses around. even though the sensor is slightly smaller than Canon or Nikon, the results of the image engine show that it loses very little. the Oly has an even more compact body than its rivals, making them less of a luggage. it also has the best method of sensor dust removal and built-in image stablizer (so that u dun have to spend big money on heavy lenses which have built-in IS). very cleverly thought out, the E-510 will give u nice punch in image quality which i think u prefer. some info here: Olympus E-510 current promo

the Furutechs are rhodium plated, and i find them to be very much better than gold plates. not sure of current prices, pls check with Musiclink

the best PC i've come across using UK plug is the Belden 19364. it's 14 gauge and nicely flexible, 3-core bare copper no silver. what's special about it is the Beldfoil shielding which uses alu foil-polyester tape. terminate them with the not-so-overpriced Furutech pure copper Fi-15E iec pure copper rhodium plated & red MK hospital-grade UK plug. u'll get a PC that can be very hard to beat. excellent price performance ratio.

John 3:16 in funan. great guys to deal with!

i stay clear of silver-plates coz i find most of them are kinda harsh sounding with maybe too much zing on the highs, generally speaking, but i'm sure there are exceptions. for power cords i prefer copper with silver-plated ground. the silver-plates conduct faster than copper and i find it effective as ground hookup. i'm using a version of Chris Ven Haus' Flavor 4. this consists of 2 twisted runs of Belden 83802 (12 gauge) each for live & neutral plus 1 run of Belden 83030 (16 gauge) counter-twisted over the 83802. termination is hospital grade US Marinco plugs with Wattgate IEC. the US pins can accomodate thicker gauges (dual 12 gauge) that the tiny UK ones cannot. this PC contributes a super-silent, dark background to your overall sound. it flushes out details very well and has thunderous bass. use it on source and amp for max effect. the main drawback is that the PC is super-stiff.

yes i have, for speaker cabling. well, it's really the cheapest purity we can get locally without touching any of that silver-plate crap. don't skimp if u wanna try silver. i think u might love the results. i did observe one thing with silver, it's got a like-it-or-hate-it holographic soundstage. plus it's a myth that it sounds bright. for most part, i'm a copper kinda guy.

here's the best local source for 7N UPOCC copper & silver. great prices too. Neotech

norman audio in adelphi. too ex.

yeah, it usually demoed with the K701. it's more or less the 230v version of the Audio-Technica HA-5000, at half the price. might be comissioned by AT in HK coz it seems the AT affiliates in SEA all sell them since the HA-5000 is only available in 110v. it's a very powerful amp, definitely not for those laidback types. it's got so much juice that it can actually kick-start the usually impossible to drive K701. with most cans, it has great musicality and bass punch. nicely refined in the mids and highs as well. pls check with Aron if interested.

i concur. absolutely dead silent with all my cans. could be an improved version i dunno.

they are not comparable coz they sound very different.

no i haven't compared them.

nice writeup. are the pads circumaural?

u won't be able to drive the 701 properly with your current setup. u need good current from a proper headamp. Stereo has the Higher Fidelity HA-01 amp that can handle the demands of the 701. and oh, u can try the combo there too. check with Aron.