Andy

Yes, I liked the way the CK-7 rendered sound, to a certain extent, but it's not the whole story. When I first heard it at Jaben I almost couldn't tolerate how uncomfortably clear it sounded. Still, I learned to like it there. It was hard to decide between the phones at that time after trying 5 or 6 of them over a few hours...they were all good in their own game. Ultimately the CK-7 also turned out to be cheaper than the others, so it was very attractive. Then the X-1 amp came along to change the sound a little...add a little bass and body, and tone down the highs somewhat. It was great, at least till the amp died prematurely. Oh well...still waiting on more responses before I start considering my options. It seems quite silly to have splurged on a CK-7 only to spend more again after only a short period of time. But that's the way of audio systems and the amateur photography I'm involved with. Both are incredible money wasters, even though they do bring a lot of pleasure.

That's perfect. In some of the reviews it says that when there is no battery in the unit (and active noise cancelling is thus off), the sound becomes flat, muddy or 'distant'. Is this true? There has also been some mention that in some bass-heavy music, the sound can become distorted. Have you experienced this? As I mentioned before, a bass is desireable but I'm not bass head. Still, distortion as a result of heavy bass is a concern.

Thanks for the advice. Yes, I understand that the list I gave may be impossible for anything to fit in, however it's just a relatively exhaustive list I wrote out, based on the use of mostly earbuds in the past. Back then I loved how compact they were but I realize that if I want something that doesn't plug straight into the ear (and make it itchy), then I have to jump to the over-the-head varieties. The X-1 was great to have, but after flushing over $100 down the drain when the battery konked, it made me rethink if I should actually buy one every again. Loved the way it sounded, but hated the way it just died on me with no warning, and with little use. I'll look into the A900. Basically, my choices will be somewhat limited to what I could get off Ebay. I don't even dare to step into the shops here in Melbourne because I might be ripped right off on price.

Wow, that was a very quick reply! Thanks for the suggestion. I am looking into this now. One more thing that I just added to the original post is the fact that my Xtra X-1 amp has broken down. The battery will no longer hold charge. I have not been successful in finding a replacement for it. Therefore, it would also be best if this new pair of headphones sounds good unamped.

Hello fellow forum members! Finally decided to post a thread, and what better way to start than with a question? I'm not an audiophile but do appreciate good sound. I'm looking for the best value headphones at the S$400 price level or less. I can exceed the budget slightly however if there's something really good on the market. Currently I'm using a Audio Technica CK-7 on a iRiver H320. I bought the headphones perhaps close to two years ago and while it still works fine, I'm entertaining the possibility of buying a pair of over-the-head headphones. Back then I bought the CK-7 over another few pairs of headphones I tested at Jaben based on its clarity. Eventually the sheer clarity of the highs got to me. I later bought an Xtra X-1 amp and the combination was fantastic. It put right away many of the 'complaints' I had about the CK-7 by giving fuller sound, better bass, and it seemed to dull the highs sufficiently to make for comfortable listening. Other issues I had were to do with the IEMs in general: - reasonably good isolation that cut out the sound around me when commuting, but it was a double-edged sword. It meant that nobody could speak to me unless I took the phones out. - just by being in my ear for an extended time, the phones caused listening fatigue and discomfort. My ear canals either start feeling too warm or get itchy, so I can't listen to the phones for hours at a time. I also read that bacteria multiply rapidly in an enclosed ear, which is not a good thing. - I use these phones both when commuting, walking around and also at rest at home. When walking around the rubbing of the cables creates vibrations that are clearly audible and not desireable to me. Then when I'm at rest I can even hear my own heartbeat. So now I'm looking for an over-the-head headphones with the following characteristics: - the music I listen to is primarily jazz, bossa nova and instrumental. Clarity of the highs is desired but it should have sufficient body and bass. Jazz in particular seems to rely on bass for the groove and piano for the mood, so while it's impossible to get good results in both highs, mids and lows in the same headphone, a happy medium would be most appreciated. - the headphones should not be unduly large or bulky. I will be walking around with these and do not want to attract attention, or to have difficulty keeping it. The structure should be such that I can comfortably sit back on a seat on an airplane (or my bed) and go to sleep. - preferably, the headphones should form a cup around my ears instead of the pads that sit directly on the ears because this also creates a certain degree of discomfort and fatigue. - it should be reasonably durable or easy to find parts for, because I'll be using it both outdoors and indoors (with due care of course). - it should be capable of cutting out most of the undesired extraneous sound in the environment while being airy for the ears. - it should sound good even unamped (hooked straight to an iRiver H320). I used to have a working Xtra X-1 amp but the battery recently swelled into a pillow and couldn't charge, so now I am amp-less. Now the main trouble I have is that I am overseas so I have no access to places like Jaben to audition headphones, so I'm primarily buying off online sites 'sight unseen', or 'unheard' as it were. I did think about buying a mini hi fi for my home listening needs (and upgrade from the very old Sony hi fi that I currently use), and use the CK7 for outdoor needs. However I decided to think the other way, and get a great pair of headphones that will do for both outdoor and indoor stuff. That way, I can still appreciate it when moving from place to place. Any suggestions and help would be most appreciated. I understand that everybody's listening needs vary tremendously, however if I can get some suggestions from the experienced folk here, I am then willing to do additional research and go from there.

Hello. It's been a while since I last dropped by these forums, but have read a number of threads here in the past when shopping for headphones and portable amps. Slightly over a year ago I bought an XTra X-1 amp from Jaben and used it a number of times while commuting in our MRT trains. I've since moved to Australia to work, and when that happened I stopped using public transport, driving wherever I need to go. So I've neglected both my MP3 player and portable amp. I must have left both of them unused for some 5-6 months, but one day I remembered that electronics are capable of dying if neglected, so I charged them up again. The MP3 player worked fine, but the X-1 battery refused to hold charge. When the adapter is plugged into the unit the red charging LED lights up, but despite hours of charging (even overnight), the light does not go to green (which as I know, indicates a fully charged battery). The unit cannot be powered on. I thought the battery chemicals might have crystallised from lack of use, or with the current Australian winter. So I kept the unit very slightly warmed over my electric blanket during charging. That did nothing to help the situation. So today I opened the unit up and found that the battery unit was comprised of two separate packets, with one of them massively swollen, so much so that it was difficult to move the circuit board out of the housing. Off to the shops I went, hoping to find someone in the know about batteries who could do a replacement for me. So far, no luck. There's nothing written on the battery pack and I cannot find documentation anywhere. I then decided to be adventurous and removed the battery pack myself. Now when I plug the unit into the power adapter, it comes on and works perfectly, only that I get this annoying low hum of interference, probably from the power supply itself. Arguably, I've successfully revived my amp, but it's no longer portable. Does anyone know what sort of battery is used in the X-1? I am guessing that it's a lithium polymer battery, but I'm no buff on these things. Also, what's the capacity of the battery? Hope someone can shed some light on this so that I can have a fully working amp again. I did think of bringing it back to Jaben in the hope that Uncle Wilson will replace it for me, but after owning it for a year (and considering my next return to Singapore is in Mar 09), I don't think that's a possibility.