tropicalrips

for me i think the most noise come from the PSU, and part of it from the CPU fan.

for my setup, i change the PSU to 1 of those that use a very big fan, 18cm i think, its almost the same size as the PUS itself, the big fan is really quiet, u don't hear it at all.

for CPU, i use a Zalman, the heatsink of the Zalman does not hav a fan attached to it, its full copper, the fan is a 12cm one with its own special bracket, it lets u attach it to the case and blows at the heatsink, according to ppl this will hav less vibration on the CPU itself , the 12cm fan is also very quiet, when the side panel is close u can't hear it, also come with a fan control so u can reduce the speed to make it even more quiet

my display card is a Matrox G550, i replace the heatsink with a Zalman north-bridge sink, also no fan needed, this sink is adjustable so it can fit on the display card

now i can sleep beside the PC while it runs overnight as for the HDD, i hav a WD 7200rpm 40GB, i don't hear anything from it, except when its spinning up or spin-down when i shutdown, i also hav a HDD fan on the drive, but mod it to run on 7 volts instead of 12v so it also makes no sound

Have you tried reading IBM or INTEL spec?

not sure if the Intel & IBM specs can help, cause u will still need to know how to program a micro-processor, build a PCB for it with the controls and maybe hav a small LCD display thrown in.

i seen those DIY mp3 players on the web, but there is a lot of details in there that i don't understand...anyone try building one before?

or do they come in a kit from? i know u need a decoder chip for those mp3 players, in my case i think i can bypass that and just use the CDROM controls alone, sounds simple at first but now...

i hav a new problem now... i just change the CDrom output cable, used a low-lost higher quality stereo cable from SLS rather then the PC audio cable to link up to the headphone amp, cause i was hearing a little distortion from the setup, but the better cable made it "worst"

i no longer hear the distortion but the new cable is picking up the drive noise

i can hear the disc spinning when the music in not playing, when i press the stop button , i can hear the spin down sound in the headphone also during eject, i can hear the gears moving lol, wonder if a DAC setup like what Mackie said will make a difference...

no problem Kenshinz

but i'm going to need help

most of the things i need don't come off the shelf except for the drive and PSU

yep, once everything come together i will build a new case for it, with the PUS on one side and the drive & everything else on another.

this current unit was build for my mom who use it in the kitchen when she cooks , then i bought her a mini combo player

so thought i try something else with it

i thought it would be more fun if i build it myself and not take the easy way out lol

i do hav that creative cdrom u talk abt kenshinz,

but that too easy, what i wanted was something that can be kind of module form, so if the drive dies i can just change it with another cheap one. the new drives now only abt $30, and i also hav some extra parts laying around like the PSU from the ATX casings after i upgrade

one more thing i'm looking into is that most if not all the new drive also hav Digital out, its the connector with only 2 pins, this means if i can get a D/A convertor then the actual quality of the drive inself will not matter

yes, i saw it too i also know the boss of the shop

but that power supply breaks down easily i think due to its size, its ment for a micro atx case

my problem is not the PSU but the controls of the CD-ROM drive, i think u need some kind of micro-processor to sent commands into the IDE port to control it

i hav some info for this from the web, all of it is from ppl building stand-alone MP3 players

looks like very "chim" stuff

u think Audio Technica will let me use their "special" lacquer from japan if ask them nicely ?

i think power supply will cause interference cause its ment for a PC, but i may be able to build a sheild for it

here are some pics of the setup

the amp is a Rolls HA204, this is ment for daily use, not really high-end stuff, i'm also thinking of putting the amp into the case since there is enough room in there, anyone got ideas

but first i hav to figure out how to control the player, now i just use the play & stop buttons infront, but i think these can be controlled from the IDE port of the drive

hi guys

got a new challenge for u here

i hav a CD-Rom connected to a headphone amp using its line out, but i want to hav the play - stop - next track - previous track funtion, without using the PC

i already hav the case ready with the Rom install, together with its own ATX power supply, i also hav a small PCB board in there that taps the 12v from ATX to power the amp, the voltage can be adjusted for different amps, from 3 - 12 v

how u control the volume from the RCA side?

won't it be too lough

is it made in germany?

yes mackie i think only the Tascam CD166 is rack mount in this price range, Denon & Marantz pro series price is way too high for me

any coments on the CD166?

but i still prefer the clean design of NAD, simple layout

was going to but decided against it after seeing the specs, rated 20 - 24,000 hz , it also looks big for an earphone

bought the ATH-FC7 instead, cheaper with 10 - 25,000hz, bass is good, very forward, good for outdoor use, a little dark at first but sounds better now after about 6 hrs of use

the ATH-CM5 look very "long" not sure if that is going to be easy to wear

ok

i never tried a marantz before...

also looking at the Tascam models, the lowest being CD166 its rack-mount ready so i can put it together with my other studio gear in a 19" rack (more gear looks cool too) but i don't a rack yet

both hav optical out?

hi guys

i'm looking for a new CD player priced around s$300 - $350

i think the C521BEE is a little over this, so wondering is it worth paying that little extra or can i get somthing as good or better for my budget?

i think there is another model just below this, but can't remember the model no.

yes

Douglas Hung does allow u test the headphones

but i think we also hav to be resonable, would u want to buy a pair of Earphones that hav been in someone else's ear before? also some of the packings cannot be opened, so i think those also can't be tested unless they hav a samle pair, anyway if its a earphone & a sample/testing pair that has been in many ears i don't think i want to test it in my

so far Douglas hav let me test all the headphones i buy from him, including the W1000, most of the Senn hav testing samples on display & Beyer also

Klotz for me too

setup :

Sony D-EJ915 PCDP

Behringer UB 802 mixer

Creek OBH 11se

Neutrik plugs & Jacks all round

Neutrik Pro-fi Rca for the Creek input

100% Klotz cables

Audio Technica ATH-W1000 & ATH-40Dfs

other gear :

Mio mp3 player

Rolls HA204 heahphone amp

HD 570 , HD 490

Beyer DT331

Audio Technica ATH-FC7

Koss Plug w/ ety sponge

Behringer HPS3000 monitor phones (all Bass but not much details)

thanks blues

what abt the A9 series? without the X?

found this model on the Japanese Audio Technica site ATH-A9X there is also a A5 to A9

anyone knows whats the difference? with & without the "X"

then there is another series - A500 to A900

looks like there is only a color difference, or maybe its ment for different countries?

comments anyone?

http://www.audio-technica.co.jp/products/h...hp/ath-a9x.html

below is page with a list of A-T model in japan most of them never seen before

http://www.audio-technica.co.jp/products/h...roducts-hp.html

yep i agree the W1000 does look good too...cus i own one

it sounds sweet too, very deep and warm bass, very controlled

the A100ti is a referance headphone for studio monitoring, so i think its will be very "tight" and acurate, i also hav the D40fs studiophone, the 100 ti should sound quite similar...anyone tried before?

lov the D40fs sound but it gets hot round the ears, can't wear it for more than an hour, will start to sweet

the 100ti should be more comfortable like the W1000

i work in SLS above Hung Bros & know one of the "hung bros" see him everyday, he told me that Audio Techinca Singapore can still bring in ATH-A100Ti if he can commit on the quantity, so the news should be quite true.

anyway i hav already "booked" 1 for myself if they do get the A100ti

heard from Hung Bros that they may bring it in, but need to comit a quantity of 10 pcs...

i think the A100Ti is limited & also the color is different from the 1000, remember it has a blue shell while the 1000 is a normal grey

anyone knows who sells these cans? are they also in the limited series from audio technica?