The site overhaul is not complete, so the Directory database hasn't been refreshed yet. I am working on converting the Library over to the new application and on other site features.

Posted by cmoy on 09-28-2008 03:25 PM. Comments (0)

Elekit Japan announces the TU-882R tube headphone amplifier kit. The circuit consists of two 5670W triodes in a single-ended class A topology, each coupled to an output transformer with taps for low, medium and high impedance headphones. The TU-882R can drive headphones of 4 to 1000 ohms. There are 3 sets of stereo inputs, selectable from a front-panel switch. All parts are included. The builder must supply a soldering iron, allen wrench, pliers, wire cutter and scissors. Estimated build time is 5-6 hours. The limited edition of 300 kits will be available Feb. 2009. Several online retailers in the US and Japan are taking pre-orders.

Specs: 200mW @ 6 ohms, 32 ohms, 600 ohms.
Price: $360 US.

Posted by cmoy on 01-01-2009 08:20 PM. Comments (0)

The ASUS Xonar Essence STX is a 7.1-channel, 24-bit/192kHz PCI sound card, which contains an audiophile quality headphone amplifier capable of driving any headphone up to 600 ohms impedance and a Dolby Headphone processor for 5.1 sound in stereo headphones.

With the analog output distortion numbers of under 0.001%, the STX features on-board opamp sockets, so users can swap opamps to fine tune the card's analog performance. The STX is built with carefully-selected components, such as Nichicon "Fine Gold" capacitors and the Texas Instruments PCM1792A DAC chip, and is isolated from PC electrical noise with ASUS’ exclusive Hyper-grounding and EMI Shield design. It can deliver a 124dB SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio), which ASUS says is 64 times clearer than typical on-board audio solutions of 85–88 SNR.

Other on-board home theater technologies include Dolby Digital Live and Pro-Logic II decoders and Dolby Virtual Speaker. On-board gaming technologies include a DirectSound3D GX 2.5 gaming engine, Smart Volume Normalizer and Magic Voice for vocal effects. The I/O interface provides an array of analog ports and a digital S/PDIF Coax/TOS combo port.

MSRP: $200 US.

Posted by cmoy on 12-30-2008 09:15 PM. Comments (0)

The Micro Amp is at the bottom in the picture above. Price is $299 and HeadRoom is offering a $10 savings on any FedEx shipping option until Dec. 19 (enter coupon code "CHEAPSHIP").

Posted by cmoy on 12-12-2008 12:53 PM. Comments (0)

High end audio has never favored the "Black Friday" sale, which is the marketing tool of chain retailers to spark the holiday buying frenzy after Thanksgiving. The products in such sales are either low in quantity or low in quality and the sale prices expire before the weekend is over. However rare, high-end Black Friday sales are fantastic opportunities to get luxury audio goods cheaper.

Here is a short list of high end Black Friday headphone deals that I found:

Amazon.com have had some very nice headphone discounts over the last month, and there are great deals still available, such as the Etymotic ER6i for $50, Sennheiser HD280 for $80, JBUDS J2 earphones for $25 (almost 70% off) and Shure e2C earphones for $60. No expiration dates shown. Prices fluctuate until quantities are gone or sale is over.

The Apple Store has the Beats by Dr Dre headphones for $298 and the V-MODA Vibe Duo for $78. Also very good pricing on several Sennheiser Sport II models. Offer good through 11/28.

AudioCubes.com will ship worldwide for FREE. Offer expires 11/28. If you've been eyeing that hard-to-find, almost-never-discounted Japanese headphone, now might be a good time to buy. Check out their Sales page for other discounts.

Head-Direct's....

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Posted by cmoy on 11-28-2008 04:45 AM. Comments (0)

I've been watching this product on Amazon.com for a few days. Amazon has dropped the price several times and now it's down to $91 with FREE Super Saver shipping. That's almost 60% off the list price. If you've been waiting for a good price on these well-regarded noise cancellation headphones, this might be the time to buy. The price might go down again, but then again, it might go back up.

More details here.

Posted by cmoy on 11-08-2008 12:09 AM. Comments (3)

The I2c is compatible with the Apple iPhone, Blackberry Curve and Motorola Razr V3i. Like other mobile earphones, it has an inline mic, but one caveat: it doesn't have an answer button. Calls must be answered through the phone itself. MSRP is $120 and Shure's online store has it promo priced at $79. The Amazon price is 50% less than Shure's promo deal! More details here.

Posted by cmoy on 11-03-2008 11:14 PM. Comments (0)

The sale is for the 250-ohm version of the DT770, which many audiophiles consider superior to the 80-ohm version. Free Super Saver shipping applies. MSRP is over $300 US. More details here.

Posted by cmoy on 10-29-2008 04:09 AM. Comments (1)

Sony's XB series headphones and earphones are tuned to strengthen the bass response. Shown above are the MDR-XB700 headphones and the MDR-XB40EX earphones. Rounding out the line are the MDR-XB500, MDR-XB300 and MDR-XB20EX. They are all closed-back or in-canal types, and all have low end responses rated from between 3Hz and 5Hz. The full-size XB700 features 50mm transducers and sports large, thick, comfy cushions. The XB40EX has 13.5mm transducers which are vertically mounted and comes with 3 sizes of silicone cushions and a carry pouch.

The MDR-EX500SL (shown) and EX300SL will join the EX700SL in Sony's N.U.D.E. EX Monitor line. Both models have vertically-mounted 13.5mm transducers (with multi-layer diaphragms) for a frequency response down to 5Hz. They come with 3 sizes of "hybrid" silicone cushions, an extension cord and carry case. The EX500 is available in black/silver and white/silver and the EX300 in black, white, red and blue.

Sony's lower end N.U.D.E. EX line is also being refreshing with the models MDR-EX33LP, MDR-EX33SP, MDR-EX35SP/LP (shown) and MDR-EX36VF (shown). They all feature 9mm transducers. The EX33 and EX35 series are available in gold, black, red, white, pink and blue. The MDR-EX36VF is available in black or white and can function as a mobile earphone. The cord contains an inline volume control, and Sony has included an adapter for a Sony Ericsson mobile phone. All....

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Posted by cmoy on 10-27-2008 04:40 PM. Comments (0)

Woo Audio's WA6-SE (Special Edition) is an "affordable ultra high-end" all-tube headphone amplifier and an upgrade of their model WA6, still in production. In comparison with the WA6 chassis, immediately noticeable are the separate power supply chassis and the output transformer boxes on top of the amp chassis. The WA6-SE employs one 6DE7 dual triode tube per channel. One half of the tube is configured as a driver and the other half as a power output. Both triodes operate in class A and the output stage is transformer-coupled. Unlike the WA6, the WA6-SE direct-couples the driver and output stages, so there is no interstage capacitor. The WA6-SE's 5AR4-rectified power supply adds an inductor for improved filtering over the WA6.

All internal wiring is point-to-point. The WA6-SE features high quality components such as the ALPS volume control, mil-spec resistors, gold-plated jacks and an aluminum die-cast chassis. The toroidal power transformer and the two output transformers are custom-wound for this model. There are two 6.3mm headphone jacks on the front panel: one for high impedance headphones and one for low impedance headphones. Two sets of RCA analog inputs and the input selector switch are located on the rear panel. Parts upgrades available to premium capacitors, resistors, DACT-CT2 stepped attenuator and a Sophia Electric 274B rectifier tube.

Specs: rated for loads 8 - 600 ohms, 1W max.
Price: $1050 US.

Posted by cmoy on 10-02-2008 02:33 PM. Comments (0)

For laptops, notebooks and other portable computers with an ExpressCard slot, Creative's SB0950 is their first notebook sound card with the ability to stream wirelessly 2-channel audio to a Creative Wi-Fi receiver (shown in the inset, not included with purchase) for driving up to 4 sets of speakers. A yellow LED on the card's output module monitors the wireless connection status. The SB0950's X-treme Fidelity technology features X-Fi Crystalizer to improve the sound quality of compressed music files, DVD movies and games and X-Fi CMSS-3D, which can simulate up to 9 virtual speakers inside stereo headphones or speakers for a high resolution surround experience with music tracks, DVD soundtracks and gaming audio (supports positional gaming audio with EAX Advanced HD effects). The internal DAC operates at 24-bit/48kHz in record and playback. On the card edge are two mini jacks for headphone/line out and a line/microphone input.

Comes with earphones and integrated mic and free Cyberlink PowerDVD download.

Specs: 100-ft range.
Requires: Windows XP, Vista on 1.66MHz Pentium CPU and ExpressCard 34/54 slot.
Price: $90 US.

Posted by cmoy on 09-29-2008 09:15 PM. Comments (0)