I have always taken issue with the name: these aren't large diaphragm cans. I consider 40mm diameter drivers to be average. 50mm would be large. 30mm would be small. But that's just my opinion.   This was my 3rd set of cans after re-entering the hobby last spring. They followed my ATH M40fs, and my Beyerdynamic DT 770/250 ohm cans. They initially sounded kind of clinical, but have greatly improved over time. Yes, for the record, I do believe in mechanical break-in of headphones (I refuse to call it "burn-in", because it isn't).   I realized...

In the world of Budget-Fi audio, there is a relatively small set of amplifiers that can be purchased for under $100 USD, and an even smaller set of amplifiers in that price range that are hybrid tube amps. The Bravo V2 is one of those amps. It can be purchase on auction from eBay for about $50-55 (depending on how many people are bidding), or at a fixed price of $69 from either Amazon.com or eBay (the seller/manufacturer on eBay ships from China and charges $16 for shipping that takes about 2 weeks to the US).   By many accounts, this device was...

I wanted to bypass the internal iPod DAC to get some better sound quality and plumb the output into a better amplifier. The Pure i-20 allows you to do this, but that comes with some drawbacks: this is by far the cheapest iPod DAC on the market, and it sounds like it's the cheapest. The sound quality that comes out of this DAC is bright by any standard, on the verge of harsh. I find that I can't turn the volume up on my amplifier very far before the sound produced from the DAC output on this device becomes so bad, that I have to take my headphones off...

Somehow, the Ballad of Jed Clampett comes to mind, as I start to write this. You know, the Beverly Hillbillies. He was living his life, struck gold, and everything changed. That's kind of what happened here. Except I didn't strike gold or become rich. Yeah, the metaphor doesn't exactly work. But it was all I could think of on short notice.   Back in 2008 I started working on a project, where I had to spend time in noisy labs. One day I decided to get some headphones and an iPod, to cut some of the noise. I found a pair of these at Target. They...

(Review edited 6/6/13 to add comparison to Sony MDR 7506, additions in bold text).   Disclaimer: My only other good cans to compare these to are Beyerdynamics DT770 (250) and Sony MDR 7506's. I fully realize this review will be biased because of that. So please keep that in mind. This review is my purely subjective opinion.   I bought these because of the nearly 400 gushing reviews on Amazon. Also, because they were cheap. I use them at work, and leave them on my desk when I go home. If someone walks off with them, I won't be heartbroken...