Setting the stage: A finite supply of NOS tubes Tube amps can be wonderful and are often beloved in the audiophile community, but they face a supply problem. While many enthusiast threads here on Head-Fi will say the artisanship of constructing valve or vacuum tubes peaked in the 1970’s, they were already facing stiff competition from transistors, and many of the classic companies like Mullard, Amperex, Siemens, Telefunken, RCA, and GE ceased production of audio tubes themselves or even went out of business. The reality is the audiophile consumer...

Why? Lets start with a food analogy. A dish like Fried Rice or American pizza is a lot like a Harmon curve tuned headphone: they are almost always welcome meals in any season, and they can accommodate most ingredients (music) you happen to have in the fridge and still taste good. A more unique flavor is a bigger risk, but at the right time they can really hit the spot: a summer pistachio ice cream, pumpkin spice latte in the fall, pork chops with a drizzle of bitter dark chocolate sauce and mint leaf garnish, or a pair of Apos Caspian headphones with...

Sound Blaster X G5 The Gaming device with everything* we asked for A Little Context The G5 is part of Creative's "Blaster X" gamer focused line, cued after the name of the X7. I loved the Sound Blaster X7 (reviewed here) and the more music-focused Sound Blaster E5 (also reviewed here). The X7 is my most–used piece of audio gear right now, but the $400 X7 is Creative's top of the line setup, and a lower-cost, upgraded replacement for the discontinued Recon3D USB (reviewed here) was still missing. For me, the Recon3D USB represented a headphone to...

How far can mods take a headphone's performance? That's the key question when looking at headphones like ZMF Headphone's Vibro Mark II; but instead of answering the question, the Vibro has opened the door of awareness to whole new possibilities! Yes, ZMF has objectively improved the technical performance from the original, subjectively changed the flavor to amazing tonal richness, and re-forged the set to make a strong new impression. Sound Signature I invited a music enthusiast friend over, let's call him "Tin Ears" to protect his freedom to...

One device to hook up your headphones to... Basically anything. In the 1980's, there was a Man. So manly was this Man, he could fix or fashion any tool from materials on hand, his name became a verb for finding unusual uses for paper clips, chewing gum, and battery acid, and earned a capital M in Man from me for being so clever and self-reliant. A combination of handyman and Sherlock. Most of you already know, I'm thinking about MacGyver. Now, Creative Labs have cooked up a pretty clever little portable product in the Sound Blaster E5 that is...

Before we start, I have to admit to a bias; the description of a Libra fits me pretty well. I love balance and an even-handed approach to everything. A little bit more about the libra personality: we are diplomatic, hospitable, peace-loving, and idealistic. We're also sometimes vain! Acoustically, I love many different kinds of sounds, I also play a lot of videogames, and I tend to have long listening marathons. Fortunately, the Oppo PM-2 is the Libra headphone! Sound Signature Balance. That's what the PM-2 is all about. I don't detect major...

Creative's Sound Blaster E1 If you want to cover your bases with a do-all headphone accessory, the E1 is a good start. Affordable, well featured, inexpensive, the E1 is Creative's entry-level portable DSP, DAC, and amp all-in-one. Forgive the "classic" analogy, but this piece of equipment is very much like a Swiss Army knife... Each tool may not be the very best for every task, but it's small enough to always have around and very handy in many areas. The E1 is built compact and thoughtfully, just like a Swiss Army Knife (SAK). Like a SAK's...

Creative Lab's Sound Blaster X7 As gamers, it's part of our hobby to seek "the next level". We're always looking for new adventures, new ideas, new graphics, and new ways to push the competitive edge. In the past few years, there has been a growing awareness (or for the hardcore, a resurgence) of how virtual surround combined with great headphones provides an ideal gaming experience: private, immersive, no speaker placement issues, and high value. Creative Lab's new Sound Blaster X7 is the result of a growing consumer awareness of these benefits...

  Here's my long-delayed E12 review on an early pre-order model. I waited to get a good feel with many songs before posting this, and a good feel for how the amp affects the sound presentation. I tested it with my standard playlist to get a reference point of view, but you'll see references to other songs sprinkled throughout the review that I think are relevant for illustration purposes. This is mostly a subjective review because I have few tools but my own ears, but I hope I provide enough data for others to make their own conclusions. I tested...

Previously, I owned FiiO's L1, their cheapest LOD. It worked very well, and was perfect for plugging into an external amp. My iPod's headphone jack has shorting and distortion problems, this gave me a secondary output AND bypasses the somewhat bright internal amp of the iPod. I would plug the LOD into a FiiO E5, and that into a cassette adapter for my car stereo. The signal became much stronger, sound quality is clearer than and more articulate than before... It sounded like I replaced the speaker drivers, and better than the FM radio...

Recon3D (USB sound processor) findings A little intro may help, as this first-impression review is adapted from a thread discussion. Creative's relatively new Recon3D Surround Sound Processor is a USB sound card that's main function is to turn 5.1, 7.1, or PC 3D surround gaming audio into virtual surround for headphones/headsets and near-field PC speakers. It features adjustable "THX TruStudio Pro Surround" processing to replace Creative's precious CMSS-3D, Dolby Digital decoding, a "Scout Mode" to boost tactical sounds amongst the other sound...

I have an impression of this headphone made in a blog somewhere on this site, but I will update this review here at some point with my impressions and opinions. Basically, I've owned this headphone for over 2 years, and it has aged pretty well. Out of all the headphones I've had the time to listen to at leisure, these have been my favorite. The grille is a royal purple, though not as dark to be definitely masculine I would say it is gender neutral and definitely attractive, but perhaps weird to see on a headphone. The silvery-champagne part...