That review was from 2010. I have recently had a chance to listen to the Schiit Vidar, a Class A/B amp 100W @ 8 ohm. Going price 699 USD, It's not bad at all, and can drive pretty much anything in the realm of bookshelf speakers.

If you are using purely class D amplification then yes, Klipsch speakers can sound harsh at high volume - but that is largely an inherent issue with class D amplifiers. I have found [ I own a pair of Klipsch RP160Ms] tube amps and class A amps and A/B amplifiers sound great with them even at...

I use Winamp V5.5 - some prefer v2.95 because of the lower footprint. Foobar is a good choice. I use winamp because it supports Internet radio streaming right out of the box...er, usb drive..whatever.

I have been listening to the Oriveti New primacy Hybird IEMs - I got them on sale. They pair very well with the X7, soundstage is a bit narrower than what i'm used to with my Klipsch speakers and bass can get a bit boomy with SBX on*. Vocals are generally oustanding. The only thing lacking with...

I was rifling through my PC parts cupboard - sorting out parts I have held on to over many upgrades in the hopes I will use them again... and I came across this circa 2009 Azuntech soundcard that I had given to me, happened to have these on it The NE5532P dual op-amp, Considering the...

Has anyone ever actually pulled an X7 apart? - i'm curious about exactly how they have set up cooling for the components. Here in OZ temps of over 40 degrees are not uncommon during the summer months. I recall reading somewhere that the X7 is passively cooled, I hope they didn't just slap a few...

Funny, I use 15%.

This should work fine. Correct, however most subwoofers are actively powered and shouldn't need anything more than a pre-amp for the signal.

Here is mine - my speakers are presently sitting on bar stools as I'm working on making my owns stands for them. All the bought speakers stands are either horrible or hideously expensive. The ones i'm working on should match my solid Jarrah desk.

Interesting, however I prefer my sound un-coloured by unnecessary resonance. When I play loud passages on the flute [circa 110dB] I can make crystal glassware resonate, it is incredibly annoying.

The X7 itself cannot directly power more than two speakers, I'd suggest getting a 5 channel external power amp, Like the Emotiva A-500 - and use the X7 as a pre-amp.

Funny thing is studio recordings are made in environments that are intentionally acoustically damped as possible. I'm a musician, very few concert halls I have performed in have solid wood floors, and those halls sound very different when empty Vs when they are full of people. I can't stand the...

The problem with this is the EVE community is pretty toxic, and would in all probability discourage newcomers to the genre.

I wasn't impressed by Kef's sub 2K 2 way speakers either - having a tweeter in a coaxial arrangement like that looks like a bad idea, you would have major issues with diffraction especially with the woofer fapping about. If you have a subwoofer they would be passable at high volumes with a...

I used to have a Logitech G9X - I found that mouse to feel too flat for a palm grip...plus the original shell had a nasty habit of collecting gunk from your hands. The smooth mouse shell changed the shape in a way that made it unpleasant to use, plus the smooth shell had absolutely no grip to it...

I recently bought a second R.A.T 7 because the one I had been using was still operational - but looked a bit worse for wear after 6 years of (ab)use. I was interesting to note the new one has some minor cosmetic changes from the original design. And it also appears the company that makes these...

I recently got a Neat Bumblebee USB mic: The build quality of this mic is unreal. In a word: solid. It uses a single 24mm cardioid mic capsule. The mic boom allows for the mic to be placed in such a way the sound from my mechanical keyboard is minimized. It also has a spiffy 96khz recording...

I'm not in the habit of leaving things like PCs running continuously, I turn off my X7 when I'm done with it. But I have mine set up in a set it and forget it manner. I'm sorry to hear of your woes with the X7 - there is a ghost in the machine and it likes to scream. Changing the positioning/...

If ground loops are likely to be an issue optical is the best way to go, however jitter can be problematic.

I have been considering expending my audio set up to a full 5.2* setup for HT - to accomplish this, I intend to use the creative X7 FR/FL, RR/RL and C/sub 3.5mm jacks, some 3.5mm to RCA splitters get an Emotiva A-800 multi zone power amp [each channel has its own discrete unbalanced L/R RCA...

You might have a ground loop on your hands. i'm using an internal creative X-FI Titanium soundcard connected to my X7 over optical - this completely sidesteps the ground loop issue. Sound quality is excellent. Though curiously I have heard reports that the frequency response over optical is...

If properly designed, a first order crossover on low powered speakers isn't inherently a bad thing - but it is a cheap wuss out move no matter how you slice it. Yes the RP-160M's need a fair amount of breathing room - i'm fortunate to be able to supply that. To be completely honest, the RP160s...

JBL LSR 305 are very popular powered monitors, however being cheap means there is a lot of plastic used in the construction of their cabinets and visually, the cabinets are butt ugly. But they are said to be good sounding and affordable for what they are. Average price here in Australia is circa...

I did a bit of reading on the Dynaudio M10's and I nearly spat out my coffee when I read this line..."mated to a 1st order crossover utilizing high-quality components." At that price point these speakers sell for, they could at least go for a second order crossover [-6dB per-octave slope]...

No single driver provides uniformly flat response over the entire 10hz~20khz frequency range, though due to rigidity and low moving mass metal drivers in some headphones and IEMs come very close to accomplishing this. The reasons for metal being used in them may well have more to do with the...