Forum browsing and search have been reactivated. Forum posting and editing and blog functionality are still offline, but I anticipate restoring them soon.

Posted by cmoy on 08-11-2009 01:51 PM. Edited on 08-13-2009 06:22 PM.

No updates because I'm moving and have been putting all my energy into packing boxes. The whole process should take a few weeks until I have unpacked and set up house again.

Posted by cmoy on 05-25-2009 06:02 PM.

Several people have contacted me about making the system more resistant to SPAM. I'll keep the forums and blogs offline while I investigate ways to do this. However, I will be updating the homepage with announcements and news, and the Library will remain online. In fact, I may add new articles to the Library and provide a rudimentary comments application for articles. Until the return of the HeadWize forums, please visit the fabulous forums at HeadFi and other headphone sites on the net.

Posted by cmoy on 04-26-2009 11:42 AM.

I'm having trouble with the database backup program and will not restore the applications until the backup is operational. In the meantime, please peruse the April headphone deals I posted below.

Posted by cmoy on 04-25-2009 12:11 PM.

The database has been upgraded to the latest version of mySQL. I resisted doing this earlier because mySQL has changed some of the datatypes, and the code pages must be revised to handle these differences. The blog portion of the site should be online in a few days. The forums will take a little more time to repair.

Posted by cmoy on 04-07-2009 12:51 AM.

The server is being subjected to an ongoing, automated attack that alters the contents of the databases, so I've shut down all applications for the time being. I'm trying to find a way to block the attack.

Posted by cmoy on 03-25-2009 12:51 AM.

Get these closed headphones from AKG's "High Definition" line for 50% off at J&R. Offer is valid through Sunday June 21, 2009.

Posted by cmoy on 06-20-2009 10:33 AM.

While the server is being repaired, here are a couple of headphone deals to whet your appetite. JR.com has the Klipsch Custom-2 in-canal earphones on sale for $70 (65% discount) through April 30, 2009. That price is about $8 less than on Amazon.com, although Amazon does offer free shipping. Three great deals at Amazon.com: the Ultrasone iCans-Okta for $60 (65% discount), Sennheiser HD555 headphones for $90 (47% discount) and Creative Aurvana X-Fi noise cancellation headphones for $150 (50% discount) - all with free supersaver shipping. Over at Sears.com, the JBL Reference 610 Bluetooth headphones are going for $70 (65% discount). All prices are in USD.

Posted by cmoy on 04-25-2009 12:11 PM.

If you've been looking for a set of wireless surround headphones, check out the DS6000 from Sony. MSRP is $300, and J&R has it on sale for $180. This is $10 cheaper than the price at Amazon. It's got built-in Dolby and DTS decoders, digital transmitter and a 5.1 surround virtualizer for the headphones. Sale price is good through Sunday March 1, 2009.

Posted by cmoy on 02-27-2009 11:12 AM.

Sennheiser's hand-made HD800 is the new leader in their high-end line. Introduced at the CES 2009, the HD800 features a novel 56mm ring-shaped transducer (attached to a 40mm aluminum coil held in a 42mm precision magnet), which is less prone to the uncontrolled high frequency oscillations that distort sound in conventional transducers. Each transducer has a frequency response of 6Hz to 51kHz and is positioned at a 45 degree angle in the enclosure to generate an impression of spatial hearing when worn. High tech materials and thoughtful engineering can be found in all components of the HD800. The open-back enclosures are formed from Leona, a plastic with the hardness of titanium, and protected with a stainless steel mesh. Single-sided mounting brackets shift the weight distribution towards the back of the head for greater comfort, and the headband itself is a sandwich of several layers of vibration dampening plastic around a metal strip. For a touch of luxury, the earpads are upholstered with Alcantera, a type of ultra-suede. Available March 2009.

Specs: 300 ohms, 102dB/Vrms.
Price: $1400 US.

Posted by cmoy on 02-26-2009 06:20 PM.

New prices are approximately 15% less than the original MSRP:

HeadRoom Micro Amp... was $399 Now $333

HeadRoom Micro DAC... was $399 Now $333

HeadRoom Ultra Micro Amp... was $699 Now $599

HeadRoom Ultra Micro DAC... was $699 Now $599

Posted by cmoy on 02-25-2009 02:29 PM.

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.

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.

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.

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....

Read more...

Posted by cmoy on 11-28-2008 04:45 AM.

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.

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.