a sock!

i'd always wanted to get some protection for the little ipod.............

but those cases and skins sold at ipod stores are horrendously expensive..... not way! no way am i going to pay those prices for a piece of condom for the ipod..... 

at the other end of the scale, one can get plastic skins or cases from pasar malam (night market in the malay language)..... hehe of cos there's no running away from the cheapo feeling....

now today here's a gift from a regular and trusted dealer........... it's not alot of money but it's the thought that counts..... 

thanks.... and i've got 2!..... in blue and green..............

a real bargain....... TDK

i've been forgetful ..... again i missed the deadline for my credit card bill payment haha...... anyway i have done a part payment over axs and also deposited the cheque ....

now hope they can overlook this hee...... well it's only a couple of days right?

after my AT headphones had overwhelmingly trumped and whacked the ipod earphones, i was itching to try out other possibilities...... a grado sr60 is an obvious candidate but it's S$120........ not very expensive but knowing that i would use it only occasionally, i overcame the temptation to spend the cash.....

by chance a hope came from sony, always the popular choice for earphones i guess.... it was actually from a sony walkman phone, which explained why the cord is soooooo short........

without an extension cord, there is no way i can bring this out..... haha i practically had to hold the ipod as close as possible to my face to use the sony in-ear phones.....



build quality is top notch and comfort is also very good....... the moment the music flowed through the phones, i know this is a gem.......... details are aplenty but never harsh or bright........while bass is deep and rich ....... it made listening a joy .....

i think bass is truly a strength of in-ear phones...... once you are used to this aspect of their performance, open-bud earphones are just soooooooo ordinary.....

therefore the solution is straightforward: buy an extension cord .......



and i made my way to parkway........ and found a few choices for extension cords and earphones:

audio technica 1.0 m extension cord $9.50
daiyo 1.2 m extension cord $7.20
panasonic in-ear phones $29
philips in-ear phones $49 (includes extension cord)
audio technica in-ear phones $35

hmmmmm........ so an extension cord is close to 1/3 of the price of an entry level earphone........ but if i buy the philips i get a free extension cord, which mean i could use the sony phones whenever i want........ i found it fun to challenge myself to compromise at not more than $40........ so which should i pick?

hmmmmm, something in me told me not to rush........ and so i detoured to cd-rama to shop ...... it was there i found the most incredible bargain.........

it is the cheapest in-ear phone i can find!!... and i thought the panasonic was the cheapest..... this is from one forgotten brand TDK at only S12.90!!! what's more it came with a free extension cord!!!!

this is ridiculous value.......... quite unbelievable........ *shake head*





and IT IS F****** RIDICULOUS when i realised how good they are............ first impressions tell me they are at least as good as the sonys......... possibly better if given more time....... right now i am listening and smiling to myself so it's so darn cheap.............

anyone who's interested to buy a earphone pls look this up at popular cd-rama............ u wont be disappointed at S$12.90......... it may even embarrass your expensive earphones.........

to make the trip more fruitful i also picked this up....

phone da head

out of curiosity, i began to check out some headphones in the "affordable" category.......not too expensive of cos .......... always remember performance is key and price secondary ....... and dun ever ever forget about COMFORT........

i had a sennheiser HD series headphone but it fell apart after being neglected ............ the ear cushions disintegrated over the years.......... riders with neglected helmets will understand what i am trying to say............ foam became bits and pieces.. haha

so when u wanna buy headphones, do take note of the ear cushions:

are they easily replaceable? does the agent stock spare parts?
is the material durable and comfortable......??

the best sounding headphones is of no use if it's hurting you all the time.... so do you think the headphones in the pic are comfy to use?



grado is a famous name for headphones and phono cartridges.............. a fren of mine owns the SR60............ and he was mightily impressed with it so i bet the SR125 in the pic will be even better......

while it costs US$150, i would like to check out the local pricing ....... anyone knows?

urgh....

after listening to the audio techinca headphones, i switched to the supplied earphones.......

URGH..! terrible.........!! way too harsh........! the treble and midrange were like...... sandpaper.....!

and i dun understand why the apple store is selling this for S$55??????? for this crap???

furthermore the AT headphones were cheaper than S$55.........

size does matters haha.......

bring it out..!

to test how good the nano is, i brought out a bigger headphone for use....... a audio technica i bought quite some time ago........

it sure is bigger than the apple earphones but it was actually very affordable........

makes me cringed when i see the prices bose and some others are asking for their headphones.....



with a bigger driver, the AT has much better bass............. tonally the balance is more laidback than the supplied pieces......



ok i wont be writing much cos after adding more songs to the nano, i am busy listening......

cheers

a mini giant?

for such a small device, the nano sounded pretty great............. bass is punchy and dynamic ......and of cos earphones are always the champion when it comes to high frequency resolution............ indeed it is a wonderful audiophile machine for use on the road....... and even at home if you build a system around it

my usual way of listening to music is through the stereo system in THE room so pls pardon me if i seemed to be an ipod idiot haha.......... and there's always the stereo in the car so there isnt a need for a portable music player at all...........

this free ipod nano has somehow kindled an interest in computer-based music systems......... i might be tempted to buy the wadia itransport after all...... sigh and i thought i am supposed to be on a money-saving mode....... cos if i buy the wadia, i cant resist buying a outboard power supply too

hmmm i think i will just keep it as a drawer plan.......... to be taken out when i am ready...... after all, this is only a nano not a ipod classic.........

now, does any ipod user not buy any accessory at all? i dun think so................ cos accessories are a lucrative spin-off industry altogether..... although the supplied earphones are more than ok, ppl will always look out for better ones.......