Help me buy things- win up to 100$!

[Scansion]

chopsticks- I have never owned a razer mouse but have heard about them. How are they quality-wise vs. Logitech mice? The simplicity is certainly nice but since I will be doing more than just gaming, would going with a Logitech be smarter?

Strictly- Apple Lossless and CD's? FLAC encoding is not supported by iTunes, correct? And for higher quality CD's, where's the best place to look? Interesting tidbit on 90's CD's being of higher quality.

I've got an iPod nano 8gb and an iPod Touch 16gb. I've heard great things about those Sennheiser's. I'm mostly into classic rock music, with a bit of hip-hop and rap. And thanks for the forum link.

Arp220- Upping the bitrate to 320kbps- what are you using to do this, apple lossless? Also, I'm evenly split in desiring surround-sound and audiophile quality in terms of my speakers, FWIW.

Ajahn- You're saying the difference between the two is very minimal, correct? My setup is by no means world-class, as this price jump is not within my budget. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] Recommendations for a good DAC and AMP?

pbx- I realize cordless mouses are pretty much out of the question for gaming but I didn't realize there was this much of a difference, thank you for clearing this up. Thanks for the linky, saw it last week and it's a great review of the top gaming mice.

[pbx]

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pbx- I realize cordless mouses are pretty much out of the question for gaming but I didn't realize there was this much of a difference, thank you for clearing this up. Thanks for the linky, saw it last week and it's a great review of the top gaming mice.

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np, now if you are going to play ut3 when it comes out on your rig then we should do a couple 1v1's (LOLOLOL GAMING HU FOR ROLLZ) for a few hundos or smth. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Scansion]

[ QUOTE ]
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pbx- I realize cordless mouses are pretty much out of the question for gaming but I didn't realize there was this much of a difference, thank you for clearing this up. Thanks for the linky, saw it last week and it's a great review of the top gaming mice.

[/ QUOTE ]

np, now if you are going to play ut3 when it comes out on your rig then we should do a couple 1v1's (LOLOLOL GAMING HU FOR ROLLZ) for a few hundos or smth. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

While I 4-table 1000nl HU on another monitor. [img]/images/graemlins/cool.gif[/img]

[JSmith2007]

<-- Got ignored.

lol

[eckenz88476]

I'm big on gaming esp. fps' and you cant go wrong with a microsoft intellimouse 3.0 or a logitech mx518 as far as mice go. http://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-B75-.../dp/B000GOUE7O

headphones id go with sennheiser HD 600s. http://www.sennheiserusa.com/newsite...transid=004465 you can find them cheaper off ebay or a different site but they are really worth it. they are durable ive had mine for years and they don't have a stratch.


and just a little extra luxury if you want a sweet mousepad which really helps with the accuracy and quickness of your mouse speed go to www.icemat.com

[Arp220]

[ QUOTE ]
chopsticks- I have never owned a razer mouse but have heard about them. How are they quality-wise vs. Logitech mice? The simplicity is certainly nice but since I will be doing more than just gaming, would going with a Logitech be smarter?

Strictly- Apple Lossless and CD's? FLAC encoding is not supported by iTunes, correct? And for higher quality CD's, where's the best place to look? Interesting tidbit on 90's CD's being of higher quality.

I've got an iPod nano 8gb and an iPod Touch 16gb. I've heard great things about those Sennheiser's. I'm mostly into classic rock music, with a bit of hip-hop and rap. And thanks for the forum link.

Arp220- Upping the bitrate to 320kbps- what are you using to do this, apple lossless? Also, I'm evenly split in desiring surround-sound and audiophile quality in terms of my speakers, FWIW.

Ajahn- You're saying the difference between the two is very minimal, correct? My setup is by no means world-class, as this price jump is not within my budget. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] Recommendations for a good DAC and AMP?

pbx- I realize cordless mouses are pretty much out of the question for gaming but I didn't realize there was this much of a difference, thank you for clearing this up. Thanks for the linky, saw it last week and it's a great review of the top gaming mice.

[/ QUOTE ]

I use AAC and set it to 320 manually

To do this, go to: edit -> preferences, select the advanced tab then the importing subtab. select 'AAC' under 'import using', then select 'custom' from the menu below it and choose 320kps.

As far as speakers go - the klipsch 5.1s are excellent, and unless you're a REALLY serious audiophile,will sound just fine. In essence theyre the best choice by far if you want surround sound speakers that also sound good for music. I suggest avoiding logitech and soundblaster 5.1 speaker sets like the plague...

[phishguy]

Speakers ftw!
Linky

[StructureK]

For your mouse, there is really only one of 2 options

Logitech VX revolution, one of the best wireless mice avaiable
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/mi.../165&cl=us,en

Or if you would like something more compact, the Logitech VX NANO
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/mi...3271&cl=us,en

[Ajahn]

[ QUOTE ]
Ajahn- You're saying the difference between the two is very minimal, correct? My setup is by no means world-class, as this price jump is not within my budget. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] Recommendations for a good DAC and AMP?

[/ QUOTE ]


You'll fall out of your seat when you hear the potential of a decent mp3 of a good recording on a worldclass system.

I usually just chuckle when I hear noobs with stupid gear talking about mp3 vs CD; they have no clue just how audio-degrading their gear is. It's quite bizarre actually because they claim to have a good ear for these things yet they are utterly unable to recognize fundamental flaws in the rest of their system.



Anyway,

Some sick, worldclass, DACs:

http://sakurasystems.com/products/shigadac.html
Listed for $1500 USD.

It requires a solid SPDIF output from CD-player or computer. There are a number of cheap audio-cards who have mostly untouched - clean - SPDIF outputs. I use an EMU 0404 audiocard for this end.

OR

http://www.scott-nixon.com/dac.htm
These the latest hot stuff from the DIY community; prebuilt and decent price. The newest ones take USB output and thus bypass even a soundcard.


Some sick, worldclass, AMPs:

http://sakurasystems.com/products/shigaamp.html
Listed for $2K USD.

http://www.customanalogue.com/jlti_mark_2.htm
Listed for $3K Australian dollar.


I really have no experience with headphone amplifiers so I can't comment on that. I could recommend you on speakers to go along with the aforementioned stuff though.

[Precise_]

Im a musician and engineer.. Pro Tools is hands-down the best DAW for mixing/recording.
digidisign will let you see their products, I recomend the Mbox for starters - its powerful and affordable
You get to use the same program as top-flite studios for not much at all