Help me buy things- win up to 100$!

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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]

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

[JSmith2007]

<-- Got ignored.

lol

[Arp220]

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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.

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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

[TruFeelings521]

I'll try my best to answer these questions for you. Here we go!

I haven't had too much experience far from the ipod and itunes combination, but while I have purchased music from itunes I still find myself downloading higher quality music from limeware. It seems this isn't really an option for you so if not, I apologize. Right now that is what I have had the most success with. For headphones I suggest the Bose headphones below. These things are awesome and have an on-ear and over-ear version. The links are here:

http://www.bose.com/controller?event...adphones_index

http://www.bose.com/controller?event...adphones_index

I have the quiet comfort 2's and I wouldn't replace these things for anything in the world. They are amazing, period.

Here is a PCMCIA tv tuner card that should work well for you
http://sewelldirect.com/TV-Tuner-Vid...ard-PCMCIA.asp

Honestly I don't know a thing about DAW's or mixing so I will leave this one to someone else.

Windows Vista ultimate is pretty much a conglomeration of the Basic, Home Premium and Business edition. It will be able to use each and every feature of Vista (like the media center, which isn't in the Business edition but is in premium home, etc.) The only feature it has that none of the others do is a date encryption feature called "BitLocker" this will prevent, if used correctly, common fears of data theft and computer theft (the wrong people getting your information).

Mice: Logitech mice obviously own the market right now. These mice are great! If you want a wireless I strongly suggest the MX Revolution http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/mi.../130&cl=us,en

For a wire mouse I suggest http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/mi.../135&cl=us,en
or
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/mi.../187&cl=us,en
All of these mice fit comfortably in your hand and it's like they aren't even there when you are using them...

Speakers. No question for me, Logitech's Z-5500
http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/sp.../224&cl=us,en

These things are sick. My friend purchased these after seeing that I had the older version (5330e). These things pump more than some car systems that my friends have tried putting together. It's unbelievable.

Lastly, my bonus setup suggestion is a new chair. These ergonomic ones are fantastic, you lean back in these things and could fall asleep. http://www.officechairstation.com/Ai...t-Platinum.htm

There is an example. If you haven't tried anything like this then I suggest going to an office store and doing so. If you like it, snag it up.

That is all good luck and I hope I helped you out a bit. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Ajahn]

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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?

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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

[chopsticks]

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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?

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It has been said that razers are the best choice when it comes to price/quality ratio and theyve also had great results in reviews. If you've got used to logitech it could be the best choice for you. I have used so many brands that I hadnt gotten used to any certain type of mouse and moving to razers was easy.

About the simplicity, dont confuse razers as simple mouses. My pro|solutions 1.6 is very simple mouse since its made for graphical designers who dont need too many functions in one mouse. Check out the gaming series (which i linked), there are tons of options and some of the models are built with lots of buttons which are freely adjustable to do whatever you want.

Go to your local computer shop and try different mouses and compare logitech vs razer. I did this too and almost bought another logitech as my previous mouse was logitech too until I noticed razers on display and I'm going to use these for undefined amount of time now.

[poker????]

Music:

I'm not sure what your musical tastes are, but if you're interested in high quality legal downloads, http://www.bleep.com/ sells individual songs and full albums encoded at 320kbps (very high quality) in mp3 format and without DRM (i.e. you're not limited as to what you can do with the tracks you buy). I've only actually purchased one album from them so far, but was pleased with all aspects of their service.

As for CDs, http://www.cduniverse.com/ is probably one of the better online retailers.

If I could afford it, I'd buy a pair of high-end Sennheiser headphones: http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser...hones_high-end

As for TV tuners, since it's for a laptop you'll have to go with an external unit, only possible issue I can see here is if your laptop is old and only has a USB 1.1 port (unlikely).

I'm by no means an expert on audio mixing, so I don't know if it will be too basic for the stuff you want to do, but http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ is a nice piece of open-source audio editing and mixing software. As I said, I've only used it for very basic procedures, but it's worth a look.

I think this was already mentioned, but if you plan on any fast-paced gaming it's best to go with a corded mouse (better response time). Logitech is a good brand, I use an old MX518. I'd probably go with one of their laser mice, perhaps a G5: http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/mi...5&cl=us,en

Speakers, Altec Lansing is a good solid brand. One recommendation is, if you're considering a surround system, make sure that a) you'll be able to set them up effectively (I have plenty of space, but the layout of my computer room means that there's really no good place for the rear speakers), and b) you wouldn't be better off getting a higher-end stereo setup for the same price.

Hope some of that helped.