morphsci

Could make me switch from my Sony if it is done right.

Hopefully the pre-cask/barrel-strength challenge training is already underway.

Except mine is short sleeved

I thought the HiFiMAN has a digital input not a digital output?

I don't know. I'm picturing one of those "out there" quantum physicists reading that shite and deciding a small thermonuclear device might just be the optimal solution.

Proof positive that knowledge without understanding is dangerous.

J. D. Souther - If The World Was You

Oh, I agree completely but I do not think that the music necessarily needs to be serene, although some people may say that. I also agree about the Mozart.

Given our current models of physiological demands which may not be entirely correct. I prefer to be less didactic and remain open to the possibility, but your point is well taken. I am also not out to proselytize this theory.

REALLY?

Well, no offense to your music teacher but my guess is that he/she did not have many courses in neuroscience or developmental biology. It is not about IQ, it is about neural pathways and how they are constructed during development (with development being in the broad context of the time between fertilization and death). Since our understanding is pretty primitive at the moment, it may be prudent to keep an open mind. Bottom line is it is unlikely to hurt anything as long as the sound levels are kept low. Even if it does nothing more than provide a safe and sharing environment that is likely to be a positive for emotional and cognitive development.

HERE is a good place to start. Basically, at birth an infants hearing is, on average, very close to that of an adult, on average. I would certainly start on the quiet side and also not play music with huge dynamic peaks. If you can hear it then it is highly probable that the child can hear it. I certainly would not claim that playing classical music will make one smarter but it also is likely to have SOME effect. There are actually quite a few studies in the primary literature. When our son was born I did do a bit of research.

Those are excellent prices. Good catch.

Happy Birthday!

I would definitely take stretch up on his offer for the Grado. If you decide the Grado is not for you and want to get back to an Ortofon, try the 2M Red. It lists for $99 but you can get it for less with patience.

The most common comment at Chiunifi was that the BA had the blackest background they had heard. May not be madness afterall.

Unless you feel there is something wrong with the sound of the Ortofon I would stick with it. The Ortofons seem to work very well with the Dual tonearms. You could always move up the Ortofon food chain.

Nah, you should get a pair of Manufaktur 880-600s instead, especially if they are as black as you can get them.

Another vote for dbpoweramp. It is easy, rips with bit-perfect accuracy (if you want it to), comes with great transcoding tools, has good metadata tools and it will use multiple cores/processors.

Thanks, that helps put things into better perspective. That was hardly a Head-Case style thread hijack, just look around a little.

Since you did not feel it was worth your time to fill in any profile details, can you help us put your comments into context? Letting us know the source, amp and headphones would be a good start.

WIN!