Vacationing with the iphone

The last time I was on vacation in Europe, I was walking around with a film camera and a bagful of lenses. For this latest trip I figured, I already had a bunch of keepers taken in most of the places we were visiting, and this time around,  I wanted to just "be there" with Dada and the kids, not wandering about taking pictures. As the saying goes, the best camera is the one you have with you when the opportunity arises.  Since my iphone5's always in my pocket... why not?

In good light, it actually performs very well. 

 Parthenon

Or even in mixed lighting, as long as you know how meters work.

Bridge of Sighs

Forget the useless flash in backlit situations, but the AE lock feature helps:

Back of the Bus, Dubrovnik

And I don't think you can beat it for stealth:

Sketching the Colosseum

Or getting off a shot quickly

Kotor, Montenegro

I really liked the easy-to-use panorama for sweeping scenics

 

Venice, Italy

 

Santorini, Greece

Dubrovnik, Croatia

Or to play around with.

St. Peter's Square

And even to convey space in crowded street scenes.

Piazza Navona

 Just be careful with subject movement, like when Miguel decided to skip a stone while I was panning.

Kotor, Montenegro

There are, of course, other limitations.  A big one is that "zooming" is basically cropping, and will quickly deteriorate your photo.  Just try to be judicious and use only as little of it as necessary. 

This view of St. Mark's from the cruise ship shows a lot of noise particularly in the sky, but I otherwise would not have been able to capture it.

All in all, as long as you stick to the same sound basic techniques that you would use with any camera, I would think that the iphone is capable of decent results.  And along with the numerous advantages, especially the portability and unobtrusiveness, I can see why many tourists are happily snapping away with their smartphones.  Sometimes, it may even surprise you, as with this dreamy photo from a cliffside cafe in Santorini

What I don't get are the folks taking pictures with ipads.....

Innovation

Apparently, there is a guy on Etsy making a killing refurbishing old mechanical typewriters.  The kind I used all the way to the last years of college.  Now, don't get me wrong.  There is some innate satisfaction to slapping the carriage return at the end of each typewritten line, a tactile reminder that you have accomplished something.  But really, those things were a pain to work with.  Which is why they are now mere conversation pieces.

Innovation refers to doing something new.  A different method which improves upon the old, accepted way.  This past week, I got two items in the mail which made me think of that word.

The Contigo Autoseal:  I am the type to do extensively research before I buy something.  No different when I realized that I needed a new travel mug for my coffee.  There are quite a few choices out there, but these sold me on the Contigo:

1. It works. One reason I need an insulated mug is that I make a fresh cup, take a few sips, then go into endo to do a procedure.  Come back out and coffee's now cold.  Make another cup, and so on.  The Contigo solves that problem.  On the other extreme, we are having a heat wave in Cnnecticut right now.  Yesterday, I put plopped some ice cubes in and filled it with water.  Took Mikey to Game Stop and picked up a couple of things it Walmart.  all the while the thing is sitting in the cup holder, and the car is sitting in the parking lot in 95 degree weather.  That was at 5pm.  I washed the mug at close to midnight and the ice cubes were still in there.

2. Leakproof.  Drink your coffee in the car to work.  Toss it in your bag walking up to the office.  Settle down at your desk.  Sip again.

3. Dishwasher safe.  Lid is dishwasher safe, and so is the body as long as you get the unprinted stainless steel.  This is a big deal for me.  Hand washing every night or having to disassemble the lid for cleaning gts old quickly.  And from the over 1700 5-star reviews on Amazon, this seems to be the way to keep the lid clean.

If you write with a pencil, you know that every few words, you need to rotate it a little bit in your hand as the point dulls and develops a chisel tip.  Well, leave it to the folks at Uni (Mitsubishi, Japan) to come up with the Kuru Toga engine.  This autorotates the lead by approximately 6 degrees every time you lift the tip off the paper.  Seamless in operation, it keeps the lead point uniformly sharp.  Sometimes you wonder why no one thought of it before.  Sound interesting?  Here's a starter kit on Amazon, which is actually a pretty good deal

Monochrome Ramblings

It has been at least 5 years since I bought a camera.  All this time, I have been content with my RD-1, used almost exclusivelywith the Leica 35mm ASPH Summicron (which gives a 50mm equivalent field of view).  There is something to be said for the pure interface of the RD-1, and the simplicity of using one lens.  You just focus on making the image.

 

Chateau du Chillon, RD1, Leica 35mm ASPH Summicron, Siver Efex Pro2

 

But this is 2012.  In the past five years, digital has progressed in leaps and bounds.  There have been some pretty amazing advances this year that have made me lift my head out of the sand.

First was the introduction of the Fuji X100 - a small magnesium body built with a traditional design, and sporting the world's first OVF/EVF.  It comes with a wonderful fixed 23mm (35mm equivalent) F2.0 lens, perfectly matched to its APS sensor.  A compact but solid little package which would easily beat any APS DSLR with kit zoom lens.  This would be perfect, as after these past few years of shooting a 50mm, I could do with something a little wider.  Long story short, I bought one, and it was all it was built up to be.  Soon after buying it, however, the X100's electronics started to act up.  I tried all the internet fixes - faster cards, firmware updates, etc. but still it continued to act up.  Sent it back to Adorama for a refund.

Then came the introduction of the Leica M (or M10).  No, I would not buy one, but it drove the prices of used M9's down to where it would be an even swap for the black paint MP I recently sold (at my outrageous "buy it now" price, no less).  Finally, a full frame to do justice to my Leica glass!  I got one slightly used, but on the first shutter click, the shutter failed!  It is now on the way back for a refund.

What's going on?  All these years, I have been using manual rangefinders - from a 1930's Leica III, to a WWII Nikon S2, cold war era Russian FED's and Zorki's, and Leica M bodies from the 50's and 60's with not a hiccup.  Even my Epson has been trouble-free since I bought it used 5 years ago.

Now the latest rave is the wildly overpriced $8,000 Leica MM (or Monochrome) - a fullframe digital M that takes only B&W pictures.  It is touted as producing files that are not only as good as film (after post-processing), but being better than film, as it can produce usable files up to ISO >12,000.   Hmmm...this from the same reviewer that said, "If you need to shoot in that little light, you don't need higher ISO, you need a flashlight" or something to that effect.

This shot was taken with the RD-1 at ISO 1600, f/2 @1/15 sec.  That is an EV of 2.  Do you really need to shoot anything darker??  BTW, don't you just love how the ASPH Summicron stays sooo sharp wide open?

And if you really need to, here is a sample of TriX shot at ISO 12,800 stand-developed in Rodinal.  Picture taken with a Leica M3 and 50mm Summicron.  Film grain is beautiful, noise is not.  More satisfying as well to be able to make the image, rather than just plunking down $$$.

But hey, this is not a film vs digital rant.  Some people probably need to shoot at such ISO's regularly, and if I shot thousands upon thousands of images yearly, then yes, it may be too tedious to shoot and process film.  But that is the beauty of being an amateur and doing something just for the pure enjoyment of it.

I told myself, maybe it's time to step back a bit.  I took inventory of the films in my freezer - I had stocked up at just the right time, when film was threatening to go away, but before prices went up.  I have 100' rolls mostly of Agfa APX 100 and TriX, my two favorite films.  More importantly, they work well with Agfa Rodinal.  I chose this combination because not only do I like my results with Rodinal, but it also has a very, very long shelf life.  I stocked up on that too.  I figure I have enough to last me probably 10 years.

 

Agfa APX100 in Rodinal, Leica M2, 50mm Rigid Summicron

 



The last step was to make sure my film scanner and printer were still alive.  This weekend, I took the dust cover off my HP 7660 (which is a great B&W printer), and with some software workaround, it works with Windows 7.  The scanner, a Konica Minolta Scan Dual IV, was not as straightforward.  Long since abandoned, the printer driver was no longer compatible with anything newer than Win XP.  Luckily, some smart kind soul wrote an update program and posted it for free on the net.  Now my scanner is back to life!  Here is a photo I thought I had lost forever when my old hard drive crashed years ago.  I found the negative and rescanned it last night.



 

 



I am happy as a clam.  Like a nuclear survivor in my own bomb shelter, I am self sufficient for the next 10 years (assuming my lowly scanner proves to be more reliable that the X100 or Leica M9 - which it is already).  Loaded a roll of APX 100 in my M2, and a new battery in my Gossen lightmeter (although my free iphone Lightmeter app is pretty convenient). 

Am I burying my head in the sand again  Not likely.  I do need to update my digicam.  I may look at the Fuji XPro-1, when it finally manages to have RAW support.  I handled the Olympus OM-D the other week, and was impressed. FF has now also become more affordable with the Nikon D600 and Nikons have been reliable for me in the past. But trends seem to be heading away from DSLRs toward mirrorless, which may be the future of digital.   Well, one thing I know... I'm not in a hurry.

Nova Scotia

 

One of the most photographed lighthouses in the world, on Peggy's Cove, with the Atlantic beyond.

 

Just woke up and, like Rip Van Winkle, I see so much has changed. Has my blog been dormant that long? Facebook has been a much more convenient way to keep friends and family updated, but it really doesn't lend itself to more introspective posts. And photos are resized to crappy resolution.

Anyway, The Chum Bucket started out years ago as a travel journal, so I thought I would end my hibernation with a posting about our most recent trip. There have been quite a few more, and I will try to post about those trips in the next few weeks.

 

 

 

Bar Harbor, Maine

 

 

 

 

 

In Sydney, Rica had planned an excursion to Cape Breton, down an old 1932 coal mine.  There, a retired miner was about to lead us 400 feet down into the pitch black mine, with only one old headlamp for light.  The tunnels were as low as 4'2" high.  Definitely not for you if you were claustrophobic.  Or tall.

 

 Halifax - As we know (from the movie), the Carpathia rescued victims of the Titanic and brought them to New York. The dead bodies, however, were brought by the cable steamer, Mackay-Bennett to Halifax.

 

Jack?

Quebec

 Walking (lounging?) "On Deck for the Cure," on board the MS Masdam

 

Tango, Leather and Steak

It was a 10 hour direct flight, leaving New York's JFK at 10 pm, and landing at around 8 am in Buenos Aires (BA is 2 hours ahead with our daylight savings time). November is springtime in Buenos Aires, a temperate 55-75F. Perfect weather for strolling, shopping, and eating at outdoor parrillas or grills, capping the eveing with tango.

Now let's go over that again, one by one.

Buenos Aires is a great place to explore on foot. Our hotel, Melia Buenos Aires, was strategically located in the heart of the downtown area, along Reconquista. The street is lined by one outdoor cafe after another, serving everything from empanadas to steaks, with even a couple of Irish Pubs thrown in for variety. Handy corner groceries to stock up on bottles of agua mineral at 1/4 the price of the ones in your hotel room.

The hotel itself is quite good value for the money. Courteous staff, full amenities, and a buffet breakfast included in the $190/night. Unlike some of the smaller hotels, local tours pick up at our hotel lobby, which means you do not have to walk to another hotel or meeting point should you want to take a tour. Melia is sort of a european Hilton. We have stayed at Melia hotels from the Dominican Republic to Marbella and have never been unhappy.

A 3-hour city tour by bus is a good way to get your bearings, and figure out which parts of the city to explore in more detail later. You knock off the few "must see" sights like the Casa Rosada, with its balcony made famous by Juan and Eva Peron (and later, Madonna). It also gives you the opportunity to visit farther, esoteric but less safe neighborhoods that you would probably not want to have a go at on your own. The quaint La Boca district, with its local handicrafts and colorful streets, is the poorest sector of Buenos Aires. On the other extreme is the port district, with a row of renovated warehouses now hosting expensive stores and restaurants.

A couple of blocks from the hotel is Calle Florida, the city's main shopping district. On the weekends, it transforms into a lively outdoor market reminiscent of Barcelona's La Rambla. Leather is the main attraction. Bags, shoes and especially jackets. Choose a reputable store (yes, there's quite a bit of lesser quality leather usually employing hawkers to lure you in), and your custom tailored jacket will be waiting for you delivered to your hotel for no extra cost. Prices are unbelievable, starting at around $200 for good quality calfskin. Don't forget, you get a 17% tax refund at the airport (with a much more user friendly method than on EU countries, too).

Want to venture further? Taxis are aplenty, and for less than 20 pesos (5USD), you can be dropped off in a part of the city you choose, each with its own unique character.

The Recoleta neighborhood is beautiful place to spend the afternoon. Named for the original Recoleta monastery, it is also home to the Recoleta cemetery, where Evita's remains can be found in the Duarte family mausoleum. The neighborhood is brimming with elegant european architecture, flowered balconies, upscale clothing and shoe stores (Uru Recoleta and Guido, respectively, for instance), cafe's and heladerias.

San Telmo is an antiquing paradise. At the very center is Plaza Dorrego, where on Sunday an outdoor antique fair is held. Calle Defensa is the main street of (costlier) antique shops, but venture into the indoor market and smaller shops, and there are plenty of bargains to be found.

In the middle of the plaza, while you sip your cafe, there is frequently a tango show to take in. There are a number of places for basic tango lessons if that's what floats your boat. A Tango Dinner/Show is also a nice way to spend an evening. It is usually a two hour dinner affair, followed by a 1.5-2 hour show. There are a number of these to choose from, and can be booked through the hotel, or in advance by your agent.

Last, but not least, is BEEF. Argentina is definitely beef country. Forget about your tofu, white meat, or your other white meat. The average Argentine eats close to 150 pounds of beef yearly (just as the average male Czech drinks about 50 gallons of beer per year. Interesting facts you tend to pick up.). Argentinians take pride in their parrillas, and it is hard to go wrong with tender, choice beef grilled to perfection. There are a number of more posh restaurants you can make reservations at through your concierge, but many of the best places are the lesser known, and less expensive, neighborhood joints frequented by the locals. A lot of the fun is in discovering them. Just as in any strange city, don't be afraid to ask a stranger!

What? You don't feel comfortable doing that? Let's just put it this way... after you buy your leather jacket and the helpful sales lady (by the way, they work on commission) asks "is there anything else I can help you with?" just say... "Yeah, where can I get a really good steak?" ;)

Some links:

Our Hotel
Leather shopping
And more shopping
Tango
Mas Tango
Argentine Beef

Five Brothers

Tito Nanding, Tita Miling, Tito Deddy, Tita V, Daddy, Mommy, Tito Eli, Tita Sally, Tita Glory, Tito Monching


Tito Deddy (Eduardo Generoso) passed away a couple of weeks ago, at the age of 89. He was the last of the five brothers, and their wives, pictured above. The photo was taken sometime in the 60's (I think).

Of Vinyl and Morons

This past Christmas, I started updating my 15 year old budget stereo system, bought with my first paycheck from internship. I started doing some reading, mostly online, and came across quite a few interesting things.

One, there seems to be a small elite (or is it elitist?) group of people with money to burn and hi-fi systems that cost more than a small house - $10,000 turntables, $20,000 tube amps, $30,000 speakers! These are "tweakers" who are mostly concerned with how well their stereos can resolve sound. They listen for little things like the sounds of the drummer scratching his crotch. They play audiophile demonstration discs to hear how well thier systems sound. They buy music that is "well-recorded" to show off their systems' capabilities rather than for the, ahhh music. I admit, I was intrigued by this concept and found myself ordering one that was highly touted. I picked up an SACD of Rebecca Pigeon, and yes, everything about it sounded really good. Except her voice.

Then there's a group of folks who collect stuff. They have a "rotation" of amplifiers, for instance. Because each sounds differently. Well, I am not new to collecting. I admit to having 7-day sets of straight razors, for instance. Or even a very small rotation of wristwatches that I accumulated over the past 30 years (what can I say, they don't break). In the collector's world, the word "rotation" is almost as bad as the word "upgrade" as far as your wallet is concerned.

Well, I have strayed quite a bit from the topic I wanted to talk about this morning. Well, I figured such odd people were worth a couple of paragraphs.

In my readings, I came across the vinyl renaissance. People seem to be rediscovering vinyl. How the warm analogue sound is much better than the cold, sometimes blaring digital sound.

Honestly, pretty much anything will sound better than the compressed 128kbps MP3 downloads kids are playing on their ipods, really.

I grew up listening to vinyl. Dad's Sinatra, Glen Miller and Xavier Cugat, to my older brother's Led Zeppelin. Hmm why not? I was lucky enough to find that there are still a handful of brick & mortar record stores in town. One of them, Merle's Record Rack, actually refurbishes old turntables (and other vintage stuff). Mike, the owner, was quite informative, and helped me pick out an old Dual from the 70's, with a nice wooden plinth, and an Ortofon cartidge. It was refurbished, and had a new stylus. According to Mike, he sells quite a few record players, mostly to younger customers.

Of course, I did not have any records, so I picked up a Blue Note LP of Hank Mobley's "Soul Station" along with the Dual. I was hooked.

The fun thing about vinyl is that you can find $1-$3 used records, and if you know how to do it, they clean up nicely. Of course there are also the new pressings and remasterings, such as from Analogue Productions and Speakers Corner. These cost a little more than an SACD, upwards of $30, but are really as good as it can get.

Yes, it seems vinyl is making a comeback. Why not, it is inexpensive, as long as you remain sensible. It is archival, and does not deteriorate like digital media. It sounds great, plus it's just plain cool.

Home Audio in the 21st Century

The evolution of portable music has been pretty much straightforward. Sony introduced the Walkman cassette players in the 70's, and soon followed it up with portable CD players. Then came ipod, and the rest is history.

For home audio, it really has not been as clearcut.

As I am writing this, I am sitting at my desk, listening to some music. I mean amazing sounding music, with sound quality (SQ) that a decade ago you'd need to spend some serious money to get. And as I look at my desk top, there's not much here that resembles anything hi-fi, in the traditional sense of the word.

Over the past few months, I have ripped my entire music library of CD's. Not compressed MP3's, but all in a lossless format. That means, the files are pretty much identical to the CD's, with no loss of sound quality. There are different lossless formats available, with FLAC being one of the most popular. I just use Apple Lossless, for compatibility with my ipods. It is built into iTunes.

Under the advanced preferences tab of your iTunes, it allows you to select the compression for ripping music. I thing the default setting is 192kbps. Deselect that and choose the lossless option (no compression).

Of course the downside is that the files become much larger. If you are the type who needs to have 3000 songs on hand in your 30GB ipod, then this may not be for you. But for home audio use, your PC or laptop has much more memory available. Not to mention that the price for memory has now decreased significantly. I recently got a one-terrabyte external hard drive for less than $100 from Amazon. I use it to store my large digital pictures (mostly in RAW format), but it also houses my music library.

Now about iTunes. Well, I always thought it to be quirky, but I can live with it. Compared to listening to music in the traditional way - by CD, LP or tape, playing it through your computer gives you instant access to any part of your music library at the touch of a button. No flipping through to find the CD you want. No cleaning LP's. Don't want to listen to the entire album? Use playlists. No scratches. Did you know that the groove on an LP deteriorates everytime you play it? Well, digital media suffers from some data loss over time as well, but to a much, much less extent. Then again, you can burn a CD or create some other form of backup.

A lot of times, I find myself preferring computer playback over playing the CD (which you can also do through your computer's CD/DVD drive, btw) because the nifty (do people actually still say "nifty?") little iTunes equalizer lets me tweak the music to my liking.

Okay, that covers the storage and media player. Depending on how good the soundcard is on your computer, it may be perfectly acceptable to plug in a small pair of headphones and you are all set. But what I would consider the "hub" of any serious computer based audio set up is what is called the DAC. This stands for digital to analog converter. Huh?!?

DAC's are not new. At it's most basic form, it is a chip that converts the digital file which, in this instance, is your music, into an analog signal. The analog signal is, in the end, what goes to your headphones or speakers and come out as the music you hear. Your ipod has a DAC. Your PC soundcard does the same. Your CD player, your blu-ray player, etc. The difference is in sound quality between your ipod and, say, a cheap MP3 player from Wally World, in a large part, has to do with the quality of this conversion.

What a DAC does is act as an external soundcard for your laptop, in the simplest sense. The digital files bypass the built-in soundcard, and goes directly to the DAC, through a digital connection, either a USB cable, a coaxial S/PDIF cable, or an optical Toslink (after the Toshiba proprietary cable). The conversion is then accomplished by the DAC unit. In almost all cases, the DAC will do it better than your built in chip.

Aside from your laptop, you can also connect a "CD transport" to the DAC. This means, anything that will read your CD. It can be an expensive audiophile grade CD player, in which case the improvement in SQ may not be as noticeable, since most of these already employ pretty advanced built in conversion circuitry. After I upgraded to a blu-ray DVD player, my old DVD player has been gathering dust. Now I use it as a transport. As long as there is a connector in the back of the unit for "digital audio out" (mine has optical and coaxial), you are in business.

What leaves the DAC is now an analog signal. Most desktop DAC's have the usual RCA line out jacks in the back. You connect these to an amplifier to power your speakers, or if you choose, to a dedicated headphone amplifier to power your headphones. For my purposes, I listen with headphones on my desktop.

That's it. Of course, the equipment quality varies. You can spend quite a bit of money on the headphones, DAC, amp etc. The important thing to remember is to get good equipment, so you enjoy what you are hearing. Note I did not say "the best." There will always be something better, and more expensive (although they don't always go hand in hand). At some point, the principle of diminishing returns sets in. Some people will spend hundreds for a miniscule amount of improvement. Well, whatever floats their boat.

That being said, there is a lot of fun to be had for DIYers with some basic electronics skills. Modifying amps, rolling tubes and opamps, recabling headphones, making cable interconnects (with better material than the RCA interconnects that came with your CD player, for instance). I am a little handy with a soldering iron, so I have been having fun with this, but it is by no means a necessity.

So, what am I listening to right now? Well, I have Keith Jarrett's Vienna concert playing through my laptop's iTunes, out the USB, into an inexpensive (but very good) Chinese DAC/Headphone amp combo, powering a pair of Denon D2000 headphones which I modded. I can say I would be happy with this setup for all-around listening. As tends to happen, however, I right now also have a couple of other headphones and a dedicated headphone tube amplifier. They each have their own sound signature, which works well with different types of music, but I am not going to get into that right now.

What would be a good, inexpensive setup to try this out? This is what I recommend:

DAC/Headphone amp combo - read the UK review on Rock Grotto linked on the auction page. For the quality of materials and craftsmanship, this is a bargain at this price considering how much DACs and amps cost.

Headphone - this headphone is unbeatable in terms of "value for money" right now. The prices have already gone up significantly with the number of favorable reviews on the audiophile forums, but this store still has them at the old price. It also has low impedance and works well unamped, direct from your ipod or portable CD player. With a decent amp like the one listed above, it will give a lot of headphones priced 5x as much a run for their money. Here's a review on the same UK forum.

For <200 dollars, hook those two up to your laptop, play lossless files or a good quality CD, lean back and enjoy music in the 21st century!

Grado SR60i

In my last blog post, I told you about my Sennheiser buds. I have been enjoying the heck out of them, especially on the go. With extended listening at home, though, I began to notice some things. Sounds are easily transmitted when the wire rubs on something, like clothes, when I move, or by the earpiece when I chew, the latter often leading to the buds getting dislodged from my ear canal. Lastly, after a few hours of continuous listening, I start to feel some pressure in my ears. Don't get me wrong, I still really love these buds, and I my ipod never leaves home without them.

Without the need for the utmost in portability, I started looking around for larger, over-the-ear headphones (or "cans," as they are referred to) to use at home. Last time I used those was back in the early 80's, and I really was not impressed. In fact, when the sony walkman came along, the bundled thin plastic headphones (and later, buds) were comparatively astounding.

In my search, I came across quite a number of favorable reviews of the Grado line of headphones in the audiophile sites and web publications. In particular, the entry level SR-60i is popularly touted as the best buy in sub-$100 headphones, and is most often recommended as an introduction to audiophile headphones. Even this kid likes 'em.

It is currently retailing for $79 shipped in many places including Amazon. I found the best deal at Headphones.com, for the old price of $69 including 2-day shipping, and with a 30-day, no questions asked return policy! What the heck, I said. Not much to lose if I didn't like it except the cost of shipping.

When it arrived, I hooked the Grado up to my ipod, and my jaw dropped. And that was just with an MP3. I pulled my 15 year-old Sony portable CD player out of the drawer, popped in a CD, and it was pure bliss. Before long, I was digging up old CD's and hearing things in the tracks that I never new were there!

The sound from the SR-60i is fast and engaging. The highs are crisp and detailed. The mids are clear. The bass is a little laid back, but it is there and is tight. It has a nice soundstage and is quite 3d, unlike the usual buds. Build quality is very good, especially at this price point. The cable is thick, hefty, and long (7ft). It comes with a gold mini jack for ipods, and a gold 1/4" adapter to plug in to your stereo. It is also made in the USA.

If you scour the reviews on the net, there are typically two complaints about the SR-60 (the "i" stands for "improved," I think in terms of the headband and foam pads, but acoustically the same):

First, many complain that it clamps down tightly on the head and the ears begin to hurt after some time. BS. I have a big head and it is just fine. I have even fallen asleep wearing these.

Second, some say it does not have enough bass. Well, it depends. On what you type of music you listen to, and on your personal preference.

When there is bass in the recording, you hear it, and it is tight. It just seems laid back a bit, probably because the mids and highs are more forward. Plugged into an amp, it is even less of an issue. An into a receiver, one "+" notch on the bass knob takes care of that.

The latter is even more important. The folks that comment on a lack of bass are mostly headphone fanatic audiophiles and they are comparing it to other headphones, many costing much more than this Grado. Off an ipod, well let's just say that if you are happy with the bass from the apple buds, this is not even an issue.

If it is a concern, you can step up one level to the $99 SR-80. Problem is, from there, there will be yet another reason to justify the $150 SR-125's or the $200 SR-225's or the $295 SR-325's. Of course, at that price point, the playing field gets larger, with offerings from Sennheiser, AKG, Denon, etc. Yes, you can go over the $1k mark for the top-end headphones. It becomes a matter of minimal incremental gain for a LOT of additional cost.

One thing the lower end Grado has going for it is that, compared to its larger brothers, and to most of the higher end audiophile phones, it was designed to have enough sensitivity to be easily driven by portable music players like ipods and personal CD players, and even laptops, without the need for headphone amplifiers. Sure an amp will improve the sound, but not by too much. Most of the higher end headphones won't even sound right without one.

Bottom line is, for $69, you will be taking the pleasure you derive from your music to a whole new level. Not a bad deal at all.

My New Best Bud

My ipod buds finally started to crackle and die. After some research, I picked up a pair of Sennheiser CX-300's from Amazon. At $19 shipped, it cost 25% less than getting replacement buds from Apple. For once, the reviews were spot on - the CX-300 plain blew the stock ipod buds out of the water!

The silicone ear adapters are soft and snug, comfortable even after several hours of continuous use. They also block ambient noise effectively. I haven't tried it in a really noisy environment yet, though. Maybe at next weekend's swim meet.

The sound quality is excellent, especially in this price range. The highs are crisp, the midrange is clear. Not tinny like the JLabs J2's that I tried (and returned). And the booming bass - that is what the CX-300 is best known for.

If you prefer over-the-ear portable headphones, the PX-100, also by Sennheiser, is supposed to be really good and is currently less than $40. But as far as earbuds go, I think this is the best ipod upgrade for the money. Had I known, I would not have waited for the stock buds to go.