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Reviews Written By: A10ODEZMMQE94U

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	Linksys Storage Link for USB 2.0 Disk Drives NSLU2
	"Dirty Little Secret: It's a Linux box!!!"	2008-08-11
The "Slug" (the affectionate name for the NSLU2) is a small wonder in the world of Linux "PCs". As a dedicated Win32 guy, I was looking for a small PC to replace the power-hogging IBM M-Pro that I used successfully over the last year as a Firefly media server. When I read about the micro-Linux implementations for the Slug, I got pretty excited... and with good reason. If you fancy yourself as PC literate, it's a super-simple process to install "Unslung 6.10-b" or Debian Linux on this machine, alongside the Linksys firmware. This gives you a fully functional network storage link _and_ a fully functional tiny Unix PC that can run a webserver, or a media server like Firefly. Rmember, the poor thing only has 32mb of RAM, so it's not going to run Photoshop... but as a utility box for server-side apps, it's a miracle! It's amazing the first time you telnet into the modified Slug and see a Unix/Linux shell prompt. And wow, Firefly 1696-svn runs like a charm and, in my environment, serves up 6,800 320kb MP3s and FLAC files. It also transcodes FLAC seamlessly to 44.1khz WAV for playback on my Roku Soundbridges... Super good bargain for anyone who needs a network disk server, and an even better deal for anyone with solid computer skills who needs a web or media server. I hear it's been discontinued, so buy one today before they are all gone!!! -ds
	9v Long Life Lithium Battery
	"Is it nuclear?!?"	2008-05-17
One Ultralife 9v has powered my portable headphone amp for almost 40 hours and it's still going strong! This is normally a 10-hour stint with a regular 9v alkaline battery. Not cheap, but I can imagine 5x normal alkaline life with these lithium powerhouses in low-drain electronics.
	AudioQuest Copperhead audio cable - RCA plugs 0.5m
	"My reference interconnect"	2008-05-17
I'm not a audio snob, I'm a music lover. There are various pieces of Musical Fidelity, vintage McIntosh, Denon and Sherborn equipment scattered around the house, and most all of my 20+ stereo pair line-level interconnects are AQ Copperheads. I condition my RCA jacks with Deoxit Gold once a year or so - a clean connection is a noise-free, solid connection - but I don't go mucn crazier than that... also, route cables carefully and don't run interconnects parallel to AC line cords. You'll be golden, and the music will be sweet. The Copperheads look good, too. Of course, most of you will have them hidden in a rack; but they are totally presentable if an interconnect can be tagged as such... wife-acceptance factor will be higher than less-expensive cables, for sure. If you want to save a bit, look at the AQ Sidewinder. The construction is similar. Personally, I would NOT spend more than Copperhead prices for interconnects, but your mileage may vary. In fact, I own one set of the AQ G-Snake bargain cables and find them to be totally usable for non-critical listening. But then, I'm a totally non-critical listener - I just love the music!
	Ultimate Ears Triple.fi 10 Pro Earphones Gun Metal Blue
	"Ultimate IEMs for the frequent flyer..."	2008-04-02
...and music lover. So, you don't think that a set of in-ear monitors is worth nearly 400 USD? I promise you - they are worth much more. If you love music like I do, the UE Triple.fi 10 Pros are priceless. So, he said "priceless". How can that be? Well, for one - buy the Triple-fi 10 Pros, and you get a completely new music library! Listen to your existing music, and you'll hear things you've NEVER heard before. Listen to Tori Amos' "Toast", last track on 'The Beekeeper'. Have you ever heard her shoe squeak against the pedals on that big Bösendorfer she plays? Or heard her step off the pedal at the end of the song and hear the damper arm fall back against the stops? The resolution of these IEMs is almost magical. You _feel_ that damper hit the stops. These 'phones can reproduce a 10hz tone. You don't hear that. You FEEL it. Unreal! These IEMs have the widest soundstage I've ever heard from an in-ear phone. You don't get the "mix inside my head" feeling you get from lesser earphones. They are easily equivalent to my reference headphones, the Grado SR325i. Spectacular clarity, ultra-fast, so very smooth. Wow. I am totally impressed with these - listen to Imogen Heap's "Headlock" off 'Speak for Yourself'. Amazing. Note: if you listen to the stock iPod earbuds, proceed _immediately_ to your Amazon shopping cart and purchase whatever you can afford from UE - start with their lowest end model. You'll thank me for the experience. I have multiple systems at home - including Paradigm, McIntosh and Musical Fidelity equipment. I've spent 35 years chasing the "ultimate music experience", building dedicated listening rooms, trading in hardware for the latest and greatest... who would have guessed that a set of IEMs could be the attainment of that ideal? And the best part - they're totally portable. Try lugging a pair of Paradigm Reference Studio 100 speakers around with you... it's not going to happen. And even if you could carry the big Paradigms, you wouldn't get the isolation delivered by the UEs. UE claims 26db; with properly fitted silicone tips, that's a likely number. The expandable foam tips are a bit more comfortable for me; they don't isolate quite as much but provide a more than adequate seal for solid bass response. My portable rig consists of an iPod Classic 160Gb, feeding a Headphonia CMoy "Penguin" external amp via an Audio Line Out CryoDock. While most of my music is ripped as 320k MP3, my recent CD purchases (almost 800 songs) have been ripped as FLAC lossless via Media Monkey. Media Monkey transcodes the FLAC files to 44.1khz WAV when transferring the songs to the iPod. In essence, I'm listening to CD-quality music because I'm listening to the original CD! Sure, it takes space on the iPod - but the quality difference is incredible. I won't confuse the issue talking about external DACs and better (Ray Samuels Audio, Graham Slee, et al) headphone amps - while those things would give better performance, I'll promise that 99.99% of the folks who own iPods would break out in chills if they heard their favorite songs through these little earphones. Yes, the source device is important, and if you rip MP3s at 128k to "save space" you won't like these phones at all. Every limitation of the MP3 format will be exposed instantly through the UEs. Friends don't let friends rip music at 128k! 320k is much better, FLAC or Apple Lossless is the best because its bit-for-bit identical to the source CD. Ifyou live for music - like me - and you need the best (reasonably) priced IEM solution, the Triple.fi 10 Pros are spectacular. I ordered several packages of the disposable foam tips just so that I can do demos for my friends. The look on their faces is just priceless! If you get a chance to demo the UEs at a retail store, compare them against the Shure SE530s, the current "reference standard" at the $500 price point. I think most of you will agree that the UEs are _as good_ for $150 less... you can get a Penguin amp from Robert at Headphonia, and an ALO CryoDock from Ken Ball - with the money you save on the UEs. Good deal. 5 stars, plus. Trust me.