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James C.

James C.

Joined on 11/19/08

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Most Favorable Review

Excellent Clarity. Sound exceeds its price tag.

Philips Performance SHP9500 Over-Ear Open-Air Headphones - EXCLUSIVE - Black
Philips Performance SHP9500 Over-Ear Open-Air Headphones - EXCLUSIVE - Black

Pros: I'm not exactly an audiophile and I've owned my fair share of cheap headphones. These are by far the best headphones I have ever purchased. I was actually comtemplating between this and a much more expensive pair of Sennheisers. I am glad I took a gamble with this one. Normally, cheap headphones have common issues. Either you get alot of muddy bass that muffles highs with recessed mids, or exaggerated highs, some mids and no bass. The result is particularly clear when watching a movie and all the sounds feel unnatural. Are you really in that airport? in that subway tunnel? It's clear something is off. Not with this baby. I've been playing music and movies non stop and the experience has been nothing but magical. The highs are crisp and clear. Mids are very very present. Bass is tight. Is the bass thumping like the subwoofers installed in riced out cars? No. Is it present? Very much so and it's very precise and tight. Coming from Xiaomi Piston 3s, this type of bass is very much welcome. Watching movies with this was a godsend. These headphones give a whole new level of immersion. Hearing the bullets drop afar from opening scene from "The Accountant" or the explosive sniper rounds and glass shattering in the sniper rifle scene and what about the airport scene in "Sully".. total immersion. I'm using a Sound Blaster Z to drive these headphones. If you are doing the same, you might want to turn off SBX Pro Studio (or only leave the Bass enhancement on. This is because the other two settings (Surround and Crystalizer) seems to augment and exaggerate highs for low end budget headphones. For low end budget headphones, these settings improves the sound somewhat but for these phenomenal Philips, it actually distorts the highs to the point where they become siblant. After turning this off, I was able to enjoy these headphones way more than I originally did. I was surprised about the complaints about sound leakage. It's actually way less than I expected. It is for sure better for me to use this while playing a movie at 2am than to use the 5.1 Logitech desktop speakers :) Well at least no one has slapped me in the head, so I'll ride my luck on that one. Last thing. Comfort. Yes. Very much so. The ear does touch the driver... a little bit. No way enough to hurt your ear like someone else suggested.. unless you have like elf ears. The cups are huge and can easily fit the biggest of ears. The clamping force is perfect for me. I've worn this through 2 movies back to back without discomfort. These are definitely several notches higher than even those $99 Klipsch IEMs I had. Seriously worth the low price they are selling them for. If they go on sale, don't think just buy!

Cons: Non-replaceable ear pads. Well sort of. You can replace them but it will take a bit of work. There is a Youtube video on how to do this. Other than that, none.

Overall Review: Yes, I recommend people of all ages to buy this. If given a choice, yes I would buy this again in a heartbeat and without hesitation like what I went through initially.

Most Critical Review

Clickity Click

HGST Deskstar NAS H3IKNAS500012872SN (0S03835) 5TB 7200 RPM 128MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" High-Performance Hard Drive for Desktop NAS Systems Retail Packaging
HGST Deskstar NAS H3IKNAS500012872SN (0S03835) 5TB 7200 RPM 128MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" High-Performance Hard Drive for Desktop NAS Systems Retail Packaging

Pros: Large Capacity 7200 RPM Reliability

Cons: Loud, so very loud. Drive clicks loudly every 5 seconds due to Background Media Scan. No AAM available either.. Very very hot. My 4TB HGST was 31-32 degrees C. This dude idles at 39-41. O M G...... In comparision, my Seagate NAS 4TB idles at 25-26 degrees C.

Overall Review: If this drive will be installed in the same room you sleep, please look elsewhere or face long-term insomnia.

Quiet pump and fans, cheaply built

CORSAIR NAUTILUS 360 RS ARGB Liquid CPU Cooler – RS120 ARGB Fans – Fits Intel® LGA 1851,  AMD® AM5/AM4 – Simple Daisy-Chain Connections - Direct Motherboard Connection
CORSAIR NAUTILUS 360 RS ARGB Liquid CPU Cooler – RS120 ARGB Fans – Fits Intel® LGA 1851, AMD® AM5/AM4 – Simple Daisy-Chain Connections - Direct Motherboard Connection

Pros: I recently replaced a Lian Li GA II Trinity 360 with this Nautilus RS AIO because its ARGB function requires proprietary software and wiring was complicated. Compared to that, here's the pros I can think of for this cooler: + ARGB fans with bearings that aren't sleeve + looks nice from afar + excellent cooling performance for 7800x3d + very quiet pump + pump can be actually be pwm controlled from mobo + ARGB can be controlled from mobo + only three wires required (ARGB after daisy chaining, PUMP and CPU fan). + fans are quiet after tuning + 5 year warranty

Cons: However, I thought it was inferior to the Lian Li in the following regard: - cheap plastic construction. - pump assembly is super light - fans aren't pre-mounted - fans feel light and cheap, does not have rubber vibration dampeners in the corners

Overall Review: Overall: While it physically looks and feels like a downgrade, I found that it has enough quality of life improvements to justify the swap. As long as the pump lasts, I'm a happy camper.