Ask the Editors Live forum: Jasmine France, CNET editor for MP3 and digital audio Live!

Fire away!

I'm not super familiar, I think the docking station is the DVR. If so, that's my top recommended. Being able to record video is the Arhcos' main string point, IMHO. I haven't seen any cases or anything for the 605, but I do recommend good headphones: http://reviews.cnet.com/best-headphones/?tag=ltcol;nav

As long as you are not opening up the player and messing with internal components--or using unauthorized software--you should be fine on the warranty.

I wrote the review for those, so that pretty much sums up my thoughts on them: http://reviews.cnet.com/headsets/v-moda-vibe-duo/4505-13831_7-32508531.html

It appears long-term users have had issues with durability, though, so it might be worth looking into more forums and user reviews.

But if there's an MP3 player in that device there's no reason it should not be stereo.

Check out this feature: http://reviews.cnet.com/4321-6468_7-6547989.html

But unfortunately, it's hard to try headphones before you buy. My top choice is the V-Moda Bass freq from this list: http://reviews.cnet.com/4321-7877_7-6606890.html?tag=mncol;txt

I find those to be very comfortable, and I have pretty small ears.

But I think the Griffins also offer lots of bass, and those are even cheaper.

...is something I don't deign to know. My best guess is that there was some sort of research that indicated 120GB as the sweet spot, as the Zune just so happened to come out in the capacity, too.

The larges capacity that I know of is the Archos 5: http://reviews.cnet.com/portable-video-players-pvps/archos-5-250gb/4505-6499_7-33226904.html

And this Wolverine PVP: http://reviews.cnet.com/portable-video-players-pvps/wolverine-esp-5250-250gb/4505-6499_7-32783393.html

I think you're referring to the podcast, where I was showing my love to the one version of the Sony S-Series Walkman without the noise-canceling integration. I just prefer not to have antinoise going on. Noise-canceling is ACTIVE, so it is actually powered and creates a certain sound to cancel out the lower frequencies in your environment.

By contrast, sound isolating uses a seal with the ear to block out all outside noise.

The QuietComforts are quite nice, no denying. But for an alternative, check this out: http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-12519_7-9984636-49.html

Not so odd, actually. You are not alone there. I am loving the Klipsch Image X5 for their low-profile, but they are $250: http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/klipsch-image-x5-earphones/4505-7877_7-33244694.html

For around $80, check out the Philips SHE-9850: http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/philips-she-9850-in/4505-7877_7-32815655.html

Or there are the V-Moda Bass Freqs, which are even smaller: http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/v-moda-bass-freq/4505-7877_7-32098286.html

Actually, you'll notice I'm also a judge in there: http://reviews.cnet.com/4370-11399_7-628-101.html

You can pretty well gather my opinions from that, but generally, I like the fit of the Klipsch better(they're more low-profile and stay secure in my ears better), and the sound suits me ever-so-slightly better, though the Shures also sound good.

As for testing, I wish we had fancy equipment! I rely on my ears and the ears of another tester who is around to keep my results in check.

We are unfortunately not really covering such headsets at this time, but users seem to like the Sennheiser set: http://reviews.cnet.com/headsets/sennheiser-pc-166-usb/4505-13831_7-32509005.html

This Creative set also did well in testing: http://reviews.cnet.com/headsets/creative-digital-wireless-gaming/4505-13831_7-33176125.html

Gaming headsets are often a good place to look.

I haven't actually used the Shure SE210s, so I couldn't say for certain how they compared. However, the Super.fi 5s tend to rank a little higher with users, and they are slightly higher-end in technology and MSRP, so my educated guess is that they probably sound a bit better.

Also, a good thing about those Ultimate Ears is that they have memory wire at the earbud, which helps keep them secure in the ear.

Question below. (You did it fine there.)

Earbud or headphone, what you should try for is the maximum amount of sound isolation. This is easiest to achieve with canalbuds (which is what most UEs are) or full-sized, closed-back headphones.

By blocking out as much environmental noise as possible, you can then listen to your music at a lower volume, which is key to reducing hearing loss.

Just make sure your canalbuds provide a tight seal with the ear. Without music playing, environmental noise should sound muffled at least.

Volume is generally dependent on the audio source, amp, etc. You can get an external headphone amp for any set of headphones: http://www.headphone.com/products/headphone-amps/

In my testing, I haven't really come across any portable headphones that are significantly louder than the rest.