Sebastian

Ah, the last page. If you've made it this far you're in for some audio-oriented picks, but I'll start with something a little more PC.

Samsung T1 250 GB Portable SSD – $87.99, Amazon

Now that the 250 GB variety of Samsung's tiny, ultra-fast USB 3.0 SSD is selling for under $90 it's an easy recommendation for highly portable storage – perfect carrying extra data along with a laptop without the slow speeds of traditional rotating drives. Sizes up to 1 TB are available, but the price of this smaller unit is hard to argue.

FiiO X3 2nd Generation – $199.99, Amazon

The FiiO X3 is a small digital audio player capable of playing back just about any format of high-res audio file. This 2nd-gen version offers a reference grade CS4398 DAC and native DSD playback, along with conventional PCM files up to 24-bit 192 kHz. I could go on about features like separate crystal oscillators for 44.1kHz and 48kHz derived signals and tantalum capacitors, but there's no need to hard sell a DAP with these specs for $200.

Grado SR325e Headphones – $295, Amazon

A DAP needs headphones, and while it might seem crazy to spend this much if you haven't been bitten by the audiophile headphone bug, these are absolutely incredible for the money. The level of detail resolution rivals much more expensive headphones, and the value here is pretty amazing. For a more affordable option I love the detailed, open sound of the Audio Technica AD700X ($139.99, Amazon), and while these are pretty large, they are also lightweight (and very comfortable).

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