Everyone seems to like to pass on their favorite stuff. Here are a few of my recommendations.
Music:
Total BitHead This USB powered headphone amplifier and D/A converter bypasses your onboard audio card to drive your headphones with clean power.
AKG 701 Reference Headphones If you Google search around you will find some amazing reviews on these headphones, and some prices below $300. With a good headphone amplifier these headphones sound better then 10’s of thousands in stereo equipment. They are very comfortable for extended periods. With headphones this good you may find you want to encode your music at a higher bitrate to get a bit more detail because of the wide soundstage these headphones can project.
Foosball:
Tornado T-2000 This is the table to get if you need one for the office. It’s 355lb weight is a good thing since these tables get some abuse. Every part of the table is maintainable. I picked one up off of a local bar that was remodeling. It needed a bit of reconditioning, but has been getting serious use at the office for coming up on two years.
Parts This is a good inexpensive place to get replacement parts for your Foosball table.
Indoor exercise equipment:
Concept2 Rower If you don’t have back problems, this is a great machine to get a full body work out. These are the rowing machines that crew teams use to train on and that are used in worldwide competitions. They are also a great cross training tool for waterskiing.
1Up USA Bicycle trainer This, like the Concept2, is sold direct from the manufacturer. At about $300 this is a much beefier bicycle trainer than the competition. It has a lifetime warrantee and uses centrifugal bearings for friction, vs oil, magnets, or a fan. Unlike the others it can’t be over powered.
