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+9 years later and this is still one of my most listened to compilations. It just hits the right spot when I want something between Goa and Prog. Brilliant throughout.

Very strong compilation, I have this as Dragonfly Classix and every track is great. Some really overdone tracks (still great) and some underrated classics. No duds, just a few tracks that aren't as stellar as the stand out ones. Overall a must listen for anyone getting into the genre.

So we agree the MDR‑E868 existed—good to have that settled at least. I’ll leave the “red vs green soundscapes” debate to you. Enjoy your gear and take care.

Pan Electric - Conscious Pilot It's been a while since I listened to this. Forgot how beautiful and relaxing it is

Total Eclipse - Little Bit of Heaven from TIP Orange

Another album that I feel still sounds really good today. May not be in as heavy rotation as it was 20 years ago, but it still gets some love

Eat Static - Prana & Hallucinogen - Solstice are a couple of favourites for me 😂 I like everything on this, it's a good classic compilation. Genetic - Trancemission is always a winner

This is in my wishlist (Digital only these days, thank god for Band camp with FLAC) but waiting for the GBP to JPY exchange rate to calm down a bit. 15GBP now is just really expensive in yen 😩

The early TIP colour compilations were fantastic. I was lucky to get most of them on CD including MU (Clear Compilation) which I am listing to now The Infinity Project–Uforica (Paul Jackson Remix) Organic Noise–Labyrinth Of Colours Total Eclipse–Can't Do That Astral Projection–Enlightened Evolution The Infinity Project–Overwind Laughing Buddha–Karma Growling Mad Scientists–Head Rush Brainman–Hear The Air Hallucinogen–Soothsayer Doof–Destination Bom

Now I know that you are trolling They didn't exist because YOU didn't see them on eBay? Nothing exists outside of eBay right? If they don't exist the what is this? I'll not say any more on the topic if you cannot discuss things in good faith.

Thanks for proving, once again, that you’re not really engaging with facts or reality. I’ll leave you to your car pictures and personal theories. I came back after many years away hoping there might still be some meaningful discussion here, but if this is what passes for it now, I’ll bow out of this thread. If anyone else still around wants to talk music, gear, or just share memories of the old psytrance days, I’m always happy to chat elsewhere on the forum.

Right now: Doof - Mars Needs Women By far the best track of this name

So let me get this straight: – You deny the existence of the MDR‑E868 even though it was literally in Sony’s catalog. – You think Pentium 1 processors and wood TVs somehow prove the E848 was the “second most expensive.” – And now I’m supposed to judge 1995 earbuds based on a smartphone recording of your Canton speakers and your dad’s 2006 car stereo? 🤨 Right… Anyway, facts don’t change: • The MDR‑E888 was more expensive than the E848. • Ultimate Ears & Westone pro IEMs did exist in 1995 and cost $700–900. • And yes, the MDR‑E868 also existed—catalog scans are out there if you care. If you’re more interested in uploading random car audio videos than actually looking at historical facts, that’s on you. I’ll stick with documented prices, not nostalgia and smartphone mic recordings. 😉

30 years later and this is still one of my top albums. Absolutely love it from start to finish and I still listen to it all the time.

So… Pentium processors, old TVs, your dad’s car, and Creative Audigy cards somehow prove the MDR‑E848 was the second‑most expensive in‑ear of 1995? 🤔 Interesting logic. Look, I’m not arguing whether you like the sound—that’s subjective. If the E848 is the best you’ve heard, great. But liking them doesn’t rewrite history: • Sony MDR‑E888 was actually the top consumer earbud back then, more expensive than the E848. • Ultimate Ears and Westone were already selling pro in‑ear monitors for $700–900 in 1995—literally 20× the price of the E848. • And if we go beyond earbuds, Sennheiser’s HE60/HE90 electrostatics were in the thousands. So no, the E848 wasn’t anywhere near the top—nice mid‑high consumer buds, sure, but not the “second most expensive in‑ear option of the era.”

Eat Static - Almost Human 💕

The MDR‑E848 definitely wasn’t the second most expensive in‑ear option in 1995. Professional in‑ear monitors already existed and cost hundreds of dollars. In 1995, the first custom dual‑driver IEMs were made. These custom monitors sold for around US $700–900 per set, far beyond any consumer earbud pricing. Westone and Shure were also producing early stage monitors like the Shure E1 and E5, similarly priced in the high hundreds of dollars. So, there were already models costing 20× more than the E848. Even within Sony’s own consumer lineup, the MDR‑E848 wasn’t the most expensive. The MDR‑E888 was Sony’s flagship consumer earbud at the time, retailing around ¥5,000–6,000 (about US $50). Other models like the MDR‑E868 and MDR‑E838 also sat above the E848 in price, in the ¥4,000–5,000 range. The MDR‑E848 cost about ¥3,300 (~US $30)—upper mid‑tier but not top of the line, even for Sony. So the E848 was neither the second most expensive earbud, nor close to the highest-priced in-ear option in 1995. At best it was a mid‑high consumer model, well below both Sony’s own E888 and the genuinely expensive IEMs.

I first got this album on cassette 😂 at an Eat Static gig in the 90s Oh man was it amazing back then, and oh my is it still absolutely brilliant. Still listen to this and it still sounds absolutely brilliant. Does it sound dated? Hell yeah, dated to an era of great music.

Sony have always made amazing budget gear. Before I got in to higher end stuff I think I used the free earphones I got with a Sony phone for ages Sony is one of those companies that make great stuff at every price point.

Try the Sony DAPs, bulky things but they have decent power to drive fairly demanding headphones without the need for an external amp so is still good for on the go music.

I'll agree on the skinny girls one. So many girls dancing a lot and taking a load of pills often lead to skinniness Especially trippy flouro girls Rather than mountains though, Goa reminds me of beach parties And parties in the jungle I guess we all feel nostalgic from where we first experienced the music. Curious to hear what other people remember when they hear Goa

There's a guy on Band camp called Framework that remixes and releases tonnes of old trance (not psy) stuff. It's really good, his latest is basically modernized Northern Exposure (Sasha & John Digweed) which I was just listening to before I realized he'd released this 😊 He puts his stuff up, then it's only up for a short time so I am suspect about the legality of his mixes, but they're oh so good and super nostalgic.

Speaking of too much real world....just got home from work, it's 1am and need to be up at 7 to go back to work 😩

As people get older they are more invested in the real world and have less time to spend online, so you end up chatting with younger people you see as more brain-dead 😂 if us old folks could come back and talk about proper old people topics like 30 year old music, it'd be great 😸

Not trying to start a fight, I am just curious about how well you regard the MDR- e848s A decent budget earphones from 30 years ago. Taste is subjective so I am really interested in why anyone would prefer these over higher end stuff.