The All Purpose Advice Thread

Discussion in 'Advice Threads' started by purr1n, Sep 26, 2015.

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  1. bongshanks

    bongshanks New

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    The dac just has SPDIF input. I'm just trying to understand if people can tell a difference between different SPDIF outputs. For instance, Mac's and the Airport Express have a bad reputation for having noisy SPDIF outputs.
     
  2. bixby

    bixby Friend

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    @bongshanks, aha, I understand.

    What might be helpful would be to know which dac? And what about usb on the computer? If you are trying to keep things low cost, there are some usb to spdif converters that will do the job as well as the linked device. Depends on what you wish to spend and whether the dac is worthy.

    and by the dac just has spdif do you mean coax, rca and/or optical toslink as well?

    As for your last sentence, yes some Apple products have poor optical and/or coax spdif outs. Bu that does not mean you have to rule them out. Most pcs do not have optical or coax outs anymore. So if you think you have to buy a pc as the only solution, that would be incorrect. I suppose you have a pc lying about that you plan to use?
     
  3. bongshanks

    bongshanks New

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    I have an ancient Benchmark dac for my bedroom setup. It has toslink/optical. I'm trying what I want to do for a roon endpoint. Apparently even a Nvidia Shield can run as a roon endpoint. If I can get a USB dac to run on it, then life will be awesome. Otherwise i'll need to shell out a lot for decent intel NUC.

    I'm going to have to upgrade. Even my RME Babyface pro sounds better but that's relegated to my office.
     
  4. Ice-man

    Ice-man Friend

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    Looking for a simple headphone extension cable of good quality. 1/4 female to 1/4 male about two feet, roughly. Having a tough time finding something online. Any help is appreciated.
     
  5. ButtUglyJeff

    ButtUglyJeff Stunningly beautiful IRL

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    Normally, I would tell you to get the Grado extension, but its 15'. If longer isn't an issue, then get that. Really well made, good copper, and not expensive...
     
  6. captkirk

    captkirk Khan's BFF

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    If length is priority, then you could do the following:
    1.5ft Premier Series 1/4in TRS Male to Male Cable, 16AWG (Gold Plated) + Metal 1/4in (6.35mm) TRS Female to 1/4in (6.35mm) TRS Female Coupler, Gold Plated
    - Not ideal with piggy-backed adapter, but it's shorter than everything that seems to be out there.

    Otherwise, found one that's 6 feet, but that's 3x the length you mentioned:
    6FT/1.8M 6.35mm Headphone Extension Cable Cord Lead Gold plated TRS 1/4" Stereo Plug / Male to Jack /Female
     
  7. jowls

    jowls Never shitposts (please) - Friend

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    Blue Jeans Cable?
     
  8. Daveheart

    Daveheart Friend

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    Markertek sells a Canare star quad cable that would fit the needs that's available in 1.5' and 3'. It looks like it's $16.99 for a 3' extension.
     
  9. eternaldrake

    eternaldrake New

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    I'll have some time to kill in NYC this weekend, are there any recommended audio shops to check out? Preferably somewhere I can just sort of stop by and demo a few things, not really looking to buy a bunch of stuff while on travel.
     
  10. bixby

    bixby Friend

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    I might suggest a low cost usb to spdif coax bridge. Have not tried the lower costs ones, so you may have to do a bit of research, maybe one that uses xmos 200 series chipset. Then run that with nice capable desktop computer. I have a used HP 6300 SFF dektop on my nightstand (yes it is big) but you can put it out of site on the floor. Asuming you will be running this endpoint headless. I think I paid all of $84 shipped for my desktop with WIn 10 OS . My setup does not stop there but this could work just fine in your case.

    If you do want to upgrade the dac, I could rec the Topping D30 @ $109 crazy good sounding and has a very good usb section and drivers that are solid.
     
  11. lm4der

    lm4der A very good sport - Friend

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    Cool recommendation, so better than a modi2 d/s I take it?
     
  12. bixby

    bixby Friend

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    I do not have the modi2 4490 here any longer to compare, but I did not care for the sound and sold it weeks after buying it. No plans (atm) to sell the Topping if that gives you any perspective!
     
  13. allegro

    allegro Friend

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    Blue Jeans cable will make you anything you need at https://www.bluejeanscable.com/store/audio/MSA1.htm
     
  14. Kunlun

    Kunlun cat-alyzes cat-aclysmic cat-erwauling - Friend

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    Super friends, I need to buy an all-in-one cd-player-with-its-own-speakers kinda thing for my mom.

    Any suggestions under 250? Not too big, she has a bose player packed away somewhere, so something like that.
     
  15. abisai2

    abisai2 Friend

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    Hello! I'm looking for some advice on headphones I can gift to a couple of family members. I'm looking for something easy to drive, somewhat portable but not required, comfortable, and sound decent. For reference my family members typically use Apple Ear Buds or Beats headphones so the bar isn't very high.

    So far I have the Philips SHP9500 and Audio-Technica ATH-M40x in mind. Any thoughts or feedback will be appreciated. Thanks in advance!
     
  16. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    Denon? I used to like the look of their stuff, but I was an audio snob back then. You know how it is: pretty little mini system, you look at it and think how cute it would be in the bedroom, and walk on because it just isn't separates. It would have been cute in the bedroom, though!
     
    Last edited: Dec 7, 2017
  17. Ice-man

    Ice-man Friend

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    I would need the pictures within 2 weeks. What time would work best for you to accomplish what you need to?
     
  18. Zed Bopp

    Zed Bopp Friend

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    Creative Aurvana Live! (1st version) should blow their socks off, then. They have a very agreeable sound to most with some punchy bass. They are very light and quite comfy because there is so little clamp. The cheap price shows when comparing the slightly flimsy build to some +100$ headphones, though.
     
  19. abisai2

    abisai2 Friend

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    Thanks for the input. I'll do some research on them. :)
     
  20. GanGreinke

    GanGreinke Friend

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    I just got a NuForce STA200 power amp and am using an RME ADI-2 Pro as a DAC/preamp. Using the amp with my Code-LEX directly from the speaker taps really gives the low end the oomph I am looking for, but there is a slight bit of hiss. The same is true when I use the amps with my PMx2, but the hiss is quite a bit louder. What would be the best way to go about reducing the background hiss? Or is it just not possible because the amp has a pretty high gain to begin with (I think the gain is 34.4 dB)?
     
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