The All Purpose Advice Thread

Oh right, I suppose I could just do that. There are no negative side affects to doing that, are there?

 

In the case of parallel capacitors it's actually positive since it reduces ESR. Check out this giant capacitor bank that Troels uses for his crossover.

You should really start a thread in the DIY audio section.

You can also end up with something that is more accurate as well. Typical tolerances are 5% so an 80uF cap would be 80 +/- 4 uF and 10uF is 10 +/- 0.5 uF. Wiring 8 10uF caps in parallel would have a resulting capacitance of 80 +/- 1.4 uF or 1.7% tolerance. It might end up being cheaper too.

 

Hi all. I'm looking to get an Android DAP that has the ability to store tidal offline. In addition, it would be a plus if it also has a balanced output, as it's an avenue I'd like to explore down the line. It isn't a necessity though.

Also, the I'd like the Android OS to be at least lollipop. 4.4.2 is way too old for me. I understand the OS will not be blazing fast, but I'd like something with smooth scrolling at least and can handle Tidal with minimal lag.

I would be using it to primarily drive my newly bought Noble X as well as my old Westone ES5. So far I've found that the pioneer 300r would be a good choice, but would like to hear from the community.

 

Another good, reasonably-priced one is the Mundorf EVO Aluminum/Oil.

It's hard to say how much difference caps make (or rather, it's hard to separate the difference from expectation bias). I'm currently collecting parts for a pair of TQWT speakers that I plan to put 3 different levels of film cap into: low-end films (Jantzen CrossCap, similar to the Audyn Red), middle-end film (the above-mentioned Mundorf EVO Aluminum/Oil), and taking-the-piss-foils (Jantzen AlumenZ). There will be a switch on the back so I can A/B/C them. I'm a skeptic at heart, so I'm really curious to see how this turns out....

 

Please, somebody knows if amanero USB used from audio gd is capable to be connected with smartphones with android or iOS? Can't find an answer anywhere and I would prefer to buy it instead the stack

 

Hey all. I've got a question about bookshelf speakers because my old Logitech surround system for my living room died recently. I figured this would be a good time to take a dive into the speaker realm, and I think a DIY project would be really rewarding. My main uses would be mostly listening to music, but also occasionally watching TV and moves. My living room is roughly 15' (w) x 18' (d), and I don't need the room to be blasting.

I've done some research and it seems like perhaps the Speedster DIY kit (http://www.diysoundgroup.com/featured-for-mg04a00409/speedster-kit.html) might be a good fit. I've also been intrigued by full-range driver kits (horn loaded or other) and wonder if they might be a good fit as well, knowing that I might possibly need a sub-woofer in the future. I've seen @Marvey mention the Fostex FE108EZ Sigma drivers a few times, and I was wondering if that would be a good candidate for a full-range speaker? I like the idea of full-range drivers at the moment, because it seems they might image with better coherence, but I might be wrong. Any feedback is appreciated, thanks!

 

I’ve had the Speedsters on my radar for awhile. I believe @thegunner100 has a pair if my memory isn’t wrong. @Jeb has built a two-way bookshelf and an Alpair fullrange bookshelf and has made some comparisons in another thread.

http://www.superbestaudiofriends.or...n-build-impressions-measurements-thread.3839/

 

Maybe it is silly question but what is the module that bypasses the output resistors? I mean what does it do? I bought two Nuforce ha-200 mostly influenced by your review, to use them as monoblocks with DC-1, very happy with the setup. How would this module it work in my setup?

 

@thegunner100's impressions / comparisons of the Speedster to the OSMT are why I considered the Speedsters in the first place Also, @Jeb, your work is fantastic! I appreciate the comparisons to other types of bookshelf speakers.

I've read through quite a few other threads and was intrigued by the Blumenstein Orcas as well, both the appearance (bamboo plywood!) and single-driver aspect. I know many people here like them and others think they aren't all that great. I was wondering if I could somehow use a better driver (like the Fostex FE108EZ Sigma) and a proper encosure (don't know enough to know which yet) to build a better-performing option? Maybe that's just foolish thinking, though. I would love to hear other's thoughts on this!

 

You would need two modules (one per amp), and I only have the one unfortunately. Internally, the headphone jacks literally have a 10ohm resistor in series. The modules have little jumpers that let you bypass the resistors. I'm pretty sure I have pictures of it in my review on headfi somewhere.

 

@Cspirou @Btdk34

I don't think I've ever publicly commented on the Speedsters before. I heard @Hooncake's pair with the Yggdrasil and his Dayton APA150 amp. We compared the Speedsters to the OSMTs at his house. The Speedsters were more V shaped but with better bass extension and texture. Treble was more rough compared to the OSMT's dome tweeter. Resolution was pretty similar as far as I could tell. The Speedsters, as described by Paul Carmody, are more of a fun sounding speaker. The OSMTs are a more relaxed listen and works for more genres due to it being more neutral.

I do have a saga/freya and a vidar though, so that does change things up a bit. I haven't heard the Speedsters with a better amp asides from a First Watt F5 briefly. I don't think a better amp would really help with the ribbon tweeter's tendency to sound rough, especially up close.

Personally I would suggest building a pair of OSMTs over the Speedsters. They're much cheaper and sound better overall imo. If you can build either the OS MTM 3-way or the OS TMM tower, I'm sure those would be even better.

As for the Orcas and full-ranged speaker, I don't recommend spending the time or money on them unless you've heard a pair of full-ranged speakers before. Most people are better served by traditional speakers. Building a full-range system requires careful selection of all parts of the chain, as well as a well implemented sub.

@Hooncake can probably comment more since he has both the Orcas and Speedsters. I might give the Speedsters a try again one of these days when I find the time.

 

I am on the hunt for some new XLR interconnects. My desiderata are thus:

- OCC copper (no silver)
- Teflon dielectric, air-gapped
- unshielded
- don't need to sell my family into bondage to fund purchase

Any leads (geddit)?

 

Ah yes, you're correct, I was thinking of @Hooncake's comparison of the OSMT to the Speedsters. I didn't realize the Speedsters have a more V-shaped signature compared to the OSMT, that's good to know. I definitely prefer a more neutral sound in general. I like your suggestion of the Overnight Sensation MTM; it sounds like it'd be a better fit for a medium-sized room. Really appreciate your feedback, thanks!

 

In case you change your mind about selling family into bondage: http://www.empiricaldesign.net/interconnect-cables.html

 

By air-gapped, do you mean just an oversized teflon tubing over a bare OCC copper wire, or do you mean something similar to the DH Labs Air Matrix of VH Audio's AirLok dialectric? If it's the former, then that's something I've made before. If it's the latter, then I'm not sure I've seen a commercial product that isn't either silver plated or shielded. Of course there are tons of commercial cable products out there that I don't know as I make a lot of my own cables.

 

Yep, just this. I love that baggy 90s look.
By the way, my DIY history involves a lot of magic smoke, so I don't particularly trust myself to go that route.

 

I don't have any appropriate amp for speedsters now so I am only going by distant memory.
- speedster seems a bit more V-shaped. - I thought it was improvement compared to OSMT, bass seems more punchy and dynamic. -sound seems bit more clear.
- I wouldn't recommend orcas unless you absolutely need desktop fullranger that sacrifices many things like any notion bass, neutral for top heavy treble, to gain mid cohesiveness.
- just get a OSMT.

 

@Garns https://www.dysonaudio.com/collecti...er-copper-litz-balanced-xlr-interconnect-1-0m

Jeffrey Dyson has been extremely friendly and reasonable to deal with if you need custom stuff. I'm sure he'd help you out if you want different connectors on those.

 

@Btdk34 - you can also combine both! Ribbon tweeter from the Speedster and Fostex driver for a woofer.

http://www.troelsgravesen.dk/FE126E.htm

It uses an older driver but the fe125En could be drop in replacement.

 

@Hooncake - Awesome, thanks for the feedback. If I go with a pre-made kit, I'll likely order a pair of Overnight Sensations MTMs.
@Cspirou - That's an interesting idea! I'm a little worried about the bass, since the frequency responses seem to be graphed only to 200Hz and above, and it seems like it starts to tail off at 200Hz. I'd love to know more about the theory behind the driver choice, box setup, and crossover design in general so that I could tweak it/create my own. Does anyone know of a good reference or book with decent information?