The All Purpose Advice Thread

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

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  1. Zhanming057

    Zhanming057 Friend

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    @zonto I've heard it and I agree with the other guy, it's slightly warm and very polite to the point of being a little anemic.

    While I like my SS amps to sound like SS, I know that some people prefer warm SS to tubes but at that point I think that you should just find a $3k power amp from Pass Labs or First Watt and run your cans straight off the taps. Virtually no downsides if you're careful about it.
     
  2. ogodei

    ogodei MOT: Austin AudioWorks

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    Random thing I learned today...

    Many states now want online vendors to collect sales tax interstate purchases. However a few sales platforms (Audiogon, USAudiomart) have no mechanism to capture tax data right now. So if a vendor with presence online at ebay or their own site also lists Agon, and you purchase through Agon, sales tax is not collected at time of sale.
     
  3. Climber

    Climber Facebook Friend

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    Good tip.

    Sooner or later Paypal will start collecting sales tax, I'd think. Just a matter of time ...
     
  4. Accrued

    Accrued Friend

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    Guys i need some help with choosing an amp here are the current options i have with the pricing:

    woo audio wa2 & wa3 (650 & 350$ Respectively)

    Bottlehead S.E.X 3 +C4S (425$)

    I’m leaning towards the sex but just open to some feedback
     
  5. Tennstrong

    Tennstrong New

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    Thanks for the help everyone, really appreciate it. Ended up going for the 3+ & modi 3 shortly afterwards, and the interconnects @monacelli suggested to somewhat minimize excess cables lying around. Still in transit so I can't give the perfect check-in post, but I had another question to ask of you fine people.

    Are there any stands available that are similar to the M&O Electronics stands (reference 1, ref 2)? I messaged them on facebook & searched around but it seems like they might've gone out of business mid-2018 (looking at when the amazon reviews stopped). Unfortunate if so because I rather like this style of sit-down stand compared to the hangers, so if anyone has a recommendation for one similar it would be very much appreciated.

    Cheers everyone - have a great weekend - and thanks again
     
  6. nishan99

    nishan99 Friend

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    So my sister's cat chewed on my headphones cable and cut 1 thread belonging to the right channel out of the 8 threads cable.

    I didn't bother to test a difference because my OCD forbid listening through asymmetric cable.

    Now should I cut 1 thread from the left channel to balance things out or should I try to fix it? (I don't solder shit).
     
  7. Superexchanger

    Superexchanger Friend

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    This is silly. Listen to the equipment. Do you hear a difference? Unless the strand loss significantly alters the LCR behavior of the cable, it's unlikely this is going to manifest in a serious issue/mismatch. I doubt something like this will do those things, but you have to listen to it.

    If the option is to damage symmetrically or fix the cable, and a fix precludes soldering, what exactly are you going to do?
    Not trying to be a jerk here, but come on dude.
     
    Last edited: Sep 26, 2020
  8. nishan99

    nishan99 Friend

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    Yeah it's silly, it's called OCD :(.

    About the fix I am thinking about removing some chunk of the plastic sheath and then taping the wires together. idk if it's the best way to do it without soldering. Anyone please feel free to suggest any better way to do it.
     
  9. Superexchanger

    Superexchanger Friend

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    If the cable damage causes distress via a medical condition, what I would try is what you suggested. If you don't have enough slack in the cable to patch without causing the cable to kink, use similar strand as a patch and conductive wire glue, or just twist. If you find that this still irritates (the cable will be visually asymmetric), then sever the other channel in the same fashion, then tape off the conductors the same way so they don't errantly contact each other as you move.
     
  10. murphythecat

    murphythecat GRU-powered uniformed trumpkin

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    hi guys, I have the stock utopia cable without the lemo connectors. Are there fact lemo connectors around? where's the best place to order Lemo connectors (dont care if its not black)
    thanks
     
  11. Armaegis

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    Maybe Mouser? https://www.mouser.ca/manufacturer/lemo/
     
  12. atomicbob

    atomicbob dScope Yoda

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    This may be the item for which you seek:
    https://www.sager.com/fgg-0b-302-clad52z-2121865.html
     
  13. Metro

    Metro Friend

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    Just let your sister's cat chew on the left cable until it looks about the same. Then it will be symmetric...
     
  14. murphythecat

    murphythecat GRU-powered uniformed trumpkin

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  15. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    LOL that's LEMO!
     
  16. murphythecat

    murphythecat GRU-powered uniformed trumpkin

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    but in usa they are 20$?
     
  17. Tennstrong

    Tennstrong New

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    20$ per connector is likely a china knock (ime, generally when you start to see them get around ~$30 for a full male/female), seems like they have authentic male (2-pole) ends for ~$33 on moon-audio which is pretty reasonable. Normally they go around $35 on a male so you aren't getting too grilled. That said I'm not too sure what (if any) difference is present between the china knocks since I know a fair amount of people who use them without issue, but with such nice cans I'd probably break off the extra $20 for authentic.
    Edit: the ones linked above seem to be authentic at 22, would go that way for sure (I was thinking 5p connectors pricing at first)
     
    Last edited: Sep 26, 2020
  18. bixby

    bixby Friend

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    I would like to put a volume control between TV dac and amp (volume control is way low on it now, need more range). Since the TV is outputting optical and the sound is just ok to begin with, I have checked the usual suspects. Schiit passive, Chinese passives, and last a mixer. The later has some more interest since some older ones can be had with a few EQ bands for subtle tweaking.

    Obviously looking for a cheap solution for this simple 2.0 setup. Say $50-$75.

    Question is how bad would the sound be with something like a Mackie 402VLZ4 for example vs straight on into the amp or with entry level passive like the Schiit? Anyone have experience with mixers and their sound quality? Would it be halfway decent? @Psalmanazar, @Armaegis ?
     
  19. Climber

    Climber Facebook Friend

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    I can't comment on the Mackie, but I have a Schiit SYS that I use to A/B gear occasionally.

    [TLDR, works great and you shouldn't worry.]

    When I first got the SYS, I tried the following transparency test, which it passed: Both RCA outs on a Gungnir MB, same model cables, both into a Freya+ preamp but one routed through the SYS at full/open volume. Could tell no difference switching between the two.

    I then tried my best to test the SYS with the pot engaged, as follows: Gungnir --> SYS at half volume --> Freya+ ... vs ... Amarra, to volume match --> Gungnir --> Freya+. I think I heard some minor differences there, but honestly fairly small.

    I generally don't keep SYS in the chain in the big system because purist/OCD ... but wouldn't be the end of the world if I did.

    I also have a Schiit Loki FWIW, and it's much easier to test transparency on that one since you can switch it in and out with a toggle on the front panel. Only spent a few minutes doing so before deciding that, again, any deltas were too small to sweat.
     
  20. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

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    @bixby Mixers are Mackie's bread & butter. I've always had good reliable experience with them and no issues with sound quality. You can probably find a decent used one for $50. A little bit of deoxit or your favourite lube on the pots and you should be good to go.
     
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