Merrick
Last Activity:
Feb 7, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Joined:
Jan 6, 2016
Messages:
3,713
Trophy Points:
113
Positive ratings received:
13,832
Neutral ratings received:
12
Negative ratings received:
24

Post Ratings

Received: Given:
Like 12,983 10,459
Dislike 16 23
Respectfully Disagree 12 8
heart 64 50
Miss Information 8 10
Epic 405 563
Agreed, ditto, +1 380 338
Gender:
Male
Location:
Portland, OR

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Merrick

A lidless ear, Male, from Portland, OR

Pyrate

Feeling like I had foresight to buy battery power banks and retro gaming handhelds from China before February. Feb 3, 2025 at 2:51 PM

Merrick was last seen:
Feb 7, 2025 at 4:17 PM
    1. Merrick
      Merrick
      Feeling like I had foresight to buy battery power banks and retro gaming handhelds from China before February.
      1. joch, AlPastor, Slade01 and 5 others like this.
    2. Merrick
      Merrick
      Absolutely gutted by the loss of David Lynch.
      1. Boops, FlySweep, HouseOfTheEd and 5 others like this.
    3. Merrick
      Merrick
      I am stuck in paralysis by analysis hell on a retro gaming handheld. Really just want something solid to play SNES through PS1.
      1. MellowVelo likes this.
      2. View previous comments...
      3. Mr.Sneis
        Mr.Sneis
        OK - you may be in for a bit of a wait!
        Jan 16, 2025
      4. Merrick
        Merrick
        @Mr.Sneis Nintendo just announced it today, no release date yet but I'd imagine spring.
        Jan 16, 2025
      5. JK47
        JK47
        4.2.2025 at the end of the official Nintendo vid. Generally that's more of an international date format, DMY. So could be Feb 4th...
        Jan 16, 2025
        Merrick and YMO like this.
    4. Merrick
      Merrick
      The DX340 and Astrolith are so resolving together that it makes all of my other gear sound like mid-fi at best.
      1. Qildail, darmok, rhythmdevils and 8 others like this.
      2. View previous comments...
      3. rhythmdevils
        rhythmdevils
        @Merrick it's so weird because Tidal's iOS app has had a fast scroll knob for years. But when I contadct Tidal they say they have no plans to implement it on their Android app. So frustrating. Your posts have me really wanting to hear the combo!
        Jan 7, 2025
      4. Merrick
        Merrick
        @rhythmdevils The iBasso D16 portable DAC/amp has the same 1-bit DAC as the 340, and you can use it with your phone as the source. Could be the solution. Bet you could find some used as people sell theirs to get the 340.
        Jan 7, 2025
        rhythmdevils likes this.
      5. Azimuth
        Azimuth
        PWM seems to live up to the hype.
        Jan 8, 2025
        Merrick likes this.
    5. Merrick
      Merrick
      Woah mama
      1. Deep Funk, SofaSamuraiX, joch and 2 others like this.
      2. YMO
        YMO
        Must had gotten laid
        Jan 3, 2025
      3. Merrick
        Merrick
        @YMO You’re a whole lotta woman, a WHOLE LOTTA woman, a whole lotta Rosie!
        Jan 3, 2025
        JK47, Case and Gazny like this.
      4. YMO
        YMO
        It's the DX340 we know.
        Jan 3, 2025
        Merrick likes this.
    6. Merrick
      Merrick
      Just got a few more CFA goodies: Modulate custom tips for Astro and Darkstar, silver litz cable, and Pilot II balanced dongle.
    7. Merrick
      Merrick
      God help me, ibasso DX340 incoming.
      1. View previous comments...
      2. Merrick
        Merrick
        @YMO I’ll take a look at it. A lot of times library management complaints are from people who don’t tag their stuff well.
        Dec 24, 2024
        YMO likes this.
      3. Cellist88
        Cellist88
        Yes. Like can you watch a youtube video on it. Basically use it as a desktop dac/amp. All the daps with usb dac always had a bit of lag so you can't watch movies. I heard they fixed it on the ti models, so hoping 340 can work as an all in one.
        Dec 24, 2024
        Merrick likes this.
      4. Merrick
        Merrick
        Dec 24, 2024
    8. Merrick
      Merrick
      CFA Axiom is an odd thing. Quite a big sound from such a tiny shell but its power hungry like no IEM I’ve ever seen and has a harsh edge.
      1. FlySweep likes this.
      2. View previous comments...
      3. Merrick
        Merrick
        @Gazny Did a quick listen on the Rag. You know how I said these like power? I have the Rag on high gain, designed for speakers, and these are dead silent and I can set the volume between 10 and 1 for comfortable listening depending on the loudness of the track. Sound is more controlled vs. the dongle cable, I am hearing performance gains in resolution.
        Dec 23, 2024
      4. Merrick
        Merrick
        Feels like the power demands run counter to the use case of ultra tiny/portable IEMs. I do hear less harshness on the Rag but if I'm going to these lengths I'll go for the Astrolith that can outperform these in every area.
        Dec 23, 2024
      5. Merrick
        Merrick
        Also hearing some weird timbral issues on some tracks, these feel like they're way too finicky.
        Dec 23, 2024
        Gazny likes this.
    9. Merrick
      Merrick
      Feeling nostalgic for Jotunheim 1. Kind of want to hear it again.
      1. MellowVelo likes this.
      2. View previous comments...
      3. roshambo123
        roshambo123
        Jot 2 is tonally chonk, and the highs require the right DAC, as they are a touch dry and metallic. For both Jots, the focus and control I think is the strong suit. Like all Mid-fi amps, they probably do one thing extremely well, often to a very interesting degree, but are kinda mid or flawed in everything else.
        Dec 20, 2024
        rlow and Merrick like this.
      4. HotRatSalad
        HotRatSalad
        Jot 2 is a chameleon for me. With low and high gain and SE and XLR out it changes character, can be bendable a bit depending on headphone. It is on the SS sounding side but it's damn thunderous and bombastic with clear OG and BF2 OG. It sounds cleaner and more extended less spikey, smoother with gungnir A2/2-64 as well.
        Dec 20, 2024
        roshambo123 and Merrick like this.
      5. ColdsnapBry
        ColdsnapBry
        You definately don't lol I got one in a trade last year and was like wow. Both super dark and super peaky and smeared.
        Dec 22, 2024
        Merrick likes this.
    10. Merrick
      Merrick
      The Analogue Productions Genesis releases are uniformly excellent.
      1. View previous comments...
      2. Merrick
        Merrick
        @MellowVelo The SACD isn’t out yet but if I had to recommend just one of the vinyls, it would be A Trick of the Tail. I’m hoping the SACD will be just as good.
        Dec 18, 2024
        MellowVelo likes this.
      3. MellowVelo
        MellowVelo
        I’m really excited for ATOTT. It’s one of my all-time favorite albums. In general, it’s one of the better sounding Genesis albums. All of my vinyl and CD versions have sounded good, even without audiophile treatment, so I’m curious about what else a proper audiophile mastering could squeeze from those tapes.
        Dec 19, 2024
        Merrick likes this.
      4. Merrick
        Merrick
        @MellowVelo The vinyl is superb. Energetic, dynamic, and detailed. I have the ‘80s Atco CD and it sounds great but the vinyl beats it. Fantastic low end.
        Dec 19, 2024
        MellowVelo likes this.
    11. Merrick
      Merrick
      CFA Darkstar is legit
    12. Merrick
      Merrick
      Campfire Darkstar has arrived. Impressions to come.
      1. yotacowboy
      2. Merrick
        Merrick
        @yotacowboy These new DD drivers are great! Still it’s not a bass cannon, but if you put on something with a lot of bass it will come to life.
        Dec 11, 2024
    13. Boops
      Boops
      Good to see you back in the neighborhood
      1. Merrick
        Merrick
        Thanks!
        Dec 10, 2024
        ilikebananafudge_ likes this.
      2. CEE TEE
        CEE TEE
        With awesome impressions, thank you!
        Dec 12, 2024
        Merrick likes this.
    14. Merrick
      Merrick
      Solidarity with the brave students facing institutional oppression for using their Constitutional right to free speech.
      1. View previous comments...
      2. rott
        rott
        @Merrick While I don't share solidarity with the student protestors, I cannot argue with your statements. Unfortunately I don't think senseless violence in the region will end while Israeli leadership retains settler-hardliners and Palestinian leadership continues to act as a proxy for regional powers hell-bent on Israel's destruction. Would this current cycle end if Hamas frees their Oct. 7th hostages?
        Apr 24, 2024
        Case likes this.
      3. internethandle
        internethandle
        Having trouble with the idea of someone catching a ban for a profile post. He didn’t de-rail a thread or even start trouble in Marv’s thread. Not much disrespectful in this back and forth, either. If you’re gonna tolerate the libertarian dude in Marv’s thread worried about a border “invasion,” maybe also tolerate the one vocally left wing dude here.
        Apr 25, 2024
        yotacowboy, Tchoupitoulas and Case like this.
      4. shotgunshane
        shotgunshane
        There are rules around politics in the forum. Marv's thread is the only place. Let's make this the last post on this. Merrick will be back soon.
        Apr 25, 2024
        internethandle, Tchoupitoulas and YMO like this.
    15. Merrick
      Merrick
      Cowboy Carter might be Beyonce's best album to date.
      1. joch and jnak00 like this.
      2. View previous comments...
      3. JK47
        Apr 12, 2024
        joch and yotacowboy like this.
      4. zottel
        zottel
        Now I can’t get the ridiculous song “Ich bin ein Pferd” (I Am a Horse) by the German children’s band Donikkl out of my head, as it is about Cowboy Kurt’s horse. Funny how the mind works. (EDIT: And I wrote that before I followed JK47’s link.)
        Apr 12, 2024
      5. zottel
        zottel
        That song contains the most absurd line I ever heard in lyrics: „Pferde essen gerne Pferdbeereis“, which translates to “horses like to eat horse berry ice”, but works better in German, where Pferd means horse and Erdbeereis means strawberry ice.
        Apr 13, 2024
        gixxerwimp likes this.
    16. Merrick
      Merrick
      The design of the Vali 3 is beautiful and I want one, but I’m not sure I have any use for it.
      1. Cryptowolf, Qildail, Kolohe and 5 others like this.
      2. Merrick
        Merrick
        My headphone listening time is already quite low and I have a Ragnarok for big boy phones and a Liquid Carbon for IEMs, the Vali 3 would probably barely ever get used.
        Mar 17, 2024
      3. Armaegis
        Armaegis
        Clearly, the proper thing to do is use the Vali3 as preamp for the Ragnarok.
        Mar 17, 2024
      4. Merrick
        Merrick
        @Armaegis Can’t believe I missed such an obvious solution!
        Mar 17, 2024
        Jinxy245 likes this.
    17. Merrick
      Merrick
      I’ve had my Yggdrasil GS2 for over a month now and it still delights me. I’ve been enjoying it so much I haven’t even tried the LIM board.
      1. Jinxy245, MellowVelo, Case and 13 others like this.
      2. joch
        joch
        This is a bargain.
        Feb 20, 2024
        internethandle and Merrick like this.
      3. Qildail
        Qildail
        Mine will be back tomorrow from its California road trip; hopefully with the non-sticky-button upgrade...
        Feb 20, 2024
        Merrick likes this.
      4. internethandle
        internethandle
        It’s super great - wouldn’t blame you if you decided to not use LIM at all, tbh. Don’t need to fix what ain’t broken.
        Feb 20, 2024
        Merrick likes this.
    18. Merrick
      Merrick
      1. Qildail, jexby, edd and 3 others like this.
      2. View previous comments...
      3. SoupRKnowva
        SoupRKnowva
        huh, ive never looked into aftermarket tips for AirPods Pro, but ill give them a shot
        Feb 13, 2024
        Merrick likes this.
      4. Merrick
        Merrick
        @SoupRKnowva The stock tips never stayed in my ears regardless of size, so I've tried many third party tips. These are the best I've found to date.
        Feb 13, 2024
        SoupRKnowva likes this.
      5. StageOne
        StageOne
        I’ve used Comply tips in the past as the stock ones never worked for me but these look interesting. Ordered. And thanks!
        Feb 13, 2024
        Merrick likes this.
    19. zottel
      zottel
      My HEDDphone Two is on its way! \o/ Unfortunately, they chose UPS, so it will arrive only on Monday. Eagerly waiting!
      1. zottel
        zottel
        Oops, that should have been a post on my own profile. Sorry, Merrick! ;)
        Jan 19, 2024
        Merrick likes this.
      2. ChaChaRealSmooth
        ChaChaRealSmooth
        You're not sorry at all
        Jan 19, 2024
    20. Merrick
      Merrick
      I need advice from the braintrust. Good reasonably priced NAS for Mac Time Machine with two computers?
      1. dasman66 and MellowVelo like this.
      2. View previous comments...
      3. dasman66
        dasman66
        I have a 2-bay unit at the office to serve music and am very happy with it. I currently have 14TB Seagate XOS drives in all my units and am very happy with them. I used to run WD red drives, but started to experience high temps and a couple premature failures so I slowly transitioned to the XOS (I replace one drive in the 4 bay units every ~1.5 years... so the oldest drive is never more than 5 yrs old)
        Jan 19, 2024
        Kernel Kurtz and Merrick like this.
      4. Qildail
        Qildail
        The performance on the Synology wasn’t up to the need when I did this many years ago, so I ended up with a cheap tower stuffed with drives running TrueNAS. At some point I need to transition back to a 3.5-drive appliance - I’m not interested in managing my own systems anymore.
        Jan 19, 2024
        Vansen and Merrick like this.
      5. Vansen
        Vansen
        I’ve been considering the same thing @Qildail. My Synology is nine years old. Think I may stick with Synology for the simplicity. Considered Storaxa. But might just hang a two-bay NFS share off my Roon server since I have super light use requirements.
        Jan 19, 2024
        Qildail likes this.
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  • About

    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Portland, OR
    Gear List:
    Source: Pi2AES
    DAC: Yggdrasil GS2
    Headphone Amp/Power amp: Schiit Ragnarok
    Headphones: ETA Ada, ETA O2, Sennheiser IE 600, Koss Porta-Pro, Campfire Audio Astrolith and Darkstar
    Speakers: NHT SB-3
    Portable: iBasso DX 340, iBasso DC Elite, iBasso DC-07 Pro
    Turntable: Yamaha PX-3 linear
    Cart: Nagaoka MP-500
    Phono: Darlington Labs MP8B

    Signature

    Over ear: ETA O2, ETA Ada, Koss Porta Pros
    IEM: Campfire Audio Astrolith, Campfire Audio Darkstar
    AMP: Schiit Ragnarok (1)
    DAC: Yggdrasil+ GS2
    Turntable: Yamaha PX-3 w/Nagaoka MP-500 cart, Darlington MP8B phono pre
    Speakers: NHT SB-3