The All Purpose Advice Thread

Thanks for the reply. To be honest, I'd probably get LISST as well just so I can see the difference (not much extra money, so why not?). So Jot isn't quite as good as the mjolnir for planars for the most part?

I was thinking of running my monitors directly off the DAC like you mentioned, so glad to see I am doing the right thing.

 

Thank you for the succinct and fast response, I love this forum!

Last question -- someone answered this to me somewhere else but wanted to confirm with the fine smart people here.

Is there no way to wire an aux 3.5mm output into the Modi Multibit inputs (USB, optical, coaxial)?

My sound source is my computer monitor which I plug both my Laptop and PS4 into through an HDMI splitter. However, I couldn't find a way to go from the audio output to my Modi inputs.

I bought an HDMI audio/video splitter for the PS4 cable and a USB A to B for my laptop, however, my setup grows increasingly complex and wire-filled. Let me know if there is a more elegant solution to connect Modi directly to my monitor (seems unlikely).

 

No 3.5mm output from your monitor is analogue already and cannot go into the MoMB.

 

Thanks for the feedback Torq. That's exactly the kind of information I needed and it's hard to get honest impressions of older equipment.

I might not have a huge budget, but I do prioritize SQ. The Pi solution will be more expensive but that's okay as it is a long term investment. The overall cost for my planned build will be well over $70 since it includes the Pi 3, Digi+ Pro, keyboard/trackpad combo, etc.

I also have a radically different objective from you, as I am attempting to create a digital audio source that is disconnected from an online experience so that I can have a place to disconnect and increase my focus (a must for a graduate student like myself who has many thousands of pages to read for each term...). Nevertheless, I can't thank you enough for your input, as it has helped me to come to a conclusion regarding the proper pathway forward.

 

Your computer, or monitor, has a DAC/amp chip and so the 3.5mm out jack is already analog and amplified (this is true for any 3.5mm jack, 1/4" TRS jack, etc). You need a digital connection. If the computer is too cumbersome, or you wish to avoid USB, you could consider building a Pi (link) to serve as an external low-noise source device.

 

I would run the audio directly from the optical of the ps4 and usb of your laptop into the Modi Multibit. It's simpler and cheaper than trying to split out audio signals from HDMI.

I don't think HDMI audio has advantages over usb, but I could be wrong. I vaguely remember Schiit dismissing HDMI as an audio solution, but there were several factors, such as cost, and licencing, but I also think sound suffered.

If your laptop has optical you could add splitter before the Modi.

 

Thank you everyone for the input, I appreciate it.

Thanks for the advice. I agree that optical out from the PS4 would be ideal. Unfortunately I have hte PS4 slim with no optical out. I never guessed I would be screwed by that! From now on I will be taking a second look at the tech specs of the audio outputs of my consoles...

The other issue is the PS4 is in a different room. I made a small hole in the wall from the living room to my bedroom to be able to play PS4 in both rooms. I probably could get a 30' optical cord (if my PS4 even supported it) but it would be a hassle. I ended up picking up an HDMI audio splitter for about $25 from amazon. Hopefully it works and doesn't degrade the sound. If it does, it's okay since it's just my PS4 sound I guess, not the hugest deal as I listen to music via my laptop.

As a side note, that Raspberry Pi solution looks awesome!


Edit: Out of curiosity, if I had a monitor with USB ports, would it work that way to plug the USB ports to the Modi USB input? Or does that not make sense either?

 

Schiit's DACs do not work well with HDMI de-embedders. I tried one with my Oppo BDP-105D (when I still had it) and could not get it to work regardless of setting or cable used (optical or coaxial) into Yggdrasil. Wrote about it here.

Does your TV have optical out?

 

It does not! It's a computer monitor. I've been considering replacing it after this thread though, espeically given what you've said. Maybe I need a monitor with optical out. That's also related to the question I asked above (do USB ports in a monitor work with Schiit USB input?).

Alternatively I may need to replace the PS4 for the pro version to get the optical output and suck it up and do the 30' optical wire.

 

You're gonna want a Lifatec glass optical cable for lengths like that (IMO). Not absolutely required, but they're very robust in lab testing and will sound better than plastic optical cables.

Wait, no, they only go up to 20 feet. May want to find a different solution.

 

My selfish need to play PS4 in two different rooms definitely makes things hard on myself! Thank you so much.

 

HDMI audio-transmission supports both sample-data error detection and correction capability, vs. something like USB Audio that includes a checksum (so you can tell your data is broken) but doesn't provide any correction data nor a resend capability that'd let you do anything with (other than the DAC interpolating or muting).

It's a shitfest in other ways, though, including jitter, noise, complexity, cost (both parts and licensing) ...

 

So my old Pioneer 1015TX & monoprice HDMI switcher in our secondary family room system simultaneously shit the bed. This is a GOOD THING! It means the Yamaha RXV667 in our dedicated home theater gets moved to the secondary system and I get to upgrade the home theater!

I have just picked up an Anthem MRX720, 4 in ceiling speakers, and two audiosource stereo amps to power the 4 new height channels that I'm adding for ATMOS in the dedicated theater. I have an antimode 8033C and SVS PB1000 that work very well in my room. My question is this, now that I have ARC (Anthem Room Correction) is the Antimode redundant or does the antimode do some things that ARC won't? I know that the YPAO in the 667 does nothing for Bass but that ARC is highly regarded. FWIW, Apparently ARC does not estimate speaker distances and they have to be manually entered which has me wondering if different things are being measured. Also, I know that antimode does not boost, it only cuts down peaks.

 

No need for Antimode with ARC -they do the same thing. Distance you add manually to the Anthem setup. You can fine tune the phase between the speakers and sub with the distance measurements although it's usually pretty good all ready (ARC biggest benefit over competitors). Also use at least 70 cm between measuring spots as the manual recommends and ear height. Oh, nice amp by the way. Now you probably should get a second sub...

 

I can confirm, I have a 24" Samsung TV that I use as a monitor, color is great and it has optical out!!! When I had a Wii U I'd run it through my NFB10ES2 via optical in. If you need to play your PS4 in multiple rooms, I'd really just try to look at a monitor or TV that does have optical out. It's not perfect but it worked well enough for me when I had my Wii U

 

I didn't think I'd go as high end for an AVR. But as a Canadian, I get a bit of a break on Anthem.... I understand the 720 has a USD MSRP of $2500 whereas the MSRP here is $2599 CAD. Also, there is a 20% off trade in promotion on to the end of the month. I was going to trade in my Pioneer but the dealer didn't need it as the factory will still honor the coupon code. Anyhow, I paid $1995 CAD + tax as the dealer was selling for $100 below MSRP. I hope to get it set up tonight

I've thought about a second sub but I've got the PB1000 corner loaded and the room is perfectly sealed so I can't say I've ever felt bass lacking. The Antimode was a huge difference maker in that I got maximum room gain with the sub in the corner and the peaks were adequately tamed. A byproduct of this was that I could crossover slightly higher without localization being an issue.

 

Nice deal you found on a very nice amp! The second sub is not for more bass, but smoother bass over more seats Do try it sometime...Looking forward to hearing your impressions of the amp and ARC.

 

I'm looking at an office amp/dac combo that looks to suit my needs perfectly. But the dac portion is coax out only. I've always used usb. What would be the most logical way to get from coax to my PC that preserves best sound? (I do have optical in on my mobo).

 

I'm guessing you mean coax IN to your DAC. There are a lot of good options, like the Berkeley USB->SPDIF converter, but knowing a budget would help.

 

^^ A decent budget would be around $100. If it were a better solution I'd be good up to $200 ish.