The All Purpose Advice Thread

I guess if EC Studio is at one end of the spectrum and the classic tube warmpoo sound is the other, then what hits somewhere toward the middle?

Or if I had to choose between the two extremes, I'd probably choose EC Studio because I can live without tube lushness in favor of micro details, rather than go to the area where I have the lushy decay, but the bass/midbass is bloated like a dead cow in 98 deg heat.

 

I think my suggestions are in your strike zone, but you really need to bring your cans and have a good listen on someone else's rig for an afternoon ...

This is not the kind of money where I'd buy being unsure exactly how much warmth I want, and you won't know until you've had a good listen on at least one so you have a reference point, what with your current stable being mainly solid and hybrid?

 

I was hoping I could get some opinions and insight from you guys.
Recently got a saga/vidar combo powering my epic 2 speakers. I think I got a little over the top with the volume and I damaged one speaker, sounds like a blown woofer.

My concern is I'm not sure what happened. The vidar had made them sound better than I ever heard through 3 or 4 other amps. Loved what I was hearing but the epic2 is rated as follows
Power Handling 120 Watts unclipped speech and music Frequency Range 48 Hz â 25 kHz Impedance 4 Ohm nominal Sensitivity 90dB / 2.83V@1m Amplifier Compatibility 20 â 120 Watts Positioning Not less than 10 cm (4â) from rear wall..

Is too much power a concern? I have everything plugged into decent furman and belkin power strips, no hum or feedback or buzz anywhere. Vidar has never got really hot or had any shutdowns or faults since I've had it. Could it be just because I been using these speakers for 4 years? How can I tell if it's the tweeter also? One speaker seems perfectly fine, how come both didn't go ?

I can get replacement woofers from creek but I am worried I'll drink to much again and the volume knob will wander way past 12 again !

 

The usual way an amp breaks speakers is if it has too little power, rather than too much, and the desire for volume drives the amp into clipping. Vidar is rated at 200W into 4 Ohms, so it's unlikely that was the problem. At 90 dB your speakers would seem sensitive enough - how loud were you playing??

If you're still hearing the upper mids & highs ok from the bad speaker, it's probably just the woofer. Try replacing it (or the pair), and try to remain conscious of the beer-effect noise-desire.

 

Just like anything mechanical, small defects or damage may only show themselves once you push the thing close to its limits. Rated specifications are only as good as an ideal part with no flaws. Rev a car to its max RPMs for a certain amount of time and most will survive - but 1 out of 50 may still blow.

I believe those speakers have 2 sets of binding posts. One set of posts drives the woofer and the other set drives the tweeter.To tell if it’s the woofer or the tweeter, simply remove the jumpers between the posts (assuming you don’t biwire) and plug the speaker cables into the set of posts that run the woofer, play music and see if any issue. If not, move the cables to the binding posts that drive the tweeter and repeat.

Best of luck.

 

Thanks for reminder of the 2 sets of binding posts. I did just that, tweeter sound identical and from what I can tell are intact. I imagine it would be obvious because the woofers sure are.. They are both blown one worse than the other.

I've been in contact with creek, already got a quote for 2 replacement woofers, should I be worried about anything else ? I plan to replace the woofers and keep the speakers..

thanks rlow

 

Those speakers are rated 120w max into 4 ohms. Jason at a Schiit has said that Vidar is underrated from its specs, so it’s possible the top end of its power output is more like 220w-240w or more. If you have a high output source, this may also cause the Saga to reach Vidar’s top end quicker than normal on the volume knob. If it’s the woofers that are blown, I suspect you simply put too much power through them. In particular, low bass notes can cause the woofer to exceed its excursion limits. This can damage the voice coil if the volume is not backed off. Distortion from too little power has tended to blow tweeters for me in the two experiences I’ve had with that. But I’m sure that it can blow woofers as well.

As @Biodegraded said - watch that volume level when drinking man, and you should be fine. Otherwise, if you need it louder, buy some more bulletproof speakers like ATC or another with high power handling.

 

Well normally it's Modi Multibit to saga or LCR MKIII mm phono stage to saga and they both have similar very close volume levels same spot on sagas dial. However on this occasion I ran my Valhalla 2 on low gain to vidar and played the chemical wedding flac through Modi Multibit into Valhalla 2 out to vidar. Am I wrong to think that the extra gain (3.5 Valhalla plus whatever 2v on Modi Multibit is) might have pushed them over the edge?

 

Hey Guys! Do you use HD 650 for classical music? I find they are a bit heavy on the piano notes. Any way to compensate that? Also, when I listen to My Bloody Valentine, I find that my old HD 598s were better at representing the top end. Again, any way to compensate that on the 650s? A bright DAC + a bright amp? Will that be a solution? Suggestions?

 

Cheap or free EQ if using computer as source

 

HD600.

 

Chemical Wedding by The Mekons? If so - respect!

 

Valhalla would have added extra gain yes. Bottom line, I think you ran them too loud for too long a period (or too often) - they're not rated for the top end of Vidar's power output into 4 ohms. You may want to look for something with higher power handling.

 

Having issues with a Black Widow. Reached out to Craig who suggested I reach out to the community. Basically I am having a channel die. Amplifier has been serviced, and has no issues. However, when I plug in at home, I generally encounter:

• 3 minutes (approximate time from start) of low level, distorted, sound break-up on one channel. The other channel remains stable. A loud pop might occur. Then I have full use of both channels.
  
• Until, and this is the part I am experimenting with, I might lose the same channel after 40 minutes of music playback. I have a test album that is a little longer than 40 minutes (becomes 40 minutes if I skip a track).

The details get harder to describe, so feel free to ask questions. I have used multiple headphones (HD580, HD650, HD800). I have used multiple power cords, plugged into multiple surge protectors, plugged into multiple receptacles around the house. I have used multiple digital sources (Bifrost, Mojo, Qutest, Yggdrasil), fed by multiple digital sources (DAP or disc transport into COAX, USB).

There are just two times I did an action, which I believe directly resulted in the channel issue. In this scenario, I have isolated myself - nothing else on the line from the house circuit breaker, on my own IsoBar from the wall, just the BW (and maybe charger) plugged into the IsoBar:

• (GOOD) Connected DAP directly to BW.
  
• (GOOD) Connected DAP > Mojo directly to BW. At this point, I was using a USB charger to the DAP, and had no issues. DAP feeds Mojo via COAX.
  
• (BAD) Switched the USB charger to the Mojo. I heard immediate drop-out of the channel.
  
• (GOOD) Everything is charged, and running on battery. DAP > Mojo > BW played through the entire test album.
  
• (BAD) Switched from Mojo to Bifrost. DAP > Bifrost > BW. I made it through 99.9% of the album before I started to hear the channel drop-out in the last 30 seconds of the last song.
  
• (GOOD) Back this morning to testing using the DAP > Mojo, on battery power.

That’s not all I’ve tried, but it is the only definitive GOOD from BAD, which I can account for due to some action I have taken. Looking for help. Craig even suggested plugging into other setups, from other people in the area. Summer is here, so I’ll be able to travel to a few people’s places in the DC area. But looking for suggestions at the moment. I am having trouble to understand why a Bifrost would cause issue, and what else to try.

 

No Actually Bruce Dickinson, but the Mekons I might like have to check them out now !

 

Hello all,

I'm looking to replace my computer soon. Along with it, I think it's time to revise my audio setup as well.

I think Intel Ice Lake will be the time to create my beast. It's projected to be a much bigger change than past revisions, and Meltdown and Spectre will have silicon-level hardware fixes that don't affect performance.

But for now, I'm planning on buying a relatively cheap replacement to my laptop which is 7 years old now (2011). Even if I plan to build a desktop beast sometime, I figure nowadays everyone needs some sort of mobile computer anyway. I figure I'll just get some Dell laptop that's under $1000 that has half-decent specs for a laptop, like this one or this one (I'm really kinda weighing the difference between these two - one is a bit cheaper and has an 8th Gen CPU, while the other is slightly more expensive and has a 7th Gen, BUT has a far better GPU.. I'm thinking I may bite for the latter because I do want to be able to do some light gaming and I think that GPU is going to make a rather important difference).

Should I choose to put a little more money in I may go for an ASUS like this or this. It becomes an argument about increased price as well as weight (I'm tired of lugging around my heavy-ass 17-inch laptop and it's monstrous PSU), but I digress... I'm only noting all of this to begin with to give you an idea of what my AMP/DAC will potentially be connected to.

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Anyway! That aside...

With a new computer comes new audio equipment, I think. I mean, it doesn't need to mean that of course, but my current headphone amplifier - the (discontinued - in fact, Oppo is apparently shutting down...) Oppo HA2, seem to have a problem with it's USB port being loose or something. I'm not sure what the problem is, but it only works if wiggled and left with upward pressure on the port - I imagine fixing it could only be done by opening the device and doing a solder job, which I do not possess the expertise to be doing...

So I'm looking for a replacement AMP/DAC for sure, as well as open to suggestions for a headphone upgrade.

The following is my current audio hardware:

• AKG K7XX
• Shure SRH 940
• Oppo HA2 AMP/DAC
• Audio Technica AT2020 USB+ (mic)

I'm looking to definitely replace the Oppo HA2 since it's broken now, and possibly upgrade from the K7XX should anyone have any advice for obvious upgrades from the sound of K7XX.

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In listening experience I'm generally a true-neutral, desiring to hear what the engineers intended and nothing else - but I tend to be a bit more sensitive to changes in the mids and highs than I am lows.

What I desire most is detail and soundstaging - I have the Shure SRH 940 which is criticized for lacking bass, but I love it for the detail it provides - being able to really feel the "texture" of the sound, which is normally muddied-out by the bass in most headphones. I'd love to actually have good bass, but I find that seems to be counteractive to good mids, highs, and detail, all of which is a bigger problem for me than a headphone just lacking some bass.

Don't get me wrong though - I don't mind a somewhat withdrawn bass, but bass is still a necessity. Nothing irritates me more than hearing the tinny sound of integrated TV speakers these days - they lack any bass or impact due to the fact that you just can't fit decent speakers into a paper-thin TV.

I think there's just a difference in the way different people perceive the correct order for lows, mids, and highs. Some people think the bass should be front and foremost. For me, I think Mids are supposed to be what's most clear and forward - they're where the important information (vocals and such) are. Highs are next so you can hear those detailed sharp tips and texture of the sound. Meanwhile, Lows are supposed to be the foundation for the sound that's more in the background - it's very important as it is the foundation and contains all the impact, but it's not supposed to be the main attraction.

I think the ideal would be a headphone with tight bass that doesn't muddy other things, clear mids, and clear highs with lots of detail/texture in all three, and good sound staging. However, I do understand that's asking a lot and it's probably going to be difficult to find in sub-$500 headphones, but it's worth a shot asking anyway.

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As for the AMP/DAC, I just want true-to-the-source sound as best as possible. The SABRE DAC that's in my Oppo does a pretty decent job of that, perhaps my only gripe being that it sounds a bit "closed-in", I suppose. It's hard to describe the differences between DACs really, and I can never tell if I'm not just possibly being subject to a placebo effect. It was still really nice to be able to connect it up without a power supply and it ran up to 32-Bit 192Khz and everything (even though I know that's kind-of irrelevant).

Anyway, I imagine I'll be going for a solid-state AMP/DAC. I just want the best you can get within $500-ish dollars for that too. Ones I'm considering include:

$200 Range:

• Schiit Magni 3 & Modi 2 Stack
• JDS Labs Objective 2 & OL DAC
• JDS Labs Objective 2 + ODAC Revision B

$500 Range:

• Schiit Asgard 2 + Bifrost
• JDS Labs EL AMP & EL DAC
• JDS Labs "The Element" AMP+DAC
• Chord Mojo

You'll note it's pretty much all Schiit, JDS Labs, and Chord, and that's because it's all I'm really familiar with and hear about anymore. You're free to suggest whatever other brand I'm not thinking of though.

Obviously some of these really push the $500 - I'd probably go looking at B-Stock and eBay for that stuff - on eBay you can get barely-used equipment for $200+ less sometimes - I found a Chord Mojo on there for $300 or I could replace my HA-2 for only $100. (Speaking of which, if anyone would want a used HA-2 and you think you could repair it, let me know).

As for the headphones - like I said, I'm open to considering straight-up upgrades from my existing stuff. You can kind-of deduce what sort of sound signature I enjoy from what I already have - these Shure and AKGs sound great to me.

Before anyone suggests a Sennheiser headphone - I've listened to Sennys before and.. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it feels like something is in the way - some kind of sound signature unique to Sennys that I, coming mainly from Shure and it's sound signature (noted for ultra-clear mids), kind-of just bugs me. It feels as if there's a plastic veneer just between my ear and the audio that sort of muffles things. I can't quite put my finger on it, and maybe higher-end Sennheisers wouldn't have that problem (I've only tried sub-$200 Sennys), but for me so far I'd be a bit apprehensive about buying a Sennheiser. I'd really need some convincing, I think.

I can't help but feel that I just come from Shure (the SRH440 was my first $100+ headphone) and now I'm really used to the Shure sound signature. AKG feels like it has a signature very similar and that's why I also like them. I'm considering maybe just trying out the SRH 1840, unless someone knows something really good that's like Shure/AKG but better.

I will note that I really don't have much experience with headphones outside of these anyway. So shoot suggestions my way, I just noted all the things I've liked and disliked so far just for reference so that you can get a rough understanding of what kind of sound my ears seem to have a taste for.

I've considered that perhaps Planar Magnetic headphones may be something for me to try. I've never tried a PM headphone before. The Philips Fidelio line was also another headphone that used to be on my try-out list.

That's about all I have to ask, let me know what you think.

 

*Corrected Vali 2 to Asgard 2 - Vali 2 wouldn't make much sense paired with the Bifrost, plus like I said I think I'm sticking to solid-state amps.

I'd also like to push the question of the real difference between solid states and tube amps and whether or not they'd be suited to a listener like myself. Probably an irritating question that's asked too much though. Do you ever have to change those tubes by the way? Kinda makes me wonder if there's maintenance costs to deal with on them is all.

That's pretty much just me considering the Asgard 2 against the Valhalla 2, really.

 

So you think Valhalla 2 + Bifrost might be an interesting combination?

That or it's totally unnecessary and I should just get a Magni-Modi stack?

There's also the JDS Labs and Chord stuff to consider... I've heard that Chord is really something, and it's rather convenient with it's portability. The JDS Labs EL AMP, EL DAC, and Element haven't really been out long enough for anyone to know much about them it seems.

And yeah, there's the headphones to think about too.

Reading into InnerFidelity's review on it, it sounds like the Magni 3 is really something for $99.

Ultimately I think I'm either going to end-up going with the cheap stack, or going all-in with a Valhalla+Bifrost.