The All Purpose Advice Thread

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

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  1. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    Find something that's good enough but cheap. When I had an EL34 integrated I'd keep a quad of cheap, but good enough tubes, and when I bought "nice" tubes I'd get a matched quint. For example, in my old amp, JJ EL34s were "good enough" to keep a quad sitting around in case I had more than one Genelex KT77 go bad.

    Now that the only tubes in my system are a quad of 6sn7, and I can listen without tubes at all through Freya, I'm not quite as tube-paranoid if a tube goes bad. It no longer means I can't listen to music until I replace something; just go JFET or passive in the meantime.

    Edit - also, scarcity of your preferred tube obviously has a lot to do with how much you want to be a bat shit crazy hoarder. But again, that feeds the tube-nervousa. The second you set up alerts on e-bay for specific top getter black glass mickey mouse ear pre-war western eclectic bad boy JAN 6 pin two hole smooth silver mica black plate dimpled rivet side flashing yellow label bugle blah blah, you've gone too far, imho.
     
    Last edited: May 16, 2019
  2. Astroreflux

    Astroreflux New

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    Im looking to add a sub to my stereo setup. Have about $1200 usd to spend on the amp. Powering elac ub5s with smsl sa98e atm. Are there any integrated amps that handle crossover like an avr? I feel like the power requirementsrof the elacs would be less of an issue if im not blasting them at full range. Still need a relatively powerful amp thot suggestions? Or i could just get the sub and run my sunrise pre outs to it and then to the amp right? Would the sub handle crossover filtering in that case? Also should i have a better amp?
     
    Last edited: May 20, 2019
  3. MLegend

    MLegend Friend

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    Is there a specific position or range on volume pots that is considered optimal to get the most out of the amplifier and/or dac? I apologize if this has already been asked.
     
  4. fraggler

    fraggler A Happy & Busy Life

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    If you get a sub with speaker level inputs, it makes it easier for amp choices since you don't need a dedicated sub out. Most subs have crossover and gain knobs so you can fine tune. An AVR type amp will allow you to use some sort of room correction that could help, but I am only just exploring that now for my AV setup.
     
  5. Taverius

    Taverius Smells like sausages

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    I don't think there's a biblical value here, just that the first & last 10% of the pot tend to have channel imbalances.
     
  6. MLegend

    MLegend Friend

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    Interesting, I guess my amp is either weird or broken. Thank you for your reply.
     
  7. Astroreflux

    Astroreflux New

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    ye im buying the svs sb1000. cause i can add it with just an extra cable pair and move forward from there if necessary. so would the speaker level inputs use crossover while the line level in/out wouldnt?
     
  8. fraggler

    fraggler A Happy & Busy Life

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    The low pass filter should work on either input, but I don't have specific experience with the SB1000.
     
  9. rlow

    rlow A happy woofer

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    Last edited: May 22, 2019
  10. DrForBin

    DrForBin Friend

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    hello,
    i would really like to mod the volume knobs on my Schitt Asgard 2 and Lyr 2 (i listen in the dark a lot). could someone (anyone?) tell me how to take these suckers off so i can?
    or if this has been covered somewhere else, point me there.
    thanks ever so!
     
  11. crazychile

    crazychile Eastern Iowa's Spiciest Pepper

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    @DrForBin if I remember correctly from when I owned a Lyr 2, there is probably a set screw (small hex nut) on the knob. You will probably have to rotate the knob to see it and then find an appropriately sized Allen key to loosen it.
     
  12. crenca

    crenca Friend

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    Same set screw is present on Saga and Jot - seems to be a Schiit standard.
     
  13. DrForBin

    DrForBin Friend

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    hello,
    thanks for the help, i see the set screw, i just don't know how to remove it. i did reach out to Schitt support.

    now, i have even a more clueless question: removing tubes is very difficult for me, is there a lubricant or treatment i can apply that make this easier? i am bending pins.
     
  14. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    Schiit dips the tube pins in a sponge filled with wd40 to make them go in easier when they test. I saw it in a video. I personally used a thick rubber band wrapped around the tube and wiggled until it came out. Worked well as a firm grip.
     
  15. jnak00

    jnak00 Friend

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    I am thinking of upgrading my cans. Currently, I have TH-X00 Purpleheart (which I am selling) and Massdrop HD6XX. These would be strictly for home listening.

    I prefer a warmer, bassier sound, so the TH-X00s works pretty good there. The treble is kinda funky on it though, and I find it fatiguing after a while. Also I sometimes have trouble getting a good seal, because of my glasses.

    The HD6XX is much easier to listen to, but I sometimes think it's a little too polite, especially in the bass. EQ helps a little. I'd like a wider soundstage too, if possible.

    I used to have HE-400S but the bass was non-existent and the treble too zingy for me.

    My rig is Modi MB->Loki mini->Vali 2 or NAD C316BEE V2. The headphone out on the NAD is surprisingly decent.

    Budget is $1,000 CDN or around $700 USD (or less). I've been considering the Aeon Flow Open or LCD2 Classic. I see the Focal Elear is also available at $650 CDN. I am unable to audition any of these before buying, because I live in a small city in the middle of nowhere.

    Any suggestions or advice is appreciated.
     
  16. msommers

    msommers High on Epipens

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    A ZMF offering like Atticus or used Aeolus might fit the bill!
     
  17. Taverius

    Taverius Smells like sausages

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    I don't have experience with the AFO.

    The elear is pretty bad tbh, it's FR is so disjointed.

    2C is good, but only with the Dekoni suede pads. The stock leather ones make it dark and itchy in the treble at the same time.

    Le edit: yeah, used atticus would be a nice fit.

    Oh, Verum 1 exists. I'd take the Verum over a 2c, which is why I'll probably sell my 2c soon.
     
  18. jnak00

    jnak00 Friend

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    Thanks for the comments. The ZMF stuff, even used, is a little too far out of my price range. Good to know the Elear is to be avoided. I'll have to read up on Verum, haven't heard of that one before.
     
  19. GoodEnoughGear

    GoodEnoughGear Evil Dr. Shultz‎

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    I'm heading to the U.S. in July and have an opportunity to pick up gear and avoid shipping and duties.

    I have a DAC1541 doing everything duty right now - primarily DAC and Preamp for powered monitors, and occasional headphone duty (maybe 20% of my listening time). I'm happy with the DAC, not needing to upgrade right now.

    That said, I wouldn't mind getting good preamp and headamp capability. 'Good' preamps (TVCs, Pass Labs etc.) are made of money it seems, so they set the bar in terms of price. But there are a couple of options in the combined headamp/preamp space that are tempting.

    Pass HPA-1: This is getting excellent reviews not just as a headamp but as a preamp specifically. Expensive as a headamp, but factoring in a good/great sounding preamp capability at half of what the most basic Pass pre costs, it seems to hold more value. Would be very sexy paired with a pair of XA25, First Watt Active Crossover and a PAP Trio :). Downside only SE and only 2 inputs - not a major problem for me as long as it sounds good. No remote...more of a problem.
    I have a line on a warranteed demo for $2895.

    Benchmark HPA4: Good connectivity (balanced and unbalanced), has remote, lots and lots of good reviews, but some key voices talking about a flattened stage and lack of engagement. This seems to be related to the ABH2 and the THX implementation mostly, but the other THX headamp seems decent and headamp isn't my #1 priority. The Pre function won't go through the THX circuitry so maybe it is all that and a bag of chips?
    New for $3095

    SPL Phonitor X: Lots of knobs (!), good connectivity, has remote, solid rep as a great headamp. Downsides - will I use all the nifty crossfeed stuff? Maybe when I'm drunk. And this is really a focused headamp and there's not much feedback on how strong it is as a preamp, which is my primary use-case.
    $2499

    In terms of general context: I don't need a bunch of inputs - a dac and a phono is fine. I have a pair of HD6XX at present, and happy if I upgrade to consider less demanding cans, so crazy power is not a real need. Finally of course I can just put away my itchy wallet or go some other route. Rag 2 maybe, again, depending on the pre.

    Thoughts?
     
  20. Tom2502

    Tom2502 New

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    Hi all,

    I recently had the opportunity to compare my Modi Multibit (USB) > Valhalla 2 > HD650 stack to a Modi 3 > Magni 3 setup. I could also mix the stacks through to listen to the possible permutations. I have the issue, that i'm not entirely satisfied with my setup, maybe you can help me collect my impressions and find the culprit.

    First off, I listen to a wide variety of different music genres. I value detailed and neutral/natural presentation of music in general.

    I feel the Modi Multibit makes everything sound more natural, which i like. It also lets music kind of be "unfold" in front of me, where the Modi 3 sounds a little flat in comparison. BUT: Subconsciously, I feel the Multibit being sort of "hazy", especially when there are a lot of voices involved in the track. I feel like voices (e.g. choirs with organ in background) on the one hand are more distinct from each other, more like being the live, but with too much reverb to every voice so it gets kind of crowded, if that makes sense.
    When going from Magni 3 to Valhalla 2 the stage suddenly changes so much, that I felt like some voices got moved so far in the background that it felt disjoint to me. Like I'm losing information because the voices/instruments detach from each other and it's like i have to virtually look for where it has gone :eek:
    In combination with the feel of haziness (is this a lack of fast enough transient response?), it gets fatiguing.
    My question now is: This feeling is not always equally strong. Does it depend on temperatures? Now I sit in a cooler environment and the Multibit is just running cooler (always on). Or is this feeling of missing clarity coming from the USB source? My ears are not developed enough to tell for sure, I just know that the Modi 3 sounded clearer to my ears (in terms of response with many voices).

    Thank you for your time, I hope to understand better soon :)
    Tom
     
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