The All Purpose Advice Thread - Part 2

Discussion in 'Advice Threads' started by shotgunshane, Mar 27, 2022.

  1. zonto

    zonto Friend

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    Ruipro seems to be solid for that length:
     
  2. darmok

    darmok Almost "Made"

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    Don't tear up your walls on my account!
     
  3. danishchelsea

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    Hello friends and all experts,

    What would your advise be if I want to purchase a DAC which is the most Holographic and Airy? My speakers are Falcon Gold Badge with Musical Fidelity A1 for amplifier. Max budget around USD 3k.

    Thanks in advance.
     
  4. Armaegis

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    Personally I tend to veer towards this sound signature in dacs and my two are the Prism Lyra/Callia and the SPL Mercury.
     
  5. SofaSamuraiX

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    I have a Bifrost 2/64 and need another DAC, I have $500 to spend. I am looking at Schiit again. Modius and Modi Multi. I am a touch nervous that those two will be a big drop off from the Bifrost. I love the added functionality of Modius but the idea of the sound of the Multibit with the SW51+ I just picked up. Opinion and other options wanted! Thanks all. This DAC will take all of my bonus money so I don't have to buy the xDuoo TA-66.......
     
  6. darmok

    darmok Almost "Made"

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    Amp pairing for the MMB2 is tricky since it has a fair amount of treble fuckery, but anything which completely rolls off the top is going to make it sound mediocre. I like it with Piety and even more with Vali 3, which smooths it out without killing the detail. I don’t know how the SW51+ sounds but hopefully this helps you consider how it might pair with that amp.
     
  7. joch

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    There is the Soekris 1221 that you can try out as a loaner. You can also consider just getting a used BF OG card to swap out the 2/64, although that may be hard to find. Or maybe just not get a DAC unless you really do need another.

    Aside: get the TA-66, especially if you can get it when it's on sale. Throw in an ESS DAC (e.g., Modius) and you'll still have money to spare for a better buffer tube.
     
  8. Slade01

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    I tried downgrading from a Bifrost OG and 2/64 to the MMB2 and failed. If youre listening in isolation (not A/B vs Bifrost) it may be ok, but in a direct head to head, for me it was no contest. It was impossible for me to “unhear” the Bifrost in its ability to resolve details.

    Can’t speak to the Modius (E?) but heard many good things about that dac here from respected ears.
     
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  9. SofaSamuraiX

    SofaSamuraiX Almost "Made"

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    Ya, trying not to do that too much! Want to expand my horizons, not make an unused music station!
     
    Last edited: Jan 16, 2025
  10. darmok

    darmok Almost "Made"

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    Answering my own questions:

    RUIPRO makes a pure fiber HDMI cable which ought to work. I'll give it a try soon and update this post with any issues I run into.

    I realized that any 75 ohm transformer with sufficient bandwidth ought to work, and ones designed for composite video would have RCA connectors already on them as well as more than enough bandwidth. With that in mind I picked up a Jensen VB1RR for $50 and it's working great, at least for the 44.1KHz output from a CD transport that I'm using it for. I'll try 192KHz at some point for a sanity test and update this post.
     
  11. Greg121986

    Greg121986 Almost "Made"

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    I just discovered that new gen 4 detachable RUIPro fiber hdmi cable and ran here to respond! I see you already found it. It seems to use an MPO standard fiber cable which is pretty incredible. I don’t really need one of these but I may buy one anyway because I’m jacked for how awesome this solution is.
     
  12. Armaegis

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    Anyone here know much about 360° cameras? I'm considering getting one for work. Primarily walking around for building inspections. I find I always miss something at a crucial angle or whatnot. Main focus is for pictures, though the occasional video would be a bonus. Some degree of dirt/water resistance would be desirable, or a protective sleeve accessory is fine too.

    The device will be shared with others, so minimal learning curve (if possible?). Being able to easily (and quickly?) convert into non 360 pictures/video is a must as photos will be stored on a server and viewed by others who will likely not have the software to view the originals.

    Budget... say $300-400 USD? There's some flexibility there. Saving money is always nice, but I'm not opposed to the upsell if it brings features that are useful and productive for me.

    edit: I have zero experience with anything of this sort. It's probably been over a decade since I've used any camera that wasn't part of a phone. I've dabbled in paint.net and audacity, that's about it.
     
    Last edited: Jan 16, 2025
  13. ][nIn][

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    I have had an insta360 X2 for a number of years. No complaints at all with the camera. However, an issue with the execution from most if not all of the 360 cameras that I have reviewed to date. As there are two lenses, the camera records two videos at the same time, mp4s encoded with h264 or h265. You are then required to "import" the files into computer software to "stitch" the two videos together. This takes a tremendous amount of time if you have a slow PC. Insta360 supports offloading encoding to Nvidia videocards only. This does speed things up if you have a fast card (https://developer.nvidia.com/video-encode-and-decode-gpu-support-matrix-new). To throw yet another wrench into the wheel, Nvidia acceleration only supports specific resolutions like 4k. My X2 records in 5.7k. So, if I want to keep every pixel, you must use CPU. Otherwise, drop the resolution down to 4k and get faster encoding.

    Pictures are not as bad but there is a viewer requirement. You will need to again import the images into the software program from the camera and then export it as a JPEG. This will be a spherical image that will need to be viewed by a viewer that understands that it is a 360 image.

    Don't forget accessories! Lens covers, sticks, bags, batteries, etc as they really do help with day-to-day use. Also, don't cheap out on SD cards as you will need the performance otherwise the camera misbehaves.
     
  14. Armaegis

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    Looking at Amazon Canada...
    Insta360 One X2: $345
    Insta360 One X3: $510
    Insta360 One RS Twin: $480 on sale for $395

    Kinda leaning towards the One RS just on price. Looks like the X3 was on sale during Xmas for $435 which I think would have been a better fit. I'd probably be ok with the X2 but would have liked a larger touch screen and what seems to be better low light capabilities on the other models.

    edit: local store has an X2 bundle with extra battery, lens cap, case, and charging base for $370 which seems good
     
  15. ][nIn][

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    If you want multiple people using it without a phone the bigger screen is nice for a pickup and go. The app is able to remotely control the camera so the screen is not as important. I use the screen 100% and don’t even bother with the app as the advertising is annoying as hell. Plus, I don’t need to export to a social media platform.
     
  16. Armaegis

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    Two and a half more questions:
    1) can the phone app export out regular non-360 pictures? because all the pictures will need to be saved on a work server where people will not have the software to do any further processing or viewing
    1b) same question, but can the camera itself save non-360 pictures from the 360 shots?
    2) is it easy to swap the camera to work with different phones (ie: different people) or is there a whole process to re-pair?
     
  17. ][nIn][

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    1) Yes. In the Insta360 app, select Album -> the photo to export -> Snapshot -> Save the current image. It will then be stored on the phones internal storage. You can then email the photo to yourself.
    1b) No. You need an application
    2) Yes, I have not done that much and when I did I had no problems.

    One last thing, the camera requires a phone for initial setup. Once the camera is setup, you no longer need the app.
     
  18. artur9

    artur9 Almost "Made"

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    k, so I ran into this when trying out a streamer
    "It appears my ethernet hub was overloaded -- unplugging all the other devices and I can see and connect to the Mercury easily."

    I'm thinking that's a thing? First time I've run into it. It's an 8port Netgear.
    So, any not crazy expensive 8-10 point hub/switches for use in a "media center", like video streaming and audio streaming?
     
  19. SofaSamuraiX

    SofaSamuraiX Almost "Made"

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    I like ubiquiti gear a lot. Good products for decent prices.
     
  20. ogodei

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    A hub is different than a switch. Its a repeater that floods all ports with all the packets it sees, versus a switch which routes packets aimed at a specific device only to the port that device is on.

    Hubs really shouldnt be used anymore for the reason you mention, they cause collisions (too much traffic) on ethernet. If your device is really a hub, replace it (and any other hubs in your system) with a gigabit switch. If its actually a switch, try to put the streamer on a dedicated port meaning only one switch between the streaming source and the Mercury. If its already that way move to a 10 gigabit switch and make sure your wiring can handle that speed.

    Really, any unmanaged gigabit switch in the 15 to 25 dollar range should work.
     
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