The All Purpose Advice Thread

Thanks for the response! I was actually referring to a bottom of the barrel implementation of the 1543 (4x) a la Muse. I think that thread by @Hands is the first thing I read re: SBAF. I will definitely check out the Audial if it's still available, I really would love to hear a good DAC with that chip.

I guess what I am trying to figure out is if I should go with a well-implemented NOS design to find the potential that I've heard with the $50 Muse plus SPDIF converter and better power supply, or if the Schiit multibits with filter will amount to, more or less, the same kind of sound? Or at least, how they compare. Budget of $500 or thereabouts.

 

A few things I strongly suggest that are 'all purpose'.

Spend some time listening to binaural recordings. This will change your perspective on how music should sound.

Likewise, try out some live recordings with video. The visuals will engage another part of your brain.

Spend some time listening to live recordings with minimal number of mics and remixing.

I do think part of the problem people have with enjoying music from their gear is grounded in listening to studio mixes. Yea they are often harsh, doesn't sound right, the placement of instruments and voices are all over the place, but pursuing a more realistic sound from the studio recordings never entirely works. Gear can't fix music that doesn't exist in any real space other than a mixer board or computer.

 

Looking for some ideas/advice if you would be so kind my audio friends. Need help spending some money. It has come to my attention that around the end of the year, I will have approximately $2000 available to spend as I see fit. This is a very rare occurence, and may never happen again. I am currently using a Vali2, and a Modi Multibit for my headphone rig. My 'phones are HD600s, DT880-250 ohm, K553, and a few iems. My speaker setup is a Peachtree decco65, fed by a Pulse (base model) from a pc via usb, with Monitor Audio bronze bx-2 bookshelves and a cheapass Polk sub. The Modi Multibit was a revelation to me, as I had never had an R2R dac before. I absolutely love the sound of the Modi Multibit/Vali2/HD600 combo, which of course had a voice in the back of my head saying Yggdrasil, Yggdrasil, but that would require that I sell something, or a couple somethings, to make up the difference.

I don't believe that my current gear has sufficient resolution to tell the difference between the Yggdrasil and the Gungnir Multibit, so Gungnir Multibit is part of my current plan. My problem is that my current gear may not even give me enough resolution to justify even the Gungnir Multibit. I could buy a high end tube amp from EC or someone else, but the reality is that 2K is just not much money in Audioland, so I would be left without enough money for the Gungnir Multibit. I have thought about maybe a Jot and a pair of HD650s to go with the Gungnir Multibit, which would just about take all of the $. At least I would have a balanced chain (although I don't think that is a huge deal). I don't think I am particularly sensitive to treble (56 year old ears, and I like my DT880s), but I do like a more laid-back sound, as you can tell by my love for the Modi Multibit/Vali2. I am not into tube rolling, especially really expensive tubes, and don't want to be committed to replacing tubes all the time. Upgrading to a Bifrost Multibit would be kind of pointless since I already have little brother, and my research tells me that to meaningfully upgrade my dac will require at least Gungnir Multibit money. I've thought about Gungnir Multibit and a speaker upgrade (KEF Q350), but I share some walls and ceiling with others, so my speakers mostly get used for TV. I've also thought of just keeping my current setup, and adding Gungnir Multibit and a couple headphones (Elear? THX00? HE560?). Just don't want to have a Gungnir Multibit that is gimped by the amp. While I love the Vali2, I am not fooling myself re its limitations, one of which is extension on both ends, and there are headphones that aren't driven properly just because of a lack of power (mostly planars). Ladies and gents, this is your chance to spend someone else's money. Suggestions? Am I missing something? I have no problem buying used, but I don't see many Gumbys come up for sale. I appreciate any thoughts you might have. Cheers.

 

Hi guys.

My desk is running out of space so I am considering buying these stands for my JBL LSR 305s:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001PYV7LQ/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I7JJH2FUUN8HU&colid=18VL50CFZK0YE
Or
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004I1FY94/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I1I4745TLMM44V&colid=18VL50CFZK0YE
(can't see much difference between the two right now)

Anyway, I was wondering if it is bad to have your speakers too far apart. Will this dimish my sense of soundstage or directionality of the music? As you can see the angle between my and the speakers would become somewhat wider.

Thanks.

 

I'm thinking along that same line... I have a Jot w/DAC, and am ready to upgrade to a better DAC. While the Bifrost Multibit is basically the same size to stack with the Jot, I would rather keep it balanced. I have had HD600 for the past couple of years, and have Massdrop Sennheiser HD6xx coming at Christmas. I feel that the Jot is a good match with the HD600, especially with a balanced cable.

Unless the rumored Bifrost upgrade is released before October, I'm planning to go with the Gungnir Multibit -> Jotunheim -> HD600/HD6xx

 

You're using nearfield active monitors so you preferably want them to be in an equilateral triangle with your head (60 degrees each way). If they are spaced more widely apart, then you'd want to be sitting farther back. I purchased these for placing on top of my desk, rather than next to them, and they work just fine. Also, 32" stands from the floor may not be tall enough, you preferably want the center of the speaker to be about at the elevation of your ears. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00009WE0Z/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

Ok... I have a problem. Need your help. It's not hard, but it's got it's quirks.

I have sleep issues. After doing research and consulting the doc, it turns out that falling asleep to music was not only highly recommended to combat PTSD and insomnia, but has other benefits for blood pressure, etc. Doing this should help the brain from entering into the insomniatic hyperactivity that prevents me from falling asleep. (In other words, I can't stop thinking about stuff.) I have been trying for a good month+ now to get such a thing working.

The goal - I want to set up a music system that doesn't rely on wearing headphones, is small, and can be set to start playing music from a source and turn itself off after X amount of time. I want to be able to set X. Seems simple, yes?

The problem is, this hobby has ruined it for me. If I listen to throw away earbuds, they sound like shit and it drives me nuts and I can't get to sleep. I also end up choking myself out when the cord gets tangled up, or the cord will break... I'm sure you get the picture. Same problem occurs with cheap bluetooth speakers. The sound is shit. Another issue is the applications available to make this work. Ideally, I can start music playing on my phone while it's charging and have an app silence the phone after X amount of time. There are only a few apps on the Google Play app store which do this, and 1 wants to be a system admin (F that) to control the phone, and the other force closes so much it's worthless.

Does anyone have any suggestions for methods by which one can fall asleep to music and have the music fade out after playing for X amount of time? Are there any music systems like Sonos or BOSE (gasp, I said the B word...) or other such systems which may have this feature?

I'm sick of going through a work week having gotten less than 18 hours of sleep. I'm sick of spending my weekends catching up on rest. Someone save me.

 

Very low tech, but an electrical timer (might also be called a vacation timer) hooked up before your amp would also do the trick for turning stuff off.

 

I listen to my CIEM's (UE7) to fall asleep all the time (using my iPhone now). They're fitted so no issues on my side on a pillow. The cord though would be an issue if you move around a lot. I've done it so long that I unconsciously roll left and right to keep the cord from tangling. I also tend to listen to albums or youtube vids so haven't needed a sleep timer per se.

 

Thanks for replying. I did try that, and the sudden cut off of music actually woke you up. It's like the opposite of hearing a noise that wakes you.

Yeah, I have had such bad luck wearing anything, as it also tangles with my cpap mask. I wish it would work though.

 

I've been waiting on good bluetooth earbuds/ciem's for this purpose as well. I can see how the CPAP would get in the way.

 

@Elnrik

"Sound of Silence" app seems to work for me, did you try that?

Re Bluetooth speakers, ALL of my friends in the UK have one of these around the house:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00TYGAS8A/

some of whom are very exacting and some of whom are proper cheap bastids but have one nonetheless, so I think they must be pretty good. Note that one is only mono.

 

I'll give the app a try tonight, and thank you for the suggestions!

The speaker looks well built. I like the 3" driver spec. Most include tiny little shits of a driver. Many thanks

 

IPhones and iPods used to have a sleep timer and they later cooked it into the timer of their clock app. Maybe you already have one laying around.

Have you checked other clock/alarm apps? Maybe some of them are offering sleep mode functionality.

 

Senorx I suggest you spend the money on a more rewarding hobby . J/k. I'd spend most of the cash on a headphone upgrade. Dac
/amp changes are not that rewarding compared to changing the actual thing that emanates the sound. Pick up a used hd800 or that new zmf Atticus or Eikon and save the rest of the money

 

You work with the famous JJ? Wow. ...

Seriously. He is one one of the main people that brought down to audiophile earth, and made me understand that some of that set-in-stone stuff was not even true.

It's a shame it isn't video.

 

Video was shot but has yet to be processed in post production. The video and post production effort is volunteer and post of several hours from 3 cameras is a LOT of work. There are audio recordings to hear our musings on the topic.

 

I very much identify with your sleep issue. running sleep deprived is dangerous, stressful and low QoL factor.

Here is one possible solution:

Some system that allows playlists - speaker based to avoid cable issues.
Pick a playlist that includes calming, non-percussive, non-vocal music.
Pick one track to be the final play.
In a DAW such as Audacity create a long fade on this last track, possibly over the entire track. Save to an appropriately named file other than the original track name.
Set system to stop playing after last track (default behavior for most streaming music systems.)

 

Sonos can handle sleep timers and sounds pretty decent for atmospheric audio:
https://sonos.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/456/~/setting-up-alarms-and-sleep-timer-on-sonos

Another option is the use a small PC as your source. You can then set windows to shutdown in x minutes (timer based), with a simple shortcut on your desktop: https://www.cnet.com/how-to/put-a-shutdown-timer-on-your-windows-desktop-with-this-command/

Queue up your playlist or radio station of your choice on the PC, and then double click the shortcut.