The All Purpose Advice Thread

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

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  1. Walie

    Walie New

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    @Armaegis
    I do not have the same issue with an old old AlienDAC or a FiiO BTR5
     
    Last edited: Jun 8, 2020
  2. ader

    ader Friend

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    Does anyone happen to know of a good 2.5mm balanced male to 3.5mm single-ended female adapter? I just want to be able to get the full power output of my fiio btr5, and have nothing that uses that stupid little balanced connector. All the good adapters I see on eBay are from China, and I don't want to order anything from there until the virus is less of a concern.
     
  3. supertransformingdhruv

    supertransformingdhruv Almost "Made"

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    Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't most of those adaptors just tie the negative-phase inputs to ground? Not only do you not want to do that for safety reasons, but you're also not going to get the full balanced power out. Rather, you'll be getting half the voltage that the balanced power is rated at, which is going to take you from 80 mW @ 32 ohms to around 110 mW @ 32 ohms.

    What you're actually going to want to do is get the appropriate replacement cable for your headphones/iems. Assuming you have 2-pin or mmcx IEMs, something like this is probably enough. Probably still coming from china, unless it's in an amazon warehouse... but maybe someone else here has ideas on that.
     
  4. Regular Petey

    Regular Petey Facebook Friend

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    I'm looking for feedback on the following, good or bad:
    Nobsound / Douk Audio / Little Bear - XLR switches, both 1-IN-3-OUT and 3-IN-1-OUT.

    Nobsound / Douk Audio / Little Bear all are referencing the same company and items. I've done a search on SBAF for all three terms and read what there is on their XLR switches. There was at least one comment saying that they are cheap junk. They are definitely cheap, at about $60 each. There is no amplification, no potentiometer, I assume they are just the XLR connectors wired up through a three position switch.

    My use case is to go XLR out of Yggdrasil -> 1-IN-3-OUT switch -> Freya OG | Freya S | Freya + -> 3-IN-1-OUT switch -> Aegir amps (mono) -> Salk HT2-TL speakers
    I want to be able to compare the three versions of Freya. At roughly $120 total, if these switches aren't going to impact the sound quality in a noticeable way, that's all I care about. There are no doubt higher quality options, but if the total price of the better alternatives is greater than say $250, then I just won't spend the money, and it will be lots of cable swapping between components. If it was just for me, I would probably do the cable swapping, but I'm seeing if some other people would like to do a listening comparison as well.

    Another option would be to compare two of the Freyas at a time, using the third one as the output switching device, since they each have two XLR inputs and a single XLR output. I'm thinking that the third Freya, which is being used as the switching device, would be in passive mode and at max volume, feeding the Aegirs. That should be transparent in theory, right? That still doesn't address that Yggdrasil only has a single XLR output, which would need to be split to two Freyas. There are inexpensive XLR cable splitters (e.g. Hosa), but does that impact sound quality? Or we could run SE from Yggdrasil to two Freyas, although that's not how I'll end up configuring things once I settle on which Freya to keep.

    I'm open to your thoughts and suggestions. Thanks.
     
  5. Inoculator

    Inoculator Friend

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    When my PrimaLuna Prologue Premium warms up there is a loud whine/squeal noise kind of like steam escaping in addition to normal tube noises/pings/etc. It goes away once the amp is warmed up. Is this normal, or do I have a bad tube somewhere? PrimaLuna has bad tube indictors for the EL34 tubes, so I am thinking it might be the 12AU7 tubes, original owner of this amp did not use those stock tubes.

    Apologies to not know something so simple, I have only had hybrid tube amps up to this point and have only had reliable, noise free 6922 family tubes. Thanks for the advice/guidance!
     
  6. Jay

    Jay Facebook Friend

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    Hi everyone,

    My LCD-2's ear pads disintegrated a bit ago, and they've been in the boneyard under timeout long enough, so I decided to order replacement pads yesterday. In preparation, today I removed the old pads and adhesive. When I did, so I was shocked at what I saw in the membranes. There are these little tears along the edges. I've babied these and never cranked the volume. In fact, my average listening volume is about 60-65 db.

    Are these tears something to worry about? Are the drivers failing?

    They are way out of warranty. I don't remember hearing any anomalies the last time I listed to them a long time ago.

    Thanks in advance.

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
  7. yotacowboy

    yotacowboy McRibs Kind of Guy

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    Are we talking in the first 30 seconds? Or the first 30 minutes? If it's in the first few seconds after powering on, then that sounds like tube rush. If it's ongoing until the amp is fully warmed up, like 30 minutes, then that sounds like aged power tubes that may need replacing. I had the original Chinese version of that amp (Cayin Spark TA-30) and I had 3 power tube failures over it's life in my system, and one preamp tube failure. Power tube failures made a ton of screeching and HRRRRRRM/BRRRRRAP noise. Preamp tube failure was static then no sound whatsoever in one channel. Honestly, I wouldn't trust the "bad tube indicator" lights - it's like a check engine light in a car. Better to grab an OBD scanner and see what the actual fault code is than run on an idiot light on/off. I tend to pull/check/clear codes on all the BCMs in me and my GFs cars every couple months, tho. Not sure if you can manually check the bias easily on the PrimaLuna stuff, tho.
     
  8. Inoculator

    Inoculator Friend

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    Thanks for all the helpful info! What I was referencing is in the first 30 seconds, and then completely goes away. I do hear a faint hum from amp itself not speakers after first 30 seconds but that sounds more like transformer hum, or at least similar to the transformer hum I had with Aegir.
     
  9. ader

    ader Friend

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    Issue is that my LFF Paradox have a single 3.5mm connector on one cup. They actually sound okay out of the btr5's SE output, but it's kind of a bummer if I simply can't use the balanced output with them as well.
     
  10. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    You can't. It will require changing the socket in the cup to a 4-pole (and using an appropriate cable), or hard-wiring in a balanced cable (you could still have the cable coming out on only 1 side for simplicity). If it was a stock or self-modded T50RP, it wouldn't be very difficult. But on my Starving Student Slant, I think LFF glued the baffle onto the cup, so it would be rather hard to open up.
     
  11. Baten

    Baten Friend

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    It's simply not possible to get full power over 3.5mm since that's not balanced. No way around it. Definitely don't buy the Chinese adapters which at best improve nothing or at worst, break something.
     
  12. Jay

    Jay Facebook Friend

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    Update.

    Update to the update:

    One stern email later, they offered gratis service.
     
    Last edited: Jun 9, 2020
  13. barbz

    barbz New

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    Hi all,
    I'm looking for a amplifier to pair with some ZMF Atticus specifically.

    I will be replacing a non-se model woo wa6 which I find lacking something with the Atticus regardless of tube/rectifier swapping.

    I've read through the Atticus/Eikon thread here and the lyr and Valhalla get mentioned a bit as a sub $600 option, are these the best options in this price range or should I be looking elsewhere?

    I also own a jotunheim which I find does a better job that the wa6 but still not all it could be; the jot to my ears is a great pairing with the lcd2c so that will remain on my desk until I opt to move the LCD's on.

    Thankyou
     
  14. wormcycle

    wormcycle Friend

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    As long as the Nobsound device is only a switch, avoid those with volume control, I do not know what can go wrong.
    Here is a better alternative for a source selector https://www.amazon.com/Kramer-VS-4X-AUDIO-MECHANICAL-SWITCHER/dp/B00E4X8J8Y
     
  15. Regular Petey

    Regular Petey Facebook Friend

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    I ended up ordering the pair of them this morning, a 1-IN-3-OUT and a 3-IN-1-OUT. If the interior photos of the units (with the top half of the case off) are accurate, they appear to be well made. Yes, they are just switches, no volume pots. $120 for the pair. I would have waited on ordering them, except they appear like they will ship directly from China, with an estimated delivery date of June 26 - July 21. It would be nice to get them by the time my backordered Freya+ gets to me.

    I looked at the Kramer as well, but it's more like $200, and that only covers switching the three Freyas into the pair of Aegirs, not splitting or switching the feed from Yggdrasil to the three Freyas.

    It's not for daily use, really just to compare three versions of Freya.
     
  16. Phantaminum

    Phantaminum Friend

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    Looking for a DAC to pair up with the Eddie Current Studio Jr.

    I find that the Bifrost 2 pairs well with amps like the ZMF Pendant (it's a more neutral amp) but causes the EC Studio Jr to come off as too rounded. I have two 300B tubes for the amp (EML solid plate and ACME Psvane) and I've rolled several 5670 of different types in the amp but nothing that gets it to where I'd like. I'm also willing to take any recommendations on 300Bs.

    Some of the things I'm looking for are more attack, squarer leading edges, and a bit more slam. Anything else is icing on the cake. Hoping to keep the cost at around $2k but if I can get anything cheaper I'd be happy.

    Some of the DACs I was considering:
    Dangerous Convert 2
    Matrix Sabre
    Holo Spring 1/2

    Thanks everyone!
     
  17. dncnexus

    dncnexus Friend

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    I know I made previous post about DACs, but decided that the Gungnir is probably what I want to go for. Just was a bit curious would people say the MB is preferable over the DS? I tried going through the Gungnir MB Thread, but I am getting a bit confused with the different versions (MB vs DS) also the (A1 vs A2?). So just wanted to know what is the general consensus.
     
  18. Artasia

    Artasia Friend

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    The attributes you are targeting ("more attack, squarer leading edges, and a bit more slam") put the Matrix X-Sabre Pro right in the center of your crosshairs. The Soekris 1541 would be another option to consider (though it has slightly less slam).
     
  19. RedFuneral

    RedFuneral Facebook Friend

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    I'm looking to spend under $700 on electronics to get a treble-focused sound with some 'spice' or 'heat' with my LCD2C-Closed. By this I mean I want something with a tactile presence/treble region, sparkle, and maybe some inner-warmth. I don't need perfect transients or hyper-detail, recent purchases have taught me that I'm not that type of treble junkie.

    I've enjoyed the treble volume & focus of amps such as the Schiit Heresy or JDS Atom; but not the sterility which can make ambient/drone music sound like straight sine waves.
    I've enjoyed the treble character of the Schiit Lyr 2, Apex Sangaku, and various NOS DACs but not the associated roll-off.
    Even with an Asgard 3 I found the treble of my last DAC(SMSL M300 using AKM 4497) annoying. I used the slow filters to offset the boost, I think my problem with it was that it was too high in the treble range.

    I'm not as worried about the lower end of the range considering the V shaped sound of the LCD2C-C, where I'm usually fatigued by components emphasizing the lower-mids the Audeze's recession allows me to get along with gear I otherwise wouldn't. The 70ohm & 101db/mw LCD2C-C are easily powered by the Asgard 3 on low-gain, Audeze recommends >250mw. If I'm understanding this right even some of the low-power OTLs have a chance of working.

    Thanks in advance.
     
  20. Inoculator

    Inoculator Friend

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    I am officially an idiot, and accidently connected my Freya S and Power amp RCA inputs when rearranging my rack, rather than Freya S output -> to Power amp input. Possible any damage was done from this setup? Obviously figured out pretty quick there was an issue when I went to play music and just had a ultra low signal that couldn't be attenuated. (I guess interesting some output signal was coming through the input on the Freya S)
     
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