The All Purpose Advice Thread

I appreciate the advice guys. It turns out this isn't as much of a choice as I thought I had, because my financial situation is changing, so I am getting a used Bifrost Multibit at a good price, keeping the GOV2 for use at the office, and am sticking with the amp (Vali 2) and headphones (HD600, Oppo PM-3, and HE-400S) that I currently have, and that's going to be my rig for a nice long while. I am considering getting an older used Mac Mini that has optical out so I can use the SPIDF input on the Bifrost Multibit instead of USB, which would obviate the need for a Wyrd or Regen. I canceled the Regen anyway as I'm sure if I really need one I can get it used down the line. I like Macs and I'm used to OS X and I know the programs for it and how to optimize it, and at this point I can get an older one pretty cheap and upgrade the internals for much less money than buying a new one which can't be upgraded anyway. For now I'll keep using the Macbook but down the line I will likely get some kind of dedicated machine just for music.

 

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Hands is correct to question the use of the optical out on the mini. I have owned 3 minis and the optical out is awful (choice of word is hyperbole, of course) compared to a half way decent usb implementation. And the two USB cleaner uppers for USB the Wyrd and Jitterbug that I tried on the mini sucked and did not benefit it one bit.

I did not even think to try the optical on the Bifrost Multibit for the short time I owned it. But try it as it costs almost nothing to try. Just remember the cheap ass plastic optical cable you might get from Monocrap is no where near as good as a proper optical cable like a Silflex as an example.

I am having much better results with very good usb bridges into the spdif of good dacs rather than the low cost decrapifiers. I am trying to get a Gungnir Multibit in to hear what it does with a good bridge in my system. I already know what it does to the Gungnir Multibit in a system that is about 3-5X the $ of mine. Using a really good bridge is much better than usb direct, but then you have to factor in that additional cost.

Oh and when I upgraded from my old white Macbook to a mini there was a SQ increase. I am also a firm believer in a music dedicated machine, I would not even think of surfing the web, wifi, hundreds of threads running, etc if you want the best listening experience, but most folks are not freaks about it, so do what is comfortable for you.

good luck with your ventures.

 

I'll have to look into it. The specific model of Mac Mini I'm looking for was listed by Mike Moffat as his preferred source on HF. I'm not sure if he was using SPIDF or USB though.

And of course the Mac Mini has USB so I can always go with whichever option sounds best to me. But it's nice to have the option, the new minis don't have it AFAIK.

 

Actually, they all have decent usb out including the latest 2014 model. In my experience each successive model I owned had better SQ than the predecessor but you will not get consensus on that. I use a 2012 model and it is not so much about whether the usb port is "good" but rather about what else is on the bus.

If you run a usb dac, then pull the usb mouse and keyboard cables right after you launch playback. You can hear a beneficial difference when nothing else is on the bus. And there are lots of other things you can do to quiet the playback environment.

 

I've asked Mike on HF if he's using optical or USB with his setup. We'll see if he responds.

 

I can respect the comfort with osx and desire to stay in the comfort zone. I still have to plug the hackintosh path. Unless you have a boner set on the Mac mini form factor, visit tonymacx86.com and just see how far your dollars can go.

 

Excellent advice... Having messed around with a bunch of DACs and amps with the HD-650's, I honestly find the Geek Out v2 is superior to most of the setups I messed around with. For me, MB Gungnir - Zana Deux at home, and Geek Out v2 on the road.

 

Hi Guys,

Any opinion on the Little Dot Mk3? I want to buy a tube amp to tide me over until the Valhalla 2 is back in stock in the UK. My only cans are the HD600

 

So is there a list of Universal IEMs that SBAF recommends?
Like a HD6X0 of the IEM universe? That would be amazing
Sick of doing the whole sell, purchase, sell etc. crap I've been doing, I'm also too easily influenced by FOTM IEM's

 

Check out the golden schlong post for some current ranking (http://www.superbestaudiofriends.or...erbaf-best-of-2015-golden-schlong-awards.760/) or the leader board (http://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/super-best-audio-friends-leaderboard.26/).

UERR or UERM and Campfire Jupiter are top of class that seem to be popular here. Knowing your price range you were trying to stay within will help refine a recommendation.

 

Hi shotgun, would you put any Dunu's on the board?

 

So, I've ordered a Fostex TH-X00 and I've been trying to find a decent DAC and amplifier to pair with, It will be used on my desktop only but I have very little room left on my desk. Size matters as they say.

I'm looking for something low budget so I've done my reading and I was almost set on the LH geek out v2 but I found out it was much better with the balanced out and unfortunately the Jack is TRS and not TRRS.

So, for a similar budget, what would you advice me ? I am considering a Schiit Modi 2 + a Schiit magni 2 Uber.

Does it seems like a decent choice ?

 

Reterminate the TH-x00 to balanced. I did and I use it with my GOv2 with devastatingly good/magnificent/phenomenal/majestic results.

 

Well, I do have a soldering iron but i'm not very experienced with it... Could anyone point me a turorial of some kind for the wiring ? Is there a reason you chose an XLR plug instead of a TRRS ? Are they easier to wire ?

 

If you look in the "special sub forums" there is a DIY sub that contains discussions on most cable mod questions, including general stuff like cable building, solder and soldering irons, and DIY questions; there is also a specific thread on reterminating cables.

As for why xlr instead of trrs: the 4 pin xlr is a much better connector than any trs or trrs because it makes direct contact with only the lead it needs (you don't slide signal contact past a ground lead on the way to completely plug in). Also, most full sized amps that have balanced out (and even some that don't provide balanced out but just want better connectors) use the 4 pin xlr standard, so if you ever upgrade amps you won't need to reterminate again. Finally, it is easier to make adapters from 4 pin xlr to anything else you want, than from trrs to anything else.

So, many of us have reterminated stock cables to 4 pin xlr jacks and then only need one adapter each of xlr-1/4 trs xlr-1/8 trs and xlr-trrs, and most of our user cases are covered.

Sorry a bit long, hope that helps!