The All Purpose Advice Thread

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

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  1. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

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    I would say stop daisy-chaining the little things and sell them off to get a bigger whatever in the chain.
     
  2. Imraan

    Imraan Friend

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    Thanks @GanGreinke, excellent point & kicking myself for not thinking of that (reasons below). Hear good things about the Andro, added to my list to check out, cheers.

    Yes for sure, how would you describe the jhaudio's sound?

    ===

    @Everyone - CIEMS would be harder for me to order with shipping moulds back and forth, but not impossible. I have tiny ear-canals, which turned me off IEMS (Ety ER4's and Sure SE215's) ages ago....they hurt after a couple hours. Has the state of the art changed much in the last 10 years in terms of FIT? I have the fairly obvious feeling I would be best served by a CIEM for longer (~ 4Hrs) sessions which are common during the week. Standard IEM would of course be more versatile and saleable if I wanted a change. If they are now available with loads more tip options it might be worth another shot.
    It also seems to me to be smarter working towards getting for eg. and Andro + Sony NW-WM1A and having a totally portable rig. What I read leads me to believe this is very close to a TOTL experience? I also read that Andro's don't really need an amp; so I could just get those, and wait out scoring a nice WMA1 used as and when one come up, which is fiscally responsible (Especially given that my car was totalled yesterday).

    TL:DR-> What is the experienced wisdom regarding the choice between IEM/CIEM - what factors make the most impact, and secondarily choices - Amp/No Amp/Walkman.

    Thanks!
     
  3. Imraan

    Imraan Friend

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    @Didactylos have you looked at the Raspberry Pi + HAT (Either the Allo or HiFiBerry Digi +) or RPi + Eitr to replace your Diskstation App>iPad>iDo ?
    Depending on software choices (Roon/Volumio etc) I feel this would be a superior and importantly more scalable solution vs a CCK + Eitr. Also a RPi and Digi + would not cost too much more than a CCK...Ok, double, but still under USD 100. The iPad frees up and can become a remote if you go for Roon. No direct epxerience with Volumio based solutions. I know from experience how much the Eitr improved my setup (Mac Mini>Gungnir Multibit>Mjo2>HD800S) so I'm happy to strongly recommend it.
    I'm currently in the process of setting up the RPi + Digi+ solution (Minus the Eitr) for my Dad at his place, based on readings here.

    If I had a need to setup a remote/streaming station at mine, I would be using a RPi (NO HAT) + Eitr.

    There's a number of great threads on this here:

    @Kattefjaes's awesome guide: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...-based-streamer-a-guide-for-the-nervous.3969/
    @Michael Kelly's thread: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/raspberry-pi-i2s-to-spdif-hat.1990/
    General search for Allo Digi One: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?search/44082452/&q=allo+digi+one&o=date
    Roon related search: https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?search/44082465/&q=roon&o=date

    NB - Logic edited, no sense having a coax HAT AND an Eitr...One or the the other, and I think RPi+Eitr>RPi+HAT. It's been a rough week!
     
    Last edited: Sep 19, 2017
  4. Ice-man

    Ice-man Friend

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    @Imraan

    For anyone who has had comfort/fit problems with iems, custom are the way to go for sure. I speak from painful trials and tribulations myself. I gave up on iems years ago also. Finally a friend convinced me to try customs...and it was a revelation. Perfect fit, perfect seal and perfect comfort. Ahhhhh!!!!!

    Of course you are taking a chance on the sound of the ciem, so do your homework carefully. I went with jh audio because they have a signature that resembles the hd650 and have the adjustable in line bass. That way I'm able to dial them in.

    But, should you decide to go with customs, there dozens of choices.
     
  5. Grahad2

    Grahad2 Red eyes from too much anime

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    @Imraan

    I echo @Ice-man words - customs (or for a smaller outlay, custom eartips) are a whole new level of comfort. My ears hate headphones (overheats within 15mins even with a HD650), eartips (foams itch within 1 hr, silicone sore within 2), but I can wear a custom all day long.
     
  6. TjH

    TjH New

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    HI guys, am looking into getting a new Transport/DAP. I've narrowed down between DP-x1, xdp-100R and possibly X5 Mk3 (the last one not so much, only cuz i've seen a few youtube videos that lead me to believe that the x5 software is slow/sluggish).

    I currently have/bought the Aeon that i'll be using. My question, among others is: is dp-x1 worth the extra moneys? Especially considering that dp-x1 has a balanced out (which xdp-100r does not) AND (if I understand correctly) IS fully balanced if not close to it.
     
  7. BillOhio

    BillOhio Friend

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    I have a DP-X1 and use it balanced. It suits me fine. I believe though that Torque has mentioned a Fiio model that is better and less expensive. The Fiiio x5iii I believe.
     
  8. Imraan

    Imraan Friend

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    Very good to hear @Ice-man , thank you. I'll spend time lurking in the relevant threads, and hit you up if I have Q's :)
     
  9. Imraan

    Imraan Friend

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    Thanks @Grahad2 - reassuring to have confirmation that CIEMS/Tips are a useful direction for me. As I mentioned, I'll go do my homework :)
     
  10. TjH

    TjH New

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    Yea actually that's another one i realised i should be considering X5-iii, they're pretty cheap and seem to be good. I just have two questios regarding X5-iii:
    • I've been told Aeon benifits from high voltage power, is the x5-iii good enough to sufficiently drive Aeon? I do like my music a BIT louder than most.
    • How about software? I don't wanna feel like i'm just using a really cheap android phone you know, that will drive me insane if it's just too laggy etc.
     
  11. winders

    winders boomer

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    Anyone here have any experience with the deHavilland UltraVerve 3 preamp? It has been suggested to me that this preamp would be a very good match with the Pioneer M-22 amp and the 98dB efficient speakers I have. It is a zero negative feedback Class A design that uses octal tubes.

    Here is a link to the web site for those that are interested:

    http://www.dehavillandhifi.com/UltraVerve-Preamplifier.htm

    Any and all feedback appreciated!
     
  12. Northwest

    Northwest Almost "Made"

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    I have two new old stock OTK 6H30P-DR tubes in my headphone amp, and I noticed that one of the tubes would start making noise that is really similar to a turntable running across a dusty record. I isolated the problem to one tube, and nudging it seems to make the noise go away, but it will inevitably come back. Is this evidence of a dying tube? I want to save it if I can considering how expensive they are.


    PS. After some cleaning, and mild abrasive the problem is fixed. No noticeable noise after hours of listening.
     
    Last edited: Sep 21, 2017
  13. Garns

    Garns Friend

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    Rustling & popping is somewhat orthogonal to dying IME. Step 1, try cleaning the tube pins. 99% isopropyl alcohol and cotton buds. May want to pull some of the cotton off the cotton bud head so it fits behind/between the pins. If there is obvious residue you can't budge you could try scrubbing gently with a magic eraser sponge.

    Step 2, wait a bit and see if it settles if its own accord.

    If not you may be SOL.
     
  14. Didactylos

    Didactylos Acquaintance

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    @Imraan - If I understand this correctly, I would need to setup a Raspberry Pi to connect wirelessly to my NAS and use either Roon or Vulumio installed on the Pi to perform the streaming? Then Pi (usb)>Eitr (S/PDIF)>Modi Multibit.
     
  15. Warped

    Warped New

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    If you're using Roon, you would have your Roon Core (server) installed on a separate machine, and then use Roon Bridge on the Pi. You can then use Roon Remote on your iPad, phone, laptop, etc. to control it.
     
  16. Didactylos

    Didactylos Acquaintance

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    Synology supports Roon server on their NAS devices, but the recommended specs for the Roon Server look to be higher than my NAS specs (214Play). Would also need to install an SSD for the Roon database. May be worth tinkering with when I have some spare time.

    My CD library is currently stored in an ITunes database on my NAS (in ALAC). Can this be easily converted into Roon, or would I need to re-rip my discs..?
     
  17. Warped

    Warped New

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    Roon supports ALAC. Don't see why you'd need to re-rip.

    Edit: You should be able to point Roon to the iTunes library folder and go.
     
  18. winders

    winders boomer

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    You don't need to re-rip from ALAC to FLAC. I rip all my CDs using ALAC just in case I want to listen to them on my Apple devices. Roon plays them all just fine.
     
  19. captkirk

    captkirk Khan's BFF

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    Looking for a simple DAC/amp or separates for work to drive a HD650.

    Would y’all think a Fulla 2 would be suffient or step up to a Magni3 and Modi?

    Thoughts?
     
  20. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    In general yes, but sometimes an active preamp stage is necessary, or brings more to the table than it takes away. There's source impedance, input impedance, and all that jazz (which are good indicators of whether an active stage would be necessary); but sometimes we just need to listen to find out.

    Vali 2 to take the edge off the TH900's peak and because Fostex biocelluclose drivers like tubes. Vali 2's weakness is a bit of veil, but TH900 is so clean sounding and as that lower mid suckout, so weaknesses will be minimized. TH900 will take advantage of Vali 2's deeper stage. For me, at this level, it's all about proper synergy. With another headphone, I'd say something else. Another worthy consideration is Garage 1217 Project Horizon. Depends how much the TH900 peak bothers you.

    FWIW, my favorite amps for the TH900 are the Stratus and ZDS.
     
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