The All Purpose Advice Thread

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

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  1. jlucas

    jlucas Acquaintance

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    I’ve not heard that one but I have a 545II ( $300 used) that I use daily in my office with Saga/Bifrost front end and have no complaints. The 5503 was designed for home theater so it has a healthy amount of capacitors in each circuit so it does not fall apart with quickly changing dynamic loads. Power hungry speakers would like the wattage and reserve that it has.

    However at $550 and the fact that you have no need for it to be 3 channels, there are other used items I would look at. I have not A to B compared them (although I do own one as well but it is currently set up with balanced input cables) but I would think a used Crown CDi would be money better spent. See the Crown thread on this forum.

    If you tell us what you are going to use the amp with, additional suggestions might be forthcoming.
     
  2. ogodei

    ogodei MOT: Austin AudioWorks

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    I have multiple lower power amps (40 W < ) and a Classe Omega ( 450 W monoblocks), I've been toying with the idea of something in the 200-350W range. This Adcom just popped up from a local seller but as you point out these seem to have aging issues. An untouched one may not be a deal at any price.

    Oddly enough I was just contacted by someone with re-built 565 monos looking for trade on another amp I have for sale. Small world, I may check these out.
     
  3. penguins

    penguins Friend, formerly known as fp627

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    Need an inexpensive DAC ($250 or less) that is suitable for a wide range of "minimalist circuit" or "simple" amps such as the SW51 for a secondary setup. Can be a DAC/amp combo but it needs to have dedicated SE outs that don't involve the amp portion. Will need D/S instead of R-2R architecture as I may not be able to warm the DAC up properly every time. Must have "not horrible" USB in, optical or I2S or AES would be nice.

    Am currently considering the Geshelli J2, Modi 3+, or the ifi Zen DAC Sig (I believe this is the same as the Drop collab that is now available elsewhere). Any other considerations or reasons why I should pick one of the above over the other? FWIW, heard the J2 and liked it for what it is, haven't heard the 3+ (only the 3) or the ifi Zen DAC Sig. I did have an ifi nano one in the past that I liked for the price.
     
  4. EagleWings

    EagleWings Friend

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    Check out the Zen DAC Sig thread. There was a comparison with a couple of sub-$300 DACs, including the Nano.
     
  5. Senorx12562

    Senorx12562 Case of the mondays

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  6. 2Broke4This

    2Broke4This New

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    Looking for an upgrade from Schiit Magnius. I knew going into the Magnius that it may sound a bit compressed and the soundstage would be limited.

    Now I'm ready to upgrade, was looking at jotenheim 2, but even reviews written by people who like it say the soundstage is limited.

    I'm looking for a balanced headamp around the same price as jotenheim, that has wide and layered soundstage. I'm a fan of Schiit's engaging house sound, and would take a less precise yet fun amp over something that measures perfectly but sounds analytical.
     
  7. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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    I have the 3-IN-1-OUT version. It seems to work fine.
    https://www.superbestaudiofriends.o...ps-to-one-dac-output.10123/page-6#post-358745
     
  8. wormcycle

    wormcycle Friend

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    Alternative from a more established brand:
    https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod...xlr_rgab2_2_channel_balanced_passive_xlr.html
    I would opt for this one but have no good reasons
     
    Last edited: Jan 24, 2022
  9. Senorx12562

    Senorx12562 Case of the mondays

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    Thank you. I appreciate the suggestion. At double the price with 1 less output, well, thus my dilemma. If I ever end up with a balanced speaker amp, 2 wouldn't be enough without dumping a hp amp or going back to se. Not a crisis, but definitely a quandary.
     
    Last edited: Jan 24, 2022
  10. mitochondrium

    mitochondrium Friend

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  11. eskamobob1

    eskamobob1 Acquaintance

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    Upgrade path question: Do I go ham on DAC or do I sort power/ancillaries first?

    Just kind of curious to see what Y'all think of this one. My current chain is:

    PC (USB out)
    SU-2 KTE (i2s out)
    Xi Audio Sagra (RCA out before new amp)
    Forge/13R/AIC-10 (last hasn't arrived yet but prepping for it)​

    They are all running off of a single el-cheapo power strip with just whatever power/USB cables I had laying around and worlds best interconnects. The i2s is a blueberry audioquest ordered almost exclusively because it was the shortest HDMI cable I could find just to make my life easier.

    I know that I will be upgrading my dac at some point in the next 3-4 months or so as I am quite confidant it is holding everything back quite a bit. I know that DDC changes will need to wait until after I choose a dac just at the bare minimum so that I can be confidant the connections match up. I also know I need to get everything (at the very minimum) on a nicer power strip I can be confidant will protect my gear if something goes wrong.

    Now for the question: What should I prioritize first: looking into things like power conditioning/getting some proper cables/etc. or upgrading my dac?
     
  12. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

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  13. gixxerwimp

    gixxerwimp Professional tricycle rider

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  14. TamHo

    TamHo New

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    Hello guys,
    I got mild electric shock when using the Moondrop Kxxs. It was not dangerous but made me uncomfortable. Does the Kato have that problem? tks
     
  15. econaut

    econaut Almost "Made"

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    Maybe consider XLR cable Y-splitters. I use two (L/R) in one case and had them made by someone.
     
  16. eskamobob1

    eskamobob1 Acquaintance

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    My lights flash for a second when I power up my amp and everything is on the same circuit/breaker as my PC and sim rig so I just assumed I was having some issues even if I have no way to confirm that tbh. Maybe I should get an AC noise sniffer and see how it actually looks?
     
  17. Beefy

    Beefy Friend

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    That just sounds like your amp needs a soft start circuit, or even a thermistor to minimise inrush current.
     
  18. zonto

    zonto Friend

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    It’s not an issue, it’s just a large in-rush of current on a circuit shared with the amplifier. Same thing happens in a bedroom where the lights are on and you turn on a vacuum cleaner.

    Best fix is to install a dedicated circuit for the amplifier. :)
     
  19. Beefy

    Beefy Friend

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    In most cases, no, not an issue. But it does needlessly stress the transformer, and it means your fuses are sized larger than they need to be to accommodate the inrush without popping, giving less safety margin in true fault conditions. And it's really easy to mitigate.

    Well, if this is the excuse people need to run a dedicated power circuit for audio, who am I to argue?
     
  20. eskamobob1

    eskamobob1 Acquaintance

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    I know it's just inrush but I assumed that also meant I was playing with the limits my circuit can handle in which case a regenerator with a current well may be a benefit for the amp as well as isolate the amp from the dac a bit more. If I'm wrong in that assumption please let me know though

    Rofl. I wish. Unfortunately I rent current and my entire room goes to the breaker with a single connection so no way to split anything out effectively without getting into the wall
     
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