The All Purpose Advice Thread - Part 2

Discussion in 'Advice Threads' started by shotgunshane, Mar 27, 2022.

  1. joch

    joch Friend

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    @GuySmiley'sMonkey if you mostly control your music from your PC and comfortable with that interface, a streamer might or might not be better. Have you considered a USB interface (like a Singxer SU-2 or Matrix X-SPDIF) that lets you convert USB to SPDIF to the coax of your ATC (assuming it’s the USB that’s its weakest point)?
     
  2. Woland

    Woland Friend

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    As the past few comments imply, your dealer is not looking out for you. Run, don't walk, away from this offer.
     
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  3. Climber

    Climber Facebook Friend

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    Can anyone recommend an inexpensive ($30?) 2-pin IEM cable with a mic? I quite like the stock sound of the Moondrop Starfield, just wish I could take conference calls on it. I spun the wheel of random Chifi on Amazon for $20 and it was definitely a step back.
     
  4. edd

    edd Almost "Made"

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    Anyone know of a manufacturer of silicone IEM tips that has something like Comply’s “tech defender” which is a screen that blocks ear wax and other crud from getting to the nozzle?

    I need something for my workout earbuds so I don’t care about effects on sound quality.
     
  5. Sonofsin

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    I do not know where else to put it, so I put it here:

    I would really like to see a poll regarding sound of cables and their influence:

    - does make a big difference
    - does make a small difference, depends on the system, and use it like spice to season your arrangement
    - beyond cheap shit, I cannot hear a difference
    - other

    If need be, divided for high-power and low-power signals (or USB). It would be very interesting to get the hive minds reply on the topic.

    The last thing I want to start is a war on cables. But as I regard Superbest as a point of sanity in the internets, this might be something worthwile to put up.
     
  6. luckybaer

    luckybaer Friend

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    I control my music from a PC interface via JRiver Media Center. I was struggling to figure out if a streamer would make sense for me. I decided I didn’t want to go down that path, so I purchased a Singxer SU-6 to sit between the PC and Gungnir MB DAC. It was money well-spent, as it eliminated USB’s weaknesses (at least in my system), and it also feeds my second system (Modi MB driven).

    As mentioned above (by @joch), this sounds like it could be a good option for you. If you wanted to dip your toes into the world of a DDC fronting your DAC, you could try a Douk Audio U2 Pro. $65 on Amazon, and it made a difference in my system - enough that I decided to get the SU-6 for its plethora of connectivity options.
     
    Last edited: Jan 15, 2023
  7. loki993

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    For what? Digital/Data it's going to be hard to convince me there is a difference as long as you are using something high quality, properly shielded and all that. It's transferring 1s and 0s...they either do or they don't.

    Analog cables on the other hand maybe. I'll give an example I was running a crappy old combo rca with video cable on my turntable for a while, it was all I had and it worked. I upgraded to a nicer set of rca cables, not expensive ones, just some decent meant for audio ones off of Amazon and I could in fact tell a difference, but we're talking going from thin crappy come in the box with a PS2 rca video cable to a much thicker gauge properly shielded audio cable.

    Now does that mean if you spend hundreds even thousands on analog cables it's going to be a massive difference, I doubt it, though I have no personal experience because that is just not a price range I'll ever play in. Might one tell a difference, maybe, but the money spent on that is going to be better spent elsewhere on better components to a much better effect. In my opinion.
     
    Last edited: Jan 15, 2023
  8. Sonofsin

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    I guess I am just annoyed by the nonsense that is written on cables out there in the internet.

    There is one magazine article claiming that after exchanging cables (to the entry-level of a well-known brand), music sounded like a totally different song. Really?

    Then there are forum posts where people claim that cables make a bigger difference than speakers. Is there an in-built eq?

    However, I have not tried expensive cables and I think, that people do not only have different tastes, but also different sensitivities. Maybe I can rephrase my question a bit:

    Has anybody encountered notable improvements beyond a Blue Jeans Cable-level?
     
  9. fraggler

    fraggler A Happy & Busy Life

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    https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/marveys-cable-rolling-adventures.2034/
     
  10. Sonofsin

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    Thank you, that is exactly the thread I was kinda looking for
     
  11. Pharmaboy

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    I have occasionally heard sonic differences when switching cables. Those differences are usually subtle--not as noticeable as one might get by switching headphones or amps. But when I hear differences (sometimes positive, sometimes not), they are real to me. I've been interested in audio for decades, and heard small cable differences years ago in my big high-end system, just as I do in my home office systems today.

    The most noticeable difference I heard was when I switched from an inexpensive digital coax cable (Blue Jeans) to a pricey silver coax (Oyaide DR-510). Easy to hear and well worth the extra money. Cable non-believers will say that hearing differences between digital cables (ie, coax, hdmi, ethernet/Cat6) is simply not possible. I disagree.

    No, I don't blind test cables (or anything). And no, I don't buy single interconnects for the same money that might buy an elderly used car; I'm also not interested in convincing non-believers that switching cables might matter to them. If cables are a cult, I'm not a dues-paying member.

    But I do hear sonic differences sometimes. This contributes to my belief that pretty much everything matters in audio.
     
  12. ColtMrFire

    ColtMrFire Writes better fan fics than you

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    The less said about cables the better. But if you wanna go down that rabbit hole...

    Properly designed, they are more like different flavors that may or may not be audible and may throw the tonality of your system out of whack with regard to your preferences... it's not a matter of fancier cables being "better", but usually "different" and alot of them may "fix" certain tonal attributes, but destroy others. Cables, if one can even hear differences, are like seasoning in a dish... you gotta be careful.
     
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  13. Tekker

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    What’s the reason that Sennheiser has that extra driver capsule on some of their lower models, like the HD4xx series and Momentum 1 and 2?

    [​IMG]
     
  14. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

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    Creates a smaller chamber, simplifies assembly, etc.
     
  15. Tekker

    Tekker Facebook Friend

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    Is there a point to create a smaller chamber? Because when I took out the cloth tape that’s over the 2 vent holes, leaving them open, the sound got less compressed and sibilant.

    That makes me think, how would they sound like if that entire capsule was removed..
     
  16. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

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    I'm guessing it's more likely for quicker/cheaper assembly and nothing to do with sonics.
     
  17. bigjako

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    Question: Can I use something like this 1/4"-to-xlr adapter to connect a headphone with a 1/4"-terminated cable to an amp's XLR jack?

    Details: I acquired a 1/4"-terminated AKG K1000 and I want to plug it into the K1000-hole in my Stratus, naturally. I know I could reterminate it myself (I've never done it, but I'm willing to attempt it) but I figure this adapter is a less-risky way to hear the impact before breaking anything. All the 1/4" to XLR adapters I've seen are for microphones or interconnects and none say 'headphone' use. The K1000's 1/4" jack is TRS.
     
  18. wormcycle

    wormcycle Friend

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    The adapter is 3 pin XLR and the typical balanced HP out is 4 pin or 2x3 pin. And please do not try to build TRS female to XLR 4 pin male adapter,
     
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  19. TheloniuSnoop

    TheloniuSnoop Friend

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    Like this? :p

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    NEVER use something like this with a true balanced amp. I use this only with a transformer coupled, SE amp, which has the tranny outputs wired to a 4-pin jack, so this adapter just combines the grounds from each tranny; no problem.

    With a true balanced amp, using this adapter would make magic smoke and sad owner. :piratemug: :(
     
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  20. bigjako

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    I feel quite stupid, I’d thought those were 4-pin XLRs. Let me amend the question to be if I found a 4-pin XLR to 1/4 inch, would that work?

    Or maybe I should just go back to the actual issue I’m trying to solve for - what’s the best way for me to connect my K1000 via the XLR in on a DNA stratus. Input on the Stratus is SE and the output is Balanced.
     

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