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Wasabi the J
Jan 23, 2008

MOM WAS RIGHT
I have a first gen Schitt Asgard in my garage; I'm willing to part with it for cheap, as it's not doing much, and it's not in pristine condition (scuffs)

I'm at work, I'll have to take it out and take pics if anyone is interested.

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New New Fresh
May 26, 2013

Alright cool, my interface (Liquid Saffire 56) drives my K7xx well enough so if I'm going to get a headphone amp it'll be one of those rackmount ones with 8 outputs for when my buddies are over to jam.

Olympic Mathlete
Feb 25, 2011

:h:

You know how you see poo poo your friends like on Facebook? One of my dudes liked something posted up on a Sony Playstation page, it was the original PS logo... In among the comments (I love trawling comments) there was a guy who was yabbering about buying a 'special audiophile PS1' and my eyes rolled so far back in my head I could see my brain.

I tried telling him that the original may sound better than the subsequent cost-cut follow up models but it was certainly no better than a poor/average CD transport these days.

Also why isn't this thread called the FAKE NEWS audio thread?

ColdPie
Jun 9, 2006

It's hilarious to me that the title reads like the challenge was to ridicule audiophiles, and it was completed in 11 pages, but the thread is 135 pages long. Y'all really like to rub it in, don't you?

Alan_Shore
Dec 2, 2004

Why is the PS1 held up as an amazing CD player but not the superior Sega Saturn?

GnarlyCharlie4u
Sep 23, 2007

I have an unhealthy obsession with motorcycles.

Proof

Alan_Shore posted:

Why is the PS1 held up as an amazing CD player but not the superior Sega Saturn?

You know.. I saw one at goodwill today for $50. I might just have to start the next crazy audiofool trend.

In all seriousness though... in it's heyday, the Playstation did sound really good compared to anything else I'd owned.

polyester concept
Mar 29, 2017

Alan_Shore posted:

Why is the PS1 held up as an amazing CD player but not the superior Sega Saturn?

I think it was the dac in the ps1 that was coveted for some reason, not the actual sound processor.

Collateral Damage
Jun 13, 2009

ColdPie posted:

It's hilarious to me that the title reads like the challenge was to ridicule audiophiles, and it was completed in 11 pages, but the thread is 135 pages long. Y'all really like to rub it in, don't you?
The mod challenge was completed in 11 pages. Audiophoolery is a bottomless, if trickling, source of comedy.

Olympic Mathlete
Feb 25, 2011

:h:

Alan_Shore posted:

Why is the PS1 held up as an amazing CD player but not the superior Sega Saturn?

Superior if only for the space ship interface.

But yeah, why this specific PS1 and not any of the other consoles which sound better? Do you reckon the dude who started the rumour had a few to sell and wanted a decent price?

Palladium
May 8, 2012

Very Good
✔️✔️✔️✔️

Olympic Mathlete posted:

Superior if only for the space ship interface.

But yeah, why this specific PS1 and not any of the other consoles which sound better? Do you reckon the dude who started the rumour had a few to sell and wanted a decent price?

The amount of audiophile wanking over tubes, objectively flawed gear and sampling rates over the hearing range of bats etc tells you just how much they love their supposed holy grail of transparency.

And yeah I seen people who believe silver RCA cables sounds different from copper on a $120 Klipsch Promedia 2.1. Yet somehow absolutely nobody on Doom9 forums will begin to argue about how SATA cables affect video encoding quality which is arguably an even more subjective matter than audio.

Palladium fucked around with this message at 11:14 on Apr 4, 2017

spookygonk
Apr 3, 2005
Does not give a damn

Olympic Mathlete posted:

Superior if only for the space ship interface.

But yeah, why this specific PS1 and not any of the other consoles which sound better? Do you reckon the dude who started the rumour had a few to sell and wanted a decent price?



If the PS1 was good at stock, it should sound soooo much better now, shouldn't it?

A Lone Girl Flier
Sep 29, 2009

This post is dedicated to all those who fell by the forums, for nothing is wasted, and every apparent failure is but a challenge to others.
That bonnet scoop :eyepop:

Sorry, that's amazing.

GutBomb
Jun 15, 2005

Dude?
What are the red can things?

Endless Mike
Aug 13, 2003



The script print really seals it.

EDIT: ^^^^ Capacitors, I think?

fishmech
Jul 16, 2006

by VideoGames
Salad Prong

Alan_Shore posted:

Why is the PS1 held up as an amazing CD player but not the superior Sega Saturn?

The PS1 had regular RCA jacks for audio and video on the back for the first few hardware revisions. All Sega Saturn units use a custom port design that merges them all together - the only way to get dedicated audio out is through modding the system to add such ports.

So, that made the PS1 a "viable" option and when it perfectly plays back CDs (just like any freakin other CD player in existence I might add), some audiophile seeing their cousin play music CDs on it leads to the audiophile deciding it's the perfect CD player.

And then you have stuff like this, where an audio equipment review guy who's probably never even heard of a Saturn gets told to try out the PS1 by people who already think it's God, and they get completely taken in like they do by their special cable or w/e: http://www.stereophile.com/cdplayers/708play/

Palladium
May 8, 2012

Very Good
✔️✔️✔️✔️

fishmech posted:

And then you have stuff like this, where an audio equipment review guy who's probably never even heard of a Saturn gets told to try out the PS1 by people who already think it's God, and they get completely taken in like they do by their special cable or w/e: http://www.stereophile.com/cdplayers/708play/

-Admits the PS1 has lousy objective measurements.
-Goes on to praise the sound quality anyway because of *~*magic*~*.

Panty Saluter
Jan 17, 2004

Making learning fun!

GutBomb posted:

What are the red can things?

Maybe covered up tubes? The lines on top could be anodes. not sure





fishmech posted:

The PS1 had regular RCA jacks for audio and video on the back for the first few hardware revisions. All Sega Saturn units use a custom port design that merges them all together - the only way to get dedicated audio out is through modding the system to add such ports.

and no one ever seemed to notice the video crosstalk buzz, which is PLAINLY audible in quiet passages :psyduck:

fishmech
Jul 16, 2006

by VideoGames
Salad Prong

Panty Saluter posted:

and no one ever seemed to notice the video crosstalk buzz, which is PLAINLY audible in quiet passages :psyduck:

Some of the PlayStation 1 audiophile idiots solve this by physically disconnecting the video output as part of their mods, which include putting a custom power supply to replace the default one, re-casing it in some gaudy monstrosity, etc.

Others just claim that the crosstalk is actually a smoother soundscape that eases the digital harshness or whatever the gently caress.

Panty Saluter
Jan 17, 2004

Making learning fun!

fishmech posted:

Some of the PlayStation 1 audiophile idiots solve this by physically disconnecting the video output as part of their mods, which include putting a custom power supply to replace the default one, re-casing it in some gaudy monstrosity, etc.

Others just claim that the crosstalk is actually a smoother soundscape that eases the digital harshness or whatever the gently caress.

Which makes sense if you just like to tinker with electronics - whatever, have fun.

If you just want good sound, buy a discrete CD player. No one likes a simple solution though

fishmech
Jul 16, 2006

by VideoGames
Salad Prong

Panty Saluter posted:

Which makes sense if you just like to tinker with electronics - whatever, have fun.

If you just want good sound, buy a discrete CD player. No one likes a simple solution though

Well I mean, you end up with them doing this:

Only registered members can see post attachments!

Panty Saluter
Jan 17, 2004

Making learning fun!

fishmech posted:

Well I mean, you end up with them doing this:



I think they're cool. I'd just never bother doing it myself :v:

KozmoNaut
Apr 23, 2008

Happiness is a warm
Turbo Plasma Rifle


Here's a good one, about vibrations.

http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showthread.php?18367-Introspection-and-hyperbole-control&p=444653&viewfull=1#post444653

(Why do crackpots always write in color, with stupid fonts?)

Blue Footed Booby
Oct 4, 2006

got those happy feet

KozmoNaut posted:

...

(Why do crackpots always write in color, with stupid fonts?)

My guess: the mental circuitry responsible for error detection also handles basic "is this appropriate for an adult to do" type behavior. Kind of like Howard Hughes but without the head injury.

Khablam
Mar 29, 2012
RIGHT OR WRONG, I CAN’T HELP BUT EXPRESS MYSELF LIKE A BRATTY CHILD. DON’T LISTEN TO ME.

Alan_Shore posted:

Why is the PS1 held up as an amazing CD player but not the superior Sega Saturn?

This is how all audiophile wanking over something weird happens, it's 99% urban legend accepted as truth:

Person One: [in reviewing some random CD player] "So it's one of the best value for money players you can get. Except, of course, the PS1, but not a lot of people know that" :smug:

Person Two: [has never used a PS1] oh I did! It has such airy highs!

Person Three: [has never used a PS1] and punchy bass!

Person four: [has never used a PS1] yet such constrained, yet paradoxically fluid, mid range!

Person five: hmmmm.. must be something to this
*buys PS1*
*listens to Dark Side of the Moon*
~*~*~ placebo effect ~*~*~
Person five: "THE PS1 IS THE BEST CD PLAYER . . ....but not a lot of people know that" :smug:

You can replace PS1 with any 'one weird trick / one hidden gem' the audiophile community accept.

Khablam fucked around with this message at 12:45 on Apr 7, 2017

Panty Saluter
Jan 17, 2004

Making learning fun!

Blue Footed Booby posted:

Howard Hughes but without the head injury.

just because it hasn't been diagnosed doesn't mean it's not there

Phanatic
Mar 13, 2007

Please don't forget that I am an extremely racist idiot who also has terrible opinions about the Culture series.
http://www.audioaffair.co.uk/nordost-quantum-mains-purifier-qx4

quote:

Quantum resonance technology offers protection against mains noise and interference which is not possible with a traditional passive or active mains filter. Quantum technology and what the quantum units actually do is quite secret, but what is clear is that they offer measurable and proven results without any negative effects.

...

The QX4 contains 4 quantum modules (in comparison to the QX2 which contains 2 quantum modules). By comparison the high performing Nordost Thor contains 1 quantum module, so performance of the QX4 should be much greater.

...

The term that Quantum use to describe the action is Electro Magnetic Field Stabilisation (EMFS) which is probably as close as we are going to get at the moment to comprehending it. Inside the Thor you will find a single Quantum (QX1) so it doesn't take a giant leap of imagination to deduct that QX2 and QX4 are twice and four times as powerful and the claim, totally confirmed by my experience is that the more Quantum devices you add to your system, the greater the benefits (Hi-Fi+ magazine)


4 times the quantums!

Khablam
Mar 29, 2012
RIGHT OR WRONG, I CAN’T HELP BUT EXPRESS MYSELF LIKE A BRATTY CHILD. DON’T LISTEN TO ME.
More Quantum, more music; it's really that simple

qirex
Feb 15, 2001

Don't forget you can daisy chain them for even more Quantum we've found excellent results using 2-3 of them per component :science:

quote:

You can use it with or without power conditioners and can also link more than one QX2 or QX4 together for even better performance. There is no limit to the number of these you can add to your system and performance should increase with the addition of each quantum unit. While the QX4 only features 2 mains sockets, you can plug it inbetween the wall socket and an IsoTek mains filter to add even more sockets. Greatest performance will be realised when QX4 is used with a mains conditioner.
The thing to keep in mind is the systems stuff like this ends up in are probably 50-100k deep so this really is an "accessory" even at that price. I think dealers use stuff like this to sweeten package deals too, like oh yeah if you buy this $30,000 amp I'll throw in 5 grand of Quantum for free. Now that's a deal!

fishmech
Jul 16, 2006

by VideoGames
Salad Prong

KozmoNaut posted:

Here's a good one, about vibrations.

http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showthread.php?18367-Introspection-and-hyperbole-control&p=444653&viewfull=1#post444653

(Why do crackpots always write in color, with stupid fonts?)

A lot of people are just eternally fascinated by being able to change fonts and colors willy-nilly. Or they think it makes their posts stand out, which it does, but not in the way they probably wanted.

GnarlyCharlie4u
Sep 23, 2007

I have an unhealthy obsession with motorcycles.

Proof

KozmoNaut posted:

Here's a good one, about vibrations.

http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showthread.php?18367-Introspection-and-hyperbole-control&p=444653&viewfull=1#post444653

(Why do crackpots always write in color, with stupid fonts?)

I had to copypasta this into notepad to read it. It was not worth the effort.

metallicaeg
Nov 28, 2005

Evil Red Wings Owner Wario Lemieux Steals Stanley Cup
So what's a no bullshit headphone amp? I have 300 ohm headphones and whatever integrated op amp I have on my motherboard isn't cutting it. This isn't even primarily for music - I need louder volume for Counter Strike of all things.

GonadTheBallbarian
Jul 23, 2007


There are a few; do you need the DAC too? If not, you could grab an o2 amp off Amazon, or any one of a number of FiiO products on the cheap.

They're not the greatest, but there's no need to spend a fortune

New New Fresh
May 26, 2013

I'm a fan of Schiit products, look into those too.

Foxtrot_13
Oct 31, 2013
Ask me about my love of genocide denial!
SMSL is also a good manufacturer for cheap but great value audio stuff.

I have the M3 that i got as a return from Amazon for £13 and is fantastic for four times the price.

GnarlyCharlie4u
Sep 23, 2007

I have an unhealthy obsession with motorcycles.

Proof

metallicaeg posted:

So what's a no bullshit headphone amp? I have 300 ohm headphones and whatever integrated op amp I have on my motherboard isn't cutting it. This isn't even primarily for music - I need louder volume for Counter Strike of all things.

I've been pretty happy using my Focusrite Scarlett for both mic input and headphone output however I doubt that it'll be able to keep up with such a high impedance as 300ohm.
Seconding Schiit, FiiO and o2.

I'm REALLY happy with the Teac AX-501 and UD-501 setup I bought, but it's all the money and definitely overkill for what you're asking.

Massdrop has the AI-101 for $200 right now. https://www.massdrop.com/buy/ai-101da-integrated-amplifier-with-usb-dac
It does all the things and is a fairly good middle of the road option considering performance, features, price, and looks.

If you want super budget - Dayton Audio has some stuff...
http://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-dta-120-class-t-mini-amplifier-60-wpc--300-3800
http://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-dta3116hp-class-d-mini-amplifier-with-headphone-amp-2-x-15w--300-3810

I've heard a lot of people recommend Audioengine, but I personally can't speak for them. I've never tried one of their products.


Since this is the audiofool thread:
Creek audio has a couple good ones too. You might be able to find a used obh-11 for around $100 or a new obh-21 for all the monies.

If you really feel the need to spend $1200 on a headphone amp, the Bryston BHA-1 is certainly a way to do that. However, the Schiit Moljnir is like half the price and is fully balanced end to end.

GnarlyCharlie4u
Sep 23, 2007

I have an unhealthy obsession with motorcycles.

Proof


This thing is stupid good, especially considering it's size.
I can't get this poo poo eating grin off my face.

I even made myself some cables, because why the gently caress not?


I'm gonna bring it over to my friend's house and see if it'll drive his Accutons acceptably.

GnarlyCharlie4u fucked around with this message at 18:00 on Apr 11, 2017

BobHoward
Feb 13, 2012

The only thing white people deserve is a bullet to their empty skull

GnarlyCharlie4u posted:



This thing is stupid good, especially considering it's size.
I can't get this poo poo eating grin off my face.

I even made myself some cables, because why the gently caress not?


I'm gonna bring it over to my friend's house and see if it'll drive his Accutons acceptably.

New thread title: ridiculous audiophiles post ITT about wasting money

Jmcrofts
Jan 7, 2008

just chillin' in the club
Lipstick Apathy
wait so... what does a headphone amp do?

polyester concept
Mar 29, 2017

people with a lot of money buy high impedance headphones that regular devices can't drive properly, so they have to spend more money on a separate amplifier. then you get people walking around with stuff like this

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Josh Lyman
May 24, 2009


I couldn't tell the difference between my HD 650's being powered from my iPhone 6 vs 7.1 A/V receiver, but I sure could tell the difference between the Klipsch ProMedia 2.1 satellites vs their RSX-3.

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