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Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

Revvik posted:

For some reason, if I turn the amp volume up past around 1/4 to 1/3, the power cuts out. Is this a failure in the amp?

It's working as intended, protecting you against damaging either amp or speakers. Edit: Let's say, that's what I assume. Another source says it might be the power brick crapping out.

I was mostly curious about this:

Revvik posted:

I should mention my PCs volume is dimed.

I don't know what that means. Googled, but couldn't find a definition that made sense.

Flipperwaldt fucked around with this message at 23:26 on May 24, 2013

# ¿ May 24, 2013 23:23

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# ¿ Apr 26, 2024 00:25

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

The difference is between line outs and headphone outs. The latter have some amplification behind them to drive headphones/passive speakers that the former do not. This makes the output voltage at 100% higher than what the amp connected to it could reasonably expect, resulting in distortion in its input stage.

Ancient soundcards had a jumper for choosing between amped and line level output, but somewhere along the line someone decided the difference wasn't worth bothering with, resulting in the need to compensate by lowering the level in software.

# ¿ May 31, 2013 21:43

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

KingKapalone posted:

I was going to ask what's needed to hook up the A2s but it sounds like you can hook them straight to the onboard sound. That or a DAC but I don't know what that is.

DAC is the fancy schmancy pars-pro-toto name audiophile oriented vendors use to sell audio interfaces, aka external soundcards.

More generally in that context it denotes a dedicated device that takes a digital audio signal (via optical, coaxial, usb, firewire) and converts it to an analog signal at line level (or headphone level). Purely functionally, think of it as the same thing as onboard sound, but in a small external box.

# ¿ Jun 12, 2013 08:06

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

OneSizeFitsAll posted:

How do I get a stereo sound output to the Creatives via the mobo's onboard sound (which I assume is the VIA Audio)? I've been looking around on Amazon and can't find any appropriate cables, and Google has not been my friend so far on this.

Your speakers can't work with optical input.

But you don't need special cables. You just plug the speakers into the 'front' output hole. It's the green one, just like the input on the back of your speakers.

There's probably a tray icon for something called VIA HD Audio Deck where you can configure that all surround sound sources should be downmixed to stereo. This might be as simple as specifying that your setup has only two speakers, if I'm reading the screenshot here right. In the screenshot there's an orange button marked 6 and you'd want to have the grey one left of it marked 2 selected.

By the way, something you still can try with the M-Audio Delta card, is to plop it into another slot on your motherboard. There's a small chance that makes a difference.

# ¿ Jun 15, 2013 11:36

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

OneSizeFitsAll posted:

Thanks for the reply. Currently I'm using a red and white phono to single 3.5mm lead. The phonos obviously aren't right for what you're saying - would I then need 3.5mm to 3.5mm?

Yes. Amazon suggests one would have been included in the box the speakers originally came in.

# ¿ Jun 15, 2013 12:44

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

Captain Cool posted:

Are there any decent 2.0/2.1 speakers that can take an optical input, or do they all cut too many corners in order to include a DAC?

My current computer has some annoying crackling in the speakers when playing music. Speakers were fine with the last computer. As far as I can tell it's not a common problem with my motherboard. From searching more generally, it could be a grounding issue, so getting a sound card might not fix it.

I've had grounding issues create humming, buzzing and whining noises. Never anything that remotely would be described as crackling.

Sometimes soundcards/onboard sound outputs an amplified signal (rather than a line level signal) to cater to unamplified speakers. Try setting the (software) master volume slider to 75% or even 50%. If the crackling stops, this probably is the case and you should leave the slider there and regulate volume with whatever knob the speakers provide you.

# ¿ Jan 8, 2014 22:53

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

AudInst HUD-mx1 seems like a pleasing DAC to combine with the regular A2s to me. Offers the right amount of control in a not too obtrusive package.

Works for three and a half out of four of these:

MMD3 posted:

get cleaner sound to my speakers (DAC of some sort?)

get more power to my headphones & speakers (Amp of some sort or powered speakers?)

have a desktop volume control/pot of some sort.

be able to switch between speakers and headphones easily without having to reach behind my computer.

EDIT and works for this:

MMD3 posted:

Should also ask if a simpler solution might be finding a soundcard w/ a built-in dac, or sticking with my Klipsch ProMedia's for the time being and just plugging them into a breakout DAC.

EDIT2 might need some rca to female 3.5mm adapter for that.

EDIT3 might be out of your price range, I remember this costing less at one point.

Flipperwaldt fucked around with this message at 01:06 on Jan 10, 2014

# ¿ Jan 10, 2014 01:01

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

MMD3 posted:

can't seem to find a price for it, looks to be discontinued maybe?

What would it have over say a Fiio E10 or an AudioEngine D1 DAC?

For the price, just click through to 'store' on the link I gave you. I'm seeing $179 there. I thought it was going to be something like $149 or something.

Differences are going to be fairly superficial. I like that you can choose whether to use a thick or thin headphone plug in there without an adapter. I think the simple switch between headphone and speakers on the front is pretty elegant and something I'd like to see adopted wider.

Other than that Fiio stuff is generally going to sound good and be a significant upgrade over onboard audio and at that price it's pretty hard to beat.

Whether you want to throw another $80-$90 on top of that for ergonomics, looks and maybe, possibly an extremely marginal upgrade in sound quality, is up to you and your amounts of disposable income.

The D1 seems to be in the same ballpark as the AudInst, I'd guess.

# ¿ Jan 10, 2014 02:00

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

MMD3 posted:

So the N22 + a USB DAC seems like the way to go, if I were to pick up a DAC like the Modi first would I be able to use it to pass a cleaner signal to my current Klipsch ProMedia 2.1's to hold me over until I can get an N22 and put my overly large bookshelves on my desk?

Yes, but you'll probably need this. This works because the Modi has its output at line level and that's exactly the sort of thing powered speakers like the Klipsch Promedia (or other powered speakers, or amplifiers) expect. Despite the difference in connector.

MMD3 posted:

forgive me if this is a dumb question too but why do a decent amount of headphone amps come with remote controls:
http://www.asus.com/Sound_Cards_and_DigitaltoAnalog_Converters/Essence_III

if you're wearing headphones isn't it implied that you're sitting within arms reach of the thing the headphones are plugged into?

You can also connect powered speakers to them or an amplifier, in which case you wouldn't need to be within arm's reach all the time. For headphone amps that don't also provide a line level signal, a remote control would generally be pretty useless. Although some headphones might have pretty long cords, so who knows.

# ¿ Jan 10, 2014 12:00

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

MMD3 posted:

I take it you mean like I wouldn't want to plug the klipsch's into an amp as they have their own built-in amp in the subwoofer?

Yes. Electric Bugaloo already explained why you wouldn't.

MMD3 posted:

If I plugged my klipsch's into a DAC like the Modi and then plugged my Grado's into my Klipsch's I can't expect to get a better/richer sound from my Grado's, just less/no interference correct?

That's about right, yeah.

MMD3 posted:

okay, I suppose that makes more sense... I didn't realize people plugged powered speakers into headphone amps but I guess if they have DAC's built in they get the benefit of that.

You linked an ASUS device that you refer to as a headphone amp. Except it's a DAC/preamp, exactly like the Modi with on top of that a headphone amp built in. This is the title of the page you linked: Essence III - Preamplifier, USB DAC and headphone amplifier.

People aren't (generally) plugging powered speakers into headphone amps, they're plugging them into the the appropriate line level outputs a DAC/preamp/headphone amp combo provides.

With a combo device like that, a remote control makes some sense. If we were talking purely headphone amps, it wouldn't. If we were talking strictly DAC/headphone amp combos, it wouldn't.

DAC - converts a digital audio signal into an analog one
preamp - brings a signal to line level
headphone amp - brings a line level signal to something suitable for headphones
amplifier - brings a line level signal to something suitable for unpowered speakers
powered speakers - unpowered speakers with a built in amplifier

There are preamps in lots of things, but generally if their presence is mentioned, it implies that there will be user accessible line level outs.

Hope that clears up some things and/or is not too patronising either -it's getting pretty late here.

# ¿ Jan 11, 2014 04:30

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

I've had things not work properly with usb extension cables when the total power draw (pulled through a passive hub at the end of the extension) was bordering on too high. Shouldn't happen with only one device per port, but then not all usb ports are 100% up to spec, especially if we're talking about a laptop(?).

# ¿ Jan 30, 2014 05:37

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

codo27 posted:

There has to be a more practical and better suited way to do high end audio for PC than a home AV receiver doesn't there?

I can't think of a way in which a home AV receiver is impractical or ill-suited to the job :confused:

# ¿ Dec 17, 2014 08:16

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

GokieKS posted:

Their size, for starters. I used an AVR and stereo speakers for PC audio for a while, and I would never do it again. If I had that space, I'd rather use it for another monitor.

Yeah if you're going to ignore the 5.1 imperative in the discussion, a lot of nice options open up, as was said a couple of times now. It's pretty much: 5.1, quality, small footprint; pick two.

High end 5.1, which he asked about, is going to end up with a receiver as the most suitable and most practical solution for all but one criterion that is mutually exclusive with the two others for more reasons than just availability. Didn't see him mention mention limited space specifically, just a lack of money to duplicate his living room setup, so I guess that's why I was pretty much asking what he meant.

# ¿ Dec 18, 2014 01:31

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

Duke Farmington posted:

I'm running them off of a schiit modi at the moment. Perhaps I'm just expecting too much out of them. It's hard to discern individual sounds with them, though--voices in games get lost in the mix when I can hear them clearly on my headphones, for instance.

Do the games output in 5.1 and somehow you're losing all but the left and right channel along the way?

Note: less likely to be the problem if what feeds your headphones also comes through the Modi. You'd notice poo poo going missing on your headphones too then.

# ¿ Dec 19, 2014 00:50

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

program666 posted:

Brazil

http://portal.royalmusic.com.br/produto/krk-rokit-5-rp5-g2-black/

Don't know whether these guys are anywhere near you, but at least it's in your country. All KRKs have been worth their price so far afaik.

Or maybe in general, if hifi stores aren't much help, you can look for medium budget studio monitors in music stores.

# ¿ Jan 23, 2015 20:33

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

Oh, I missed that part of the conversation. I just went on the fact that KillHour linked you to the A2+. I'm not up to date on 5.1 setups or how to work those with active speakers or what sort of receiver you'd need.

I know that your center speaker needs to be of equally good quality as well, though.

Maybe you're back to square one then? Sorry.

# ¿ Jan 23, 2015 23:36

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

KozmoNaut posted:

Anything beyond a Fiio D3 or ODAC is basically pointless, expensive are DACs generally bullshit, and they usually measure worse than the ODAC.

I think this is the better point you're making. It's absolutely true.

As for the rest: there's still bottom of the barrel poo poo out there that is compromised because fractions of cents needed to be saved. Onboard audio qualifies at least sometimes.

The difference between now and ten years ago is that you're not going to notice at all unless in a direct comparison with something better. I wasn't really aware the output of my onboard sound was sounding comparatively muffled until I got my Roland Quad Capture (for recording purposes). Took me by surprise, really. I expected the difference to be just the noise level, maybe.

Don't know if it matters for my point, but my laptop doesn't use the extremely common Realtek HD Audio thing, but one made by Conexant. Maybe the Realtek's better.

I'm a 100% sure I can't tell the Quad Capture apart from a $25 Behringer thing though.

# ¿ Mar 3, 2015 11:37

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

That's both going to the same line level mixer, going to the same amp, going to the same speakers. Both set pretty close to the same output level (within 1.5dB, according to the mixer's peak meter) and with Dolby enhancements disabled for the onboard thing. Playing the same music from the same file in the same program. Not really scientific, but not as bad a comparison as it could be.

I really haven't got the in depth knowledge to argue the technical cause of the difference and it's fair enough if you aren't convinced. I just think that, probably, even with laughably cheap DAC chips, there are still corners that could be cut in the implementation.

Doesn't detract from your point that the whole audiophile DAC thing is basically a scam though.

# ¿ Mar 3, 2015 14:36

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

KozmoNaut posted:

I'm not trying to undermine your experience, I just wanted to dig further into it

I'm just frustrated myself that I don't have anything objectively compelling. In describing the issue, I'm about an inch from calling the sound slightly veiled, which is the sort of language forever soiled by audiophiles, which I'd like to think I'm not

On one hand I'm convinced the difference is there and it would be interesting to know what the cause is, on the other hand I remember adjusting equalizer settings while mixing a track for maybe half a minute before realizing it wasn't even enabled.

I mean, I can totally speculate that there are still DAC chips out there with lovely filters in them, as that would align with a couple of other experiences with cheap gear (think Bluetooth audio receiver with apparent aliasing, not actual gear gear), but I'd have no other argument than that my gut is telling me that might be the case.

# ¿ Mar 3, 2015 16:26

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

KozmoNaut posted:

You can do an RMAA test to see if there's a measurable difference.

If it sounds muffled, there's probably some high frequency rolloff.

Well, it's there. Sort of.

Can you even hear less than half a dB difference? Seems ridiculous to claim that, but here we are.

# ¿ Mar 3, 2015 17:55

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

There are more qualities to music than just production quality. Even though studio monitors might now be rubbing your face in that part of it, you can learn to appreciate music again for the quality of the performance, the musicality, the drive, the power, the emotion, the fantastic lyrics, the memories, whatever.

It's also ok for your musical taste to be fluid and to be influenced by factors like this. There's a metric poo poo-ton of music out there, you're in no danger of running out of options.

Which boils down to that there's something between the bliss of ignorance and the turning into a terrible snob. You might be a bit pickier about what's in your favorites playlist and why the hell not. And when the sheen of this new experience wears off you'll also learn that seeing the individual trees doesn't mean you can't possibly see the woods anymore. Essentially focusing (and not focusing) on different aspects of music is a skill. It's daunting now to have your focus drawn into hyper-awareness of one aspect right now and it'll take a bit of time to see that it's basically something under your control if you want it to be. Production quality is but one property of a recording. You can notice and not be alarmed by it because it's not relevant to the context of how you're listening right now, like at a party or whatever.

It's like watching a 3D movie for the first time and you're like wow, holy crap, an extra dimension the whole time. It's not going to be like that forever. At some point you'll be back to following the story, appreciating the acting and stuff like that. It'll be easier when it's all done well and unobtrusively, obviously. But if the movie has great redeeming qualities elsewhere, you're not going to let a bit of lovely 3D distract you too much from it. And if there are no redeeming qualities, it's ok to call it poo poo.

# ¿ Apr 18, 2015 12:54

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

Electric Bugaloo posted:

And in the case of monitors designed under the Yamaha school of thought, they just sound bad when used to play music for fun. The logic behind them is that "if you can make it sound good coming out of these speakers it'll sound good anywhere."

That's bullshit.

Electric Bugaloo posted:

Many of them have unnaturally boosted levels to let engineers compensate for common ranges with volume spikes/dips.

Be more specific, because it's a meaningless sequence of words as it is.

# ¿ Apr 19, 2015 16:39

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

Electric Bugaloo posted:

I stand corrected...

I wouldn't have known either if I didn't have this stack of old magazines next to the crapper :v:

Anyway, I understand the forward, bright sound Yamaha tunes some of their monitors to apparently doesn't appeal to everyone, but I really like my msp 5 studios and I really enjoy listening to music on them. I think a lot of people who think the sound is fatiguing just want to play too loud for too long.

# ¿ Apr 20, 2015 03:03

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

Djarum posted:

That theoretically should work, it did with mine at least.

It can't work, not even theoretically.

:wtc:

You'll get sound from all speakers, but it won't be surround sound; just replicated stereo pairs. To top it off, with either a left or a right channel going to your center.

# ¿ Oct 18, 2015 20:37

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

Djarum posted:

It is a 4 pole/3 conductor end. A lot of the cheaper systems now are just sending the 3 ends of sound through the 3 connectors on the TRS cable. Logitech makes/made a official one but it is was more expensive and does the same thing as that.

I'm thinking you've linked the wrong thing, because what you did link sure as hell isn't capable of transmitting the six separate signals required for 5.1 surround sound.

# ¿ Oct 18, 2015 22:02

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

Instead of the adapter cable, I'd go with a couple of these since a set of nice cables seems to be included in that speaker package deal already.

vvv E: Good to know I'm not tripping, christ.

Flipperwaldt fucked around with this message at 02:28 on Oct 19, 2015

# ¿ Oct 18, 2015 23:35

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

Thought a bunch of people in this thread were happy with the JBL LSR 305 and if I look on Thomann, they would come in under 300� for a pair, so check out what they'd cost for you. That's going to be as close to a thread consensus as you're gonna find for the mixed use you've got in mind.

# ¿ Nov 3, 2015 22:35

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

^^^^ sorta beaten, argh

Delta-Wye posted:

I want to lay my two LSR308s on their side so they fit underneath my monitors. Even if I angle them up at my various face holes, am I still committing an audiophile sin? I, of course, can't hear the difference

I thought this was a reasonable summary of the sort of issues you might encounter. The cooling thing got me worried, though the msp5 studios I've got have giant cooling fins with vertical channels at the back, so it's clear to see how that wouldn't work as well as it should on its side. I really don't know about the lsr308; can't see any cooling implement on its outside, so it's difficult to gauge how they would be affected.

The rest of the issues mentioned, if you're not hearing the difference, is largely academic if you're not mixing stuff. I mean, if it sounds great to you, fine, whatever.

The thing to note is that monitors like that definitely are specifically designed to work upright, so if you want to know if someone somewhere will judge you for using them on their side, then the answer is yes and they will have a relatively sane argument.

# ¿ Nov 24, 2015 11:42

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

NAT-T Ice posted:

I now have two computers in the same room that I want to output sound to the same set of speakers. The speakers have an aux in, but attempting to connect a male-male cable between it and my laptop seems to have mostly just made them constantly buzz with power cable noise or something. Is there some sort of small mixer I can buy that will (a) give me volume knobs for each device and (b) possibly cut down on whatever noise is being generated? Most mixers seem to be geared towards working with professional sound equipment; I just need something that will accept 2-4 3.5mm inputs and mix to one 3.5mm output.

http://www.amazon.com/RDL-EZ-MX4L-Channel-Stereo-Level/dp/B002RMYHSA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452155470&sr=8-1&keywords=ez+mx4l

http://www.amazon.com/rolls-MX44S-M...5GSQD0CEXZC610E

A passive one:
http://www.amazon.com/Rolls-MX42-St...XKPGA6R4V4MV73V

When looking at small line level mixers, a bunch are going to have mono inputs, or want to include microphone inputs for some reason. Beware of that. There are DJ type mixers too. Cheap ones will be poor quality and the number of inputs will almost always include a couple of phono inputs and sometimes a microphone channel you can't use for line level stuff. Beware of splitter devices that go "one to many" instead of "many to one".

Read the reviews. Use the related items links to look at more products. I'm not specifically vouching for the quality of any of these. Cheap active mixers will add a bit of noise. Passive mixers will attenuate the signals. Neither will necessarily eliminate any ground loop buzz you're likely having. Quality-wise you might be better off with a switch, if you don't need both machines' audio at the same time. The one linked is relatively pretty, but expensive. The cheapest switch boxes are going to be technically made for old style composite video and will do if you can live with the looks and the input/outputs you're not using.

Sorry to not have some can't-go-wrong-go-to product, hope this helps your search anyway.

# ¿ Jan 7, 2016 10:06

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

Schpyder posted:

- Only a single balanced input. It has TRS and XLR connections, but they're wired to the same input, so DO NOT hook two sources up to the two different jacks!

This is so common on studio monitors, I don't even know if it deserves a mention as a con. I mean, I understand it can be confusing coming from any other context, but still.

# ¿ Sep 28, 2016 08:52

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

Vegetable posted:

Is there a reason why I shouldn't just control the volume using my Windows volume control, though?

Apart from the ergonomics, none whatsoever.

The Behringer is a good pick for what you want from it.

# ¿ Nov 26, 2017 20:12

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

me your dad posted:

Speaking of LSR305 -

I'm considering replacing my Dayton B652 with the LSR305 but I'm a little confused by the connections needed for a simple connection to my computer.

These connecters are recommended, but will I need two of them?

One. e: one of these cables, is what I mean

Thanatosian posted:

Do I need a box if I'm using the LSR 305s with a PC.

With the right cable (ie. the one me your dad linked) you can just connect them to the regular audio out of your computer. Nothing more is strictly required. Some people will experience interference problems or have questions about the quality of the digital-to-analog conversion of on board sound chips in general and want to buy an external soundcard/DAC/audio interface whatever you want to call it. But it's an optional upgrade, in essence.

# ¿ Nov 27, 2017 00:12

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

Copper Vein posted:

One thing that noticed that amazon is swimming in a certain type of amp that matches the pattern of this Fosi. While these amps have DACs and USB, they have RCA outputs instead of speaker terminals.

These amps also list their power output as ###mW @ ##Ohms instead of listing watts per channel @ #Ohms like a normal amp.

Do these type of amps list their power that way because they are designed for headphones and are less powerful? Does the presence of RCA outputs instead of speaker terminals play into that?

For simplicity's sake, you should call this type of device a dac. It does contain a headphone amplifier (and is labeled as such) but wouldn't in common terminology be called an amp in the broader sense. The main outputs are at line level and are intended to be connected with an actual amplifier that then brings things up to speaker level or with powered speakers where this happens within a single package. In other words, this device cannot be used to replace your amp, but is used to convert the digital type signals to something an amp can work with.

The power output listed is for the headphone output only.

Copper Vein posted:

Also how does one DAC compare to another? The majority of these amazon amps boast a 192khz sample rate, but I suspect that the sample rate might be different depending on what digital input is used. I figured that since many $30-$80 seemingly identical amps list a 192khz sample rate, then that frequency should be standard, but some amps, like the Micca I linked to are only 96khz. That seems worse. Oh No! Does my uneducated rear end really need to be concerned about sample frequency?

You should not be concerned with sample frequency at all. 44.1kHz covers the entire spectrum of what a human can hear. It's audiophiles and marketing rotting the industry from the inside out. If you poorly implement a DAC with a sample rate over 44.1kHz, you end up with aliasing within the audible spectrum. Best case it is properly implemented and there's no audible difference. Properly designed and made DAC chips are cents a piece.

Beyond the conversion chip in the device we call a DAC, there are analog components, like the headphone output amplifier. There could be minute audible differences between implementations if you did a direct comparison. No specs list is going to help you with those though and the differences are entirely unrelated to the sample rate supported by the chip.

This is all just ignoring that you're not anywhere likely to have source material (ie. files) you're going to be playing through it that are recorded, mixed, mastered and published in the higher sample rate. If there were theoretical benefits (there aren't, not even in recording), you'd never have a way to find out.

# ¿ Jan 25, 2019 13:18

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

I see several headset extension cords on aliexpress.

It would get simpler if you were ok with zip tying two regular cables into one bundle though.

# ¿ Feb 3, 2019 22:00

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

Well, see if it persists if you unplug the cables from the speakers.

# ¿ Jun 7, 2019 22:30

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

no pubes yet sorry posted:

That is all new stuff to me since I've never dealt with a avr before - it is manageable but nothing really sounds clear, it all has some level of hollowness?

I'm going to throw in the recommendation to check again if the polarity of the connections between the speakers and the amp is correct for both. I'm probably off the mark with this, but it can't hurt.

# ¿ May 14, 2020 13:27

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

Ok Comboomer posted:

Do you guys power yours off every day? Do you power them off individually, or from the power supply/main/surge protector/etc?

Right now I dutifully power mine off when they aren�t in use, each one powered off individually via the switch on the back. It�s a real pain, requiring me to snake my hand between my display and my right speaker and I really hate it.

If I could just shut them off via the same switch I use to power off my mixer that would be super duper.

I have a Y-shaped power lead that goes to both monitors. I used to just cut power to them with a manual switch, but the switch would arc and the monitors would pop loudly. Then I bought some no name non-smart remote controlled outlets and everything was peachy. One goes to the monitors, one to the mixer, one to the midi controller keyboard etc. Nice to control all that from one remote on my desk.

ChineseBuffet posted:

Alright, I need someone to please help pull me out of this well. Now that I've gone from 0% to 100% WFH, I am looking for a better way to connect my LSR305s to my PC than the 3.5mm to TS breakout that I've been using, much like the discussion on the last page. I was hoping to get something with a USB interface and balanced outputs and spend up to $300 for the DAC plus a standalone passive volume knob (if necessary). I never use headphones, so I think I don't need any amplification stage, and my audio collection is at most CD quality.

My plan for a while had been to get the FocusRite Scarlett Solo and just not use the microphone input, but I now see that there are a number of similar products (Steinberg UR22, Behringer UMC202HD, Motu M2, etc.) Is one of these a reasonable choice and better than the others? The price seems right, but am I giving up anything that a non-audiophile would notice?

I also came across the Drop Standard Balanced DAC and the SMSL SU-8. The former won't ship for 3 months and with the latter I worry about the extra features/complexity breaking or getting in the way. Any votes for these or suggestions of products I've totally missed that would fit the bill? I saw the Schiit reference and looked through their products, but it seemed balanced output was only on the pricier stuff.

If you're just after the outputs, they'll all do superbly fine, so you can shop for aesthetics and price.

# ¿ May 17, 2020 19:59

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

ChineseBuffet posted:

OK, so do I not need to be obsessing about the quality of the DACs in the various options? I felt like I was on the precipice of a very deep rabbit hole.

Hell no. If you can tell one dac from another, then at least one of them is defective or should be considered so. It's also absolutely trivial for any manufacturer to get one that sounds and measures great for cents as an of the shelf component. Any manufacturer doing anything different is into audiophile woo or into elaborately milking people into audiophile woo.

# ¿ May 17, 2020 23:16

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

I bought my Yamaha msp5 studio monitors second hand two for the price of one new one and I'm extremely happy with them. I certainly have confidence in the brand to produce a decent speaker, or at least very competitive with whatever else is available at the price point.

£150 for a pair of hs5 seems pretty good, if you can persuade the seller to show them in action before you fork out the money.

# ¿ Sep 20, 2020 20:54

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# ¿ Apr 26, 2024 00:25

Flipperwaldt: Nov 11, 2011; Won't somebody think of the starving hamsters in China?

e: ^^^ I get slower as I get older, but a different take.

Blackfyre posted:

Cool, do you have any recommendation for setups etc? just using a volume knob and cabling to fit into my soundcard sounds good in theory but I'm worried about noise etc.

If these speakers are no good are there any other in budget options? I did a bit of googling and saw the Audioengine A2s recommended but their built in amp didnt seem great, going to 48Khz not 98? I'm not the best audio guy so hoping others would have better info here.

The A2 are decidedly smaller and will have a poorer bass response. It's been a good recommendation for people who agonize over their desk space. I wouldn't get them if that isn't a priority. Anything with a woofer smaller than 5" isn't going to give you a very satisfying bass sound.

Sample rates in DACs are a non-issue. Please don't get suckered in by internet morons. And unless you had noise issues before with your Creative card, I wouldn't expect them to suddenly turn up. Nonetheless, if you want to throw money at it, sure. I'd be looking at the M-Audio Air Hub at ~$70. It's a very pleasing form factor, excellent DAC with the high spec sheet numbers, big volume knob, headphone out with separate volume control, balanced outputs and it's a usb hub on top of that (because why not), and it doesn't have all the microphone inputs you don't care for that would come with other musician oriented gear. This would work great with any set of powered monitors with balanced inputs. There's somewhat cheaper Behringer gear that is perfectly adequate, but it wouldn't be as neat aesthetically. In general the whole musician's corner of semi pro gear is slightly less infected with inexplicable price hikes for audiophile woo. This is ultimately why people started shopping for studio monitors in the first place.

I don't have a lot of experience personally with other speakers, so I'll leave that to someone else. I'd have to go read reviews myself. The Adam T5V that were mentioned are no doubt worth a look.

# ¿ Sep 20, 2020 23:25

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Inspect Your Gadgets > PC speakers - need a recommendation

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