Audio Era: Because Sound Matters

MosquitoSmasher · Dec 15, 2018

Even though I only have two front speakers, Dolby Digital is always recommended over using one of the presets the Denon offers, right? Like Dolby Surround which shows as Dolby + Dolby surround (digital and PCM).

I ask this because the sound seemed a bit more "full" strangely enough on the latter. Explosions have more impact etc than Dolby Digital.

Soulstoner · Dec 15, 2018

Chairmanchuck said:
Hey. Need new headphones. My old V-Moda (7 years old) are half broken, so I am looking for BT headphones with cable. THe V-Moda Crossfade 2 Wireless are around 230€, so I thought I would buy them because I liked the old ones.

Any other over ear BT headphones in that price region?

I love the Bower & Wilkins PX. The sound is fantastic but the fit might not work for everyone. I have the Crossfade 2's as well, and compariively I'd say they have more bass and are more "fun", so I guess it depends what you're looking for.

Polyh3dron · Dec 15, 2018

MosquitoSmasher said:
I really have no idea. Where can this usually be found in the settings? Video I assume right? There's only HDMI setup there, on screen display, 4K signal format and TV format.

Optical is that bad? So the sound quality of optical of Dolby Digital is definitely worse compared to HDMI? I've never tried that out myself. Something about the Xbox and TV connect box is causing it because I had no issues on the Sony.

Yes, the only way you can get multichannel audio from optical is with the outdated Dolby Digital AC3 bitstream. It's an old lossy compression scheme limited to 5.1. In 2018/2019, connecting modern day home theater gear with an optical cable is not the way to go.

Haint · Dec 17, 2018

Hobbes said:
Era,

I need to know what the new best DAC AMP combo is. I currently own Shiit's 99$ basics but I'm thinking of spending more money.

Diminishing returns are gonna eat you alive beyond that point. Unless you have $1500+ headphones and a well trained ear, I think you'd just be wasting money on placebo.

Lampa · Dec 20, 2018

AudioEra, I need help!

I have this Bluetooth headset, Sennheiser HD4.40 BT that I use with my phone and Windows 10 PCs. It has a built-in microphone that I'd like to use for Discord. There's two output devices in Sound manager, Headset and Headphones. Headphones mode has significantly better audio quality and is the one I use. Input device is only Headset, not Microphone or anything. When I have output set to Headphones and input to Headset, only one device works at a time. I can hear music, but when I try to test my microphone in Discord settings, audio stops playing and all I hear is my microphone (they have some sort of feature that always plays back your microphone back to the headset, cannot be disabled). if i set my output device to Headset, I have worse audio quality but everything works fine.

Question is, how do I deal with this? I'd like to either improve the audio quality in Headset mode, or use Headphones as output device.

And by the way, is there a cable that has 2.5mm jack on one and and 3.5mm jack with microphone on the other (TRRS)? In theory, I could use microphone and audio from the headset that way. The included cable is only stereo on 3.5mm end (TRS).

sweetvar26 · Dec 21, 2018

Hey guys, I'm kinda stuck with my LCR's right now. I'll be using them with the Marantz 8012 in my living room mostly for movies and games. I do listen to music as well but not so much. The room is 18ft in width that opens into the dining. The length is around 36 ft but the listening position is in the center that is around 18ft from the speaker set up. I already have 4 x ceiling Atmos speakers Micca 8C and 4 x Definitive Technology SR 9040 for surrounds.

I'm in India and with how over priced everything is, these are what I could afford at the moment.

Klipsch 8000F = $2350
Klipsch 504C = $1070
Total = $3420
Price after discount = $3000

Dali Opticon 8 = $3565
Dali Vokal Center = $770
Total = $4335
Price after discount = $3400

Monitor Audio Silver 500 = $4275
Monitor Audio Center 350 = $1565
Total = $5840
Price after discount = $4650

What do you guys suggest?

kvetcha · Dec 21, 2018

sweetvar26 said:
Hey guys, I'm kinda stuck with my LCR's right now. I'll be using them with the Marantz 8012 in my living room mostly for movies and games. I do listen to music as well but not so much. The room is 18ft in width that opens into the dining. The length is around 36 ft but the listening position is in the center that is around 18ft from the speaker set up. I already have 4 x ceiling Atmos speakers Micca 8C and 4 x Definitive Technology SR 9040 for surrounds.

I'm in India and with how over priced everything is, these are what I could afford at the moment.

Klipsch 8000F = $2350
Klipsch 504C = $1070
Total = $3420
Price after discount = $3000

Dali Opticon 8 = $3565
Dali Vokal Center = $770
Total = $4335
Price after discount = $3400

Monitor Audio Silver 500 = $4275
Monitor Audio Center 350 = $1565
Total = $5840
Price after discount = $4650

What do you guys suggest?

I think for movies and games you just go with the Klipsch. They're exceptionally good at it, and their high efficiency means you'll be able to blow the doors off with half the wattage of the Dalis.

slinch · Dec 21, 2018

Yeah, while Dali Opticon are the better speaker, the Klipsch ones are the better choice for movies hands down. The MA silver are insanely overpriced compared to the other two, so just scratch those off the list.

sweetvar26 · Dec 21, 2018

kvetcha said:
I think for movies and games you just go with the Klipsch. They're exceptionally good at it, and their high efficiency means you'll be able to blow the doors off with half the wattage of the Dalis.

slinch said:
Yeah, while Dali Opticon are the better speaker, the Klipsch ones are the better choice for movies hands down. The MA silver are insanely overpriced compared to the other two, so just scratch those off the list.

As for the efficiency, you are right. Opticon 8 have 88db sensitivity and 4 Ohm nominal impedance while the Klipsch has 98db and 8 Ohms.

However, I was under the impression that the Dali Opticon 8 are louder than the Klipsch and overall better speakers as well. The pricing seems to be decently close between the two. Keep in mind, I do listen to music as well but more oriented towards gaming and movies I'd say. So with the over priced equipment here, I thought the Dali Opticon 8 is a better value for money.

kvetcha · Dec 21, 2018

sweetvar26 said:
As for the efficiency, you are right. Opticon 8 have 88db sensitivity and 4 Ohm nominal impedance while the Klipsch has 98db and 8 Ohms.

However, I was under the impression that the Dali Opticon 8 are louder than the Klipsch and overall better speakers as well. The pricing seems to be decently close between the two. Keep in mind, I do listen to music as well but more oriented towards gaming and movies I'd say. So with the over priced equipment here, I thought the Dali Opticon 8 is a better value for money.

In my experience it's tough to out-loud a set of Klipsch speakers with a good amp.

Both the Dali and Klipsch are rated for similar power handling, but the Dali shows 112db max specified volume, while the RP-8000fs spec out to 123.5db @ 1m at maximum continuous rated power, which is twice the SPL of the Dalis.

That said those are not volumes at which you want to be spending much time listening.

In terms of sound, Klipsch speakers have a characteristically punchy, live quality that makes them a good fit for home theater. The Opticons are likely to be more laid back by comparison, which could be more pleasurable for music listening but probably not quite as impressive for movies. I have not personally heard Dali speakers, but from what I've gathered this appears to be the case.

MosquitoSmasher · Dec 26, 2018

So in a YouTube video comment someone told me that audio delay between Samsung Q9FN, Xbox and Denon AVR-X1400H is being caused by the TVs HDMI input audio format. He told me to change it from Bitstream to PCM. And sure enough, the delay is completely gone.

However, as soon as I did that the receiver's display went from Dolby Digital to Dolby Surround. I tried all the options on the remote and I can't get Dolby Digital back. Until I go for Bitstream again. What a shame, because the damn delay IS gone. :(

RedlineRonin · Dec 26, 2018

MosquitoSmasher said:
So in a YouTube video comment someone told me that audio delay between Samsung Q9FN, Xbox and Denon AVR-X1400H is being caused by the TVs HDMI input audio format. He told me to change it from Bitstream to PCM. And sure enough, the delay is completely gone.

However, as soon as I did that the receiver's display went from Dolby Digital to Dolby Surround. I tried all the options on the remote and I can't get Dolby Digital back. Until I go for Bitstream again. What a shame, because the damn delay IS gone. :(

That's because your AVR is no longer receiving a DD bitstream, as that bitstream is being decoded by the tv first and then sent out to your AVR as PCM. I'd validate you're receiving multichannel PCM and not just 2ch PCM. You'd need to turn off Dolby surround to do that. Just use "standard" or whatever it's called on denons

MosquitoSmasher · Dec 26, 2018

RedlineRonin said:
That's because your AVR is no longer receiving a DD bitstream, as that bitstream is being decoded by the tv first and then sent out to your AVR as PCM. I'd validate you're receiving multichannel PCM and not just 2ch PCM. You'd need to turn off Dolby surround to do that. Just use "standard" or whatever it's called on denons

Are you by chance talking about the pure/direct button on the remote? Otherwise I'm not really sure what you mean.

It's unfortunate though. I never had this issue on previous TVs like the Sony or LG.

RedlineRonin · Dec 26, 2018

MosquitoSmasher said:
Are you by chance talking about the pure/direct button on the remote? Otherwise I'm not really sure what you mean.

It's unfortunate though. I never had this issue on previous TVs like the Sony or LG.

If you just cycle through the "movie" ones does one eventually just say something about pcm?

E: just took a spin through your avr manual quick. What does it do when you hit pure until it gets to "auto"? How many channels are actually coming into the AVR?

E: also does the light on the bottom right of your AVR display light up "pcm" or "digital"?

MosquitoSmasher · Dec 26, 2018

RedlineRonin said:
If you just cycle through the "movie" ones does one eventually just say something about pcm?

E: just took a spin through your avr manual quick. What does it do when you hit pure until it gets to "auto"? How many channels are actually coming into the AVR?

E: also does the light on the bottom right of your AVR display light up "pcm" or "digital"?

I'll get back to you on this tomorrow, can't try it right now.

TransEuropaExpress · Dec 26, 2018

Just got a $400+ LG sound bar system from Best Buy for about $200 on sale and man, I fucking love this. It's the bar, sub and two rear speakers.

I've always played with headphones or on crappy TV speakers due to growing up, and always living, in apartments and even this setup sounds crazy to me. What a massive upgrade, Jesus.

RedlineRonin · Dec 26, 2018

TransEuropaExpress said:
Just got a $400+ LG sound bar system from Best Buy for about $200 on sale and man, I fucking love this. It's the bar, sub and two rear speakers.

I've always played with headphones or on crappy TV speakers due to growing up, and always living, in apartments and even this setup sounds crazy to me. What a massive upgrade, Jesus.

There are few things that substitute we'll set up, discrete surround sound. Pretty cool stuff!

TransEuropaExpress · Dec 26, 2018

RedlineRonin said:
There are few things that substitute we'll set up, discrete surround sound. Pretty cool stuff!

I'm still messing around with settings and speaker placement etc. but it's already awesome. Should've sprung for one of these much earlier.

Arkanius · Dec 27, 2018

Guys I need help.

I'm currently needing to change my Soundcard since it's dying. My trusty X-Fi Titanium is making my computer freeze and crash, and the driver support for it is already very shitty. My current setup is an O2 Amp connected to the Soundcard plus a pair of DT 880 Premium with 600 Ohm. I also use a Zalman Microphone which is connected directly to the soundcard.

The options that I had in the table were the following:

Buy an ODAC (revB) board to modify my O2 amp and make it a full package with Amp + DAC
Buy a Schiit stack (Magni 3 + Modi 3)
Buy a Gaming grade external Soundcard like the Soundblaster X7

Which options do you fellows recommend? I use Binaural algorithms a lot to game, but lately I've been using Hesuvi for everything that is HRTF based from 7.1/5.1, and using game solutions (Like Dolby Atmos in Overwatch)

MosquitoSmasher · Dec 27, 2018

RedlineRonin said:
If you just cycle through the "movie" ones does one eventually just say something about pcm?

E: just took a spin through your avr manual quick. What does it do when you hit pure until it gets to "auto"? How many channels are actually coming into the AVR?

E: also does the light on the bottom right of your AVR display light up "pcm" or "digital"?

If I cycle through the movie ones I get: Dolby Surround which goes to Surround TV if I wait a few seconds, DTS Neural X, DTS Virtual X, Multi ch stereo, mono movie, virtual, stereo. All of them say "PCM" and "DIG" on the right side of the display.

When I press Pure on the remote I get Direct, auto which goes to stereo. That's it.

RedlineRonin · Dec 27, 2018

MosquitoSmasher said:
If I cycle through the movie ones I get: Dolby Surround which goes to Surround TV if I wait a few seconds, DTS Neural X, DTS Virtual X, Multi ch stereo, mono movie, virtual, stereo. All of them say "PCM" and "DIG" on the right side of the display.

When I press Pure on the remote I get Direct, auto which goes to stereo. That's it.

Yeahhhh, so this was my concern...

Hopefully someone else who has a newer denon can jump in before I get over my skis, but what I believe is happening is your tv is decoding DD down to 2ch PCM (thus eliminating the surround sound component) and sending it as stereo pcm to your AVR. That's why auto goes to stereo.

When you're on Dolby surround, its trying to take 2ch and expand it back out into discrete surround sound (which will never work as well as the bitstream being natively decoded)

I haven't been keeping regular tabs on this thread, but I assume there's some really obvious reason that you're going to the tv and then arc out instead of Xbox to AVR to tv?

Katonix · Dec 27, 2018

I recently bought a Sennheiser HD600. I want to buy an amp for it but I don't know anything about amps. Can anyone help me with this?

Arkanius · Dec 27, 2018

Katonix said:
I recently bought a Sennheiser HD600. I want to buy an amp for it but I don't know anything about amps. Can anyone help me with this?

Schiit stack (Magni + Modi)
O2 Amp + ODAC (revB)

These are your best bets in my opinion. Do you have any other special needs?

MosquitoSmasher · Dec 27, 2018

RedlineRonin said:
Yeahhhh, so this was my concern...

Hopefully someone else who has a newer denon can jump in before I get over my skis, but what I believe is happening is your tv is decoding DD down to 2ch PCM (thus eliminating the surround sound component) and sending it as stereo pcm to your AVR. That's why auto goes to stereo.

When you're on Dolby surround, its trying to take 2ch and expand it back out into discrete surround sound (which will never work as well as the bitstream being natively decoded)

I haven't been keeping regular tabs on this thread, but I assume there's some really obvious reason that you're going to the tv and then arc out instead of Xbox to AVR to tv?

The main reason is because I otherwise miss out on TV features like auto game mode and also Freesync. However not having any audio delay is much more important for me. Right now I only have two front speakers but the plan for next year is at leadt adding a center, and two rear speakers and I absolutely want Dolby Digital then and eventually Atmos.

However, this setup gives me audio delay when I use Bitstream in the TV audio options which means I can only use PCM. When I hook the Xbox up to the AVR and AVR to Tv's one connect box(HDMI arc) the delay is gone, sound is great, but features like auto game mode, freesync are gone. Oh and also the cool Xbox logo in the Samsung menu isn't there.

Good thing is that Freesync really isn't that big right now since barely a handful of Xbox games support it and I can definitely live without auto game mode. Still, if I could find a way to have it all, hell yeah. But it seems very doubtful.

Deleted member 5764 · Dec 27, 2018

This thread has intimidated me for awhile because it seems like you folk talk about super high-end equipment. No more! I just wanted to jump in today and say that I upgraded from my TV speakers to a Sonos Beam and I'm absolutely in love.

Dialogue is so much clearer, bass is much more pronounced, and I pick up tons of little details and audio queues that I was missing before.

I really don't have any interest in ever adding a sub, or surround speakers. I also know that I didn't buy the "best" system for the money, but I do feel that I bought what's best for me. I just wanted to share how great my experience has been with such a simple upgrade.

RedlineRonin · Dec 27, 2018

MosquitoSmasher said:
The main reason is because I otherwise miss out on TV features like auto game mode and also Freesync. However not having any audio delay is much more important for me. Right now I only have two front speakers but the plan for next year is at leadt adding a center, and two rear speakers and I absolutely want Dolby Digital then and eventually Atmos.

However, this setup gives me audio delay when I use Bitstream in the TV audio options which means I can only use PCM. When I hook the Xbox up to the AVR and AVR to Tv's one connect box(HDMI arc) the delay is gone, sound is great, but features like auto game mode, freesync are gone. Oh and also the cool Xbox logo in the Samsung menu isn't there.

Good thing is that Freesync really isn't that big right now since barely a handful of Xbox games support it and I can definitely live without auto game mode. Still, if I could find a way to have it all, hell yeah. But it seems very doubtful.

Yep, unless there's something I'm missing, you're going to have to make a choice at some point.

And you're correct on freesync; lots of current limitations as I understand it.

Ōkami Haundo said:
This thread has intimidated me for awhile because it seems like you folk talk about super high-end equipment. No more! I just wanted to jump in today and say that I upgraded from my TV speakers to a Sonos Beam and I'm absolutely in love.

Dialogue is so much clearer, bass is much more pronounced, and I pick up tons of little details and audio queues that I was missing before.

I really don't have any interest in ever adding a sub, or surround speakers. I also know that I didn't buy the "best" system for the money, but I do feel that I bought what's best for me. I just wanted to share how great my experience has been with such a simple upgrade.

I've got a play bar system in the living room and I love it. The difference any stand alone audio makes versus tv speakers is huge!

Katonix · Dec 27, 2018

Arkanius said:
Schiit stack (Magni + Modi)

O2 Amp + ODAC (revB)

These are your best bets in my opinion. Do you have any other special needs?

Thanks for your recommendations. well, the thing is I am completely clueless about it so I really don't know. All I know is that if I want to use my headphones with full potential (sound quality and etc) I need an amp.

Lkr · Dec 27, 2018

I spent way too much (although compared to some of these other setups, mine is definitely a budget system) on a 3.1 set up last fall with the intention that I would eventually add on some satellite surround speakers and perhaps atmos at some point. I have two towers, a center and sub.

For Christmas, I got some bookshelf speakers to use as my surround satellites and a pair of atmos speakers that mount on the towers I have. After installation I will be 5.1 with 2 atmos (is this considered 5.1.2?) but I'm curious as to what I should select for audio output on my devices. It sounds dumb and obvious, but should I set my PS4 to do LPCM at 5.1 or 7.1? Right now with my 3.1 setup, I select 7.1 on my consoles and use my AVR to mix it with Dolby Surround. Not sure if it's better to just go with the 5.1 setting or to use 7.1 now

Arkanius · Dec 27, 2018

Katonix said:
Thanks for your recommendations. well, the thing is I am completely clueless about it so I really don't know. All I know is that if I want to use my headphones with full potential (sound quality and etc) I need an amp.

I'll speak about the O2 Amp and the ODAC which I'm more familiar with.
Back in 2013ish, there was this guy called NwAvGuy that decided to start a crusade against Audio and all the snake oil that was being sold in it. He decided to prove, that you could create a cheap Amp and Digital to Analog Converter that is completely transparent and without quality loss for 99% of the Headphones out there.

And he did, and posted the schematics online. Those schematics are the Objective 2 Amplifier and Objective DAC.
http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/

If you are in the USA, there is this company called JDS Labs that produces Amplifiers and DACs based on this design.
https://www.jdslabs.com/products/48/objective2-odac-combo-revb/

You are pretty much set with this. Everything else is subjective.

The Magni + Modi stack from Schiit is an equally good product.

whiskeyjack-YT · Dec 27, 2018

Anyone on Sennheiser HD 800 S?

I'd like a bit more pumped low ends without loosing the crystal highs and stereo field. Sennheiser's HDV 820 is a solid thing, but, I'd like to experiment.

RedlineRonin · Dec 27, 2018

Lkr said:
is this considered 5.1.2?

Yep

Lkr said:
should I set my PS4 to do LPCM at 5.1 or 7.1

5.1

Lkr said:
use my AVR to mix it with Dolby Surround.

Keep doing this. It will take standard 5.1 signals and mix some of the information into the Atmos speakers, which would otherwise go unused.

Lkr · Dec 27, 2018

RedlineRonin said:
Yep

5.1

Keep doing this. It will take standard 5.1 signals and mix some of the information into the Atmos speakers, which would otherwise go unused.

Thank you! I ordered some more wire and banana plugs last night so I gotta wait for those to arrive and then I can report back

DigitalTravis · Dec 27, 2018

Is there any good quality wireless ear buds with good latency? (aptx HD?) I was kinda liking the featureset and price of the Samsung IconX but the latency looks pretty bad at like 150ms.

NO!R · Dec 29, 2018

Yo!

First time posting ITT, and about time since I've owned a pair HD650's forever, and I'm pretty sure I've been under using them.

But first onto more pressing matters:

The driver foam covers are literally disintegrating onto my drivers. I'm freaking out. What do I use? Compressed air to get the fluffs out?

I just read over on head-fi that some guys were putting pantyhose cutouts instead of the foam. I need to see some receipts on this.

-------------------

Now, onto driving these puppies proper.

I've never owned a DAC or AMP except my big Sony receiver which is what I had them plugged into. Now I have a big PC and I'm doing most of my media listening from there, but I'm not sure if the on board sound chip on my motherboard is enough to drive them... I need to once and for all treat these cans how they're meant to be treated.

What's the proper way to set them up to get that rich and detailed sound resolution they're known for?

RedlineRonin · Dec 29, 2018

Anyone else watch Bird Box yet?

Bout half way through. Some really solid Atmos use.

Karak · Dec 29, 2018

Reviewing the Nura and Mobius right now. Interesting headphones to say the least.

Gangster Gastino · Dec 29, 2018

DALE said:
Anyone on Sennheiser HD 800 S?

I'd like a bit more pumped low ends without loosing the crystal highs and stereo field. Sennheiser's HDV 820 is a solid thing, but, I'd like to experiment.

Yes, I own a pair. You want a meaty valve amp to drive them. I use a Manley Audio Labs Neo Classic 300B preamp and it's an excellent combo.

RedlineRonin · Dec 29, 2018

Karak said:
Reviewing the Nura and Mobius right now. Interesting headphones to say the least.

Talk to me about the Nuras.

Audyssey for your ears is an intriguing concept.

Bumrush · Dec 29, 2018

RedlineRonin said:
Anyone else watch Bird Box yet?

Bout half way through. Some really solid Atmos use.

No but that's all I needed to hear

RedlineRonin · Dec 30, 2018

Bumrush said:
No but that's all I needed to hear

Movie it self is fine (I'm not a big thriller/scary movie guy) but the Atmos mix turned out to be super solid. Good stuff.

Bumrush · Dec 30, 2018

RedlineRonin said:
Movie it self is fine (I'm not a big thriller/scary movie guy) but the Atmos mix turned out to be super solid. Good stuff.

The Atmos in Quiet Place was the same. Suuuuuuper effective for that style of movie. Even of you're not a huge thriller guy, I recommend it for the atmosphere alone

MosquitoSmasher · Dec 30, 2018

Each time I power on my TV, Xbox and receiver the receiver (Denon AVR-X1400H) goes straight to a selection menu which is "now playing". I'd like it to switch automatically to Xbox which is the HDMI Game output. How do I do this?

abrasivemurk · Dec 30, 2018

Does a Sennheiser HD558 sound better with an headphone amp like FiiO A3?

qa_engineer · Dec 30, 2018

abrasivemurk said:
Does a Sennheiser HD558 sound better with an headphone amp like FiiO A3?

It really depends. better than what? better than onboard pc audio? better than your smartphone? What type of content are you listening to? The 558s have pretty low impedance (50 ohms) so If you have decent onboard audio on your pc, or you're using a new smartphone with a decent dac, then you're probably not going to notice a big difference with an AMP since those devices can power your headphones relatively easily. Again it really depends on what your definition of "sound better" is.

abrasivemurk · Dec 30, 2018

qa_engineer said:
It really depends. better than what? better than onboard pc audio? better than your smartphone? What type of content are you listening to? The 558s have pretty low impedance (50 ohms) so If you have decent onboard audio on your pc, or you're using a new smartphone with a decent dac, then you're probably not going to notice a big difference with an AMP since those devices can power your headphones relatively easily. Again it really depends on what your definition of "sound better" is.

Better than iMac late 2013's audio

qa_engineer · Dec 30, 2018

abrasivemurk said:
Better than iMac late 2013's audio

oh I don't even know what iMac's have as far as audio hardware but I am going to say yes in this case. My experience with the iMacs is that it's pretty garbage as far as internals go. I've had three different iMacs gifted to me in my lifetime and all three died of various hardware failures that cost an arm and a leg to repair.

The Fiio dac/amp combo you're referring to is pretty inexpensive and will likely provide a cleaner audio source for your cans.

edit: this is an amp only not an dac/amp combo so you're still going to be powering this through the imac hardware for signal processing.

abrasivemurk · Dec 30, 2018

qa_engineer said:
oh I don't even know what iMac's have as far as audio hardware but I am going to say yes in this case. My experience with the iMacs is that it's pretty garbage as far as internals go. I've had three different iMacs gifted to me in my lifetime and all three died of various hardware failures that cost an arm and a leg to repair.

The Fiio dac/amp combo you're referring to is pretty inexpensive and will likely provide a cleaner audio source for your cans.

edit: this is an amp only not an dac/amp combo so you're still going to be powering this through the imac hardware for signal processing.

But i have always read that Macs have one of the best DACs/amps inside?

Darkatomz · Dec 30, 2018

Chiming in again as there have been a bunch of multi-purpose HP-related setup questions on this page (desktop/laptop + phone users). People, you need to post at least a rough price target here if you are looking for advice.

I use a high-end modded soundcard as detailed in the one of first pages of the thread, but is overkill and not needed for most people. If you have a desktop (with headphones plugged into the back, NOT the front panel header), I would say that as long as your motherboard costs ~>$150, chances are most would not need an upgrade. Laptop audio is mostly a lost cause IMO, PC or Mac.

My go-to recommendation for these kind of users would be to consider the AudioQuest Dragonfly Black, which is a fairly cheap ($100) and universal way to upgrade your sound.

Karak · Dec 30, 2018

RedlineRonin said:
Talk to me about the Nuras.

Audyssey for your ears is an intriguing concept.

So far with my time I have to say they do indeed offer a sound profile that is beyond unique due to the split with the earbuds AND the normal cups and the correction. I admit right now that the one thing holding me back a bit is their comfort level is a bit off. I could see some folks not at all happy with the lack of replaceable/changeable buds.

All that being said. i am also testing the Mobius and while excellent in some ways the Nura actually cause people to say "holy shit" when putting them on and running the correction. It is profound. Right now I am putting a month into both before the review.

Conkerkid11 · Dec 31, 2018

Bought the AKG K712 Pros from Amazon UK. Delivery by DHL unfortunately, so despite the fact that it was supposed to show up today, and I've been intentionally not listening to music or anything so I'd hear them knock on the door. Checking on the tracking information, refreshing the page frequently, then get notified they couldn't find me and now I have to update my info and they won't show up again until Wednesday.

They said they didn't know my apartment number when it's literally in the address. They didn't call. They didn't just drop it off at management. Hell, I asked if I could just pick it up from them today, and they said I couldn't.

How does DHL still exist?

Audio Era: Because Sound Matters

Prophet of Regret

User requested account closure