Hi-Fi enthusiast thread.

[midnightpulp]

I dislike the term audiophile. Anyhow, thread title speaks for itself. Discussion of great sounding/interesting stereo equipment and well mastered music. Now time for some elitist ground rules:

What isn't Hi-Fi and not worth any discussion.

- Soundbars

- "Lifestyle" products like Apple Homepods, Sonos, and Bluetooth speakers like Beats Pills and JBL Flips.

- Pretty much all Bose component sets.

- Computer speakers.

- Suitcase record players like those from Crosley.

To note, this also really isn't an "expensive" hobby. You can build a killer stereo system that will demolish overpriced junk like Homepods, Pills, Bose for under 100.00 second hand. I can help you do it if you're interested. Just let me know. With that said, Killakobe81, ambchang, Cry Havoc get in here!




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[ambchang]

Thanks my man.
Not much of an audiophile. More a music lover.
Building my set now. Like I mentioned before with Oppo bdp105 as source, Nad m2 or m3 as amp (may thinknof getting a receiver later) and perhaps a set of Psb, focals or magnepans plus a subwoofer.

I have my headphones down pat though.

Main gig is a cambridge cxn as source feeding a sansui 11000a (planning on having it restored) feeding a wharfedale diamond 10.1 bookshelf and a hifiman he6. Same source feeding a kgss electrostatic amp and a stax sr007 mk1 (looking to sell). Also has a home office setup as well with a legendary grado hp2, and a few other sets.
Mobile gig is just a simple chinese player fed to a portable amp to a tralucent 1p2 iems. I am totally satisfied with this set with no desire to upgrade further. Maybe the source also that I can get rid of the amp.


Would love to upgrade to a kef ls50 if I have the funds. But too poor to do so.

Don’t care too much for power strips and cables for now. Money goes into the main equipment now and my ears aren’t that great either. Besides the music I listen to really doesn’t really need great systems to begin with.

[140]

SpursforSix

[SpursforSix]

LOL...calling Beats a "lifestyle" product. Dr. Dre spending his time developing sub prime audio equipment.
OP is just posing.

[TDMVPDPOY]

yamaha amp
yamaha equalizer
jbl 3-way speakers
yamaha mixer mg06
hanet karaoke machine
some asian brand condense microphones...

the first 3 items was part of a set my father bought during the 80s for a few grand
the mixer and karaoke machine/microphones i bought in 2015 for house warming party

i need to upgrade my speakers to PV speakers to fully utilize the karaoke live music

[illusioNtEk]

Honestly the iPhone head phones are pretty good lol

[NASpurs]

I bought Seinnheiser HD 598s a couple of years ago for $200 that are like the best thing I've ever bought. I protect them like if they're my kids. :lol

I guess my next step would be to buy a DAC AMP since I mostly listen to digital music from the computer.

[DJR210]

I dislike the term audiophile. Anyhow, thread title speaks for itself. Discussion of great sounding/interesting stereo equipment and well mastered music. Now time for some elitist ground rules:

What isn't Hi-Fi and not worth any discussion.

- Soundbars

- "Lifestyle" products like Apple Homepods, Sonos, and Bluetooth speakers like Beats Pills and JBL Flips.

- Pretty much all Bose component sets.

- Computer speakers.

- Suitcase record players like those from Crosley.

To note, this also really isn't an "expensive" hobby. You can build a killer stereo system that will demolish overpriced junk like Homepods, Pills, Bose for under 100.00 second hand. I can help you do it if you're interested. Just let me know. With that said, Killakobe81 (https://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=10786), ambchang (https://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=986), Cry Havoc (https://www.spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=7256) get in here!




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Is this an admission that you subscribe to Tidal?

[DJR210]

Honestly the iPhone head phones are pretty good lol

Overpriced proprietary Apple garbage :lol

[DJR210]

I bought Seinnheiser HD 598s a couple of years ago for $200 that are like the best thing I've ever bought. I protect them like if they're my kids. :lol

I guess my next step would be to buy a DAC AMP since I mostly listen to digital music from the computer.

I have the HD 280 Pros and love em.. I don't think they're enthusiast level or anything, but they deliver a deep balanced sound.

[TDMVPDPOY]

I bought Seinnheiser HD 598s a couple of years ago for $200 that are like the best thing I've ever bought. I protect them like if they're my kids. :lol

I guess my next step would be to buy a DAC AMP since I mostly listen to digital music from the computer.

what does the DAC do? improve sound quality?

ive been to houses where clowns invest like 5k-10k in a karaoke setup excluding the tv...

[midnightpulp]

Is this an admission that you subscribe to Tidal?

Not a Tidal user. 16/44kHz CD audio is transparent enough on the listening side per the range of human hearing. "High Definition" audio is pretty much snake oil. The biggest factor that determines sound quality on a recording is how the content was mixed and mastered.

[midnightpulp]

what does the DAC do? improve sound quality?

ive been to houses where clowns invest like 5k-10k in a karaoke setup excluding the tv...

I'm in the camp that pretty much all DACs are transparent, from the DAC in a 20.00 budget DVD player to esoteric kilobuck DACs. If you had 2k left to spend on gear and your needs were speakers and a DAC, I'd spend 1950.00 on the speakers and just buy a budget bluray player. External DACs do make sense if you listen to sound files through a computer since computers are noisy environments, but other than that, no need to spend more than necessary on one.

http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/digital-line-level/314762-dac-blind-test-audible-difference-whatsoever.html

[midnightpulp]

Comical piece of gear, from Sennheiser no less. But an interesting idea nonetheless.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Ll-o4JttQk

[Reck]

LOL...calling Beats a "lifestyle" product. Dr. Dre spending his time developing sub prime audio equipment.
OP is just posing.

:lol The cost to make Beats heaphones is like 5 bucks. You're buying that shit for 200.

[midnightpulp]

Related to the Sennheiser product, an attempt in the 70s at a non-headphone personal audio device:

http://blog.modernmechanix.com/mags/MechanixIllustrated/11-1980/bone_phone.jpg

[SpursforSix]

:lol The cost to make Beats heaphones is like 5 bucks. You're buying that shit for 200.

Irrelevant. It costs pennies to make a glass of iced tea but no one bitches about paying $1.50 for one.

For the quality you get with a pair of Beats, $200 is a steal. Although it’s been a long time since I’ve worn the cheaper versions.

But the quality per $ spent is easily the highest in the industry. People pay thousands of dollars for inferior sets.

[TDMVPDPOY]

was at a party last night, the owners of the premises were wedding singers/band, not a bad setup they had, just a few guitors and yamaha mixer hooked up to yamaha pv speakers, the sound was clear and crisp...

[Cry Havoc]

Current setup

Speakers
Living Room: Mirage OM-12 Omnipolar speakers. These guys are phenomenal, older but amazing. Got em for $250 from craigslist back when I was living in chicago and they have never missed a beat. Insane bass with no sub, pretty decent low end extension, and they can handle some serious juice.

Computer speakers: Just upgraded to JBL LSR305s. Fucking beautiful. They're pretty big but the sound they produce is fantastic and they don't need to be amped as they're active speakers.

Headphones: Hifiman He-400i. Fantastic planar magnetics. What can I say about them that hasn't been said 100 times? They're arguably the best cans in the sub $250 range.

DAC: Audioengine D1. Great little DAC. Needs a few more connections to be perfect though.

Amp: Objective 2. Great amp for the price.

[TDMVPDPOY]

Current setup

Speakers
Living Room: Mirage OM-12 Omnipolar speakers. These guys are phenomenal, older but amazing. Got em for $250 from craigslist back when I was living in chicago and they have never missed a beat. Insane bass with no sub, pretty decent low end extension, and they can handle some serious juice.

Computer speakers: Just upgraded to JBL LSR305s. Fucking beautiful. They're pretty big but the sound they produce is fantastic and they don't need to be amped as they're active speakers.

Headphones: Hifiman He-400i. Fantastic planar magnetics. What can I say about them that hasn't been said 100 times? They're arguably the best cans in the sub $250 range.

DAC: Audioengine D1. Great little DAC. Needs a few more connections to be perfect though.

Amp: Objective 2. Great amp for the price.

ur comp, u using on board sound or u bought a separate soundcard?....fkn onboard sucks man for some reason, cant get good audio or enough high volume

[midnightpulp]

Current setup

Speakers
Living Room: Mirage OM-12 Omnipolar speakers. These guys are phenomenal, older but amazing. Got em for $250 from craigslist back when I was living in chicago and they have never missed a beat. Insane bass with no sub, pretty decent low end extension, and they can handle some serious juice.

Computer speakers: Just upgraded to JBL LSR305s. Fucking beautiful. They're pretty big but the sound they produce is fantastic and they don't need to be amped as they're active speakers.

Headphones: Hifiman He-400i. Fantastic planar magnetics. What can I say about them that hasn't been said 100 times? They're arguably the best cans in the sub $250 range.

DAC: Audioengine D1. Great little DAC. Needs a few more connections to be perfect though.

Amp: Objective 2. Great amp for the price.

Cool to see you're still rocking the Mirages after all this time. I'm still rolling with my 1970s AR11s (recapped and refoamed) and just can't see a reason to upgrade. I do realize speaker design (on paper) has come a "long way" (audio is very mature tech, so that "long way" is like single percent improvements), but they tick all the audio boxes: soundstage, imaging, dynamics, transparency. I know if I dumped 2 or 3 grand into some Revels or NHTs, they would by no means blow away my set. It's not like going from a 1970s color tv to 4K. I really want an excuse to buy more gear, but I just know I wouldn't be "wowed." Rather put that money in buying more multichannel SACDs and the like.

Next big thing for speaker setups will be binaural audio, which only worked on headphones. Scientist from Princeton figured it out. Since you're a VR guy, this should be of interest, since binaural/positional audio through speakers is much better than binaural through headphones (and it'll allow VR users to remove an extra component from the headset). Problem of course is disturbing others and all that.


It’s easy to believe that binaural recordings, recordings made with a dummy head, played through the BACCH 3D filters sound very realistic, and in fact more realistic and stable than when played through headphones/ earphones.

Like in standard stereo, BACCH 3D Sound has a sweet spot. The clever part of the BACCH 3D Sound is that the sweetspot can be designed to be anywhere in the listening room, because the BACCH 3D Sound filter can compensate for any asymmetries in the listening configuration. The listener can sit next to one loudspeaker and far from the other, but the 3D image comes out as if the person was sitting at one corner of the stereo triangle.

https://www.inner-magazines.com/audiophilia/want-a-true-3d-sound-forget-surround/

Very cool stuff. Hopefully this DSP will be standard in every AV receiver in the coming years.

[Cry Havoc]

ur comp, u using on board sound or u bought a separate soundcard?....fkn onboard sucks man for some reason, cant get good audio or enough high volume

Uh, that's what the DAC is for. Ports the sound straight out of the source via USB. No mobo shit to deal with.

[DJR210]

ur comp, u using on board sound or u bought a separate soundcard?....fkn onboard sucks man for some reason, cant get good audio or enough high volume

:lol some of the shit you post smh

[Cry Havoc]

Cool to see you're still rocking the Mirages after all this time. I'm still rolling with my 1970s AR11s (recapped and refoamed) and just can't see a reason to upgrade. I do realize speaker design (on paper) has come a "long way" (audio is very mature tech, so that "long way" is like single percent improvements), but they tick all the audio boxes: soundstage, imaging, dynamics, transparency. I know if I dumped 2 or 3 grand into some Revels or NHTs, they would by no means blow away my set. It's not like going from a 1970s color tv to 4K. I really want an excuse to buy more gear, but I just know I wouldn't be "wowed." Rather put that money in buying more multichannel SACDs and the like.

Next big thing for speaker setups will be binaural audio, which only worked on headphones. Scientist from Princeton figured it out. Since you're a VR guy, this should be of interest, since binaural/positional audio through speakers is much better than binaural through headphones (and it'll allow VR users to remove an extra component from the headset). Problem of course is disturbing others and all that.



https://www.inner-magazines.com/audiophilia/want-a-true-3d-sound-forget-surround/

Very cool stuff. Hopefully this DSP will be standard in every AV receiver in the coming years.

Old good sound is still good sound. And man, they're so flexible. With the omnipolar design you don't even really need to sit in the sweet spot to hear everything. They're pretty power hungry though.

Forgot to add: Upgraded to a 55" Sony 4k TV (x850d). 8.5-9/10 on picture quality. Menus are slow as shit though, but it's worth it and I got a really good price for it.

Just picked up a projector (Optima Mini) for traveling. Now I can game on the road and my PC/Switch monitor fits into a tiny bag. It's a BEAST of a projector.

[ambchang]

Getting my restored sansui Au-11000a back today. Can’t wait!

[Flawless]

Been using the aune t1 tube amp and dac, paired alongside with the Sennheiser HD650 headphones. Getting some really good sound quality, may change up the stock tube and get a genalex gold lion to see if the tube will make the sound a bit more darker and rich.

[Cry Havoc]

Been using the aune t1 tube amp and dac, paired alongside with the Sennheiser HD650 headphones. Getting some really good sound quality, may change up the stock tube and get a genalex gold lion to see if the tube will make the sound a bit more darker and rich.

Wish I could A|B some 650s with my 400is. Both legends in their respective means of sound generation (classic vs planars).

[midnightpulp]

The upgrade bug finally bit. I'll pull the trigger on these in about a month.

http://philharmonicaudio.com/BMR%20Philharmonitor.html

The RAAL series of ribbon twitters are among the best tweeters in the world (never personally heard them), and Dennis Murphy is one of the most respected designers in audio. If you were to buy these from a traditional retail outlet from a Hi-Fi name brand (Klipsch, Kef, B&W, etc), you'd be paying 3x as much. Listening impressions from around the net have said they easily equal any 3-5K speaker from the usual players (Revel, Kef, Focal, etc). ambchang when you're ready to buy your speakers, I'll rec these as an alternative to PSBs. http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/SRT/srt.html

With the RAAL, they're 2700. A forum member there said the detail resolution was just mindblowing and made his Audeze 2s sound like shit in that department (never mind the far superior soundstaging, imaging, dynamics you get with speakers over headphones).

I'll report back with impressions once I get set up and say if the RAAL is really everything it's made out to be.

[ambchang]

Sweet. Let me know what you think about them.

The recalled amp sounds cleaner, more level across but the final balance is expectedly the same.

Using them with the he6 is amazing.

[midnightpulp]

Old good sound is still good sound. And man, they're so flexible. With the omnipolar design you don't even really need to sit in the sweet spot to hear everything. They're pretty power hungry though.

Forgot to add: Upgraded to a 55" Sony 4k TV (x850d). 8.5-9/10 on picture quality. Menus are slow as shit though, but it's worth it and I got a really good price for it.

Just picked up a projector (Optima Mini) for traveling. Now I can game on the road and my PC/Switch monitor fits into a tiny bag. It's a BEAST of a projector.

That 3D audio I was talking about is finally here in a relatively inexpensive consumer form.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/yarra3dx/yarra-3dx-the-most-advanced-3d-audio-system-in-the

Beamforming tech is legit, so this product will definitely work as advertised. The team has had some delays, but ETA looks to be about 6-8 weeks. 3D audio/positional audio will work a great better through this than on headphones, so this might be something cool to pair with your VR rig (when I played with the Oculus, don't recall if their headphones [which I found to be shit quality wise] can be removed?).

Drawback. It's a fuckin' soundbar. I get the decision: to make it more attractive and saleable, but I'm really waiting for an external processor we can just plug into an existing Hi-Fi rig.

[Cry Havoc]

That 3D audio I was talking about is finally here in a relatively inexpensive consumer form.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/yarra3dx/yarra-3dx-the-most-advanced-3d-audio-system-in-the

Beamforming tech is legit, so this product will definitely work as advertised. The team has had some delays, but ETA looks to be about 6-8 weeks. 3D audio/positional audio will work a great better through this than on headphones, so this might be something cool to pair with your VR rig (when I played with the Oculus, don't recall if their headphones [which I found to be shit quality wise] can be removed?).

Drawback. It's a fuckin' soundbar. I get the decision: to make it more attractive and saleable, but I'm really waiting for an external processor we can just plug into an existing Hi-Fi rig.

FYI the headphones for the Oculus (the on-ear ones) are Koss Portapros, which are ~$20 headphones but actually considered quite good in that price range. I actually like them a lot for being "included", they're comfortable and have enough bass. Definitely not a long-term solution though.

Will check this out for sure. :tu

[ambchang]

That 3D audio I was talking about is finally here in a relatively inexpensive consumer form.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/yarra3dx/yarra-3dx-the-most-advanced-3d-audio-system-in-the

Beamforming tech is legit, so this product will definitely work as advertised. The team has had some delays, but ETA looks to be about 6-8 weeks. 3D audio/positional audio will work a great better through this than on headphones, so this might be something cool to pair with your VR rig (when I played with the Oculus, don't recall if their headphones [which I found to be shit quality wise] can be removed?).

Drawback. It's a fuckin' soundbar. I get the decision: to make it more attractive and saleable, but I'm really waiting for an external processor we can just plug into an existing Hi-Fi rig.

This is great stuff, very tempted to get, not for music or any serious listening, but mostly for the boy to play video games.

That said, I am wary of kickstarter type campaigns. Almost got burned bad for that LH Labs debacle with Indigogo a few years back. Luckily came out unscathed but man some poor souls lost thousands of dollars on that cluster.

[ambchang]

Guys, have my Sansui au-717 for sale. Serviced about 18 months ago, everything in spec. Extremely heavy (40lbs or so) so shipping will cost you. Let me know if interested though.

[midnightpulp]

This is great stuff, very tempted to get, not for music or any serious listening, but mostly for the boy to play video games.

That said, I am wary of kickstarter type campaigns. Almost got burned bad for that LH Labs debacle with Indigogo a few years back. Luckily came out unscathed but man some poor souls lost thousands of dollars on that cluster.

Yeah, looks like they're having problems going into mass production (Dr. Mark Waldrep, a very respected figure in audio, who was also a consultant for the company early on, says he might have some good news soon regarding the product. He can't reveal much due to an NDA). The tech is legit, though. So if this company doesn't bring beamforming to the masses, some other company will.

[ambchang]

Yeah, looks like they're having problems going into mass production (Dr. Mark Waldrep, a very respected figure in audio, who was also a consultant for the company early on, says he might have some good news soon regarding the product. He can't reveal much due to an NDA). The tech is legit, though. So if this company doesn't bring beamforming to the masses, some other company will.

I wouldn’t trust a thing from LH labs. There are dozens of people out thousands of dollars waiting for gear they bought five years ago, routinely given the “we have production problems” excuse while seeing the exact gear being sold on amazon for a significantly higher price. The math is simple, the money is already gone and LH labs would make more money selling the same gear to people for new revenue rather than giving the same gear for people who’ve paid years ago.

On top of that, they have started all kinds of campaigns since then without even wrapping up past campaigns.

I had the Xfinity Pro for a few months and while the DAC sounded good the headphone amp section was nothing special and reliability issues and customer service makes it s dangerous piece of gear to hold on to. Any issues and you are left with a $1000 paperweight.

[TDMVPDPOY]

what u guys opinion of atmos speakers?? why do they costs and arm and a leg

[Cry Havoc]

what u guys opinion of atmos speakers?? why do they costs and arm and a leg

They're really good. Probably not the best value for the money.

[TDMVPDPOY]

any of you clowns own or have a karaoke system setup at home?

what i want to know is why do ppl like to have echo turn on their mixer? or delay? i dont get this....

[midnightpulp]

what u guys opinion of atmos speakers?? why do they costs and arm and a leg

Atmos is a great technology, but you'll need discrete speakers for the height channels, which you'll have to mount in/on the ceiling. The Atmos speakers that fire up into the ceiling and reflect sound back to the listener aren't all that effective.

[midnightpulp]

Best hi-fi related purchase I've made in years, and it was less than 100.00. A measurement mic.

First measurement of my system:

https://i.redd.it/5iatxt6dd1y11.png

Rock solid midrange with some treble roll off, but I don't like those dips at 40hz and especially that massive trench in the 150hz-170hz range, a crucial range since that's where a lot of snare drums and such are.

The best way to smooth out bass response in a home listening environment (in lieu of a massive shit load of room treatment) is the employment of multisubs. I had a Mirage 8" handy, so I put the theory to test. Latest two measurements.

http://oi64.tinypic.com/2czzwn.jpg

It's hard to get better 20-80hz response than that shown on the blue line. Only issue is the Mirage bottoms out too quickly being an 8", so I'm definitely going to have to pair my 12" with another. Killakobe81, you use dual subs, so I definitely recommend giving your system a measurement to make sure your subs are working together to smooth out the bass (the subs positioned at the midpoints of your room is a good start).

[Killakobe81]

Best hi-fi related purchase I've made in years, and it was less than 100.00. A measurement mic.

First measurement of my system:

https://i.redd.it/5iatxt6dd1y11.png

Rock solid midrange with some treble roll off, but I don't like those dips at 40hz and especially that massive trench in the 150hz-170hz range, a crucial range since that's where a lot of snare drums and such are.

The best way to smooth out bass response in a home listening environment (in lieu of a massive shit load of room treatment) is the employment of multisubs. I had a Mirage 8" handy, so I put the theory to test. Latest two measurements.

http://oi64.tinypic.com/2czzwn.jpg

It's hard to get better 20-80hz response than that shown on the blue line. Only issue is the Mirage bottoms out too quickly being an 8", so I'm definitely going to have to pair my 12" with another. Killakobe81, you use dual subs, so I definitely recommend giving your system a measurement to make sure your subs are working together to smooth out the bass (the subs positioned at the midpoints of your room is a good start).

My second one died so in the market for a mid tier replacement any suggestions? Movies/games more than music but planning to refocus on music next year... Want setup to support a SB party in January...

[ambchang]

Got myself he KEF LS50. The wired version. Don’t have time to hook it up yet but really looking forward.

[midnightpulp]

My second one died so in the market for a mid tier replacement any suggestions? Movies/games more than music but planning to refocus on music next year... Want setup to support a SB party in January...

Try to find another of the exact same sub you currently have, Might get something cheap on the used market. SVS stands by their products, so my want to contact them and see if they'll repair it for low cost/free. In any event, what's your budget?

[Killakobe81]

Try to find another of the exact same sub you currently have, Might get something cheap on the used market. SVS stands by their products, so my want to contact them and see if they'll repair it for low cost/free. In any event, what's your budget?

Not sure I was hoping to stay around $500 but willing to go up a bit if the value is there.

[midnightpulp]

Not sure I was hoping to stay around $500 but willing to go up a bit if the value is there.

What's the SVS model you have? Also worth noting is that dual/multisubs don't equal more powerful bass. If improperly placed, multiple subs can actually weaken your bass since the competing soundwaves cancel each other out. Multisubs are for smoothing out your bass response and getting rid of suckouts and providing better bass across many seats. If you're gonna drop 500.00, also get yourself a measurement mic (Umik-1 about 90.00 on ebay). It's really easy to use. I can walk you through it if needed. Short vid on multisubs and other subwoofer tips:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFKet0kmcq4&t=484s

[midnightpulp]

Got myself he KEF LS50. The wired version. Don’t have time to hook it up yet but really looking forward.

Are these for the main rig you wanted to build?

[ambchang]

Are these for the main rig you wanted to build?

Eventually will be. Looking for receivers now. At some point I just have to suck it up and realize I have a family who would be using it too.

In the meantime i will use the office rig DAC (Mytek 192) and connect it to my other unrefurbished sansui (au717). The source is now the Sony player (something 700, supposed to have decent sound, but I need a receiver that can process audio through HDMI).