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Do I really need to get out the soldering-iron again?

naughtycomputer.uk

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Re: Do I really need to get out the soldering-iron again?

#181

Post by AdmiralAsshat »

Can't say I've ever had the explodey sound any of my Android phones through the audio jack. I've had it a handful of times with some bluetooth buds, but I'd just as soon chalk it up to their cheapness.

I do have the hissing sound he's described when using my ATH-M50's with my phone, and even my laptop. My solution (albeit more expensive than his DIY one) was to buy a portable DAC/amp, specifically a Fiio E17[0]. It connects via USB/micro/C, and it's worked on every laptop and Android phone I've had since the Samsung GSII. It also used to be able to dock with a separate desktop amp[1], until my dock broke. There are plenty of other portable, Android-compatible DAC's that are not too expensive. It's a bit of a bummer to feel like you need to pay for yet-another-piece-of-gear just so you can enjoy your audiophile headphones with your audiphile-quality music on the go, but sometimes that's the price of fidelity.

[0]https://www.amazon.com/FiiO-Alpen-Portable-Headphone-Amplifi... [1]https://www.amazon.com/FiiO-Desktop-Headphone-Amplifier-Dock...

Re: Do I really need to get out the soldering-iron again?

#182

Post by dylan604 »

soccerdave wrote: post #170
dylan604 wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Its more than just audio. Watching movies sucks; you now pay full price to effectively indefinitely rent movies, and have them taken away at any time. This has always been the case, even when you "owned" the physical media. Owning a CD, DVD or even vinyl copy of audio/video did not mean you owned the content. It was always just a delivery mechanism. It always came with legal wording to state you didn't own the cont…

I disagree with you. When you “owned” a physical cd, you had to ability to sell it. When you own the digital version it is not possible to resell it.

You can disagree with me, but the legal aspect is still the same. You owned the physical delivery mechanism, and the single use license that delivery mechanism represented. Sure, you could sell that, but the point is still the same in that you never owned the content, legally speaking.

Re: Do I really need to get out the soldering-iron again?

#183

Post by timewasted »

dctoedt wrote: post #173
mikeash wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s not legal to void your warranty because you changed some software, unless the software change actually caused the problem you’re trying to get fixed under warranty.

> It’s not legal to void your warranty because you changed some software, unless the software change actually caused the problem you’re trying to get fixed under warranty. Citation, please?

I’m assuming the poster is referring to the Magnuson-Moss Warrany Act: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnuson–Moss_Warranty_Act

Re: Do I really need to get out the soldering-iron again?

#184

Post by Johnny555 »

I DO NOT HAVE TO PAY A TAX TO APPLE TO LISTEN TO MY MUSIC.

Is it better to pay a tax to Google and not be able to listen to your music?

(I say that as an Android user who hasn't run into this problem, though 90% of my listening is through streaming services, I still have all of my CD's sitting on a hard drive, but they are all (as far as I know) available over streaming now, so I just use that)

Re: Do I really need to get out the soldering-iron again?

#185

Post by chaosite »

dylan604 wrote: post #182
soccerdave wrote: post #170

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I disagree with you. When you “owned” a physical cd, you had to ability to sell it. When you own the digital version it is not possible to resell it.

You can disagree with me, but the legal aspect is still the same. You owned the physical delivery mechanism, and the single use license that delivery mechanism represented. Sure, you could sell that, but the point is still the same in that you never owned the content, legally speaking.

You never owned the copyright on the content, but you did own the thing. Not a "single-use license". Owning a CD is exactly like owning a book, in that way.

Re: Do I really need to get out the soldering-iron again?

#186

Post by Johnny555 »

rayrrr wrote: post #144

Everyone seems to be seeing this as an Android vs. iOS debate, but I see it as a smartphone vs. dedicated device debate. If you're serious enough about photography, you don't complain about your smartphone camera's limitations, you get yourself a DSLR and multiple lenses. So if you're this serious about music, why not get a dedicated device? Look at what companies like HiBy and Hidizs are doing. I have, and my ears h…

why not get a dedicated device?

For the same reason I don't want to carry a big heavy DSLR around with me, because there's a limited number of devices I want to lug around.

I ditched the DSLR years ago (yes, it took great photos, but not enough to make it worth the hassle). Though I still bring a pocket sized camera with me when I travel because my smartphone still can't compete with a big sensor and an optical zoom.

While a dedicated MP3 player is small (to be honest, I didn't even know they were still made), it's just one more thing to keep track of and keep charged up.

Re: Do I really need to get out the soldering-iron again?

#187

Post by [deleted] »

lern_too_spel wrote: post #161
yaseer wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If anything, the 'Apple tax' is greater in 2018 than it has ever been. I say this as having owned 3 Macs for the last 10 years. 4-8 years ago, the gap between Apple and the rest was so stark, it seemed paying for a premium Apple product was a no-brainer. Even Linus got a Macbook air because the hardware was such a leap ahead. Not only has the gap closed, Apple have been left behind, with inferior build quality in key…

Linus hasn't used a MacBook Air for several years now. Apple's devices are now inferior in every category.

[deleted]

Re: Do I really need to get out the soldering-iron again?

#188

Post by mgalgs »

edoo wrote: post #103

Pro tip: There are enough PCB shops now that small designs like this can just be done in free EDA software in minutes, 10 boards in your hand with a stencil 9 real days later for less than $50 shipped. The stencil lets you paste the board all at once, you place parts and hit it with a heat gun until everything sets. For audio stuff you get the advantage of keeping everything nice and tight with lower noise. I barely…

I used to use BatchPCB and LOVED the service. When Sparkfun shut it down I couldn't find any decent alternatives and pretty much just quit making boards.

It looks like Osh Park has a pretty decent offering these days, but I'm curious who you're using with 9 day turnaround time? That's amazing!

Re: Do I really need to get out the soldering-iron again?

#189

Post by mannykannot »

megous wrote: post #153
mannykannot wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am curious as to why it needs any circuitry on the ground line - would a direct connection not work? (I guess I am assuming that L, R and ground are the only connections made to the headphones.) Do the amplifiers put a DC bias on the L and R outputs that needs to be matched on the ground, and if so, would a capacitor in series with the L and R outputs not be enough to isolate it?

You could just use the middle connection between the two batteries as a ground. I'm not sure why he didn't do it. Perhaps so that the whole thing works longer even if one of the batteries is discharged faster. That would be my guess.

As it stands, 40% of its 23mA current draw is through the 1kΩ x 2 voltage divider... Now I am wondering if a circuit with the between-battery link connected to ground would risk damaging the op amps (or phones) if only one battery was in?

Re: Do I really need to get out the soldering-iron again?

#190

Post by blattimwind »

HocusLocus wrote: post #163
013a wrote: post #156

I have a pair of powered studio monitors (Mackie MR5), and I completely relate to this problem. Many PCs and phones will emit an audible hissing noise while plugged in. I've tested on a dozen different devices, with integrated and external DACs, five hundred dollar sound cards, massively shielded cables, practically every modern OS you can name, tweaking every audio setting exposed to me. The only devices that work p…

Wow I can sympathize. Sounds like you're discerning a S/N ratio problem that would have disqualified the designs from 'high fidelity' in the late 70s and through the 80s. And you have to wonder if in your TV/Apple the hiss is there but is being noise gated. I too believe there has been regression. All it takes is one generation to 'interrupt' consumer expectations of ever increasing quality. https://news.ycombinator.…

Not so long ago widely used audio codecs (the actual ADC/DAC part in the PC) had big problems with idle tones at low signal levels (which were simply gated off at silence, otherwise you would have gotten constant, looping artifacts). I managed to reproduce over 100 % THD+N with my old Thinkpad X200, i.e. more, very clearly audible, noise and artifacts than signal.

This is a separate issue though from the usually high output noise floor and poor isolation from other components, e.g. many complaints about many makes and models where CPU/GPU or even disk activity will induce audible pulse noises in the heaphone outputs or speakers.

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