Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

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

naughtycomputer.uk

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

261–270 of 429 posts

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

#261

Post by robdachshund »

sneak wrote: post #239
wilsonnb3 wrote: post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except you’re leaving out all the positives and only focusing on the negatives. Sure, Google can revoke my access to a movie at any time but I can watch on any of my devices and I dont have to worry about finding it in stock at the local store. I can carry literally thousands of books with me in a device smaller than a paperback. I can’t stream lossless music from Spotify but I can stream high enough quality that mos…

Not “most people” - pros on high end equipment cannot pass an ABX on 256kbps MP3. Spotify’s “extreme” quality setting is 320kbps. This isn’t some “normies”/“audiophiles” thing. 256kbps mp3 is acoustically transparent to human beings in ideal listening situations. The bad rap mp3 got was from 128kbps that was more common pre-broadband. Also, using lossy compressed sources (even 256-320kbps) in derivative works (eg dj…

I disagree. I can often tell the difference between CD audio and 320 or v0 mp3s. I can also notice compression on files with a lower bitrate than 320 or v0.

You can really notice the difference on the high end and the width of the soundstage.

However above 16 44.1 I can't hear a difference.

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

#262

Post by snazz »

joecool1029 wrote: post #249
thinkmassive wrote: post #218

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any advice on a quality Lightning to 3.5mm adapter? The official Apple one is so flimsy that one or both channels cut out anytime I move the phone. My workaround is to heatshrink the cable and both ends, so it’s rigid enough not to cut out. But it’s ugly and probably won’t last more than a few months.

Its going to sound crazy but stick a paperclip into the lightning port and scrape along the top. I bet a small amount of dirt will come out. These ports pick up some lint and dust after a few months and it packs in pretty hard. Eventually it will give you connection issues.

A thin toothpick should achieve the same without scratching the inside of the port.

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

#263

Post by PascLeRasc »

mikestew wrote: post #90
jf- wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> APPLE IS A SYMBOL OF PRETENTIOUSNESS AND IGNORANCE - YOU DO NOT EVEN KNOW HOW YOUR PHONE WORKS Is this guy for real? I don’t know the nitty gritty of how most of the things I use work, I’m only concerned that they work. Sounds like sour grapes.

I’m only concerned that they work. Which, as you allude to, is not guaranteed no matter what it says on the tin. Samsung is my go-to for that point. Not that features were half-assed, or kinda worked. No, having an icon on a screen does not count when what backs that icon doesn’t even pretend to do what it says. (To be specific, their fitness stuff was literally laughable in how broken or, lets be honest, how unimple…

I'm also excited to hear about their farming techniques.

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

#264

Post by opencl »

twtw wrote: post #157

Can anyone comment on what's going on with the ground channel in the circuit here? Seems like you would want to tie the input ground to the virtual ground between the two 9Vs and then maybe buffer the output ground, but this circuit doesn't do that - it just replicates the L/R chains twice between grounds. Also, what's the point of adding the two 9Vs and then splitting them again with the two 1k resistors? Why not ju…

The duplicated amplifier as ground design is pointless and pretty much strictly worse than using a normal ground, but has somehow become semi-popular among certain misguided parts of the audiophile community. Good article about it here[1].

The problem with just using the middle of the batteries as ground is that it creates a potentially headphone-damaging DC offset if the batteries drain unevenly for whatever reason. The resistor bridge is the simplest way to avoid this problem, though there are lots of ways to create a dual rail power supply with various tradeoffs[2].

[1] http://nwavguy.blogspot.com/2011/05/virtual-grounds-3-channe...

[2] https://tangentsoft.net/elec/vgrounds.html

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

#265

Post by rootusrootus »

bb88 wrote: post #228
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…

> and (2) every single Apple product. Sure but that doesn't mean the default Apple audio jack is high quality. I have a cheap USB DAC (bought from monoprice) to power a set of Beyerdynamic headphones. The DAC beat a macbook I was using for work hands down on quality of sound. Specifically, I noted the DAC had better definition of sound meaning that I could pick out details better. It also had better spatial attribute…

My experience has been similar. The output on my MacBook was fine, until I hooked up an amp (coincidentally, my headphones are also Beyerdynamic; DT880s in this case). It sounded pretty bad to be honest, so then I hooked up the external DAC, and it was fascinating how big a difference it made. And I'm not an audiophile, so I usually don't really notice such differences.

* the DAC and AMP were Schiit Magni/Modi

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

#267

Post by zamazingo »

ikeboy wrote: post #60
notacoward wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Android is free software in the sense that you can make and distribute modified versions. I don't think that's enough to make it free software, and "free software in the sense..." is nonsensical. Free software would guarantee the continuance of that freedom. Since that guarantee doesn't exist, Google could place limitations on the Play Store at any time. The fact that they haven't makes the example less clear, but…

Play store isn't part of Android. Even if it was only available to specific phones, that wouldn't make Android unfree. Play store isn't open source at all. Amazon was able to take Android and put it on their extremely popular devices with 0 support from Google, no play store. That's what I call freedom

> Play store isn't part of Android.

It is extremely well integrated into it, by design.

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

#268

Post by duskwuff »

LeoPanthera wrote: post #214
dep_b wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The DA on older iPhones is mediocre, the DA in those lightning converters is even worse. Try a separate DA if you really want quality audio output.

> the DA in those lightning converters is even worse Absolutely not true. https://www.kenrockwell.com/apple/lightning-adapter-audio-qu...

And the DACs in older iPhones are equally good. Mr. Rockwell has reviews of those as well.

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

#269

Post by icebraining »

gcb0 wrote: post #257
icebraining wrote: post #165

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not Google's gates, that's the OEM's and the ISP's. Google can only control that for their own devices, and the Nexuses have always been some of the most modded ones.

Google own the merge rigths, and what goes into each version. and their process timings ensure that by the time you patch is out, your device is not getting updates anymore (update timeframe that they set both in contract with oem or via "example" via their nexus series)

What merge rights? You can build Android yourself and install it directly on your phone, and let others do the same - unless if the OEM's and ISP's gates prevent you.

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

#270

Post by eikenberry »

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…

You sure it isn't a problem with the speakers? I've had a couple different sets of similar monitors and several decent sets of headphones and have never had a problem with any of my external DACs and hissing. I had hissing whenever I used internal cards of any kind, but once I switch to external DACs all hissing went away.
Post reply on HN