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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?

#301

Post by culot »

kakarot wrote: post #297
fb03 wrote: post #256

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The only way I found to minimize/eliminate HISS while using high quality monitors/pro speakers is to pair them with a proper external USB Audio Card. Those External Audio Cards receive the signal in digital form, thus free of any noise they could pick up in the process. These are decoded inside the external DAC which then feeds audio to the speakers. since this part of the signal path is analog, any interference pick…

Checked out the AG06 but it has internal DSP and other things I don't really need, plus it seemed like more of an audio interface than a sound card, do you have any recommendations for balanced audio usb external cards without all of the extra stuff?

I think that's what Schiit specializes in.

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

#302

Post by asdff »

bhj wrote: post #77
gcp123 wrote: post #64

I’ll happily pay the “apple tax” so I can live my life and not have to deal with all the bullshit you did just to listen to some music. Good lord. I’d rather experience the world then mess around with the tech that’s supposed to be helping me live better.

It’s amusing to still hear “Apple tax” in 2018, as if there is no additional value in better hardware, software and support for many people’s use cases.

Is another 8gb of RAM or 128gb of storage worth $200 each? I guess it is when you have no option to upgrade it after purchase. Apple doesn't do the decency to give you proper hardware either, opting for previous generation processors and a keyboard who's reliability is still up in the air even after their third attempt. Apple is further undermining their lofty pricepoint each product release.

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

#303

Post by mattlondon »

ikeboy wrote: post #54
temp0876456 wrote: post #14

Boy does this person need to look at the ‘good headphone’ market. I paid (a very reasonable) $2k for a set of reference headphones and a suitable amp/DAC to drive them. I could have spent a lot more. It is hard to drive a set of headphones with enough SQ to make them worthwhile. You cannot plug a set of headphones into an Android phone and expect anything good to happen. And lots of DAPs suffer from software problems…

Is it just me, or are $10 branded earbuds just fine for music?

Same here. I've found that cheap (£10-15) sony "ear-plug"-style ones [1] have been really surprisingly good for just wandering around shops and listening to pod casts or some music on my phone. Not worth paying more IMO since they get lost, or you lose one of the silicon-bits, or the wires get lose fairly frequently.

There are some very crap ear buds around (e.g. Norwegian Air's freebie handout ones are quite possibly the worst things I have ever used), but I was pleasantly surprised by the sony ones. No relation - just a satisfied customer.

1 - https://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/in-ear-headphones/mdr-ex1...

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

#304

Post by sosborn »

orangecat wrote: post #287
pdimitar wrote: post #98

I'll allow myself some generalization here. I know several very smart and creative hardware technicians and system administrators. I admire them. I truly do. They are more independently thinking than most other programmers I know, are much more resistant to trends and fashion in technology, and rarely complain about the tech they must use. Throw Python, Perl, PHP, bash and what not at them, they can and will curse bu…

Apple hate without any regard for the advantages it gives you. Apple's official position is that you should be arrested if you do anything with "your" device that they don't approve of. If somebody is inclined to tinker with everything, I'm not going to blame them if their reaction to that could be described as "hate".

> Apple's official position is that you should be arrested if you do anything with "your" device that they don't approve of

No, it really isn't their official position.

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

#305

Post by m-p-3 »

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…

Thankfully some services like Bandcamp sells DRM-free albums in FLAC.

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

#306

Post by jolmg »

mirkules wrote: post #167
zanny wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes okay, its about having the choice and the option. Its rooted in the fundamental instinct to cling to freedom and seek it out. Even if you don't make a choice, having the option to is still empowering, because the absence of a choice tells you someone else made it for you. For many, that could be the same choice they would have made. That doesn't give any condolence to those who would have made a different one, bu…

I understand the need for people to feel like they have a choice by using free software (the choice to modify it if they want to), but at this point it is just an illusion unless you are prepared to dedicate a huge amount of time. If you practically couldn’t do it even if you wanted to, does it still mean you have a choice? It’s a different time today than it was 40 years ago when RMS modified printer drivers, and so…

Totally depends on what you're thinking of modifying and how you want to modify it. Some experience gained through one modification also carries over to others, even when done on different programs. I've done modifications that only take a few minutes, and I have my systems setup so it's really, really easy to pick a package by name to modify it and distribute the mods to all my machines, complete with version control. I very much appreciate the ability to modify the free software I use.

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

#307

Post by tcoff91 »

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.

I would say use one of those brushes that are for flossing in between teeth, that’s what I use and it works great.

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

#308

Post by corey_moncure »

woah wrote: post #216
anotheryou wrote: post #201

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Did you do a blind test on spotify's high quality vs lossless? At least with 320mp3s I could only get it right with certain songs and not too consistently. I'd say my room treatment has a far bigger impact. (but regarding hardware I'm totally with you and haven't found the source of my rather high noise floor either)

It all really depends on the gold plating of your cables

“I don’t perceive it, therefore it doesn’t exist”.

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

#309

Post by admax88q »

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…

> 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 perfectly are (1) my TV output, and (2) every single Apple product.

If almost every device has poor audio quality, maybe its not the device but the headphones that are your problem?

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

#310

Post by higginsc »

ignoreInstinct wrote: post #8
baxtr wrote: post #2

> Right now I'm absolutely astonished at how difficult it appears to be to just listen to music with a good pair of headphones. Is it not 2018? The media is full of talk about preposterously ambitious ideas such as AI and self-driving cars and yet I can't even listen to a fuck-damn music track? O_o I enjoyed reading this. The whole time I thought however: that’s not an issue on my Apple devices. Then I read: > If any…

Yeah, but what really gets under my skin is that every other company out there is okay with producing garbage. Meanwhile, Apple produces things that work comparatively well, doing what you expect and then, claims that reasonable functionality is premium . And then catches shit for being pretentious. So, let's step through that once more: - garbage is normal - functional and interoperable is premium - premium is prete…

"Yeah, but what really gets under my skin is that every other company out there is okay with producing garbage. Meanwhile, Apple produces things that work comparatively well, doing what you expect and then, claims that reasonable functionality is premium."

If the standard is garbage, then functionality is premium.

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