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Audio Equipment Thread

Started by wasp_f15ting, June 16, 2018, 12:44:39 PM

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Cuntbeaks

#30
Quote from: NattyDread 2 on June 21, 2018, 09:31:41 AM
How do you go about this?

The Sony SACD i have has a USB port that I simply plug an external HD into, you can them browse the contents as you please. I use the digital out, with a dedicated 75ohm cable, into the DAC of the pre amp. Entry level FLAC goodness.

I aim to upgrade to a Linn digital streamer at some point, but currently lack the infrastructure and money.

NattyDread 2

Ah, cheers. I thought for a minute there may be a way to do the same on my destined for the tip Denon sacd player, but no handy usb input on that sadly.

Johnny Textface

Please help me.

I've got a bunch of little toys that I like to mess about with away from my proper set up (which is in the loft).

I want to record the sounds I make via normal audio jacks. I can either mix prior to it going in or mix within it (probably the latter would be more interesting).
The sound quality of the recording should be decent and then I need the ability to save to a format and export it to my pc for later use (over wifi to say drop box would be ideal but probably wishful thinking.)
I don't want another laptop so a little box of tricks would be best - not got a massive budget.
Anything out there for me?

buzby

Quote from: Johnny Textface on June 22, 2018, 11:43:31 AM
Please help me.

I've got a bunch of little toys that I like to mess about with away from my proper set up (which is in the loft).

I want to record the sounds I make via normal audio jacks. I can either mix prior to it going in or mix within it (probably the latter would be more interesting).
The sound quality of the recording should be decent and then I need the ability to save to a format and export it to my pc for later use (over wifi to say drop box would be ideal but probably wishful thinking.)
I don't want another laptop so a little box of tricks would be best - not got a massive budget.
Anything out there for me?
Sounds like you want a digital portastudio or multitrack recorder, like the Tascam DP03/08/24SD or Zoom R8/R16. They generally tend to have increasing number of tracks and simultanously active inputs (the cheaper models only have one or two stereo inputs despite havng 6 or 8 tracks, meaning you have ot record a track at a time), record onto an SD card and can also be used as a USB audio interface. Have a look here:
https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/hardware/multitrack-recorder

Johnny Textface

Quote from: buzby on June 22, 2018, 12:54:00 PM
Sounds like you want a digital portastudio or multitrack recorder, like the Tascam DP03/08/24SD or Zoom R8/R16. They generally tend to have increasing number of tracks and simultanously active inputs (the cheaper models only have one or two stereo inputs despite havng 6 or 8 tracks, meaning you have ot record a track at a time), record onto an SD card and can also be used as a USB audio interface. Have a look here:
https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/hardware/multitrack-recorder

Cheers will have a look!

Sebastian Cobb

I might have a NAD phono pre-stage going for a sensible price if anyone needs it.

It'll do both moving coil and and moving magnet.

Cuntbeaks

Quote from: NattyDread 2 on June 22, 2018, 10:08:14 AM
Ah, cheers. I thought for a minute there may be a way to do the same on my destined for the tip Denon sacd player, but no handy usb input on that sadly.
I suppose im cheating a bit as my SACD is actually a BluRay player. It's decent enough in its own, plus I'm using an offboard DAC, so it didn't need to be mega high end to begin with.

Sebastian Cobb

If you're not using the sacd dac then it's not really doing something other than traversing the file system; a chromecast audio, raspberry pi or actual computer with jukebox software would be able to do the same job.

wasp_f15ting

The BK Electronics Monolith + sub arrived today.

It needs a bit of breaking in, but am glad it isn't boomy or flabby as the YST SW800. It is a very hefty sub at 48kg. The courier wasn't able to take it by himself.. it was a massive effort bringing it up to my mancave too.

I have tried a few tracks and it seems to work well at just adding weight where its needed below 56hz. I managed to shift my Naim Nait 3 in no time!

Now to research like crazy for a good turn table

Cuntbeaks

Quote from: Sebastian Cobb on June 22, 2018, 06:12:24 PM
If you're not using the sacd dac then it's not really doing something other than traversing the file system; a chromecast audio, raspberry pi or actual computer with jukebox software would be able to do the same job.
I have the SACD running into the pre amp with RCAs for when I want to listen to the 4 discs i have. Best of both worlds.

Cuntbeaks

Quote from: wasp_f15ting on June 22, 2018, 07:39:45 PM
The BK Electronics Monolith + sub arrived today.

It needs a bit of breaking in, but am glad it isn't boomy or flabby as the YST SW800. It is a very hefty sub at 48kg. The courier wasn't able to take it by himself.. it was a massive effort bringing it up to my mancave too.

I have tried a few tracks and it seems to work well at just adding weight where its needed below 56hz. I managed to shift my Naim Nait 3 in no time!

Now to research like crazy for a good turn table

Sounds like a beast. Careful placement of the sub is critical in order to minimise any potential room modes. Do you employ any acoustic treatment in the room?

Sebastian Cobb

Quote from: Cuntbeaks on June 22, 2018, 09:55:43 PM
I have the SACD running into the pre amp with RCAs for when I want to listen to the 4 discs i have. Best of both worlds.

Presumably because your posh dac is incapable of decoding delta-sigma modulated files; it just sounds like your sacd machine is a bit pointless.

Cuntbeaks

It kinda is to certain degree, but it allows me play my four SACDs and gives me acces to a fuckton of FLACs, plus it only cost £40 on Bumtree. It is a stop gap until I save enough for a Linn DS. Would love a Klimax Renew DS 2 but Linn are now offering Katalyst upgrades to their Akurate range. Sourcing an Akurate DS and getting the upgrade would cost around 3K, but it would be bang up to date DAC tech.

wasp_f15ting

It does my head in that CD is the only physical media where you can upgrade elements of the system. I don't understand why a WAV file from my mac sounds so much worse than a CD.. Something is being added in the signal path.

I am tempted by the NAIM Uniti Core - maybe that has better isolated components to prevent noise.. who knows!

Given CD is all I can really enjoy I have been importing in Blu-Spec CDs and UHQCDs from Japan.. they might be same quality but the better build of the cases, the art work and the physical disc its worth doing. Oddly enough there aren't many people covering all of this on Youtube.. might start a channel for laughs

Sebastian Cobb

Quote from: Cuntbeaks on June 22, 2018, 10:45:28 PM
It kinda is to certain degree, but it allows me play my four SACDs and gives me acces to a fuckton of FLACs, plus it only cost £40 on Bumtree. It is a stop gap until I save enough for a Linn DS. Would love a Klimax Renew DS 2 but Linn are now offering Katalyst upgrades to their Akurate range. Sourcing an Akurate DS and getting the upgrade would cost around 3K, but it would be bang up to date DAC tech.

I just struggle to see the point; I see the point of a good DAC, but I just think it's a poor delivery mechanism.

You're going an order of magnitude better than I am in your audio equipment though, I'm happy with a NAD cd player.

Endicott

Quote from: wasp_f15ting on June 22, 2018, 07:39:45 PM
Now to research like crazy for a good turn table

If you find a Rega Planar 3 I recommend getting a couple of spare belts (they are cheap). And I'd also recommend leaving the belt completely off the platter when not in use. It's quite critical on 33 and will slow up if the belt is even slightly worn. In my experience. I still like it, it's a great budget table.

Sebastian Cobb

Get a lenco. They're the bestest with their unorthodox conical drive system.

wasp_f15ting

So.. I am a bit lost as to what turntable to get. I have a max budget of 1500, this will need to be a MM Cartridge turntable. I've been building up a very small Vinyl collection so just need to get something to play with now :P  Any suggestions?


buzby

Fons CQ30s  come up fairly regularly on eBay for £100-200, usually denuded of thei SME tonearms they were originally supplied with ((or around £500-600 if the SME is still present) If you are handy with a saw, you can easily make a replacement armboard from ply or MDF and then you can fit any arm you want (such as a Rega RB series) and with that budget you could afford an MC cartridge too.

The Fons is a great turntable with some unique design features (its fully suspended and has analogue electronic variable speed control). They suffered from quality problems when they first came out, and that coupled with Robertson getting bled dry by the Tiefenbrun's lawyers over the RD11/LP12 patent dispute and his subsequent early death meant it wasn't in production long enough to get the reputation it deserves.

wasp_f15ting

I've gone for a clear audio concept. Seemed like a good option for a starter like me. Do I need a ground cable to go to both the power amp and the pre amp? Or will a cable to the pre amp be enough?

buzby

#50
Quote from: wasp_f15ting on July 02, 2018, 11:23:10 AM
I've gone for a clear audio concept. Seemed like a good option for a starter like me. Do I need a ground cable to go to both the power amp and the pre amp? Or will a cable to the pre amp be enough?
Normally only grounded to the preamp. The preamp and power amp should have ground continuity from the signal ground of the interconnect cables between them. If they are relatively modern they will probably have double insulated power supplies and may not even have a chassis ground (i.e. connected to the earth pin of the mains plug).

If a power amp does have a chassis ground you will find a lot of 'advice' on US-based forums to use a 'cheater plug' (an adapter that fits between the mains plug and socket that disconnects the earth connection) in an attempt to reduce hum from ground loops, which is deplorable from a safety standpoint.

wasp_f15ting

Cheers Arrives today!

Shall report back

wasp_f15ting

Hmmm...

I was expecting a massive difference to CD.. I guess I should have tempered my expectations.
Nirvana Unplugged sounded a bit flabby and less punchy than the CD..

I'll have to try some other tracks tonight!

wasp_f15ting

What kind of cleaning routine do you use for your Vinyls? I have purchased a few used ones and they are horrendously noisy :(


Cuntbeaks

This as an absolute minimum plus it's easy to make your own solution. Every record should be cleaned before use, especially new ones.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Knosti-1300001-DISCO-ANTISTAT-RECORD-CLEANER-Black/dp/B000BFXIVW

Then pop the clean vinyl into these beauties.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mobile-Fidelity-Original-Master-Sleeves/dp/B001LQSFKY

Sebastian Cobb

#55
Quote from: Cuntbeaks on July 13, 2018, 11:01:38 PM
This as an absolute minimum plus it's easy to make your own solution. Every record should be cleaned before use, especially new ones.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Knosti-1300001-DISCO-ANTISTAT-RECORD-CLEANER-Black/dp/B000BFXIVW

Then pop the clean vinyl into these beauties.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mobile-Fidelity-Original-Master-Sleeves/dp/B001LQSFKY

+1.

Buy a litre (or gallon depending on how many records you own) of isopropyl alcohol, some deionized water (I just use the stuff meant for car batteries) and some surficant (photographic if you're posh, finish dishwasher shine if you're not) and mix them 200ml isop, 80ml water and 0.5ml (1/8th tsp if you've got some measuring spoons) surficant.

Oh and if you're going to all that effort get some outer sleeves. Also seeing as you need something to do while they're drying enter the catalogue numbers in discogs. The astute among you may be able to work out I've not finished the job:
https://www.discogs.com/user/gormo/collection?sort=artist&sort_order=asc&limit=250

By the way lots of records sound awful - some of this is down to mastering, some of it is due to how they were handled* before you got them (if they were used), how many records were pressed before you received yours (pressing plates wear out).

*sort of, scratches and dirt (dirt tends to be worse than scratches unless they're really bad) do add clicks and pops but I've had clean records that seem quite crackly and 2nd hand ones that are scuffed to fuck that sound ok.

wasp_f15ting

Cheers guys

I think I might invest in the pro-ject cleaner thingy.
I did get the mo-fi bags straight away..

So I have another query.. I got the below LP from Discogs
https://www.discogs.com/Gil-Ventura-Sax-Club-N16/release/4315728

Mainly because of the boobs
It sounds absolutely amazing.. in fact much better than all my brand new LPs pressed 2000 onwards. This was sealed, but how does an LP from 1977 sound so much punchier and clearer. What an earth is going on

Cuntbeaks

I think it has do with that era being a golden age for vinyl and all the plants, procedures and technicians being at the top of their game.

One of the best sounding vinyls i have is a Donna Summer album i bought for 10p, specifically for I Feel Love. No inner sleeve, ripped outer, scuffed to within an inch of its life. Cleaned it up and it sounds as crisp and involving as any FLAC i have.

So yeah, be wary as fuck with new vinyl. Places like Boomkat will generally call out who is cutting any new albums they are selling.

Sebastian Cobb

Most pressing plants were scrapped in the '90s when cd's took over, the ones that survived are ancient and a bit knackered. The people who know how to service the lathes, people who know how to master records properly and people who make lacquers are all people who survived the scrappings and never stopped, they're all ancient. Before the vinyl revival they were able to keep things going and do a good job of what they were doing.

Since the vinyl revival they've not been able to keep up with demand. And alternative routes to making records have opened up. There's a load of pressing plants that have opened up in the Czech republic and they all use digilathes and don't bother to master things properly, you can give them some high quality .wavs and they'll cut it out to the riaa curve and it will sound shit.

tl;dr people knew what they were doing when records were the main medium.

It's not all bad though. There are some good represses going about and lots of niche things that do deserve to be bought to attention, Betty Davis and Doris Duke for instance. Magnificent. I'd say be wary of anything that was quite popular at the time and shouts about heavy vinyl (weight means very little in terms of sound quality), anniversary editions or fancy remasters. If you want a copy of Electric Ladyland or Dark Side of the Moon then there's heaps on discogs and you could probably find them in charity shops or car boots if you're lucky.

Sebastian Cobb

Quote from: Cuntbeaks on July 14, 2018, 12:13:28 PM
I think it has do with that era being a golden age for vinyl and all the plants, procedures and technicians being at the top of their game.

One of the best sounding vinyls i have is a Donna Summer album i bought for 10p, specifically for I Feel Love. No inner sleeve, ripped outer, scuffed to within an inch of its life. Cleaned it up and it sounds as crisp and involving as any FLAC i have.

So yeah, be wary as fuck with new vinyl. Places like Boomkat will generally call out who is cutting any new albums they are selling.

My old man had Donna's State of Independence on 12" single and that thing has some obscene low end in it.