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Thread: The Audiophile Thread

  1. #3226
    Outraged bystander markwoll's Avatar
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    Sorry, not mine. Just reading forum posts on head-fi. I've got Campfire Audio Andromeda ES. Very sensitive ~6Ώ, people sometimes complain about that too.
    "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."
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  2. #3227
    cunning linguist 3LockBox's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by markwoll View Post
    Sorry, not mine. Just reading forum posts on head-fi. I've got Campfire Audio Andromeda ES. Very sensitive ~6Ώ, people sometimes complain about that too.
    6Ώ seems incredibly low. Are they corded or BT?

  3. #3228
    Outraged bystander markwoll's Avatar
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    Corded. Yes, low impedance.
    Specs say:
    Five Dual-Diaphragm Balanced Armatures (2x low, 1x mid, 2x high)
    Frequency Response = 5Hz - 20kHz
    Sensitivity = 11.84 mVrms to reach 94db
    Impedance = 6.375 Ohm at 1 kHz
    THD < 0.5%

    The Supermoons ( which I just received and sound fantastic) contrast:
    Tech Specs
    Full-Range 14mm Planar Magnetic Driver
    Frequency Response: 5Hz–20 kHz
    SPL: 94 dB @ 1 kHz: 54 mVrms
    Impedance: 15.5 Ohms @ 1 kHz
    Less than 1% Total Harmonic Distortion
    I have to bump the volume up a couple of notches to get equivalent levels.

    The Atlas which I am still waiting for ( should be here today )
    Single Full Range 10mm Dynamic Driver
    Frequency Response:5 Hz to 20 KHz
    Distortion: Less than 1% THD
    Sensitivity: 105 dB/mW
    Impedance: 19 ohms @ 1 KHz
    "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."
    -- Aristotle
    Nostalgia, you know, ain't what it used to be. Furthermore, they tells me, it never was.
    “A Man Who Does Not Read Has No Appreciable Advantage Over the Man Who Cannot Read” - Mark Twain

  4. #3229
    cunning linguist 3LockBox's Avatar
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    I have a 2 sets of ChiFi IEMs that I got off Amazon. The YinYoo KZ ZST are rated at 18Ώ, 106 dB sensitivity. The others are also YinYoo, the Kbear OSI Pro which are rated 104db and are 22Ώ. Both sets are twin drivers, 1BA+1DD. I've found in my experience is that super low impedance, while it makes for high sensitivity, isn't great for bass response. I think the Kbear have better bass. I tried a set (forget the brand) that had 1 DD+ 4 BA and i thought they lacked bass for their price (compared to ones that were cheaper). Yes, these are very cheap, but I wanted to try them before spending a bundle on IEMs. I've used regular ear buds in the past and prefer IEMs. I don't prefer IEMs to headphones for sound quality though. I might think differently with more expensive models but I don't think I could bring myself to spend the money I've seen planars go for.


    I'm currently using a FiiO BTR-7 headphone DAC/amp. I use it BT from my phone (corded to headphones or IEM) but I can also use it as just a DAC amp using a USB cord. There's a smartphone app that works with it that contains EQ and gain and other functionality but it also has a parametric EQ function which I love. I think parametric EQing is essential for headphones or IEMs.

  5. #3230
    make UωU, not war Czyszy's Avatar
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    If this costume was real, I bet you'll grab it!
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  6. #3231
    Man of repute progmatist's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Czyszy View Post
    If this costume was real, I bet you'll grab it!
    It is true many of my fellow vinyl enthusiast are like many vegans. They can't shut the hell up about it. While vinyl does sound better to me, I'm not above joking about it: "Let me tell you about the superior sound of the Edison Wax Cylinder."
    "Well my son, life is like a beanstalk, isn't it?"--Dalai Lama

  7. #3232
    Outraged bystander markwoll's Avatar
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    Life is way warmer with tubes too
    "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."
    -- Aristotle
    Nostalgia, you know, ain't what it used to be. Furthermore, they tells me, it never was.
    “A Man Who Does Not Read Has No Appreciable Advantage Over the Man Who Cannot Read” - Mark Twain

  8. #3233
    Member Jerjo's Avatar
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    A while back we lost our turntable on the living room system. In May, my CD player gave up the ghost. I had a spare but it turned out to have problems of its own, I trashed it. I played CDs through the DVD player, the sound quality took a dive. A week ago, my amp gave up the ghost. Which leaves me with a dilemma. If I replace these right now, I am flush enough to afford approximate replacements. However, if I wait a year or so I'll like be able to significantly upgrade everything to another level. I do have a small office system that gets all my FLAC files, etc. so it is not like I am entirely going without music. It's just not getting the same quality playback as the living room rig did.

    So what does the hive mind think, buy now or wait it out?
    I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart

  9. #3234
    Outraged bystander markwoll's Avatar
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    What is it that you want to be able to do? You have speakers and that's it?
    Just stereo or surround? Streaming? Phono stage, CD transport?
    There is lots of 'cool' stuff out there. The Wiim stuff gets a bit of press, like the Ultra.
    "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."
    -- Aristotle
    Nostalgia, you know, ain't what it used to be. Furthermore, they tells me, it never was.
    “A Man Who Does Not Read Has No Appreciable Advantage Over the Man Who Cannot Read” - Mark Twain

  10. #3235
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jerjo View Post
    A while back we lost our turntable on the living room system. In May, my CD player gave up the ghost. I had a spare but it turned out to have problems of its own, I trashed it. I played CDs through the DVD player, the sound quality took a dive. A week ago, my amp gave up the ghost. Which leaves me with a dilemma. If I replace these right now, I am flush enough to afford approximate replacements. However, if I wait a year or so I'll like be able to significantly upgrade everything to another level. I do have a small office system that gets all my FLAC files, etc. so it is not like I am entirely going without music. It's just not getting the same quality playback as the living room rig did.

    So what does the hive mind think, buy now or wait it out?
    I have a NAD C388 that I was going to put up for sale - less than 100 hours used.
    https://nadelectronics.com/product/c...dac-amplifier/

    It drove my Wharfedale EVOs nicely; but I ended up a Schitthead and now have two Vidars instead.


    If interested, pls PM.

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  11. #3236
    Man of repute progmatist's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jerjo View Post
    A while back we lost our turntable on the living room system. In May, my CD player gave up the ghost. I had a spare but it turned out to have problems of its own, I trashed it. I played CDs through the DVD player, the sound quality took a dive. A week ago, my amp gave up the ghost. Which leaves me with a dilemma. If I replace these right now, I am flush enough to afford approximate replacements. However, if I wait a year or so I'll like be able to significantly upgrade everything to another level. I do have a small office system that gets all my FLAC files, etc. so it is not like I am entirely going without music. It's just not getting the same quality playback as the living room rig did.

    So what does the hive mind think, buy now or wait it out?
    A Blu-Ray player with a decent DAC will play CDs, DVDs, and BDs. Along with FLAC and other files from USB, or over the network.
    "Well my son, life is like a beanstalk, isn't it?"--Dalai Lama

  12. #3237
    Outraged bystander markwoll's Avatar
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    Slippery slope time.
    I ordered a Schiit Summer Stack - Modius E DAC, Midgard headphone amp, and a pair of Dan Clark Aeon RT closed headphones.
    It showed up today.
    Oh my, what wonderful sound using the A306 to feed the Modius E.
    "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."
    -- Aristotle
    Nostalgia, you know, ain't what it used to be. Furthermore, they tells me, it never was.
    “A Man Who Does Not Read Has No Appreciable Advantage Over the Man Who Cannot Read” - Mark Twain

  13. #3238
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    Quote Originally Posted by markwoll View Post
    Slippery slope time.
    I ordered a Schiit Summer Stack - Modius E DAC, Midgard headphone amp, and a pair of Dan Clark Aeon RT closed headphones.
    It showed up today.
    Oh my, what wonderful sound using the A306 to feed the Modius E.
    Oh dude.... Was looking at that...... Gotta let me know - thinking about a basement system like that...

    I already have two Vidars, a Modius and a Freya S - which allows me to run balanced signals to each Vidar as a monoblock into my Wharfedale EVOs.

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  14. #3239
    Outraged bystander markwoll's Avatar
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    After an hour, it sounds great... the Aeon RT are very nice, they advise '50-100 hours' of run in, so it will be a while
    The only read criticism I have read is that the output for the headphone and pre output rca are both live and there is not a selector switch.
    If you use it with powered speakers you would need to switch those off. I don't see it as a problem, but some folks that wanted to use it with desktop speakers and headphones.
    I had heard of Schiit but didn't have a desire for their products until recently. The 'Summer Stack' seemed like a decent price for the package including interconnects.
    "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."
    -- Aristotle
    Nostalgia, you know, ain't what it used to be. Furthermore, they tells me, it never was.
    “A Man Who Does Not Read Has No Appreciable Advantage Over the Man Who Cannot Read” - Mark Twain

  15. #3240
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    I have been sooper happy with my schitt gear (which is why I'm selling the NAD) - since Ive gone "balanced" XLR all the way thru my chain coz I now can - I have definitely heard an improvement

    Sent from my NE2217 using Tapatalk
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  16. #3241
    Member Jerjo's Avatar
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    I use a Modius DAC in my man cave/home office. Splendid sound.
    I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart

  17. #3242
    Ultra high-end audiophile gear:

    mono.jpg

  18. #3243
    Member Zeuhlmate's Avatar
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    40% of Audiophiles May Be Gone Soon, and No One Is Replacing Them

    https://www.headphonesty.com/2024/09...les-gone-soon/

    I am afraid this is correct. Probably reflects the type of music that is popular these days - as Rick Beato mentions here
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_Dj...nnel=RickBeato

  19. #3244
    Member BobM's Avatar
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    I remember geting ready to head into a new year in college and talking to my roommate. "What stereo equipment are you bringing?" So we could coordinate how and what we would be listening to. It was important.

    Now the kids use their cellphone and a pair of cheap earbuds. The "Audiophile" in the dorm may have a single Bluetooth speaker.

    Yes, prices of new equipment are stupid, and certainly that plays a role in the demise of the industry and reduction in those who may want to enter into the hobby. Even a single piece of equipment we consider a bargain for $1000 is going to blow peoples minds as extravigant when they can get their music for $50 by sticking an earbud in.
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  20. #3245
    Outraged bystander markwoll's Avatar
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    The concept of audiophile is changing.
    On one hand, the woo packed, money be damned , niche.
    On the other hand, the newer modular streaming / amp / powered speaker setups.
    Or the Headphone/IEM crowd with their own sound processing gear.
    The atmospheric reaches of any one of those paths will never cease to exist.
    The breadth of things to discuss and dicker about has expanded at more moderate cost.
    The hair splitting and one upmanship will never go away.
    "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."
    -- Aristotle
    Nostalgia, you know, ain't what it used to be. Furthermore, they tells me, it never was.
    “A Man Who Does Not Read Has No Appreciable Advantage Over the Man Who Cannot Read” - Mark Twain

  21. #3246
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    Quote Originally Posted by BobM View Post
    I remember geting ready to head into a new year in college and talking to my roommate. "What stereo equipment are you bringing?" So we could coordinate how and what we would be listening to. It was important.

    Now the kids use their cellphone and a pair of cheap earbuds. The "Audiophile" in the dorm may have a single Bluetooth speaker.

    Yes, prices of new equipment are stupid, and certainly that plays a role in the demise of the industry and reduction in those who may want to enter into the hobby. Even a single piece of equipment we consider a bargain for $1000 is going to blow peoples minds as extravigant when they can get their music for $50 by sticking an earbud in.
    Not to mention millennials and older Gen Z spent their formative years in a world of MP3 file sharing. Their frame of reference is poor sound quality, which has improved with cell phones and cheap Bluetooth earbuds or speakers.
    "Well my son, life is like a beanstalk, isn't it?"--Dalai Lama

  22. #3247
    cunning linguist 3LockBox's Avatar
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    Many of the younger generation are gamers. Their social circle is online gamers. Seriously. My son's bachelor's party was in an online game. Sure, the younger generation brought vinyl back from extinction, but they buy turntables with Bluetooth output (and can't be convinced that it makes no sense). But when GenY and Z does invest in a "system" it's usually just stereo and involved Bluetooth connectivity.

    I never had more than 2-ch stereo. Oh, I flirted with rudimentary surround sound at one time, but just have never had a lifestyle that afforded that much 'me' time. My wife couldn't have cared less about my hifi. Even when I did have a system, my kids were expensive enough, so constantly upgrading wasn't feasible. Buying esoteric woo was out of the question. So my kids never saw garden hose sized speaker cables on riser trestles or $100/ft patch cables or green ink on my fingers from 'neutralizing laser leakage" on the edge of my frozen CDs.

    I don't even own a system anymore. The lure of listening to my music collection where and when the fancy strikes me has won me over. I still buy the occasional CD now and then, and every great once in a while I'll buy an LP for my daughter - luckily I think I've talked her out of her fascination with cassettes. I absolutely put a foot down on her desire to buy a TT with Bluetooth output though.

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