/ag/ - Audio General

It's pretty simple. Every doubling of wattage is a 3db increase.

Attached: IMG_3645.jpg (4032x3024, 1.25M)

Well, with 97db sensitivity, you're looking at over 110db of output @1m away with 32w. I'm guessing sitting 2 or 3 meters away would be reducing the spl a bit, but regardless, 32w isn't a lot and when you DO get to 110db @ the 10 foot mark, you're going to start suffering hearing damage in a matter of minutes.

double the distance means -6dB in free field and in an actual room with a direct/diffuse mix you're looking at like 3-4dB

lmao you don't even like music you fucking NPC

sup cuerex here

tommorow is JBLEL day.

the 305p are on arrival

Attached: 20180823_134140.jpg (3024x4032, 3.16M)

Where is Cannibal Corpse though?

report back if they hiss

JBL L100T driven by my Onkyo TX-8500 MKII.

MK I* I'm phoneposting right now

heard them in store a week ago
they do when directly compared to something like kh120 which are just dead silent, but I think it's an improvement over the old ones

Bump

About as sterile as this setups ever going to look. Surprising how close these are to bigger egg-style Genelecs.
Finally getting them positioned tight really took it to the next level, solid phantom center. Using them ultra nearfield @ ~0.5m

Attached: 8030.jpg (4032x3024, 1.45M)

Attached: fe103-sol-fostex-hifi-do-mcintoshjblaudio-technicajeff-rowland-fostex-fe103-sol-modern-home.jpg (640x480, 81K)

Can't you just bring a USB key?

>I don't like music
Where'd you come up with that idea bright boy?

Attached: IMG_3802.png (864x662, 570K)

Looks fantastic. I love the stands. That's tumblr-tier and I mean that as a compliment.

They only have a CDP hooked up. And it's a CDP I actually want to buy. It sounded decent when I was there, better than my Yggdrasil dac that's for sure. Anyway it's a fucking nice ass unit. I will need to use my topping d30 if I'm steaming, though. I'd rather spend my $ on CDs, and better source gear from now on.

Attached: IMG_3807.jpg (700x260, 29K)

Why don't you just rip your CDs to FLAC and run completely digital all the way to the digital to analog stage of your preamp?

Maybe I will, once I get them home but I don't have the luxury of fucking around with the dealers setup. Maybe once he knows me he'll let me. Also is this audition doesn't go well I'm not even gonna get them.

Attached: IMG_3699.jpg (4032x3024, 2.06M)

nice player
I will rather buy d-06u
it have usb input and it can be used as a dac

Attached: 8C906F6F-925F-4454-9F66-1F1E5B5A910B.jpg (1000x512, 143K)

Thanks, they're from amazon. I don't recommend them, but they do the job.

amazon.com/Design-Toscano-Classic-Statuary-Polyresin/dp/B007KBP534/

Attached: 6301b_03.jpg (1000x1000, 171K)

I'm just saying don't bother with CD players anymore. Not with Roon available anyways.

I mean if you like the looks and just like the physical feeling of putting in a disc that's fine whatever no hate for that, but quality and convenience wise it's a no brainer to use Roon or similar.

Enjoy your audition. What's your room like?

Nice. You running a sub?

Yeah man I hear you. This shit is audio jewelry basically. I really need to get a new stand first. Anyway point is I have to go to the audition with cds, the cdp they have doesn't have USB input. My room is the same size, just longer. So it's a decent comparison to how the final sound will be.Modern luxman is about as audio jewelry as you can get. I'm sure this player is nice but how much is it?

Nope. Too tricky for this bare small room. Got the 8030 @ -6dB bass tilt and they reach 45hz with room mode, still some honky peaks I need to EQ down but it's not too terrible.

This is my gayming/light production setup so I don't want to go full audio chad on it with acoustic treatment. I'll probably use sonarworks or something later.

no problem m8.

i found the lsr 305 which i had a month ago to have bearable hiss though.. it's something to get used to, the compromise is the great sound though. i used them with rca though.

this time i have xlr with an smsl u8

Cousin and his wife would like a rec for a sound bar. Unfortunately, I can’t go full on Autist mode and convince them it’s a waste. I’ve never even looked at them. Any decent ones for less than 300$?

>I'm just saying don't bother with CD players anymore
Not him but I want a CD player to add to my hi-fi to "complete" it so to speak. I'd like to have a nice stack, but I think having just a receiver and a DAC would make it look lacking.

How do I get gud at audio/stereo system/setup knowledge? basically to get myself to a good beginner level where at least I can comprehend these threads, know what I'm looking for, etc.

What's some required reading to not be an idiot?

Not much required reading unless you want to get into technicalities and more professional audio equipment. Just look around and see what's posted. You can always ask questions. Barebones beginner level would be heading to your local thrift store and checking out what they have in the electronics section. Google some of the companies and model names on them and see what people think on Audiokarma or Steve Hoffman. Hi-fi Engine will clue you in on spec sheets and manuals. Speakers are the same way, if it's a big name like JBL, Klipsch, Bowers & Wilkins, etc, chances are it'll be good if you look up what the model name is printed on the back.
Identifying audio equipment is pretty easy, the two eras are the silver faced and black plastic crap eras. Silver faced is the period of the late 70s to late 80s and black plastic crap came from the tail end of the 80s into the 90s. The caveat with this is that despite silver faced being measurably better, you can and will find the "black plastic crap" equivalents of their era. Black plastic crap has some good stuff in it too, but you need to know what you're looking for.
Absolutely AVOID any "mini hi-fi" that looks like a crappy boombox, they're garbage and will NOT sound good at all. It may look nice, but the speakers they come with are utter shit along with the electronics.

Attached: 1531363250149.jpg (1689x1751, 744K)

mini hi-fis like this are what you should avoid. I'm currently building a mini hifi using equipment like such in the previous post, and even finding the components that are actually quality, such as >100 watts per channel, high signal to noise ratio, and low harmonic distortion, is hard.
Search craigslist! You can always find good deals on vintage audio equipment that sounds very good from people, but you'll need to put the effort into looking. People may also be looking just like you are so you have to find the right deal.

Attached: psn-scux100.jpg (600x600, 34K)

So is the general idea that older equipment is not that bad to use? For example people love some guitars that were made in the 60's, and you could say the "technology" within the guitar hasn't really changed or improved that much in 50 years (aside maybe from the manufacturing process).

But at the same time, I couldn't really see people using "old" headphones, most looking for a good pair will just buy new from Audio Technica, Sennheiser, etc.

You see my point? Are you basically saying to look for older equipment because the cost for the quality you get is a better deal than buying new?

>So is the general idea that older equipment is not that bad to use?
Yes, you can find really great equipment that was made 20-30 years ago. Pioneer Series 20 gear sells in the thousands simply because of how hi-tech, nice, and rare they are. Similarly, Pioneer SPEC series (also top of the line) will sell for thousands as well.
>I couldn't really see people using "old" headphones
I primarily listen with headphones but I'm not knowledgeable on them. I'm sure the vintage headphones sound great, though. I have a pair of Sennheiser HD598s that I use for my computer and my hi-fi and music sounds great.
>Are you basically saying to look for older equipment because the cost for the quality you get is a better deal than buying new?
Yes. Older equipment can be fetched for a quarter of the price of, I guess, the equivalent to it today. It's no doubt that that $5,000 McIntosh stereo amplifier made today sounds incredible, but you'll be satisfied with any older equipment you manage to pick up on ebay or craigslist for just under a hundred bucks.

Cool, you're right I should check some of those places first

When getting used stuff from craigslist or thrift store, and sometimes ebay, make sure you do a once over on the equipment after bringing it home. Clean it up and such. I can't bring up the archive but I wrote a post on cleaning equipment.
Most dirt and stains can be taken off with isopropyl alcohol and a cloth. Be careful when using acetone on it, it can affect any plastic on the equipment and could possibly damage it. Metal parts are cleaned easily with isopropyl. Plug in your new toy and power it on. Plug in your speakers or headphones and have a listen to your phone with a 3.5mm to RCA cable or the radio if it's a receiver. Twist those knobs on the face. Do they sound scratchy? Do they cut audio altogether? That's corrosion on the potentiometers. Keep playing with them, you can usually get rid of it by simply working them. If it persists, turn off the equipment and unplug it. Take off the top cover and spray some deoxit gold on the pots behind the knobs and switches. Spray them and work them, you want to make sure that the deoxit gets all up inside the pots. Make sure the deoxit flows around and evaporates. Keep the cover off and plug the unit back in. Power it on, listen, and play some more. If everything's fine and clear, then you're good to go. If not, keep working with the deoxit. Dirt and grime can be blasted with a compressor or vacuumed out, this makes your equipment happy since it's less of a fire hazard and less prone to failure.
Close it all up and clean the outside again. If the unit has any signs of hard stains, like it was from a smoker's house, you can use a mild degreaser to take care of them. I haven't tried it myself yet, but I've seen people recommend it and it works.
IF your equipment needs a repair, depending on its age and how well-supported it is, you can repair it yourself. Most basic stuff would be swapping the dead incandescent lightbulbs (if the unit has them) for LED lights. cont 1/2

cont 2/2
Sometimes, but rarely, capacitors and transformers can fail due to the age of the unit. This is a hard job to fix and if you're not confident in doing it yourself DO NOT DO IT. Even if they've failed due to age, there's still a chance that the capacitors will have the charge to zap you and in worst case ontario, even kill you. In the case of tuners, you may not have an oscilloscope so you can get the tuning just right.
You can find repairshops in your area or online that will work on your equipment to restore them to factory spec. Otherwise, any other equipment such as CD playters or cassette decks simply need a nice cleaning on the inside and most likely a replacement of any belts they use so they're good as new.

Came away from the audition EXTREMELY impressed. I lost track of time I was having so much fun. I've NEVER heard Rush Tom Sawyer or YYZ sound so FUCKING good. My mind was blown on how impressive the dynamics were. I feel like... honestly I feel like if a speaker does dynamics well, everything will come together. If all my previous speakers I've owned were 6-8/10 ok dynamics, the JBL are off the charts at like 25/10. I'm telling you there was a physical presence in the room of all the music I played. The drum kit in YYZ, wow, I've never heard a drum kit sound so snappy and visceral on a recording before. And the vocals were very smooth, not harsh at all.

Attached: IMG_3808.jpg (4032x3024, 1.76M)

>Plug in your new toy and power it on. Plug in your speakers or headphones
Plug in the speakers (cheap ones, preferably) before you power on the amp. Some amps can be damaged if there isn't a load and you don't want to risk a short while connecting speaker wires. If the equipment is really old and unrestored powering on requires more care. Look into dim bulb testers and variacs.
>Sometimes, but rarely, capacitors and transformers can fail due to the age of the unit.
Electrolytic capacitors dry out with age and need to be replaced after a while. There are other problematic caps like non-sealed oil caps that can leak and explode.

Some good advice there but vintage gear requires care to keep alive. Audiokarma.org is a good resource.

Awesome. I love YYZ and Rush. Would be nice to hear that.

Attached: Do these hiss?.png (255x496, 37K)

why are you ALREADY looking for new speakers, Iris? the harbeths aren't good anymore?

Yes but when dB is applied to electrical input a doubling of power is a 3db increase. You're taking about dB SPL which is completely different, learn some electronics

You should read the sound&recording review first, there's some problems with port resonance. Still, good price, worth a try even if they don't work out. I don't think you'll have problems selling them @ $500.

soundandrecording.de/equipment/jbl-705p-nahfeldmonitor-im-test/

but do they hiss?

According to sound&recording the self noise is 28dBA @ 10 cm. That's pretty damn quiet.

>Noise level (A-weight): 28 dBA (10 cm)

Genelec 8351 self noise from sound&recording for reference.
soundandrecording.de/equipment/studiomonitor-genelec-8351a-im-test/
>Noise level (A-bew.): 29 dBA (distance 10 cm)

k thanks. ill probably give em a shot then

wait hang on both of those are still noisy as fuck then. i don't wanna hear my speakers whispering at me.

Attached: DECIBEL-SCALE.png (800x552, 93K)

np. post your impressions if you get them.

The Genelec 8351 are known for being used ultra nearfield, and if the 705p is quieter than them, it shouldn't be a problem.
I'm also assuming that those measurements are @ full input gain, which is not what you regularly would set them to. They are most likely silent @ 50%.

So, recently got my first Audio-interface (pic related) and my first XLR microphone (MXL 770).
I mainly use the for voicework over report/documentary video material.
I record on Win10 with DaVinciResolve and occasionally with Audacity and I noticed I'm getting a little low input levels. the IN-gain dial of the interface sits at around the last fifth and everything below that is ridiculously low. I have all sound settings cranked up to 100% and compared to my previous mic, a USB mic by Samson, It is kinda quiet. I have my mouth almost up to the mic itself, lips almost touching the pop-filter.
Is that normal? I know that a lower recording threshold can eliminate noise, but when I boost the IN-signal up to a level so my voice sits at -10 to -15 dB, I still hear some noise reintroduced. If I crank the gain dial all up to max and record normal speaking, it peaks and clips, but the waveform stops at a certain level, not hitting the upper and lower border
BTW, the monitoring sound is MUCH louder than what the PC plays back to me from the recording.

Am I just too used to way too loud voice recording or is something off with my hardware or software?

Attached: Tascam-US-1x2.jpg (960x960, 117K)

>MXL 770
Are you turning on 48v (phantom power)?

Hey guys, figured I'd ask this here too:

Attached: 1537918121586.png (372x186, 63K)

Yes, the lamp on the Interface is on. In DaVinci Resolve, there's a path setting to enable 48V under Instrument/Mic but I ran tests and it has no discernible effect.

I also am not using the -10dB switch or the high-pass switch

bump

Attached: 1530060885022.png (380x496, 132K)

I just use whatever's default on win7

Attached: 1492282009555.png (331x260, 7K)

>97+6dB
>+6
wat

Yea, so that would be Direct Sound. It's much better than what Windows XP used to use. I've played around with WASAPI in foobar (bitperfect) and I don't hear any difference. When my new DAC gets here I'm going to try a DSD file through foobar (with SACD plugin) and see how that goes.

Its 10 cm distance measure

I think he just likes collecting gear and has money for that. If it is him.

Hi Jewerex, really enjoying your QX-2. Thanks again for the nice deal

This. They have their gain quite high out of box but can be set to your taste.

would the fact the win7 I have is on a 64 bit processor be expected to improve sound over XP using kernel streaming?

I thought my first impression was a more open presentation when I plugged this 24/192 USB external sound card into the 64 bit laptop ... I had been running this system on an intel i3 540 with this memory player... RAM lock and all the recommended OS and BIOS tweaks

cicsmemoryplayer.com/index.php?n=CMP.Guide

forgot the pic of the card..

Attached: s-l300.jpg (300x300, 15K)

list a FUCKIN headset

My desktop pc, which i use with headphones, suonds like shit if compared with my phone or my cowon player. It's just flat and not clean. Is there something i can buy to fix this for less than 150€?

Sorry if this is a commonly asked question, but what are some good, cheap, headphones? I don't really care about quality, I just want something that won't leak sound and won't hurt my ears. I don't usually use things like that or listen to loud things so they're quite sensitive.

Attached: fat tony.jpg (1024x736, 261K)

I have two cerwin-vega E315 and two nad 214, nad 917. And JBL gti1500 sub

my condolences

schiit stack or a topping dac/amp combo
ask hpg if you want the latest trends

>cerwin-vega E315
the weak suffer what they must

Attached: bab02da55c5c47550a58a80acc8533ef.png (1000x1000, 2.27M)

still waiting for some laura branigan 5.6mhz DSD rips to appear user

you're always welcome my friend

Attached: Blank+_3b5af2bc1b6c93013ddcf9753ba3fb79.png (800x764, 195K)

jewerex here.

the hiss is just a tiny bit lessened, about as loud as my computer on idle 30%~ fanspeed instead of 40%~.

they added a +4/-10dB knob for rca input to greatly reduce ems noise which is nice.

overall they sound 20% better than lsr305. the dynamics have more impact due to the better cabinet design. sweetspot sounds indeed a bit more widened than before.

the dynamics are unmatched for sure on these and how the high frequencies reach out on your ears without being bothersome is awesome. a keeper for now.

i hope i get to compare them to Kali LP6 when they arrive in germany somehow

forgot pic. the glossy plastic part attracts dust particles like fuck...

Attached: 20180926_124631.jpg (4032x3024, 3.06M)

I just use Jamo, klipsch and denon with my Sony A1E

Which Jamo and Klipsch? Doubt they'd voice very well together. Jamo is fairly neutral and Klipsch is bright.

The Jamo is the s413, the klipsch is just 2 I'm using for rears for 7.1. I've had the Jamos for 8 years and they've done me good.

What's a good CRT to get?

Attached: 1537954652449.jpg (480x640, 43K)

Will be fine doing that then, the surround backs barely make any noise. Kinda just ambience for the most part.

I have $100 and a usb audio interface with line out. Should I get headphone amp for it or some usb amp+dac combo?

My hissing went away when i connected it to an aunex1s. They are picky af.

>overall they sound 20% better than lsr305. the dynamics have more impact due to the better cabinet design. sweetspot sounds indeed a bit more widened than before.
wow this placebo purchase rationalization lol

Just to help illustrate what I'm talking about:
This is the mic cranked up to max on ALL channels, including the gain dial on the interface and in the interface-specific software and me screaming into the microphone. There seems to be a limiter in place.

Attached: Tascam_Mic_Level.png (1920x1080, 128K)

i have had enough monitor speakers on my desk, ranging from 100 to 400€ that i can tell you that my opinion is not purchase rationalized user

Comparison the same to Linux

Attached: Screenshot_20180926_161921.png (1920x1080, 99K)

whatever schizo, you can imagine whatever you want if it makes your life less miserable

are you using asio?

because if you're using windows sound instead of asio then make sure to check all the control panel settings in there as well, windows 10 'enhancements', levels and such