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Audiophile GAF

OmegaSupreme

OmegaSupreme

advanced basic bitch
My living room isn't big enough for these speakers lol. I'm able to keep them about a foot away from a back wall but unfortunately, they are really close to bookshelves and my tv stand on either side of them. Its not ideal but what can you do.

What do you guys prefer aesthetically? Grills on or off? I like grills off but i worry my cats might get a hair up their asses give them a scratch test.
 
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DetectiveBananas

DetectiveBananas

Member
OmegaSupreme said:
giphy.gif
My living room isn't big enough for these speakers lol. I'm able to keep them about a foot away from a back wall but unfortunately, they are really close to bookshelves and my tv stand on either side of them. Its not ideal but what can you do.

What do you guys prefer aesthetically? Grills on or off? I like grills off but i worry my cats might get a hair up their asses give them a scratch test
Click to expand...
Cats sure can be little assholes! 😄. I prefer the off look but if my cat was still alive I don’t think I would risk it in your situation!
 
DetectiveBananas

DetectiveBananas

Member
giphy.gif
Side note…Did finally get the TT hooked up and went out on got my first record over the weekend. Played it today and was pretty damn shocked how good it sounds vs the CD player. Was worried about hiss/pop/crackling but only heard it once the side A ended and it was very minimal. I know I don’t have top of the line set up but now all my worries about diving into record collecting have dissolved. Family thought I was nuts for buying one but wife was impressed as well.
 
Maiden Voyage

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
OmegaSupreme said:
My living room isn't big enough for these speakers lol. I'm able to keep them about a foot away from a back wall but unfortunately, they are really close to bookshelves and my tv stand on either side of them. Its not ideal but what can you do.

What do you guys prefer aesthetically? Grills on or off? I like grills off but i worry my cats might get a hair up their asses give them a scratch test.
Click to expand...
Grills off for me but it depends on the speakers.

DetectiveBananas said:
giphy.gif
Side note…Did finally get the TT hooked up and went out on got my first record over the weekend. Played it today and was pretty damn shocked how good it sounds vs the CD player. Was worried about hiss/pop/crackling but only heard it once the side A ended and it was very minimal. I know I don’t have top of the line set up but now all my worries about diving into record collecting have dissolved. Family thought I was nuts for buying one but wife was impressed as well.
Click to expand...
An anti-static brush will help with pops and clicks. I clean mine before every listen with the brush but I also have an insane amount of dog hair floating around because my Australian terrier sheds like crazy.
 
DetectiveBananas

DetectiveBananas

Member
Maiden Voyage said:
Grills off for me but it depends on the speakers.


An anti-static brush will help with pops and clicks. I clean mine before every listen with the brush but I also have an insane amount of dog hair floating around because my Australian terrier sheds like crazy.
Click to expand...
Any thoughts on inner sleeves for record? Mine came with a paper sleeve that already left little white specs on the record when i pulled it out. Which are the better options to protect them?
 
J

jason10mm

Gold Member
DetectiveBananas said:
Any thoughts on inner sleeves for record? Mine came with a paper sleeve that already left little white specs on the record when i pulled it out. Which are the better options to protect them?
Click to expand...
I bought like 50 sleeves (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001LQSFKY/?tag=neogaf0e-20 this brand seemed to be the most recommended) for $22 bucks. Seems like pretty cheap....insurance?, protection? whatever. Probably has little real value because certainly records were sold for DECADES with all sorts of paper sleeves or even just in the cardboard and I don't think they were all destroyed, but what the hey?
 
Ulysses 31

Ulysses 31

Member
DetectiveBananas said:
Side note…Did finally get the TT hooked up and went out on got my first record over the weekend. Played it today and was pretty damn shocked how good it sounds vs the CD player. Was worried about hiss/pop/crackling but only heard it once the side A ended and it was very minimal. I know I don’t have top of the line set up but now all my worries about diving into record collecting have dissolved. Family thought I was nuts for buying one but wife was impressed as well.
Click to expand...
You can try wood glue for records with lots of pops and crackles. I did it with some I got of eBay. :messenger_winking_tongue:

 
Maiden Voyage

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
DetectiveBananas said:
Any thoughts on inner sleeves for record? Mine came with a paper sleeve that already left little white specs on the record when i pulled it out. Which are the better options to protect them?
Click to expand...
I use whatever came with the record tbh. I should get the fancy anti static inner serves but I’m too cheap. I do buy outer plastic sleeves though.
 
DetectiveBananas

DetectiveBananas

Member
jason10mm said:
I bought like 50 sleeves (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001LQSFKY/?tag=neogaf0e-20 this brand seemed to be the most recommended) for $22 bucks. Seems like pretty cheap....insurance?, protection? whatever. Probably has little real value because certainly records were sold for DECADES with all sorts of paper sleeves or even just in the cardboard and I don't think they were all destroyed, but what the hey?
Click to expand...
These seem like a good option. Just don’t want that much debris on my record every time I take it out. The paper inner sleeve just feels cheap.
 
J

jason10mm

Gold Member
DetectiveBananas

DetectiveBananas

Member
Maiden Voyage said:
These are dumb but I still want one.
www.turntablelab.com

Technics: Miniature Collection SL-1200M7L Replica Toy Model - Single / Random Blind Box

Buy Technics: Miniature Collection SL-1200M7L Replica Toy Model - Single / Random Blind Box at TurntableLab.com, a Better Music Store Experience since 1999.
www.turntablelab.com www.turntablelab.com
Click to expand...
Great gift for anyone. Put it in your Fish tank, Hang it from your Christmas Tree, or get a jump start on making a diorama of Shaun and Ed playing records at 3 am in “Shaun of the Dead”…

giphy.gif
 
DetectiveBananas

DetectiveBananas

Member
Has anyone bought records using WhatNot? They gave me $15 credit for signing up and figured I could get a $30 record for half price, but is it a good way to add to your collection? Was wondering if sellers package the item well and if the records are actually in good shape 🤔. I keep hearing how scammers are infesting Discogs so trying to find the best online record buying options.
 
Maiden Voyage

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
DetectiveBananas said:
Has anyone bought records using WhatNot? They gave me $15 credit for signing up and figured I could get a $30 record for half price, but is it a good way to add to your collection? Was wondering if sellers package the item well and if the records are actually in good shape 🤔. I keep hearing how scammers are infesting Discogs so trying to find the best online record buying options.
Click to expand...
I’ve not yet bought any used records online except through my nearest record store. I trust the guy who runs it. I’m too weary of condition to by used without seeing it first. Out of the 185 records I own, only 17 are used.

But I also tend to buy direct from the artist whenever I can. Besides that, IRL record store first, Bandcamp second, and big retailers third. IRL record store is my number.
 
K

kevm3

Member
Absolutely still loving the sound coming from these KLH Model 5 speakers. From the pictures, they have an ugly, old school look, but in person, they blend in nicely.
 
Maiden Voyage

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
DetectiveBananas said:
MoFi_UD1S_Van_Halen_Render_Box_Cover_1000x.jpg

Do any of you own any of the Mofi Records? Watching some videos on them and was wondering if it’s just hype or do they justify the $100 price?
Click to expand...
Their shtick was no digital. Turns out that wasn’t exactly the whole picture.

That said, as someone who doesn’t fear digitization, I’ve read their masters are typically very well done. I’m not going to pay that premium myself unless it’s a favorite of mine.
 
J

jason10mm

Gold Member
Maiden Voyage said:
Their shtick was no digital. Turns out that wasn’t exactly the whole picture.

That said, as someone who doesn’t fear digitization, I’ve read their masters are typically very well done. I’m not going to pay that premium myself unless it’s a favorite of mine.
Click to expand...
Yeah, they are skewing a bit older music/genre than I like, though I'm curious about the Thriller pressing. I am kinda curious just how deep into gear you gotta go to get into the SOUND of vinyl being a true discriminator versus just the era of the recording (lower DR for more modern mixed stuff made more loud compared to a 70's/80's era mix, for example) to justify a premium for the record versus just a good streaming source and the record more for tactile feelings. I doubt I'm getting much benefit from actual vinyl given that I'm listening to what is probably crappy recorded in the first place glam rock from the 80's mostly but it's still fun.
 
Laptop1991

Laptop1991

Member
Well my new HD mp3 Surfans player that plays all the formats didn't work with my Soundcore motion boom speakers but did with my older soundbar by bluetooth, i was going to send it back disappointed when i noticed it had a line out and hooked it up to my old Technics hifi 5 speaker system that i haven't used for years as it only plays dvd's and cd's, but i couldn't part with it, wow what a difference, the sound is so much better, the Motion Boom's are relegated
 
nightmare-slain

nightmare-slain

Member
Sorry if this is not welcome here but I don't know where else to ask and don't want to start my own thread.

my sony wf-1000xm3 are dead and i need new earphones. don't like the look of the wf-1000xm4 earphones. i have iphone so want to try airpods. should i get airpods 3 or airpod pro 2? as far as i can tell the only big difference is they have the little rubber tips to go in your ear, noise cancellation, and have Find My built into the case. i was going to go for the airpods pro 2 since what's an extra £40-50 if i'm going to be spending £180 on the airpod 3? the extra features might be worth it but i read the airpod pro 2 aren't as comfortable as the airpods 3. i've never really liked the rubber bits going into my ears but i'm worried that the standard airpods will be too noisy with no rubber tips or noise cancellation. i didn't really use noise cancellation a lot.... only if i was on the train or trying to sleep and drown out the bloody dogs next door barking. i do have headphones with noise cancellation so i guess i could live without it. why not just use my headphones? they are too big to stick in my bag and i feel like a clown wearing them and really don't want to wear them outside. plus they aren't water resistant and it rains a LOT here.
 
Maiden Voyage

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
nightmare-slain said:
Sorry if this is not welcome here but I don't know where else to ask and don't want to start my own thread.

my sony wf-1000xm3 are dead and i need new earphones. don't like the look of the wf-1000xm4 earphones. i have iphone so want to try airpods. should i get airpods 3 or airpod pro 2? as far as i can tell the only big difference is they have the little rubber tips to go in your ear, noise cancellation, and have Find My built into the case. i was going to go for the airpods pro 2 since what's an extra £40-50 if i'm going to be spending £180 on the airpod 3? the extra features might be worth it but i read the airpod pro 2 aren't as comfortable as the airpods 3. i've never really liked the rubber bits going into my ears but i'm worried that the standard airpods will be too noisy with no rubber tips or noise cancellation. i didn't really use noise cancellation a lot.... only if i was on the train or trying to sleep and drown out the bloody dogs next door barking. i do have headphones with noise cancellation so i guess i could live without it. why not just use my headphones? they are too big to stick in my bag and i feel like a clown wearing them and really don't want to wear them outside. plus they aren't water resistant and it rains a LOT here.
Click to expand...
I’d personally go for the pros but both are solid choices.
 
EviLore

EviLore

Expansive Ellipses
Staff Member
nightmare-slain said:
Sorry if this is not welcome here but I don't know where else to ask and don't want to start my own thread.

my sony wf-1000xm3 are dead and i need new earphones. don't like the look of the wf-1000xm4 earphones. i have iphone so want to try airpods. should i get airpods 3 or airpod pro 2? as far as i can tell the only big difference is they have the little rubber tips to go in your ear, noise cancellation, and have Find My built into the case. i was going to go for the airpods pro 2 since what's an extra £40-50 if i'm going to be spending £180 on the airpod 3? the extra features might be worth it but i read the airpod pro 2 aren't as comfortable as the airpods 3. i've never really liked the rubber bits going into my ears but i'm worried that the standard airpods will be too noisy with no rubber tips or noise cancellation. i didn't really use noise cancellation a lot.... only if i was on the train or trying to sleep and drown out the bloody dogs next door barking. i do have headphones with noise cancellation so i guess i could live without it. why not just use my headphones? they are too big to stick in my bag and i feel like a clown wearing them and really don't want to wear them outside. plus they aren't water resistant and it rains a LOT here.
Click to expand...
AirPods Pro v2. The noise cancellation is a game changer and fidelity is very good.
 
In Cold Blood

In Cold Blood

Banned
Anyone else surprised by the quality of Chinese made audio gear?
They have some really surprising gear that really cheap, but mixes it up with brands four times the price.

You can get IEMs, Wireless ANC headphones etc that are 90% as good as the top stuff, but 30% the price.
We all know that the Chinese theft of IP is off the charts, so it was only a matter of time before they started nailing some of their products.

I have been buying a number of Wireless over ear headphones from there, just from a curiosity thing, and some of the stuff is really, really good.
I have Sony and AKG sets, and I have bought some of the better Chinese brands that offer similar specs, and it's close, real close. The average person would not be able to tell the difference, and the price...

Take a dive one day, it's quite the journey, and becareful, because if you have a little OCD like me, you can get caught up buying tons of them.
 
Maiden Voyage

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
In Cold Blood said:
Anyone else surprised by the quality of Chinese made audio gear?
They have some really surprising gear that really cheap, but mixes it up with brands four times the price.

You can get IEMs, Wireless ANC headphones etc that are 90% as good as the top stuff, but 30% the price.
We all know that the Chinese theft of IP is off the charts, so it was only a matter of time before they started nailing some of their products.

I have been buying a number of Wireless over ear headphones from there, just from a curiosity thing, and some of the stuff is really, really good.
I have Sony and AKG sets, and I have bought some of the better Chinese brands that offer similar specs, and it's close, real close. The average person would not be able to tell the difference, and the price...

Take a dive one day, it's quite the journey, and becareful, because if you have a little OCD like me, you can get caught up buying tons of them.
Click to expand...
Yeah Chi Fi has been surprisingly good for me. I assume IP theft is exactly why.
 
Reallink

Reallink

Member
In Cold Blood said:
Anyone else surprised by the quality of Chinese made audio gear?
They have some really surprising gear that really cheap, but mixes it up with brands four times the price.

You can get IEMs, Wireless ANC headphones etc that are 90% as good as the top stuff, but 30% the price.
We all know that the Chinese theft of IP is off the charts, so it was only a matter of time before they started nailing some of their products.

I have been buying a number of Wireless over ear headphones from there, just from a curiosity thing, and some of the stuff is really, really good.
I have Sony and AKG sets, and I have bought some of the better Chinese brands that offer similar specs, and it's close, real close. The average person would not be able to tell the difference, and the price...

Take a dive one day, it's quite the journey, and becareful, because if you have a little OCD like me, you can get caught up buying tons of them.
Click to expand...

In most cases there was nothing to steal as 95% of western headphones and IEM companies don't design their own drivers, they just slap their labels on models the factories in Shenzhen already produce. Once enterprising China'men in the city realized western companies were charging $600 for something that cost $6 to produce and ship, they started buying the same drivers from the same factories and sold effectively the same product at 1/8th the price.
 
Last edited:
J

jason10mm

Gold Member
Reallink said:
In most cases there was nothing to steal as 95% of western headphones and IEM companies don't design their own drivers, they just slap their labels on models the factories in Shenzhen already produce. Once enterprising China'men in the city realized western companies were charging $600 for something that cost $6 to produce and ship, they started buying the same drivers from the same factories and sold effectively the same product at 1/8th the price.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I feel like this is true for lots of stuff. What the "major" companies hopefully bring is better QC and maybe some improved build quality around the electronics.

Just got myself some HD600 cans. Not spent much time with them yet but now I'm gonna try to build this to drive 'em as I've been teaching myself how to solder. Wish me luck....

oYewxhe.jpg
 
Mohonky

Mohonky

Member
In Cold Blood said:
Anyone else surprised by the quality of Chinese made audio gear?
They have some really surprising gear that really cheap, but mixes it up with brands four times the price.

You can get IEMs, Wireless ANC headphones etc that are 90% as good as the top stuff, but 30% the price.
We all know that the Chinese theft of IP is off the charts, so it was only a matter of time before they started nailing some of their products.

I have been buying a number of Wireless over ear headphones from there, just from a curiosity thing, and some of the stuff is really, really good.
I have Sony and AKG sets, and I have bought some of the better Chinese brands that offer similar specs, and it's close, real close. The average person would not be able to tell the difference, and the price...

Take a dive one day, it's quite the journey, and becareful, because if you have a little OCD like me, you can get caught up buying tons of them.
Click to expand...
Nup, the HiFi industry has been extortionate since forever, you pull apart the boutique gear and it's only just the same basic shit repackaged in a nice case and some story about how the company was founded to give it some mystique.

Speakers are probably the worst offenders for this; you're paying for the craftsmanship of furniture basically.
 
Reallink

Reallink

Member
Mohonky said:
Nup, the HiFi industry has been extortionate since forever, you pull apart the boutique gear and it's only just the same basic shit repackaged in a nice case and some story about how the company was founded to give it some mystique.

Speakers are probably the worst offenders for this; you're paying for the craftsmanship of furniture basically.
Click to expand...

In most cases not even that. Virtually all bookshelves under $1000 and towers under $2000 (including many far more expensive than that) are just rectangular MDF boxes with faux-woodgain stickers glued on, sharp corners, flat sides, and cheap peg holes for the grill. Literally $19 Walmart furniture. It's no secret that profit margins on many speakers can exceed 90%, which is why it's so routine to see sales 50-75% off (a price that still nets a healthy profit for both the retailers and manufacturers). Astonishingly though speakers are the least profitable Hifi product. The $1000+ Stereo amps, pre-amps, streamers, cables, and gaggles of snake oil accessories like power cable, riser blocks, and magic crystals represent 10x - 1000x returns on the BoM investment.
 
Last edited:
Mr Reasonable

Mr Reasonable

Completely Unreasonable
In Cold Blood said:
Anyone else surprised by the quality of Chinese made audio gear?
They have some really surprising gear that really cheap, but mixes it up with brands four times the price.

You can get IEMs, Wireless ANC headphones etc that are 90% as good as the top stuff, but 30% the price.
We all know that the Chinese theft of IP is off the charts, so it was only a matter of time before they started nailing some of their products.

I have been buying a number of Wireless over ear headphones from there, just from a curiosity thing, and some of the stuff is really, really good.
I have Sony and AKG sets, and I have bought some of the better Chinese brands that offer similar specs, and it's close, real close. The average person would not be able to tell the difference, and the price...

Take a dive one day, it's quite the journey, and becareful, because if you have a little OCD like me, you can get caught up buying tons of them.
Click to expand...
Care to share some links?

I likely won't buy anything but I'm interested to know what and where people are buying. I bought some cheap in ears a while back and as you say they were most of the way to really good, aside from some distortion in the top end that I just couldn't get past.

To some degree, I would say that the risk is that you don't know what you're getting until you get it, but given that so many people sell through Amazon. You can still easily return things if they're no good.
 
Mohonky

Mohonky

Member
It
Reallink said:
In most cases not even that. Virtually all bookshelves under $1000 and towers under $2000 (including many far more expensive than that) are just rectangular MDF boxes with faux-woodgain stickers glued on, sharp corners, flat sides, and cheap peg holes for the grill. Literally $19 Walmart furniture. It's no secret that profit margins on many speakers can exceed 90%, which is why it's so routine to see sales 50-75% off (a price that still nets a healthy profit for both the retailers and manufacturers). Astonishingly though speakers are the least profitable Hifi product. The $1000+ Stereo amps, pre-amps, streamers, cables, and gaggles of snake oil accessories like power cable, riser blocks, and magic crystals represent 10x - 1000x returns on the BoM investment.
Click to expand...
Its funny you mention cables; for all the 'you need good cables' rhetoric, it's funny to open up speakers and look at the piss poor cables they use in the speaker and whatever monkey they trained to solder it.
 
Maiden Voyage

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
Reallink said:
In most cases not even that. Virtually all bookshelves under $1000 and towers under $2000 (including many far more expensive than that) are just rectangular MDF boxes with faux-woodgain stickers glued on, sharp corners, flat sides, and cheap peg holes for the grill. Literally $19 Walmart furniture. It's no secret that profit margins on many speakers can exceed 90%, which is why it's so routine to see sales 50-75% off (a price that still nets a healthy profit for both the retailers and manufacturers). Astonishingly though speakers are the least profitable Hifi product. The $1000+ Stereo amps, pre-amps, streamers, cables, and gaggles of snake oil accessories like power cable, riser blocks, and magic crystals represent 10x - 1000x returns on the BoM investment.
Click to expand...
The extra costs come from R&D and other overheads.

I could be wrong here as I'm just a layman when it comes to audio engineering or the principals of acoustic design, but as I understand it the various transistors and components can impact the sound reproduction profile. IE, a frequency response for the same driver would vary based on electrical components. Same for the body of the speaker. Air flow as well. Audiophiles are willing to pay more for a slight difference in sound.

As an aside--My identifying with the audiophile community is less gear-oriented and much more on the music-production-appreciation side of things. I'm here for the music first and foremost. Gear is about 40% of the equation for me. Thankfully, I can spend less because of it. :messenger_grinning_sweat:
 
Robbinhood

Robbinhood

Banned
I'm on the fence on the Audeze Maxwell headphones, someone tell me if I should splurge or save my money for something down the line.

Currently using Arctis 7P. I need wireless thats the most important thing.

I have a great 5.1 setup but when I need to game on headphones its a huge drop in quality.
 
Maiden Voyage

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
Robbinhood said:
I'm on the fence on the Audeze Maxwell headphones, someone tell me if I should splurge or save my money for something down the line.

Currently using Arctis 7P. I need wireless thats the most important thing.

I have a great 5.1 setup but when I need to game on headphones its a huge drop in quality.
Click to expand...
Those Audeze cans are planar drivers. I would love to try that. If game audio and speech are the primary usecases, I think they would sound better but that’s only based on my experience with a pair of planar IEMs. The bass is very tamed in those but the mods and highs sound fantastic. I wonder if the same would hold true in the much larger form factor?

If you do get them, I’d love to read your thoughts on them.
 
Robbinhood

Robbinhood

Banned
Maiden Voyage said:
Those Audeze cans are planar drivers. I would love to try that. If game audio and speech are the primary usecases, I think they would sound better but that’s only based on my experience with a pair of planar IEMs. The bass is very tamed in those but the mods and highs sound fantastic. I wonder if the same would hold true in the much larger form factor?

If you do get them, I’d love to read your thoughts on them.
Click to expand...
I've seen online videos mention recessed bass at the lower range, who knows. They are well regarded for non gaming purposes. For me its all about gaming.
 
J

Joramun

Member
Anyone playing Diablo 4?

Do you guys enable anything other than Stereo within the game settings?

I'm testing both 7.1 and Stereo and the latter sounds better to me.

Will do further testing with other games.
 
Hibs

Hibs

Member
Picked up some Kali MM-6s (desktop setup) ( Lp6 v2 w/ added connectivity) But I'm still tempted to try some KEF Q150 passives.

Also got some Maxwells which I now use over my 560s. I love the 560s + G6 SBX combo. They are amazing for sound positioning, and I don't find Dolby even close to SBX. But after getting use to them In stereo, they sound super nice in Music and general gaming. People act like they don't have any imaging or something, it's just not as good as open back headphones.

But what they lack they more than make up for. The mic noise suppression feature is insane. I have an AC unit on max 4 1/2 feet away from me, and with an open mic, nobody hears anything. No more bothering friends with my loud ass keyboard. I always hated using push to talk and now I'm golden.


Joramun said:
Anyone playing Diablo 4?

Do you guys enable anything other than Stereo within the game settings?

I'm testing both 7.1 and Stereo and the latter sounds better to me.

Will do further testing with other games.
Click to expand...

Depends, what are you using? Headphones, use stereo unless they have a 3D option, then see if you like that. If you're using a spatial option (Dolby, DTS:X ) then use 5.1/7.1 setting in-game.
 
J

Joramun

Member
Hibs said:
Depends, what are you using? Headphones, use stereo unless they have a 3D option, then see if you like that. If you're using a spatial option (Dolby, DTS:X ) then use 5.1/7.1 setting in-game.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I'm using headphones with no 3D option. Stereo mode definitely sounds better.
 
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