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Probably a dumb basic speaker wiring question here, when wiring in parallel is there a difference between splitting a cable before the speakers vs attaching the second speaker's wires to the first speaker's contacts? Like:code:
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Jun 9, 2013 03:27
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Nova88 posted:I have an ASUS Xonar DG soundcard and would be using either the Zalman Clip-on Mic,ModMic or a Xuanyan clip-on but I haven't decided on which. Recommendations for where to purchase from would also be appreciated, for the aforementioned TAD400 I found only the official website and a Japanese import on Amazon with no reviews. As a recommendation: I've been rockin my Zalman clip-on for a while (just checked my e-mails, purchased on 5-Jan-2009) and I haven't taken the best care of it but it sounds great the the $6 I paid for it  I'd say just grab whatever headphones sound good to you and grab it. I would say go for the ModMic but it's had so many issues with quality assurance and it's rarely in stock anyways. I would look elsewhere until they get their poo poo together.
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Jun 9, 2013 03:50
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My father's birthday is coming up and I'm looking to replace his aging (read: older than my college age brother) AM/FM radio that he listens to the ballgames on at work. This is literally his only use for it and it just needs to have a good antenna and decent audio quality. Any recommendations in the sub-$100 realm? PS: His work is in a reinforced government building back in the woods. He gets marginal reception now with his radio in the window. Just good enough to hear the game through an awful droning hum.
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Jun 13, 2013 21:35
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Toshimo posted:My father's birthday is coming up and I'm looking to replace his aging (read: older than my college age brother) AM/FM radio that he listens to the ballgames on at work. This is literally his only use for it and it just needs to have a good antenna and decent audio quality. Any recommendations in the sub-$100 realm? I think the Tivoli One is gorgeous, but its a little above your price range, and some of the reviews aren't great. Look at the Amazon "also looked at" suggestions from the Tivoli?
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Jun 14, 2013 01:33
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Toshimo posted:My father's birthday is coming up and I'm looking to replace his aging (read: older than my college age brother) AM/FM radio that he listens to the ballgames on at work. This is literally his only use for it and it just needs to have a good antenna and decent audio quality. Any recommendations in the sub-$100 realm? Honestly, if his reception's that bad then maybe a better bet would be for him to stream the game online. He wouldn't even need to necessarily listen to something other than his station- at this point, I think every half-decent radio station in the country (particularly the ones that carry major sporting events, and basically every ESPN Radio affiliate) has an online feed. There are a ton of iOS and Android apps, as well as websites, that aggregate and stream those with minimal fuss. If he's got wifi- or at least an Internet connection- at work, then that's probably going to be a much easier, more reliable, and possibly less expensive way to listen to whatever station he wants than to try to get an OTA setup that works through his building and geographic location.
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Jun 14, 2013 06:56
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Electric Bugaloo posted:Honestly, if his reception's that bad then maybe a better bet would be for him to stream the game online. He wouldn't even need to necessarily listen to something other than his station- at this point, I think every half-decent radio station in the country (particularly the ones that carry major sporting events, and basically every ESPN Radio affiliate) has an online feed. There are a ton of iOS and Android apps, as well as websites, that aggregate and stream those with minimal fuss. If he's got wifi- or at least an Internet connection- at work, then that's probably going to be a much easier, more reliable, and possibly less expensive way to listen to whatever station he wants than to try to get an OTA setup that works through his building and geographic location. He doesn't have a smartphone and he's in a secure federal building so the internet access is tightly controlled and streaming is verboten.
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Jun 14, 2013 12:14
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eddiewalker posted:I think the Tivoli One is gorgeous, but its a little above your price range, and some of the reviews aren't great. Look at the Amazon "also looked at" suggestions from the Tivoli? Seconding Tivoli - at least the FM reception on those is fabulous compared to similar products. A bit on the pricy side, but will last a lifetime (as long as your country doesn't switch to digital radio).
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Jun 14, 2013 14:34
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Sangean has some decent little radios you can add external antennas to. They tend to be cheaper than Tivoli. It's too bad the GE SuperRadio thing's quality has dropped through the floor since it changed to RCA. My dad has been using them for years and they're pretty much perfect for your situation.
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Jun 14, 2013 15:26
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So I got my hands on some old competition grade Orion 15 inch DVC subs from my brother and I am currently powering them with a Crown XLS 402 I picked up cheap. I currently have each one bridged to 2 ohms and they produce bass like you wouldn't believe. My only problem is both have some wear to them and produce some crackling. (One worse than the other.) SO. My question is, would I be best off getting these repaired, or replacing them, and if I do replace them, should I go with a home audio sub instead? I like having a lot of bass when I want it for certain music. That being said, I also really like to watch movies with this same setup. I don't really know anything about the difference between home audio subwoofers and car ones. Question two: should I maybe just get one sub and bridge mono? I know my current setup isn't one recommended in the manual for my amp. Edit: Link for my amp http://www.crownaudio.com/usa/xls-series.html
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Jun 16, 2013 02:39
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DaCheese posted:So I got my hands on some old competition grade Orion 15 inch DVC subs from my brother and I am currently powering them with a Crown XLS 402 I picked up cheap. The difference between car subs and home theater subs is usually down to the ability to deal with heat. The car subs tend to be built with dissipating heat better. Because of this, they can take sustained stress for longer periods of time in that environment. Home theater subs tend to be set up to extend lower into the subharmonic regions. Car audio guys like to tune their enclosures for max efficiency down into the 30hz range (from what I gather, Im not a car audio expert at all), where as the DIY theater crowd try to get extension below 10hz. If you can get your drivers fixed for cheap, I would do that, and then build some enclosures. If you want to get new drivers, these two are very popular for budget sealed and ported builds: http://www.istonline.ca/mach5_ixl_18.html http://stereointegrity.com/index.php?id=60 (the 18") http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=295-472 Or if you want better performance http://www.istonline.ca/mach5_uxl_18.html If you want really really tight low distortion bass and seriously loud decibels without needing too much amplifier, the tapped horn builds have no rivals. The downside is they take up a bit of room, but can be used as furniture. They also don't extend down as low. 18hz or so is about all you can get down to while keeping the size manageable. Budget Drivers that work well with tapped horns: Kicker Comp VT 15" Alpine Type S 15" Popular Tapped Horn builds: LilMike's Lil HouseWrecker http://www.avsforum.com/t/1451519/lilmikes-lilwrecker Look at the posted response graph for a moment. Thats over 115db from a cheap 15" sub outside from around 16hz to 80hz. It's over 120db from about 24hz to 80hz. In a house with two of those you will never play them at max volume. Not because you cant, but because your house will break and you will go insane and kill yourself (not a joke. It's happened). WolfHorns http://www.avsforum.com/t/1358970/2-wolfhorn-sdx-s-as-a-riser These use dual 10" drivers. It's a skinny box that can be propped against a wall or behind a screen or layed down flat on the floor used as a seat riser or bar riser. LilMike's Cinema t-6 http://www.avsforum.com/t/1358033/lilmikes-cinema-t-6 a 6 cubic foot tapped horn made from an 8" or 10" driver, I believe it uses a single 1/2" thick sheet of plywood. quote:It turned out pretty good. I am currently listening to a pair, loaded with 8s, and I really don't find them to be lacking. I'd have used 10s if I had them, but as I have a number of 8s, buying more drivers was not an option. As it is - I am able to exceed 115 dB at the couch above 30 Hz with the pair.
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Jun 16, 2013 04:06
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. Edit:wrong thread
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Jul 1, 2013 15:46
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I just bought a new Panasonic plasma TV that has TOSLINK out, but no RCA/HDMI out. I want better audio for my PS3 games, movies, and streaming via PS3. I have an older receiver with two Polk speakers that I want to hook up to it. I bought an optical to RCA converter and some speaker wire. Two questions: Will I get low quality audio because of the converter? And Should I do TOSLINK on TV -> receiver (HDMI from PS3 -> to TV, and then TOSLINK out to receiver?), or should I go PS3 HDMI video -> TV and PS3 TOSLINK -> receiver? e: this is the TV - http://www.sears.com/panasonic-42inch-class-1080p-600hz-plasma-smart-hdtv/p-05775142000P Red Robin Hood fucked around with this message at 22:43 on Jul 2, 2013 |
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Jul 2, 2013 22:40
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Red Robin Hood posted:I just bought a new Panasonic plasma TV that has TOSLINK out, but no RCA/HDMI out. I want better audio for my PS3 games, movies, and streaming via PS3. I have an older receiver with two Polk speakers that I want to hook up to it. I bought an optical to RCA converter and some speaker wire. Two questions: That TV has audio return channel (ARC), FYI.
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Jul 2, 2013 23:47
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upsciLLion posted:That TV has audio return channel (ARC), FYI. My receiver is kind of old and only has RCA in. Would it be better to do HDMI -> RCA or TOSLINK -> RCA?
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Jul 3, 2013 00:07
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Red Robin Hood posted:My receiver is kind of old and only has RCA in. Would it be better to do HDMI -> RCA or TOSLINK -> RCA? If you aren't opposed to buying a new receiver with HDMI, I would recommend that since I don't know which of the two conversion options is better. 
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Jul 3, 2013 00:41
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Red Robin Hood posted:My receiver is kind of old and only has RCA in. Would it be better to do HDMI -> RCA or TOSLINK -> RCA? It would be the same either way. I'd second the "upgrade your receiver" opinion, since the DACs in those cheap converters are crap. Also a new receiver will make your life so much easier when you only need 1 remote.
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Jul 3, 2013 01:37
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upsciLLion posted:If you aren't opposed to buying a new receiver with HDMI, I would recommend that since I don't know which of the two conversion options is better. KillHour posted:It would be the same either way. I'd second the "upgrade your receiver" opinion, since the DACs in those cheap converters are crap. Also a new receiver will make your life so much easier when you only need 1 remote. Thank you for the suggestions. Unfortunately a new receiver isn't an option for me at this time. That obviously would be the best option but I just bought this TV, paid rent, and need to buy plane tickets on Monday. New receiver will have to wait! Until then I will have to stand up to turn the receiver's power on, and deal with the conversion (I'm no audiophile so I haven't noticed anything weird). On the bright side, it does work and it sounds nice... even with only two speakers and a converter. Again, thanks for the input. Much appreciated!
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Jul 3, 2013 02:01
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Tell me about soundproofing please. I need to reduce the noise pollution from my beat laboratory down a few notches. I'm thinking I need to fully cover the door into the room and put some panels on two of the walls. I don't need 100% reduction, just a bit more quiet. What should I expect to spend? I'm thinking around a hundred bucks or so to get a 50% reduction in sound leakage. Does that sound realistic? Also I have one window that currently has a few blankets nailed to the edges, is there a window-specific product I can get that would work better? EDIT: Just measured and in the room I'm at 100db, outside the room with the door closed I'm at 80db (40db is the baseline level with the amp off. Guessing 60db would be a good target for outside the room? revmoo fucked around with this message at 23:08 on Jul 11, 2013 |
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Jul 11, 2013 23:01
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revmoo posted:Tell me about soundproofing please. I need to reduce the noise pollution from my beat laboratory down a few notches. I'm thinking I need to fully cover the door into the room and put some panels on two of the walls. I don't need 100% reduction, just a bit more quiet. What should I expect to spend? I'm thinking around a hundred bucks or so to get a 50% reduction in sound leakage. Does that sound realistic? Also I have one window that currently has a few blankets nailed to the edges, is there a window-specific product I can get that would work better? The consensus is: Go all the way or don't bother. Soundproofing from the inside is much like an Aquarium. Sound leaks like water. Other than a flimsy door, sound will escape from heating vents, electrical sockets in the drywall, windows etc. I've seen examples online of people spending thousands on material, double drywall, green glue in between, special insulation, and being not really any better when measured than a normal room. Consider mixing at a lower volume? Why not 85db average/rms ?
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Jul 12, 2013 01:54
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Is there an easy to install graphic eq for windows 7?
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Jul 17, 2013 02:25
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I got a decent quality 7.1 receiver off of craigslist for only $100, but I'm having much worse luck finding any speakers at all to go with it. I just moved to a city for the upcoming year after which I'll almost certainly move away to God-only-knows-where, I'm not super wealthy but have low expenses (so a few hundred to throw around), and I'd like to get some decent 5.1 or 7.1 speakers. Which would likely sound better: a cheap but well-reviewed system like this - http://www.amazon.com/Jamo-426-HCS-WENGE-5-Piece/dp/B003GGXGU6/ - or some actual quality, individual (say, Polk Monitor) 3.1 speakers for now and upgrade later? I'm looking at using them it a not-so-large living room. If I were sure to keep them during the move, I'd opt for nicer ones and build them up over time, but space in my car for moving is at a real premium, so I'm much more likely to have to resell (or ship) all of this in a year anyway. As such, assuming I can probably resell them for some moderate loss regardless, I'm more curious about which is likely to generate better sound quality while I'm here.
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Jul 17, 2013 03:15
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jonathan posted:The consensus is: Go all the way or don't bother. Soundproofing from the inside is much like an Aquarium. Sound leaks like water. Other than a flimsy door, sound will escape from heating vents, electrical sockets in the drywall, windows etc. I've seen examples online of people spending thousands on material, double drywall, green glue in between, special insulation, and being not really any better when measured than a normal room. Consider mixing at a lower volume? Why not 85db average/rms ? I know that you're not looking for total isolation, but it really is something that's tough to retrofit in a room, especially with such a tiny budget. You can try getting a hollow door and stuffing it with dense insulation such as rockwool, and sealing the edges around the frame (especially the bottom). I think that would be your best bet on a budget, since the door is probably your weakest link and you're just looking to minimize, not eliminate, sound leakage.
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Jul 17, 2013 03:55
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berzerker posted:I got a decent quality 7.1 receiver off of craigslist for only $100, but I'm having much worse luck finding any speakers at all to go with it. I just moved to a city for the upcoming year after which I'll almost certainly move away to God-only-knows-where, I'm not super wealthy but have low expenses (so a few hundred to throw around), and I'd like to get some decent 5.1 or 7.1 speakers. Which would likely sound better: a cheap but well-reviewed system like this - http://www.amazon.com/Jamo-426-HCS-WENGE-5-Piece/dp/B003GGXGU6/ - or some actual quality, individual (say, Polk Monitor) 3.1 speakers for now and upgrade later? I'm looking at using them it a not-so-large living room. Hrmm... Jamo is a quality brand. They're owned by klipsch which themselves are pretty good. These speakers are also branded as energy speakers in some markets. Also owned by klipsch. For that price you really can't go wrong. Now the bad: even on the jamo website there are no drat measurements. No sensitivity or frequency response info. If you can find some, post them up because I am interested. A failsafe good speaker setup is the Pioneer Andrew Jones lineup. They're not super sensitive but they put everything else in their price range to shame. I don't own them because I'm afraid they'd be just as good as my many thousand dollar setup.
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Jul 17, 2013 05:38
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jonathan posted:Hrmm... http://www.voxxintlcorp.com/docs/common/S426HCS3/S426HCS3_OM.pdf quote:Type S 426 The Pioneer Andrew Jones linup on Amazon looks like it's ~$630 for a 5.1 set. Are they significantly cheaper elsewhere or is that the 'failsafe good' price point? berzerker fucked around with this message at 13:59 on Jul 17, 2013 |
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Jul 17, 2013 13:55
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Does anyone have any experience with the ZVOX systems like the 555 and 580? I really like the form factor, as it would allow me to majorly declutter my living room, but if they sound like crap, I probably won't bother. They seem to be well reviewed on Amazon. My setup now is nothing special. Just some old Klipsch Promedias and a cheapo 10" Polk Sub hooked up to a cheap Onkyo receiver. It doesn't even sound that great to be honest, so getting rid of it in favor of something more streamlined wouldn't be a big loss. I'm mainly looking for loud, clear dialogue in movies and TV shows. I don't care that much about positional audio.
Dick Fagballzson fucked around with this message at 16:16 on Jul 17, 2013 |
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Jul 17, 2013 16:11
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Found an answer. Realtek HD manager.
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Jul 18, 2013 03:01
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I'm at a loss here, so feel free to tell me to gently caress off, but if you do, direct me to the right thread. I'm trying to find a good, relatively inexpensive USB-powered fm radio, since even the newest iPhones still can't act as a receiver off of 3g/4g. Any suggestions?
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Jul 30, 2013 17:52
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Why does it have to be USB-powered? Get a cheap Walkman. I'm trying to figure out how you think radio works: quote:even the newest iPhones still can't act as a receiver off of 3g/4g.
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Jul 30, 2013 19:47
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Also, a lot of radio stations have an I Heart Radio station too.
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Jul 30, 2013 20:02
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It's for emergency purposes, for say, plugging into a USB solar pack. I'd get a Red Cross radio or something similar, but the reviews regarding its ability to charge, say, a smartphone is pretty terrible. So, I have a solar pack that charges smartphones great. I'd like to have a radio that has a USB power adapter so I don't necessarily need batteries. So you're saying an iPhone can use I heart radio without being connected to wifi or cellular networks? Last I checked the iPhone had FM capability but apple did not develop software to enable it so its only way to use on air radio is through apps. If I'm wrong on that, please correct me. ( I think I miscommunicated. What I meant by what was quoted was that iPhones can't receive FM signals when they are not connected to cell networks. If they can I'm a dumbass and can't figure it out. ) Who Dat fucked around with this message at 20:17 on Jul 30, 2013 |
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Jul 30, 2013 20:10
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Search DX.com for "usb fm." Everything there is USB-powered. Example: http://dx.com/p/usb-rechargeable-portable-music-speaker-with-fm-radio-sd-usb-3-5mm-white-39610 Or more emergency-minded: http://dx.com/p/degen-de13-multifunction-hand-crank-solar-power-fm-mw-sw1-sw2-radio-w-led-torch-green-226425 Or more awesome: http://dx.com/p/hx55s-mini-sport-car-style-rechargeable-speaker-w-fm-radio-tf-slot-usb-black-silver-205785 eddiewalker fucked around with this message at 20:35 on Jul 30, 2013 |
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Jul 30, 2013 20:24
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Who Dat posted:It's for emergency purposes, for say, plugging into a USB solar pack. I'd get a Red Cross radio or something similar, but the reviews regarding its ability to charge, say, a smartphone is pretty terrible. So, I have a solar pack that charges smartphones great. I'd like to have a radio that has a USB power adapter so I don't necessarily need batteries.
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Jul 30, 2013 23:59
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Thanks! Pretty much exactly what I was looking for. Those car radios are awesome but also pretty 
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Jul 31, 2013 00:01
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revmoo posted:Tell me about soundproofing please. I need to reduce the noise pollution from my beat laboratory down a few notches. I'm thinking I need to fully cover the door into the room and put some panels on two of the walls. I don't need 100% reduction, just a bit more quiet. What should I expect to spend? I'm thinking around a hundred bucks or so to get a 50% reduction in sound leakage. Does that sound realistic? Also I have one window that currently has a few blankets nailed to the edges, is there a window-specific product I can get that would work better? Without knowing the dimensions of your room its impossible to price since the materials are typically priced per square meter. Not to burst your bubble or anything but I wouldn't be surprised if you had to pay over a hundred bucks per square meter in materials alone. There comes a point where you exhaust all easy/cheap options like closing your door and all thats left is putting up extra layers of drywall and soundboard. Then there is the ceiling and floor to deal with. It will add a couple of inches to the thickness of your walls and make your room smaller. Unless you are a general contractor or a serious DIY head, its probably not something you want to attempt yourself? Probably not a realistic option if you are living in rented accommodation. Honestly, the best advice I can give is to get in touch with a licensed general contractor in your area. Tell them what you need to do and get a quote, but it won't be one hundred bucks cheap. WanderingKid fucked around with this message at 13:10 on Jul 31, 2013 |
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Jul 31, 2013 12:04
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I need either a recommendation for sturdy earbuds or a way to reinforce my cable at the jack, or both. I wear my earbuds for ~2 hours every day and no matter how much care I put into taking the jack out I always seem to break these things inside of 3 months. I used to buy the nice expensive ones and then when I bought and destroyed my second pair within a year I decided to go the cheaper route, which of course has resulted in more broken earbuds. I understand that these things are frail, but does anyone have an idea of a pair that could last say, 8 months?
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Aug 2, 2013 11:57
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Bobx66 posted:I need either a recommendation for sturdy earbuds or a way to reinforce my cable at the jack, or both. If you don't get any responses here, try the headphone thread. Some people over there seem to be pretty knowledgable about earbuds/in-ears.
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Aug 2, 2013 13:46
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revmoo posted:Tell me about soundproofing please. I need to reduce the noise pollution from my beat laboratory down a few notches. I'm thinking I need to fully cover the door into the room and put some panels on two of the walls. I don't need 100% reduction, just a bit more quiet. What should I expect to spend? I'm thinking around a hundred bucks or so to get a 50% reduction in sound leakage. Does that sound realistic? Also I have one window that currently has a few blankets nailed to the edges, is there a window-specific product I can get that would work better? Echoing others, but this is virtually impossible to do effectively. Sound will travel through any common material - floor, wall, ceiling etc. You'll only get very minor returns for treating one of these surfaces. You'll probably get some improvements addressing the door first - make sure it has a perimeter seal and something at the base, and maybe check if the leaf is solid. When you're outside the room, do you notice a lot of bass or treble? Can you hear it coming from anywhere in particular? Beyond that - 100dB is pretty drat loud, and if that's an A-weighted Leq level, don't expect to be hearing your beats in a few years to come. Consider taking your $100 and going to get an audiogram done every year or so to check you're not damaging your ears.
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Aug 2, 2013 14:04
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Slimchandi posted:Beyond that - 100dB is pretty drat loud, and if that's an A-weighted Leq level, don't expect to be hearing your beats in a few years to come. Consider taking your $100 and going to get an audiogram done every year or so to check you're not damaging your ears. Yeah, I was gonna suggest headphones, but with those levels I'm not sure putting applying speakers directly onto the ears will be safe...
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Aug 2, 2013 14:16
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Hippie Hedgehog posted:If you don't get any responses here, try the headphone thread. Some people over there seem to be pretty knowledgable about earbuds/in-ears. My mistake I didn't find that at first glance. Thanks.
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Aug 2, 2013 14:39
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Bobx66 posted:I need either a recommendation for sturdy earbuds or a way to reinforce my cable at the jack, or both. Edit: just remembered this thing: http://www.replug.com/home.php japtor fucked around with this message at 10:25 on Aug 3, 2013 |
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Aug 3, 2013 03:54
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