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Assistance with transitioning into the 21rst century


YK Thom

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During the course of my unsuccessful run for Territorial MLA in September, I finally ceased procrastinating and set my den up as a proper office. It had previously been a little used sitting/reading room.

Now that I find myself sitting in front of a proper computer rather than an IPad sound is now a concern. When we are listening to music through the regular system things are fine. Ohms are one of those speakers that somehow manage to sound good in the room next door. However when I'm noodling around in here and my wife is watching TV it is a different matter. The den opens onto the living room, taking a separate system with speakers off the table. Too close together. Therefore my option is headphones.

I'm hoping this is in the right section.

I could use some advise regarding small headphone amps (ideally with a DAC), and recommendations on how to best rip albums from my CD collection. I have Windows 10 (which I loath).

I have read up a wee bit on the Dragonfly units which might be nice for use on the balcony in the summer as well if I can figure the best way to download files and perhaps access them from my new Galaxy 10 phone (android).

I know less than bupkis about file ripping and the better formats to use. I suddenly feel old.

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Wow, lots of options! Exact Copy is Windows software for copying CDs, really good software. Once you have the file, there are many programs to play the files. Free software... WinAmp! This will let you use free software and your PC sound card. Tons of choices to buy upgraded sound cards, but you have to know a bit about your PC. There have been some Asus sound cards on CAM recently. Buyer beware as always!

 

Now, for a DAC/Amp, again a lot of choices. I have a FiiO E17 Alpen a few generations old but works (been trying to sell locally, no luck), but something from FiiO would do the trick. There’s a nice Oppo Dac/player on Calgary Kijiji! You can spend a ton on these. Headphone Bar in Vancouver has good gear (no affiliation). 

 

Do do you already have headphones? If not, oh wow too many options and opinions. I have 4 sets, two on ear and two In ear. I prefer the IEMs. I like Bowers and Wilkins on ear. Again Headphone Bar has some choices, there are tons of headphones on Kijiji (really buyer beware!). 

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Thanks, I do have headphones but would like a way to ramp up the quality of sound as well as begin to digitize my CDs. Ideally looking for something not too expensive - under 300 for sure.

I am somewhat familiar with MP3 type files but they don't sound that good to me.

I have never heard of Exact Copy. Going to google that one up.

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Astell & Kern JR on CAM for $125. They make great gear, some folks on the forum have their gear. Use Exact Copy, and then move the file to a Dac/player, or buy Flac files, but you wanted to use your CDs, so start by doing the copy. WinAmp on the PC to check your copy. I’d check FiiO, Oppo (I think they are out of the audio gear business) or Astell & Kern. At your budget, new would be FiiO, used for the others.

 

Be aware that if you use your phone you have to get the file to the external Dac, obviously in digital, aka bypassing the phone’s internal Dac.

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I have acquired three different audio interfaces over the years, for the main purpose of recordi g myself playing guitar, etc., or to vet old analog rtr tapes oc myself into a digital format. I have relegated the first, a tascam two channel device, as a playback on my office desktop. It uses asio drivers and plugs into a usb port. The beadphone amp in it suffices for me and it also has a volume control on it.

 

I also have a four channel Presonus vsl44, a little more current that works well, too.

 

The newest is a Behringer 8 input and output, much nicer that I got to use to move entire multitrack tape to the pc for remixing.

 

They each sound better than the built in sound card. I'm sure the pricier DACs sound better, but these are doing fine for me. Plenty of drive for the headphones.

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Quote

 

I'm noodling around in here and my wife is watching TV it is a different matter. The den opens onto the living room, taking a separate system with speakers off the table. Too close together. Therefore my option is headphones.

I'm hoping this is in the right section.

I could use some advise regarding small headphone amps (ideally with a DAC), and recommendations on how to best rip albums from my CD collection. I have Windows 10 (which I loath).

 

 

Lots of portable solutions that probably sound great

the question is how to get high bit rate content into them.

 

I rip everything lossless onto my PC

then copy onto a Network Hard Disk connected to my router

Any device with router access can play any content this way.

I use a 10 year old lap top for accessing the content

and Media Monkey file system as the viewer and player

The laptop is connected to my DAC, then into my stereo.

If you copy the above.....

You can get a 14in HP Ram disk pc at costco today for $280, last day

they had some in my local store, still waiting for my lap top to die....

then use any DAC with a good headphone amp to drive your headphones.

https://www.costco.com/hp-14"-laptop---10th-gen-intel-core-i3---1080p.product.100511171.html

 

If you want to be in the same room with the wife and kids

I would snag a THX rated used Pioneer Elite Receiver for $200 or less

I would have to check the block diagram, but I believe when the headphones

are plugged in the speaker circuit is diverted to the headphone

In this way you get a THX AB Amp with DAC for $200

That you can also throw a pair of speakers on that sounds great.

VSX 09TX rosewood sides are missing, offer 100

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Pioneer-VSX-09TX/163770642319?hash=item26217daf8f:g:XQ0AAOSwxOFdJLB9:sc:UPSGround!60563!US!-1

https://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Home/AV-Receivers/Elite+Receivers/VSX-09TX

If wife is making noise, recommend closed back cans

I prefer sling vs clamps which give me a headache

Clamps everyone loves the 50s

Audio Technica 700s has some good over the ears for approx $100

 

Looks like the 700s are history, so it's the 900s $200

ATH-A990z Art Monitor® Closed-Back Dynamic Headphones

Driver Diameter 53 mm
Frequency Response 5 – 42,000 Hz
Maximum Input Power 2,000 mW
Sensitivity 100 dB/mW
Impedance 44 ohms
Weight 335 g

https://www.audio-technica.com/cgi-bin/product_search/headphones/headphones_cat.pl?select_multiple_3=Over-Ear&lang=eng

Grado has a great 15ft speaker cable for $46, I have one

https://www.4ourears.net/Grado_headphone_extension_cable_p/4e-excab.htm

ath_a990z_1_sq@2x.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

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Read Ken Rockwell’s review of the DacMagic Plus. It’s good, very flexible with connections. I purchased the BT100 adapter too (it doesn’t come with the unit by default). They come up on CAM from time to time. I haven’t used the headphone out, always output to an amp to drive speakers. No remote on the unit is the only negative I have, but I use source volume controls. 

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