Audiophiles hifi appreciation thread old and new

Well_is_it
So...

It turns out the PS4 can output audio from USB, which opens up a bunch of options. Ended up getting a JDS Labs ODAC.

If you haven't heard about it, it was designed by an anonymous engineer known as NwAvGuy who caused a bit of a stir in 2011/12 by measuring various equipment and calling BS on a lot of overpriced audiophile snake oil using actual objective data. He then designed this DAC and a headphone amp, released the designs under the Apache licence and vanished.
A few companies are making his designs but the licence doesn't allow for adaptations.

His blog is still up and makes a great read. This particular article on our hearing bias is really interesting, to some.
nwavguy.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/wh­at-we-hear.html

I nearly bought one after hearing that certain headphones [HD800] were so hungry (after I'd ordered the headphones) ...thankfully my gear outputs loud enough. Amazing how touchy folk got on the whole topic.

My work laptop produces crackling/jumping noises through the headphone output whenever it is working a bit hard (calculating in Excel, opening new tabs in chrome). Not quite sure why as it's fairly powerful (i7, 8GB ram) but hey ho. Any idea if a USB DAC would stop this?

Posibly. In your current audio settings, is there any option for adjusting buffer size? In Windows XP, you could adjust the settings to bias the process to focus on running background services, which could possibly also help. I suspect using an external DAC could quite possibly solve the problem.

I'm after some proper (as in they'll actually fit on a bookshelf) bookshelf speakers under £100. Anything to rival the Roth OLI RA1?

My only advice would be to avoid anything with ports on the rear if you plan to have the speakers in close proximity to a wall or shelf, etc.

Q acoustics 2020i?

JBL Control 1? Disclaimer: never heard them.

what hifi's products of 2015 list is up
will help narrow down some choices

record deck ^^^^^^
and
bookshelf speakers ^^^^

although they probably go with who advertises the most with them but i've always found their lists a decent starting point

JBL Control 1

Fairly mediocre, but not awful.

Hard to blow up too due to the fact they have a halogen bulb in the cross over IIRC! No really. Ours survived well until the dry humidity caused the foam surrounds to rot.

Cheers, there don't seem to be equivalent settings in Windows 7, although it is possible that I can't access it without administrator status.

Any idea whether DACs are plug and play or need to be installed? Could be an issue with not having administrator status.

For a new DAC? Depends. Some will use Windows in-built drivers, just like say, a mouse.

Thanks for all the options. Actually went with the JBLs in the end, for the price they seem good, especially considering the included wall mounts. Will suffice for my purposes for now.

If you have an optical output then technically plug and play. If you don't and have to use USB, there might be software involved.

Any reason not to order use of these cheap ebay 2xRCA to 3.5mm cables? Will be using it to go from a Technics tape deck into my mac.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-5mm-Metal-audio-Stereo-Jack-to-2x-RCA-Phono-Plugs-Cable-Gold-1m-1-5m-1-8-METER-/252252001432?var=&hash=item3abb641498:m:mtEv-HnAqkEFew7TofDjOOg

you need a input for the mac , that 3.5mm jack is for a headphone output . dont think you can input it via headphone jack ?

If it's a modern mac, the headphone doubles as a mic as well, might have to change some audio settings though

Sorry should of put more detail. I already use it set up with one of those cables but it's too short so looking for a longer one.

Was just wondering if the eBay cable will be ok quality wise? Or should I spend money on a decent 2xRCA to 3.5mm jack cable?

Nevermind

^^ How could we know? I'd go for something from a reputable brand / dealer with at least some form of quality control / brand to worry about.

i bought some RCA - 1/4 cables off ebay they were £9 each i.e. good quality but the guy sent me cables that retailed no more than £3 and were shit , then said the others were out of stock when i complained . he then sent me more expensive ones £12 and they were shit too !

They certainly look ok. Perosnally, I'd only spend extra for something which was going to be flexed a lot, or for a professional installation.

Cheers for the replies. Think I will go for a brand name cable.

I'm looking for some advice on an amp for my garage. I currently connect an iPhone to a small bluetooth speaker but want something better.

I have some bookshelf speakers, would the amp below be suitable to connect my phone or is there a better solution?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/DROK-Bluetooth-Electrical-Motorcycle-Smartphone/dp/B014J0TUR0/ref=sr_1_1?s=receiver-speakers&ie=UTF8&qid=1453199094&sr=1-1&keywords=mini+amplifier

Seems like an OK solution. What are the speakers? If they are basic bookshelves then it will most likely be fine.