Official A/V Thread

[joe8]

Does anyone have a QD-OLED TV? I see that they're available in the US already (the Samsung S95B is already out, and the Sony A95K is out soon).

 

[voltronbadass]

Got a pair of Mod House Argon T50RP Mk3. ZMF protein pads, deerskin strap, balanced with a Periapt cable.

Having my first proper headphone experience this weekend. What a wonderful dissociative tool. Worth the wait of handmade headphones.

 

[Neodogg]

Picked up some Infinity Modulus speakers for $10…couldn’t be that bad at that price…should go nicely with my other Goodwill components or make good shop speakers.

(Not my photo)
Definitely need the sub on with these…

 

[theMot]

I knew I was overdue for a cable upgrade but never could have imagined the problem I was having.

Anyways, another $500 to blue jean to upgrade the rest. Noticed they dont do power cables tho.

Have you considered just getting some made or DIY? I had someone make me a set of speaker cables with Canare 4S11, they sound phenomenal and only cost $100 for a 5m set. I was running some Belden cables prior to this but the Canare smoked ‘em.

 

[Sublimewls]

I have a Sony x950g with a Sony str-dn1080 receiver with assorted JBL tower, kilpsch sub and Polk audio center channel speakers. Decent setup. Does Xbox x and ps5 well. The neo geo looks good considering I’m using an after market hdmi adapter.

 

[joe8]

Can anyone recommend an Ultra HD player for a TV (including perhaps the PS5)? One that has Dolby Vision.

 

[Hattori Hanzo]

Can anyone recommend an Ultra HD player for a TV (including perhaps the PS5)? One that has Dolby Vision.

Cheap but very good solution Sony UBP-X700 with Dolby Vision. You have to activate and deactivate Dolby Vision depending on the movie in the menu. Same goes for the Sony UBP-X800M2.

Best solution Panasonic DP-UB9004 but pricey his smaller brother Panasonic DP-UB824 is probably a better choice regarding value for money.
Consoles don't do dynamic HDR so you have to buy a half decent player.

 

[fake]

Cheap but very good solution Sony UBP-X700 with Dolby Vision. You have to activate and deactivate Dolby Vision depending on the movie in the menu. Same goes for the Sony UBP-X800M2.

Best solution Panasonic DP-UB9004 but pricey his smaller brother Panasonic DP-UB824 is probably a better choice regarding value for money.
Consoles don't do dynamic HDR so you have to buy a half decent player.

I have the Panasonic DMP-UB300 and love it

 

[joe8]

Tubes can add a warmer more natural sound if used properly.

It really does depend totally on personal preference and the type of music you most listen to. I can't deny there is a certain cleanness and clarity to nice solid state stuff that's very appealing.

That's why I like hybrid amps, you get the best of both worlds.

I prefer tube amps for speakers. Some solid state amps have a harsh sound to them. But not all of them, for some reason. And it also depends which speakers you use them with.

 

[fake]

Boys, do you use EQ?

 

[terry.330]

Nope.

I want everything to sound as close to how it was recorded and intended to be heard by the artists and engineers as possible.

 

[wataru330]

Boys, do you use EQ?

Not often, but sometimes-sure. If I don’t like the mix or if something was mastered too low I sweeten it.

 

[kernow]

No eq here

 

[Late]

No eq either, except on the mixer.

 

[joe8]

Nope.

I want everything to sound as close to how it was recorded and intended to be heard by the artists and engineers as possible.

Most music is recorded with condensor mics, which have similar technology to electrostatic speakers.

 

[ggallegos1]

Boys, do you use EQ?

I do not, the absolute most I'd do is lower the bass on my subwoofer if it got too hectic with some deep hip hop albums but that's it. I do want to transition to a tube preamp, but don't want to take up too much space/ prefer it looking good in my setup. Not a need, but a want and one I'll invest in the next coming months

 

[fake]

OK, OK, but hear me out...I'm finding it very difficult while shopping for headphones that actually have a flat response. A lot of the user reviews I'm reading say, "These are great, once you smooth out the bumps with parametric EQ." Some sites even have presets you can load into a PEQ app. So it seems like, according to these people, you actually have to use EQ to get to where the recording sounds like.

Then again, I'm reading technical reviews of the headphones I own (AT M50x) and they say the bass is overpowering, which I've never noticed. The user reviews, on the other hand, say the bass is nice and smooth.

 

[terry.330]

A lot of albums (CDs) these days have over-compressed sound (loudness wars). So it's more about having something that sounds good on the radio, than being necessarily what the artist intended. And most music is recorded with condensor mics, which have similar technology to electrostatic speakers.

Shhhh adults are trying to talk.

Obviously I wan't talking about top 10 radio stuff you dunce.

 

[terry.330]

OK, OK, but hear me out...I'm finding it very difficult while shopping for headphones that actually have a flat response. A lot of the user reviews I'm reading say, "These are great, once you smooth out the bumps with parametric EQ." Some sites even have presets you can load into a PEQ app. So it seems like, according to these people, you actually have to use EQ to get to where the recording sounds like.

Then again, I'm reading technical reviews of the headphones I own (AT M50x) and they say the bass is overpowering, which I've never noticed. The user reviews, on the other hand, say the bass is nice and smooth.

Headphones are a whole different world. I've never seen more fickle people, don't listen to most of them, they get off on over complicating things. If your headphones sound good to you and you know they're high quality then just leave it be. If you start fucking around with EQ it's just going to be a never ending headache.

I've owned $1000 Grados that I thought sounded like shit compared to my Sony MDR-7506s.

 

[prof]

The Sennheiser sound signature is known for being a flatter "monitor" style. They have a ton of choices though, obviously, but compared to something like AT or Grado, they have a reputation for flat EQ.

It's also worth looking into a headphone amp if you're serious about sound quality. Schiit makes one that's relatively affordable and popular. But all of that said, I almost never listen to headphones. I'm a 2-channel stereo tower speaker guy. But having been around audiophile forums over the years, those are a few things I've picked up here and there.

 

[Late]

Never really cared that much about head phones, I have the HD25-II's for DJ'ing and old b&o Form 2's for home listening, my mx-400 earbuds went through the washing machine and I replaced them with 9€ ones from Clas Ohlson, I use them to listen to mp3's on the subway/tram so who cares about 'sound quality'

 

[roker]

Boys, do you use EQ?

I like the aesthetic and I'd buy one if I stumbled on it somewhere, but nothing I'd actually seek out. Only the vintage ones look good.

 

[fake]

I like the aesthetic and I'd buy one if I stumbled on it somewhere, but nothing I'd actually seek out. Only the vintage ones look good.

Oh, I'm definitely buying a spectrum analyzer down the line. I probably will leave the EQ part of it untouched though. As a kid I loved watching the levels jump around on my dad's spectrum analyzer and VU meters, and his reverb module (yikes) would glow green as it applied the effect.

 

[voltronbadass]

Well boys you might be able to tell from my previous posts but Ive just been getting frustrated with hifi since the purchase of these forte 4’s.

I changed out my schitt freya+ for a NAD 165BEE and could tell right away this was another big step in the right direction. After spending a month or so experimenting with all the amps I have I settled on a Carver M500T as the best sounding amp I have with this combo.

I think the schitt gear just isnt good enough for these speakers both amps and pre. I think the freya is not a good representation of tube sound, I dont think its refining enough for me and its too bright, just too bright for me. In the future I will get a dedicated integrated low wattage tube amp. I wont be mixing tube and solid state again.

Im amazed at this carver m500t, its sounded like pure nothing on any other setup or speaker ive ever tried it on. But the fortes reveal it qualities like no other speaker could. Its never sounded so full and holographic, its never had an impressive range of bass. With this pre and speaker its really shocked me.

So yep, tubes are out of the system, ive been running older and cheaper gear and am finally impressed every time I turn the hifi on. I feel these speakers have taught me so much about hifi, its been a frustrating experience but rewarding.

My advice to anyone buying a speaker like a forte or cornwall is that you better have a selection of equipment to try, you better have actual high end everything, the speakers will point out all the weaknesses.

 

[voltronbadass]

selling the schitt pre and aegir amps and about 3k in tubes. Going to put the money right back into a single pre or amp. Something known for being fun and not flat sounding. Feel free to toss out some ideas or what you have been eyeing lately.