[FLTWS]

Not just nope but **** nope.

We get approached all the time by companies like Affirm, who want to "help" people with low-interest, short-term financing. The problem is that we don't think this is "help." We think this is furthering people's credit addiction. If you can't comfortably afford an audio product (or a watch, or a fancy car, or designer clothes, or anything that you reeelly reeeeellly want, but isn't needed in your life), you shouldn't buy it.

Sorry for being old-fashioned, but that's what we believe, and that's the way we work.

Absolutely!

 

[FLTWS]

If one is financially responsible they should be able to do their own "lay-away" savings account by themselves for nonessential things they can't cover from immediate cash flows.

 

[bcowen]

If one is financially responsible...

What possible relationship is there between that and audio gear? And I thought that's what Al Gore invented credit cards for anyway. No?

 

[scottbrown5271]

You mean the Toshiba 2SK170 and 2SJ74, they are for years now only available as new old stock, production stopped many years ago. The LSK parts, made by Linear Sysrems, are readily available.
Nelson Pass added a trim pot to the F5 (not J5) not to archive the lowest distortion possible, but to choose the one he likes the best and knows from experience that this relating sound is also loved by most customers. Every JFet he uses is measured before, so it would not be necessary to use a trim pot.
Cheers

Thank you for reminding me. I remember him posting those very words. Some of the J5 build sheets on diyaudio mention the trim pot is an advanced feature, then they mention it would be helpful to have a Stanford if you really want to get it right. I guess that stuck, and Papa Nelson's advice didn't... Really though, I can easily imagine the sly smirk on Nelson's face when he wrote that

 

[Voxata]

Supposedly fixes a glitch that was inaudible anyway.

Many people (including me, who has owned two units of Modi Multibit with both firmware V1 and V2) think it leads to a marked improvement in sound quality.

I continue to be astonished at the sound quality I get with my "budget" system. No upgraditus for quite a while now.

That's because you've got a fantastic combo.

 

[darkarn]

Supposedly fixes a glitch that was inaudible anyway.

Many people (including me, who has owned two units of Modi Multibit with both firmware V1 and V2) think it leads to a marked improvement in sound quality.

I continue to be astonished at the sound quality I get with my "budget" system. No upgraditus for quite a while now.

Thanks, maybe I should consider sending it in for the firmware upgrade too. If only I knew about it before the warranty was up, it would be a no-brainer since this may resolve my issue too

 

[rkw]

Marbles. I stuck marbles in my ears on that age.

You can create your own marbles (calcified stones) by sticking things up your nose:
https://arstechnica.com/science/201...e-and-forgotten-for-18-years-turned-to-stone/

 

[valiant66]

I'm not talking about offering credit, or charging interest. Just a simple, old-fashioned layaway program like department stores used to offer. You pay into it, you get your item once the price is reached.

However, I know it would be hassle and you don't want to do it, just wanted to clarify.

Bank. Savings account.
.

 

[darkarn]

Now I am quite puzzled over why any powered USB hub is ok when it comes to resolving USB DAC issues like connection problems and power draw issues.

You see, I was trying to see which USB port (be it front panel of the PC, back panel of the PC, one of those from the powered USB hub I got, the USB port on an official Apple iPad charger, a wall-wart that is wired to a male mini-USB) can power a portable recorder to be used as a mic for my PC.

I noticed that while all of them can do so, the ones on the PC and the ones of the powered USB hub are significantly more noiser. To be exact, the noise floor of the recordings done on these ports are noiser than those done on other ports (the official Apple iPad charger being the quietest).

So, how would a powered USB hub, with a supposedly noisy SMPS causing such noise, can help solve the USB issues? Won't the noisy SMPS create more noise instead? Also, for the case of more advanced Multibit DACs like the Modi Multibit and Biifrost, since they are already drawing their own clean power from the provided linear power supply wall wart, how would providing more (and perhaps noiser) power to the USB port help?

 

[PioBeer]

@Jason Stoddard how much longer Asgard 3 going to be $199? I am hoping at least through the holidays. Is that a safe assumption, or better push the button now?

 

[Jason Stoddard]

@Jason Stoddard how much longer Asgard 3 going to be $199? I am hoping at least through the holidays. Is that a safe assumption, or better push the button now?

That's a safe assumption. We're going to keep it as low as possible as long as possible.

 

[Rensek]

Financial discipline is hard, but if you can see light at the end of the tunnel it is rewarding. I've been working my way towards it for years now. Old habits die hard. New habits take time to create. Most months are two steps forward, some months are admittedly 2 steps forward, one step back. This summer I toiled a few hours a week on a side hustle. Got paid the other day. Old me would have financed tires for my car, and used the cash on a Bifrost 2. New me paid for the tires in full, and am waiting until Jan-Feb when I have cash in hand to buy the Bifrost 2.

But I still have setbacks. I bought my open box KLH Kendalls off eBay in July for a 2 year no interest deal. I could have paid for them that month, but 35 bucks a month for 2 years is an easy payment, and I put that other money towards a different debt. So I win often and lose occasionally, trying to balance life with firm fiscal discipline is a challenge. Who wants to not go out and have any fun or not spend any money for 6-9 months while you get your books clean. As long as I keep reducing my debt each month I'm ok with the occasional minor setback, provided I stay disciplined and keep avoiding interest.

 

[nerone]

@Jason Stoddard
I'm curious about one design decision. I've seen that the 120/220v is done by solder connecting the appropriate PCB traces inside my Bifrost 2. Why not adopting a switchable voltage?
I ask this as where I live we have regions with both voltages. Also, where I work the voltage is 220, so I cant use my Vali 2 without a new transformer.
I know that for the products with two transformer inside would be harder to add a switch, but is it so hard or too expensive? Maybe just a no dumb user forgetting to set the proper voltage?

 

[Jason Stoddard]

@Jason Stoddard
I'm curious about one design decision. I've seen that the 120/220v is done by solder connecting the appropriate PCB traces inside my Bifrost 2. Why not adopting a switchable voltage?
I ask this as where I live we have regions with both voltages. Also, where I work the voltage is 220, so I cant use my Vali 2 without a new transformer.
I know that for the products with two transformer inside would be harder to add a switch, but is it so hard or too expensive? Maybe just a no dumb user forgetting to set the proper voltage?

Two reasons: no space and boom.

No space: plenty of products don't have space for a AC-rated switch. Jotunheim is one of them. It's packed full.

Boom: Other products that have space for a switch would need lots of warnings about how NOT to put it on 115V and plug it into 230V, and it would still happen anyway.

Sorry, there's no great solution for this, unless we go to switching supplies. Which I don't want to use unless necessary (Hel, Fulla 3, for example). And even then the switching supply has a USA plug, though it is capable of being used at like 90-260VAC or something like that, so you need a new wall-wart anyway.

 

[Pietro Cozzi Tinin]

Who wants to not go out and have any fun or not spend any money for 6-9 months while you get your books clean.

I was once rich, young, pretty and stupid.
Now I'm old, still pretty, still stupid but poor as a rats ass.
I got used to spending NO money for months and must say I don't miss it.