Schiit Happened: The Story of the World's Most Improbable Start-Up
Sep 12, 2021 at 4:06 PM Post #81,902 of 145,641
After doing some research, my understanding is that unless connections need to be long (which is not my case), there are no perceptible differences in audio quality when comparing RCA vs XLR, except for perhaps an increase in volume when using XLR. If this is correct and there are no drawbacks if I stick with RCA’s,
Besides the long run thing and protection against ground loop hums there are other benefits.
Have you read Benchmark's article: https://benchmarkmedia.com/blogs/application_notes/balanced-vs-unbalanced-analog-interfaces
 
Sep 12, 2021 at 4:30 PM Post #81,903 of 145,641
Sep 12, 2021 at 4:32 PM Post #81,904 of 145,641
I find long RCAs can act like antenna and add a hum (sadly can't carry a tune) to the system as well.
I have only had that happen in the pro sound world using improperly wired XLR microphone cables. They can make great AM radio antennas. :)
 
Sep 12, 2021 at 4:41 PM Post #81,905 of 145,641
I find long RCAs can act like antenna and add a hum (sadly can't carry a tune) to the system as well.
I have not run into that with runs up to and over 250 feet with well made cable. BNC or RCA.😉
 
Sep 12, 2021 at 6:26 PM Post #81,908 of 145,641
Considering it was a 25 footer, but unlikely 20 AWG for either run, that might have been the issue.
If you still have them I would check them out for you and return them no charge. Always glad to help. 😉
 
Sep 12, 2021 at 6:55 PM Post #81,909 of 145,641
If you still have them I would check them out for you and return them no charge. Always glad to help. 😉
I have them, and while that is an amazing offer I think the round trip freight is more than I paid for the cables (and I am almost all XLR now - AES for the digital, XLR for the analog DAC to preamp to amp, and crimped & soldered heat shrunk ring terminals amp to speaker).
 
Sep 12, 2021 at 7:29 PM Post #81,910 of 145,641
I have them, and while that is an amazing offer I think the round trip freight is more than I paid for the cables (and I am almost all XLR now - AES for the digital, XLR for the analog DAC to preamp to amp, and crimped & soldered heat shrunk ring terminals amp to speaker).
As you wish. I recently worked on cables for a friend that were fairly pricey but the builders failed to solder all the connections, I best not mention the brand.😎
 
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Sep 12, 2021 at 11:30 PM Post #81,911 of 145,641
Any tricks/tips for the cross-Atlantic hops?
Pre-COVID I used to do a lot of those from the West Coast, and sometimes from the East Coast. Lufthansa/Swiss (they are the same airline under different labels) were the best. United varied from great to terrible, in part depending what plane they were flying. British meh. All business or first, the rest of my ambulatory live is too short for economy. I miss the upper decks on the 747 and A340. When I hit a certain big decade, I decided I would never fly economy over 3 hours again: I estimated the cost of all flights I might take, personal or business, for the rest of my travel life, and concluded that I could handle the extra cost, or if not, I would be too poor to travel anyway. I don't miss jetlag since I stopped traveling after Feb 2020, but I miss Zürich, Berlin, Edinburgh, Lisbon, as well as the Alps, the Norwegian fjords, the Patagonian and Hokkaido volcanos, and "nearby" interior British Columbia.
 
Sep 13, 2021 at 4:04 AM Post #81,912 of 145,641
... take along some good noise-cancelling earphones and your own light-blocking sleep mask, don't go barefoot and if the airline provides those little slipper socks use them, don't drink too much (although a light valium or sleep aid can be helpful), remember to stand up and stretch your legs every hour or so but don't try to walk around the cabin too much unless you have to. When you use the restroom be sure to not knock other passengers in the head as yu walk by. Don't make a lot of noise. Try to get your body onto destination time as quickly as you can. Take a few snacks in your bag but nothing that produces too strong a smell. There is nothing worse than having to smell someone else's Nacho Doritos or McDonalds grease burger from six rows away. Be as kind as you know how to be towards the flight attendants because not only does their job suck, they remember who is friendly and polite and who is an ass and they just might treat you accordingly.

In my experience the best rides across the Atlantic have been on Lufthansa and Aer Lingus (Ireland.) The best to the Far East have been on Singapore Air and EVA air (although last time I went to Singapore was on American in First and that was very nice.) Best overall experiences I think I've ever had in the air were on flights to Australia on Qantas and to Israel on KLM.
Agree. For me Singapore are just amazing, in both economy (coach) and of course even better in the stratified classes. Thai and Malaysia good but not quite SQ.
Have only experienced QF in economy, and even though I'm an Aussie can't really see the appeal.
If you like to sleep a lot, pick a window seat so you don't constantly have to let someone in or out and have something to lean against. If you want to get up and stretch a lot, pick an aisle seat.

If you have special dietary preferences, pick special meals upfront. That also tends to result in you getting your meals before everyone else, which can be good, but it also may reduce your choices during the flight.

Consider downloading some movies, shows or podcasts, etc. onto a tablet or your phone. Sometimes the entertainment system doesn't work, or the selection is poor, or the image quality is meh, and especially during take-off and landing you get interrupted a lot by announcements, which can be annoying, especially if it's in a language you don't speak.

Bring napkins in case you spill something. Set your clock to the destination time zone early so you have an idea of whether you should maybe try sleeping already.

For more esoteric tips, consider bringing a belt to keep your man-spreading in check, if just so you can fall asleep instead of focusing on not getting intimate with your neighbor. Bring a USB mouse in case the touch screen sucks, it might just work. But consider using a "USB condom" to avoid certain viruses. On that same note, you may want to bring a power brick for charging instead of using what may or may not be provided.
Good tips too. Hadn't thought about the "manspreading" before... Maybe one day I can try that tip.
Earplugs are also great.

I did a lot of overnights from Manila to Melbourne via Singpaore and had a routine down pat. A few drinks at the Manila lounge, a meal and movie on the Manila to Singapore leg. A good walk around Changi for about an hour, and a couple of G&Ts with a light snack. Bathroom break before boarding. By the time I boarded for AU, I was in my seat post haste, requsted a "Do Not Disturb" sticker for my seat, mask on, earplugs in, and many times sleeping before pushback. Best I did was being woken up at top of descent into Melbourne one morning.
 
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Sep 13, 2021 at 4:53 AM Post #81,913 of 145,641
New headphone stand. Upright is part of a hand cut ironbark floor joist from the 1850s, including the hand-made by a blacksmith square nails.
Thinking now about embedding the Magni into it somehow.... hmmmmm.
 

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Sep 13, 2021 at 8:30 AM Post #81,914 of 145,641
New headphone stand. Upright is part of a hand cut ironbark floor joist from the 1850s, including the hand-made by a blacksmith square nails.
Thinking now about embedding the Magni into it somehow.... hmmmmm.
Very well done! I am guessing OPPO PM1 or PM2 and HD6xx. I have the PM1 and finally donated the Senns to someone just starting out with headphone amps.
 
Sep 13, 2021 at 9:25 AM Post #81,915 of 145,641
Is Gungnir now dead ?
There must be a market between 700 and 2200 dollar DACs, especially if it is about 15% less than the median of 700 plus 2200 and slimmer looks. The fact that it is still there and one of the oldest schiit alive means to me that they will make a Bifrost with proper balanced out, not cheap ass balanced out (not my words; also because I never heard a Bifrost) at some point.
 

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