[Brubacca]

I was a very lucky roonster who got the lifetime license for $499. Seems like a bargain now. Was late 2018 or sometime in 2019 I think. I'll be sad if Harman drops us lifetime subscribers , but I certainly got money's worth in comparing to the monthly fee.

Would probably build up a volumio server at that point if I had to for my main listening area and just lose the convenience of my other nodes. I have a few DLNA audio devices so I'd be ok.

 

[macdonjh]

Got a question, 2 parts.
What sonic advantages are there to using a pentagonn connector for headphones? (If any).

Part 2... are there sonic advanges to using a 4 pin balanced connector in headphones?

I know the basics of balanced v. unbalanced but will the audio be improved beyond the grounding?

I was skeptical about the Pentaconn connector, too. Many Head-fiers who commute to work liked them initially simply because they are physically stronger than 3.5mm and 2.5mm connectors. Important when someone on a train or a bus snags your head phone/ IEM cable on the way by. With five conductors, it also provides an independent ground connection, which eliminates hum in some balanced head phone/ DAP combinations. My A&K AK70 Mk II had that problem. I had to have a custom cable made.

As for balanced vs. single ended for head phones in general: I noticed an obvious improvement with a pair of ZMF Atticus when I used a balanced cable. The sound was fuller and more stable. It wasn't just the extra output, I preferred the balanced cable even at low levels. I never noticed any differences with IEMs. My other full-size head phones all have balanced cables. To match my Mjolnir I.

I’m still playing with how to set up something cheap and permanent and run it all remote (remote tech wasn’t a thing when built my first one). I’ve a HUGE 4 acre yard with great east to/thrugh south and southwest to west skies. My immediate neighbor is a beef farmer. There are NO traffic lights in my entire town. Closes streetlight is 4 miles away. It’s dark. So, I’d be insane to sell any of the gear off. Just like I wasn’t insane to NOT sell off any of my high-end audio gear during life’s 4+ year “adventure”…

Perhaps build a pier close to your back door in your yard and run power through some buried conduit to the pier. Then mount the largest scope you can easily handle on it. Cover it with a Tele Gizmos 365 cover. Bring your gear in when truly ugly weather (e.g. hail) is forecast. If you have a camera and want to set up some personal EAA so you can observe from your living room, run an ethernet cable to your pier. Include a USB-ethernet box if you have to.

The next cheapest idea: motel-o-scope. But since you mostly have refractors, that might not be practical: the "motel" part might be to cumbersome to be convenient.

With four of us here I wonder if we'll get a place on the Sine Wave?

 

[sixergixer]

Edifer and Audioengine are good brands to look up.

Possibly a bit big for a computer desk but I used to have Audioengine A5+ and they are good. Look great in white too.

A5+ have been my primary HiFi speakers for a number of years. They are sitting properly on speaker stands about 30" out from the wall and they are sounding quite good fed various sources by a Freya N. I've augmented them with an AudioEngine S8 sub on SVS isolation feet. Definitely not the final word on bass definition but I cannot listen to the A5's without it.

These are soon to be replaced by a Zu DW6 & Aegir combo.

[ Aegir 1 or Aegir 2? Who can even say?! Just waiting on Jason's chapter. ]

Anyway, I bet the smaller A2 would sound pretty sweet on a desktop and look stunning in red.

 

[Verde And Black]

How to tell?

Honestly, check the “distilled in… “ fine print (it’s sometimes “distilled and bottled in…”

If, for example, it says, “Distilled in Frankfort, KY,” it comes from either Buffalo Trace Distillery, the Beam Old Grand-Dad plant or Old Crow Distillery (only operating distilleries in Frankfort I’m aware of).

If it says “distilled in Bardstown…” it could be Bardstown, Heaven Hill or any number of smaller distilleries and you’d have to dig deeper.

But the Costco Bottlings from Barton, specifically were labeled as distilled there (which is fairly unusual).

And, if you like Rye, I don’t know of a single 95% Rye/5% Barley bottling (Redemption, Bulleit, Dickel, etc) that doesn’t start it’s life at the giant, industrial MGP Distillery in Indiana. Those should be labeled, “DistilleD in Lawrenceburg, IN and bottled in XXXX” like the Bulleit Rye below.

 

[markkr]

I picked up a pair of A5+'s completely unrelated to this thread... Sent them back to Amazon within one day as they sounded horrible, flat, dark, dull... I've had A2's on my primary desk for the past decade and they're amazing! I think maybe Amazon sent me a clone or something because the A5+ was really really bad.

I'm a satisfied Roon user, month-to-month though. Rock running on 11th gen NUC to PI2AES device problem free.

Man, this thread moves fast!

 

[Verde And Black]

And there's Fierce Whiskers Whiskey.

Very nice people. Time will tell on the juice. As soon as this spring, except for the very young rye they have out…

 

[Verde And Black]

Pedantic much?

And also wrong

 

[Verde And Black]

Indeed. While bourbon may be considered a whiskey, they aren’t exactly the same. For it to be bourbon it needs to be at least 51% corn.

I was snarky before, but to be truly pedantic, all bourbon is whiskey, but not all whiskey is bourbon.

The legal (and practical) definition of Whiskey/Whisky as a category is a distillate of fermented cereal grains aged in oak casks of some kind.

And until they don’t make corn flakes, corn is a cereal grain.

 

[NoahFence]

Verde and Black said

Pedantic much?

And also wrong
* * *
Which I think was part of the point. (Though I hate to defend Ripper)
Noah

edit: and then you fessed up before I got my post in. Nice community, if a bit verbose.

 

[sixergixer]

A lot of whiskey talk on here lately (much of that I've contributed to ) so here's a beer.

A delightful fruity / floral / bready / herbal / softly sweet beer. With incredible can art.

Wayfinder is an absolute gem among Oregon breweries.

 

[JanMc]

These are soon to be replaced by a Zu DW6 & Aegir combo.

[ Aegir 1 or Aegir 2? Who can even say?! Just waiting on Jason's chapter. ]

You'll love that combo. I have a MM2 into a Lyr 3 into an Aegir into my Omen IIs. This is in my small office and this makes an outstanding system.

 

[corndog71]

I’ve had this bottle for a few years.

 

[sixergixer]

You'll love that combo. I have a MM2 into a Lyr 3 into an Aegir into my Omen IIs. This is in my small office and this makes an outstanding system.

I'm really excited! I've been planning this system for about a year now, just been trying to get ahead of the funds for it. Got the Freya N a few months ago (mostly on @mystaiced's great recommendation - had been looking at the Kara) because it served some needs even for my current system, and improved the sound to boot.

 

[Kristofa]

Roon lifer here since 2019 or so. It has been a love/hate relationship throughout. It is painfully slow for me right now so I am a bit mad with it, but so-it-goes. I have a largish library of 6,821 local albums and 760 Qobuz albums. I always seem to have other pressing things happening so my library could use a haircut.

 

[eliottj]

There used to be four cats who ruled the house I thought I owned, so I am somewhat of an abuse survivor.
How the hell do you get a photo to come out right?