Celmor

It appears a CPU reseat helped after I've taking everything else off, replugged, etc. At first just an LED flashed just for a sec, with the 8-pin CPU cable in the other socket it worked fine again.

Had the same happen when my Z170 board died. Couldn't be sure the CPU was fine but it worked with the cheap Z270 board I bought and used till I upgraded to Ryzen Can't really try another board without buying one and risking it to die as well if the CPU is the defective part. My only alternative is to RMA both CPU and board. My area in general is quite dusty. Wanted to clean some after the upgrade but I guess now something a bit higher priority came up. Also my side panel doesn't have a window so I don't really care too much as long as it's cool since I clean the radiators.

According to the troubleshooting guide I've... - Checked if power cable is firmly plugged in on both ends - Checked if the power supply (PSU) switch is in the position denoted with ON or I - Checked if EVERY power cable is plugged in securely, reseat if necessary. - Checked if the power button is installed correctly (I'm using the onboard power button) - Checked with a device of which you know that it works if the power outlet you're using is actually providing power. As this hasn't solved the problem, I've checked if my PSU isn't dead. My situation: I've installed 2 additional memory modules replacing my old memory modules (while I had 2 new modules already installed, extending this to a 4 module configuration of the same module model). After some initial troubles which got resolved after a clear cmos and UEFI configuration I could verify everything shows up in the OS (64G/16 per module) with XMP profile applied. After a subsequent reboot the system never started up again. I undid my upgrade, cleared CMOS. removed all hardware and cables which aren't required (only left 24 pin and 8 pin for CPU power plugged in). Also removed GPUs, sotorage, memory modules (one after another, each time trying to POST and then trying with just 1 module a different slot each time) to try and get any reaction from my system each time when I flip the switch on in the power supply (like psu fan, chipset fan, onboard LEDs). Confirmed my PSU is working by shorting the green cable with ground and testing all the voltages with a multi meter (fan was also running). From where I'm standing either CPU or the Motherboard has to be causing the issue (which isn't even half a year old). Only thing left to try is reseating the cpu but I very much doubt that's going to help. Picture of motherboard in its current state is attached if that helps with diagnosing (I know that it's kinda dirty/covered in dust). 24 pin and 8 pin (not visible) is still plugged in, RAM I'm constantly swapping in/out when attempting to power it on and get any reaction from it. What I'm trying next is my new RAM in my old board (Z270/6700K) and then removing the board from the case which will take some work because of the AIOs (360 mounted top, 120 back from GPU). Open to any suggestions. Thanks in advance. For my hardware configuration check my profile/my hardware picker link

Thanks. Though I've watched most of them already (and re-watched them again now) some bring up a fair point. For example the need for having the microphone input in the same device because of differences in ground which pushes me away from normal amps and more towards "gaming" amps like the Hel or the Arc MK2. The Hel still appears to be better in quality but I still prefer the Arc (even though it has a much higher price, especially since I have to import it as Shiit has a reseller in Europe). Mostly for the "Mixing" feature but also for inputs/outputs. Only downside IMO is the missing mic volume adjustments and the possibility of peaking without it... I've ordered the Arc Mk2 now and will see if it satisfies my needs (and will subsequently close this thread). Thanks for your help.

Thanks for the affirmation. I assumed the Arc would sound worse, just wasn't sure how much/in what way or how much it even matters with the headphones I'll use (no higher than 250 Ohms).

The Asgard is just an amp though, I would still need a mixer and a DAC then. I personally don't like USB or rather "stationary" mics (e,g, a Yeti) since it's overkill and rather takes up space. Since I haveal ready a headset with the mmx300 and if I really needed could use my modmic with the dt 1990 all I need is a good mic/line input. I prefer natural sound, especially for games. If I wanted to change the sound, e.g. boost bass I can use the Arcs "DSP" toggle or different pads for the DT 1990s. Don't really have any problem with the "analytical" aspect of the DT 1990, even the apparently higher treble which was said to be too much in some reviews.

Thanks for the advice. I'm just kind of worrying that the Arc loses in therms of quality since it has worse specs. I could get the same done with a physical mixer or some adapters like RCA splitters and might get to the same price combined but essentially have a lot more clutter on my table which isn't ideal either.

Hello, I'm looking for a DAC/AMP solution that can get the most out of rather high-end headphones and "headsets" but also has a good feature set. I've looked at a few solutions so far but obviously none has it "all" so I'd be interested in your comments on these options (or alternatives I may have overlooked but satisfy the following)... I have: - A Beyerdynamics MMX 300 (2nd gen) for VoiP/voice/streaming - A Beyerdynamics DT 1990 Pro (250 ohm) for more competitive multiplayer gaming, media consumption etc. I want: - A DAC/AMP combo that can get the most out of my DT 1990 Pro (250 ohm) - A mic-in for the MMX300 or separate mic (nothing too fancy) - An optical in (usb/toslink) and analog in (RCA or 1/8 inch aka 3.5mm stereo) - it to be without extra drivers required (cross-platform compatible) I would like/Nice-to-have: - USB Powered (no extra power cable required but optional) - A line-in mixing in audio from another system (listening to multiple sources simultaneously) - 1/4" Stereo plug - RCA/"pre-amp" out for speakers Devices I've considered thus far: - Mayflower Arc Mk2 (currently the favorite) - Shiit Hel - FiiO - K5PRO My current favorite is the Arc MK2 for the line-in mixing into the "normal" digital input but I'm not sure how its audio quality stacks up against the other DAC/AMPs even though it is the most expensive of the bunch. It sadly has no 1/4" but a 4 pol which I could plug my "headset" into. Because of its ability to "mix" 2 audio sources for simultaneous listening - which is a rare feature to say the least - it's my favorite one currently From what I've heard people usually recommend the K5 Pro for HiFi headphones up to the DT 1990 Pro which has an excellent value for the price but has no mic-in or features like the Arc MK2. The Shiit Hel on the other hand does have a mic-in and even mic volume adjustment (2 separate knobs), has very good price/performance and from what I've heard delivers high-quality audio for both listening and mic. It has the 1/4" inch stereo for headphones but requires 2 usb cables for powering and has no RCA jacks at all. To accomplish my nice-to-have for mixing audio from 2 sources I considered RCA spliters which would work with the K5 Pro but would require me to lose the DAC functionality from the device and rely on entirely on on-board/sound card DACs (though my motherboard appears to have a good one). Specs & Features compared (favorite ones bolded): | | Arc Mk2 | Shiit Hel | K5PRO | | ------------------ | ---------------- | ------------ | ------------ | | Price | $270 | $189 | $170 | | Mic? | Yes | Yes | No | | 1/8" | No | Yes | Yes | | Mixing | Yes | No | No | | SNR | 115 dB | >108db | >115 dB | | Crosstalk | -65 dB | -80 dB | -75 dB | | Output (32Ω) | 1W | 1W | 1.5W | | Output Imp. | 0.096 Ω | 0.25 Ω | 1.2 Ω | (didn't find a way to make a table in this editor so I chose markup, even though it doesn't get turned into proper visual formatting) I'd be thankful for anything else worth considering I may have missed or opinions.

Getting malware on your phone which includes keylogger or sniffing tools to grab your passphrase or make you enter it in a fake input is easer and can be done on mass. Someone trying to 'steal' your biometric data is harder (requires targeted attack) and depends on what kind of biometric data is being used for authentication, fingerprints may be the easiest to steal but requires a lot of work for a single hack, even facial (3D) can't be stolen that easily since it requries special sensors and close proximity. Passphrase can be stolen remotely, biometric data not. This is assuming the biometric authentication is handled correctly, in a secure enclave on the phone, etc.

Depends on legislation, they can't in my country. Also you can easily get around this by trying to unlock with the wrong finger a few times cause then it'll ask for a PIN (at least on Android).

IMO best authentication is a combination, aka 2-Factor, like something you own (Yubikey) and something you know (PIN) or passphrase + biometrics. Passphrase can be stolen without your knowledge (keylogger, database breach, forensic analysis), can be hard to choose correctly and many companies don't handle them correctly (limited character set, length limitation, length silently capped, storing the hashes, storing in plain). If you only have only someones public key though and they authenticate using their private key (which never is actually transfered) that's a major advantage. Also the weak point in Public-key cryptography is how one exchanges each others public key/certificate which is what I tried to focus on as well, e.g. in a closed letter via mail like TANs or pins are traditionally transfered anyway.

Imagine you setting up your phone for WebAuthn with biometric authentication. Your bank sends you a letter with a QR code on it which you scan with your phone to save the banks certificate with your WebAuthn setup locally (kinda like root certificates or ssh key fingerprint but with a built-in expiration date) and you have to manually accept that you trust their certificate on your phone which also sends your public key to the bank via an internet connection (to a server which authenticates to you using the same certificate which you got form the scanned QR code). Now if you want to acces your banks online banking website you log-in through WebAuthn, the sends a unique authentication request (e.g. with a timestamp) through some means signed with their certificate which is trusted locally, you authenticate biometrically that you are you and accept this request for authentication. WebAuthn therefore signs the request with your private key which the bank can verify using your public key. This would circumvent phishing, MITM attack, theft of password... IMO the perfect solution...

Depending on the HDD/SDD that's build into the enclosure people buy it cheap, open and remove the HDD/SDD and put it into their PC.

Tried another one, again 2 dead pixels (one of them stuck) and discoloring/back-light bleed along the corners

Just received mine, sadly has 2 dead pixels (diagonally beside each other, at the top left region of the panel). Maybe I contact Amazon support, try to return it and get a new one as, as you said, it has "Pixelfehlerklasse" of 1 (I'm German too). My model has no visible back light bleed that's visible to the eye, at least at day and 100% brightness.