BluJay614

Yeah, I know. Heh. Buying your first DAC when you actually have money. Hell, I just went through trying all my different headphones last night, with and without the different amps. Before I had only been using the K550 MKIII, and I had gotten so used to the nice clean sound, and I tried the Kraken Pro v2 and was supprised by how much bass they had. I remembered them not having any, and all of a sudden it was way too much. Hell, just plugging them into the B4 brought it mostly under control, but it was still crazy. One thing I didn't see from the DT 990 Pro was the insane amount of treble people gripe about.

Interesting. I'm actually finding my FiiO A3 and Little Bear B4 can handle the DT 990 Pro's 250oHm perfectly fine (Heck, the B4 can push enough to make the sound start to distort). I'm thinking about going with a Modi 2/Ol DAC with a RCA-TRS cable. My other thought: Massdrop just dropped the Aune X1S 10th anniversary edition (it's 6th gen) for $199+free US shipping. Here's the problem with that: I don't know how timing will work out, as it's not estimated to ship till the end of next month. Also, it's only available from some eBay sellers shipping from China(For about another $80), and Aune's website (Which is another $50, then yet another $50 just for shipping). So, I think my safest bet would be the stand alone DAC for $100, and get the additional cable. Or, I could play the risk of buying the X1S from Massdrop, and possibly get a good deal.

Ok, let me make sure I'm understanding correctly. The X6 would be a great starting point, though with my budget, going with one of the Schiit products would be better. Would going with something like the X7 be better as it adds on 32-bit/348k support over USB? I also understand that the Modi 2 is on back order till next month. I apologise if I'm making things more complicated then they should

@Reckless95 @Tz000 @kxrider85 @Eric_The_Red4 Thank you guys for your input, I really appreciate it. From my understanding, I have a few options: Schiit Modi 2 - $99 w/ Schiit Magni 3 +$99 or w/ RCA cable +$5-10 Schiit Fulla 2 (Z's review) $99 JDS Labs Ol DAC (Z's shootout) $99 + one of the options for 1 FX Audio DAC-X6 (Z's review) $65 FX Audio DAC-X7(DAC/Amp) $189 Micca OriGen G2 (Z's review) $110 All of you seem to push more to the Schiit Modi 2, or JDS Labs options. The X7 seems kinda big, but I can see how I could make it work. It's also the most expensive, save the dual device options. Either way, I'd love to see what you guys think of these options. Any way you look at it, I will not be pulling the trigger until a week from now(08/25/2018), as that's when money will be in my account.

Yeah, that's one reason I wasn't going for it. So, best bet would be to go Modi 2 and get an RCA to TRS adapter?

I would run into the same issue of there being no 1/8" or 1/4" out on either version that would be in the price range, thusly needing an adapter.

Do you have any particular recommendations? I'm fine with a desktop unit so long as it's not too big. I'm not looking for another check alternative, rather then something higher quality. My concern with the Schiit is that I would have to go buy an adapter just to plug in my headphones. Would it be better to go with the DAC X6, or the Modi 2(Uber) with the adapter?

Well, I just got the AKG K550 MKiii, and I've got the Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro 250oHm, Massdrop x HiFiMAN HE-350, Massdrop x AKG M220 Pro, and FiiO A3 all on their way. I've already gotten in some Brainwaves angled pleather pads to swap the stock ones on the HE-350, and the Little Bear B4 portable tube amp so I can have a comparison for the FiiO. Anywho, the little USB "sound card" I picked up apparently will only do 16-bit 48KHz playback at most.... I'd like something that will allow me to playback high quality audio files without taking up a bunch of space. I'm looking at $200 MAX budget. A combo unit isn't out of the question, I just don't feel it be necessary.

As you said, for needing it to be portable, your best bet would be a laptop. However, if you wanted a desktop, I would so something small form factor, like in the Fractal Design Node 202 or Silverstone Milo ML08B-H That laptop might be your best bet, though you'd be sacrificing RAM capacity and storage.

First off, I apologize if this is in the wrong area. So, after watching the final episode of Scrapyard Wars, I thought to myself, "Why don't I see if there's anything this application can show me?" So I downloaded and installed the Intel Extreme Tuning Utility. Once up and running, I was supprised that, while very limited, it showed that there was some (limited) OC functionality. Before I went messing with anything, I thought I may as well use their built in benchmark to try and see what this puppy could do. When I first ran the benchmark, my laptop was unplugged, and I noticed that on "Current Limit Throttling" it kept going yellow and saying "Yes". Figuring it was because it was unplugged, I let the benchmark finish, and plugged in my laptop, letting the CPU cool down again. Once it had time to settle, I ran the benchmark again with the laptop plugged in. Same thing was popping up. The CPU would boost up to about 3.4-3.5 GHz before dropping to 3.09GHz and saying that it was throttling due to current limit. Is there something faulty, or is this system not able to provide enough current to sustain higher clock speeds?I've verified what I can with HWiFO64, and CPU-Z

@SakkuraYou need to understand something: Just because in everyday workloads, there is no, or negligible difference between the two standards, does not mean that there is not a difference between the two. If, for whatever reason, you had a device that COULD max out the THEORETICAL bandwith of SATAIII(6Gb/s), and where opperating under a workload where it would do so, and you swapped the cable for one following the older SATAII(3Gb/s) standard, then you would encounter a bottle neck. This case is not only highly unlikely, and rather extreme, but it is there none the less. It's like the difference between USB 3.0(or 3.1 Gen1 if you prefer to call it that) and USB 3.1 (Gen2), or even the theoretical data transfer speed for Thunderbolt 3 (40Gb/s). You will probably never notice the difference, as pretty much nothing used solely for data transfer and uses those standards will have the issue of running out of bandwith. There is a difference between theoretical limitations, and what someone might run into in an average work load in a real world scenario. So, please, before you go calling people liers just because they are talking about theoretical limitations, and you are talking about real world and average workloads, think about the information that's being given, and explain your standpoint and why you are making your claims.

Usually they will mention it on the retailer's page for the product

Amazon may just not be one of the "participating retailers"

We don't know when the 11XX/20XX series will be coming out, so.... Who knows. I agree with @Herman Mcpootisthat you do not need NVMe(98-99% of people don't, and probably will never notice that big of a difference between NVMe and SATA SSDs). As far as what to upgrade, I'd upgrade the graphics card you currently have before anything else, as there probably won't be that big of a difference between what's out and what's coming(not to mention if anything is holding you back in gaming, that's it).

As we are talking about speeds, potentially: yes. Physically, a 2.5" SSD and any sata cable will work. HOWEVER, as older standards of SATA had lower bandwidths, a SATA or SATA 2 cable could theoretically limit performance. The likelihood of you finding a SATA or SATA 2 cable by going out and buying one new without looking for it are very slim however, as SATA 3(or 6, if you wanna go by the theoretical bandwith) has been the norm for years now. edit: It's like trying to get USB 3.1 Gen2 speeds using a USB 2 or USB 1 cable and a USB 3.1 Gen2 port. It's physically compatable, but not from a bandwith standpoint.

I've had my SteelSeries QCK Mass for years now. Still holding up, and I still love it.

No problem. Best way to do this is to get those who are funding you involved, and have some return of investment. The more they feel a part of it, the more they want it to do better, and the more proud they will be when it's a success. The trickier part is enticing people to join.

Okay, here's my two cents. It sounds interesting, but Patrion seems a much better way to do it. Set up tiers where you can give back to different tiers. Allow the people who are donating to be able to give feedback on updates as the project moves along, along with the possibility of getting early/beta releases for those participating, and even merch for those in higher tiers. Allow those who are donating to be a part of the experience, and even give them a spot in the credits, thanking them for their support. Also, having a steady stream of funds is better then just getting some once, not to mention people can join and leave at any given time. It's a way for people to also vote with their wallets as to how things are progressing, and the content you are creating.

I would clean the fan and heatsink, and check to verify that the fan is still operational. If it isn't, that could be your problem. However, a repaste isn't unwarranted.

Did you have a particular model you had your eyes on? Not all of them are equal, as some are much better quality then others.

Well, now that I'm working and getting paid, I've got the room to play a bit more to play with when it comes to audio. I've recently gotten a few IEMs that I've found I love, but I still prefer over ear above anything else. SO, as Friday is payday (Hehehe) I'm looking at treating myself, and there are a few I've been looking at, and I'd love some experienced opinions. So far, I've never had a pair of fully open ear headphones, and my curiosity is getting the better of me. These will be used as very all round headphones (casually listening to music of almost all genera, gaming, and audio editing), and I'm not looking at spending more then $300 on the headphones (So yes, that means MAX budget for the headphones is $300). I understand that some of these will probably require an amp, though I'd like a portable one for the time being. Here's some of the ones that I've been looking at: HiFiMAN HE-400i Special Edition:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077XYPN8H/ref=sr_1_3_twi_col_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1533573099&sr=1-3&keywords=HiFiMan Monoprice Monolith M1060: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N32N5DD/ref=psdc_12097479011_t2_B077XYPN8H Beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro (250 ohm): https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=0TF-00D2-00003&ignorebbr=1&nm_mc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-PC&cm_mmc=KNC-GoogleAdwords-PC-_-pla-_-Headphones+and+Accessories-_-0TF-00D2-00003&gclid=Cj0KCQjw45_bBRD_ARIsAJ6wUXQ1jmzLou2cEQDbpVUmfynZZLuRabzgUpZqN-VfHNmfxiPBrhIXJnIaApjsEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds Massdrop x HiFiMAN HE-350: https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-x-hifiman-he-350#specs Massdrop x AKG K7XX: https://www.massdrop.com/buy/akg-k7xx-massdrop-first-edition-headphones Massdrop x AKG M220 Pro: https://www.massdrop.com/buy/massdrop-x-akg-m220-pro-headphones Then a couple portable amps that I've found (Again, wanting to stay more on the budget side, and looking to get a solid state amp, and a tube amp). Main requirements I have for these is for them to fit what's being asked of it, and for it to be portable. Little Bear B4: https://www.amazon.com/Little-Bear-Portable-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B01K4BLG5C/ref=sr_1_8?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1533575063&sr=1-8&keywords=best+portable+headphone+amp Portable tube amp. I've found this to have a lot of fairly glowing reviews, and was supprised how much Z Reviews loved it. FiiO A3: https://www.amazon.com/A3-Portable-Headphone-Amplifier-Black/dp/B00Z9BIODA/ref=sr_1_4?s=audio-video-accessories&ie=UTF8&qid=1533575501&sr=1-4&keywords=portable+amp FiiO Q1 Mk2: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0757MH46M/ref=sxbs_sxwds-stppvp_2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=d45777d6-4c64-4117-8332-1659db52e64f&pd_rd_wg=DQwSt&pf_rd_r=07DYF0FXY40092X12KQW&pf_rd_s=desktop-sx-bottom-slot&pf_rd_t=301&pd_rd_i=B0757MH46M&pd_rd_w=UwYyX&pf_rd_i=portable+amp&pd_rd_r=d6271b95-3e99-4bb2-9db1-acaa9e94bfe0&ie=UTF8&qid=1533575561&sr=2

As far as air vs water, it's very much a personal preference. If the current cooler is about 2 years old, it's starting to get in the range of where the pump could fail, and I would look at replacing the cooling solution. Personally, I prefer air, but if the risks of going air vs water bother you, that Cyorig H7 will do you perfectly fine. The OG H7 has been proven to rival the famous 212 EVO in performance, and even have better compatibility due to lower hight, not to mention (subjectively) better apperence. The quad lumi adds another heat pipe, theoretically increasing it's thermal capacity, as well as adding RGB LEDs on the heatsink (controllable through NZXTs CAM software) and a white LED fan. While it's not the best by any means, it's still a quiet and well performing cooler that the only thing you'd have to worry about failing is the fan itself, and that can be easily replaced. Edit: I forgot to mention that the OG H7 wasn't compatible with all sockets out of the box like the H7 Quad Lumi is, it was still compatible with a separately available kit from Cryorig.

Honestly, out of these keyboards, which would you pick, and why?

I've checked everything, I've taken it to be checked, and nothing. Device drivers, system settings, BIOS/UEFI settings, nothing. I know it's not the headphones cause they work with my phone. https://www.ebay.com/itm/FiiO-Q1-Portable-USB-DAC-Amplifier-Headphone-Amp/122991758022?epid=2256113948&hash=item1ca2e14ac6%3Ag%3AC~sAAOSwfNxalbcy&LH_PrefLoc=1&_nkw=usb+dac&_sacat=0&_udhi=60&_from=R40&LH_BIN=1&rt=nc&_trksid=p2334524.m570.l1313.TR11.TRC2.A0.H0.Xusb+dac.TRS1&LH_TitleDesc=0 How would something like this work?