I am planning on running some speaker wire for outdoor speakers. I already had the conduit installed and it terminates at my shed, from my shed have another conduit that runs to the house. My plan is to have the speaker wire run all the way back to my house and basement to the location of audio and networking rack via the shed. That would put the longest run at ~200 feet and the shortest at 110 feet. In all there will be four AM-1s each at 110, 110, 170 and 200 feet and an OSD audio Forza sub that will be 110 feet from the network rack in my basement. I could just terminate at the shed that would cut about 80 feet but the shed has a few issues mostly that it is not a conditioned space and i live in the north east with hot summers and cold winters and i would prefer all my equipment in one location, but the shed does have electricity (dedicated subpanel) and internet connectivity via a cat6 cable. The speakers will be powered by one, maybe two, sonos amps and the sub by an OSD SMP-200 amp.

My tl;dr question is: given the shortest run of 110 feet and longest at 200 feet should i terminate the speaker wire at the basement, or save 80 feet and terminate at my unconditioned shed?

I’m a 21 year old rock ‘n’ roll guitar player and singer songwriter mixer/producer trying to figure out what made some of my favourite old records sounds so great. There are recordings that have always stood out to me as incredibly sonically pleasing to listen to independent of the music itself. Eddie Kramer is a legend and one of the greatest to ever do it. There is a specific sound he got in the mid 70s that I have been obsessed with for a long time and I have not been able to put my finger on what it is. I haven’t gone too deep into researching what kind of gear he used and how he might have achieved such an amazing sound so I thought I would come on here and see if anybody could help me Identify some of the components that contributed to this sound. The sound I’m describing can best be heard on the track New York Groove by Ace Frehley. It almost sounds squishy like the whole mix is pumping but it doesn’t sound over compressed. It sounds saturated in the greatest way. It’s very colourful and it’s very warm without being devoid of any high-end. It’s by far my favourite production sound I’ve ever heard.
You can also hear it on records he did with the band cactus, a bit on kiss alive and a lot on the song Shock Me by kiss. You can also hear it on the Frampton comes alive album. You can hear it on his live album with the Rolling Stones and April Wine at the Elmo. If anybody can help me identify the sound and how it can be achieved, I would be extremely grateful. Thank you for reading and let me know what you think.

Looking for speaker placement advice for a spectacular room I'm looking to optimize.

Biggest issue is that I need to position for both my desk, and while sitting in the green hammock, which is the dead center of the room. Initially had the speakers in the opposing corners. The curtains are almost always open except the currently closed bit. Lots of glass. They are thin blackout shades I'll eventually upgrade along with most else in the room, possibly something thicker if it will help sound absorption. Included literal napkin diagram (pic 3).

Budget but satisfying rig: B&W DM110s - Aiyima A08 Pro. Chairs in lieu of real speaker stands right now. I just moved in. Will upgrade all components eventually. Windows are single pane. Mexico City street noise is a lot, but the building is thick poured concrete and I can get this reasonably bumping without neighbor issues. Neighborhood has so much other noise at all hours, mine is a drop in the bucket.

Have a better near field rig in my living room I could potentially swap it for: Klipch speakers that could sit on my desk with a sub (pic 4). Prefer the wide placement of the B&Ws for hammock listening though unless advised otherwise.

Appreciate any and all suggestions. Long time lurker. My dream lounge beginning to come together!

(Let me preface by saying, I am not an EQ user. I like the signal unchanged from the file or source. I prefer to improve the room before adjusting any settings. Especially any settings I have no control over.)

It is not uncommon for people to post here that a streaming service or device sounds worse than previous service. Speaking strictly about listening on an AVR or even a preamp with similar UX, it is also not uncommon for people to say “Your settings must be wrong” based on the complaint. I am guilty of saying this too!

Well, let he cast the first stone because, I was trouble shooting my AVR on its Web interface (your's probably has one too, if it is not too old) for an unrelated issue and, ugh, this explains why some devices and settings on it did not sound as good as others! (see images) I had these two things turned on.

I think I did this years ago when I was learning the AVR (still am) and, they stuck. The complex and odd colored UI does not help.

Anyhow, if you have these kinds of EQ like adjustments on your AVR or preamp/streamer, try turning them off. I had these settings/outputs set to Natural and Standard. So I had those EQs on some things but not others!

Note: Like many, I mix my AVR with my stereo so, it is part of the equation for many. If you do not use an AVR, don't bother replying. I also have a nothing but stereo set up in my office but, I only have one other room, and it has a TV, to put my “main” setup at home. Reality. Thanks.

Hey everyone. I’m planning to purchase the DIRAC ART bundle, which is currently discounted to $799 from its original price of $947.
I’m wondering if it’s worth waiting until Black Friday for a the yearly potential 20% discount. If the discount is applied to the original $947 price, the final price would be $757.60, which is only a small savings compared to the current $799 price but if the 20% discount is applied to the current $799 sale price, it would drop to $639.20, making it much more worthwhile to wait for a few more weeks.

My questions are:

1. For Black Friday, would the 20% discount typically be applied to the original $947 price or the current $799 sale price?

2. Does anyone remember what the DIRAC ART bundle’s discounted price was during Black Friday 2025?

Thanks for your input.

headphones : Audio Technica ATH-M20X

Chip : Creative Sound Blaster AE5

Audio source : flac file vs Apple Music Hi-Res vs YouTube video

Songs I played : countless

Basically I did an A/B/C test with all these. The only difference was just the audio volume (or gain or whatever, you get the point)

I can't notice anything, are my ears unworthy? Or is hi-res genuinely niche/super hard to notice?

I have looked at a few posts in this subreddit and all of them talked about the setup products. Me personally: I have EQ software (specifically EqualizerAPO for the EQ software and HeSuVi for virtualization of a 7.1 surround sound system), I find my system sounds almost indistinguishable from real life, almost.

I sometimes have issues balancing the bass with the rest of the sound, either I do too much or there's very little.. but that's besides the point.

What's your opinion on EQ vs. hardware?

Edit: to avoid confusion I am using IEMs, not speakers.

I have already shown the aforementioned preamp as a line-level (connected to an Audio Note DAC 4.1) on R /Audiophile.

The preamp is fully professionally refreshed. In addition to the line inputs, it also has MM and MC Phono inputs.
I use an MM cartridge.
Currently, I have an Empire S4000-D/I cartridge (NOS) up there, and I
have a spare Empire S400D/I stylus (also NOS).
I also have an Ortofon 2M Red and a Shure M75MB Type2 in reserve.

And how does it play?

Very good, surprisingly good!
Lively, with good dynamics and a nice midrange and high spectrum.
The bass is good, the sound is detailed enough, the performance is transparent.

It is no worse than my Musical Fidelity Vynl Phono preamp (I use it with a 300B tube amplifier).
The performance even seems a little livelier to me.

In conclusion, I am very satisfied with the HK Citation preamp (and Phono) that is in my B amplification.

P.S. I find the turntable to play better than digital sources. It sounds better.

Hi everyone, I had a chance to listen to an extensive Klipsch demonstration last week. The pinnacle was the Kliptschorn 80th anniversary powered by 2x McIntosh 275 amps in a large, properly treated room.

And: for a 60k system it sounded good, big but not that impressive otherwise. Bass isn't that well controlled, everything sounded a bit muffled/way too warm.

compared to Raidhos I listened to the week before which are 14k for the pair, I like the Raidhos way, way better in terms of quality.

and then, I likes a 2.2 system with a pair of larger Genelec the ones alongside 2 Genelec subs even better, and they sounded as big as the Kliptschorns just... better on all other aspects?

I know preference is subjective of course, but I'd like to understand whether I'm missing something or it's really just a matter of preference and perhaps status with the Kliptschorns.

many thanks!

I've just entered the HiFi world with a maranz amplifier and q acoustic speakers.

I have an old JVC cd/dvd player from which I'd listen to CDs, and I was wondering Which be the difference between using a digital output (bypassing cd player's DAC) or an analog one. Would it be noticeable?

After 8 months of packing, moving, renting and eventually buying, I have finally finished installing and setting up my listening lounge in the basement and my everyday listening spot in the living room.

1200 records, 200+ CDS/Cassettes, three vintage amps, four turntables, two CD players, a cassette studio deck, a set of Klipsch La Scalas, a set up Klipsch Heresy’s, 800 Miles in a U-Haul, and an aching back later I finally have it all under one roof.

Basement Lounge Setup:
- Marantz 6300 TT w/ Nagoka MP-200 Cart
- Marantz 5420 Stereo Cassette Deck
- McIntosh MA 230 Solid State Preamp Tube Amp Combo
- NAD C 516BEE Single Disc CD player
- ADCOM GCD-700 5 Disc Changer
- WiiM Ultra Streamer
- Klipsch La Scala I’s (1984) Speakers
- Klipsch SW-10 II Subwoofer

Nugs Basement Streaming Setup:
- Marantz 5010 Reciever
- Klipsch F1 Synergy Towers
- Klipsch S1 Synergy Surrounds
- Klipsch C1 Synergy Center Channel
- Klipsch R-10SW Sub

Living Room Setup:
- Marantz 2270 Receiver
- Klipsch Hersey 1’s
- Project Debut Carbon TT w/Ortofon Bronze Cart

It was sad to say goodbye to my old listening space but very pleased with the look, sound and comfort of how these new places came together. It was truly a labor of love and I learned a lot along the way.

Went to my local dealer and he gave me like 200 bucks off the fyne 502s for 3250(pretax) (fantastic sounding set, really debating this had my heart set on the super linton and its changing my mind). I was researching on my own and like the top link has them is from a site called kronos for 2600....

Either my local guy is scamming (highly doubt this, he's super nice and has been in my area forever) or kronos has some kind of deal or tax break.

Can someone just throw me another opinion, my bullshit meter is just high is all.

Not sure if links are allowed, sorry mods can edit if not. https://www.kronosav.com/products/fyne-audio-f502s-floorstanders?variant=57349442863477&country=CA&currency=USD&utm_medium=product_sync&utm_source=google&utm_content=sag_organic&utm_campaign=sag_organic

i got a chevelle cd that was pretty beat up and tested it and wasnt surprised that it was skipping in my harman kardon , but i was reading up on a post that ps3’s actually pretty good audio players so i decided to grab this beast out of the closet and just give it a go to see if i should just throw the cd out .

IT PLAYS PERFECTLY FINE AND NO SKIPS ??? looks like im just going to use my ps3 for all my cd’s 😂

I had HiFi fuses in some components, and now I have three in 2 components (DDC Denafrips Iris and Audio Note DAC 4.1).
I didn't really notice any improvement in the sound, but let them be found.

I also have some copies of small resonators.
I also didn't notice any audible shift in the sound.

Component pads (Finite Elemente) have already given a small shift (better defined bass and cleaner midrange).
I also find a heavy bronze weight on the transformer housing of the tube amplifier useful.
It significantly reduces the vibrations of that housing.

Densen DeMagic CD for demagnetization may (maybe) have some effect on the cleaner midrange and treble spectrum.

What do you think about it?

Why do these YouTube audio reviewers master their vides so warm? The most egregious beeing hifi huff which some how gets painfully warm. But I will turn on some of theier reviews and be like are you talking through a fleece?

So if I was preparing to drop a decent sum on new speakers and was only concerned about the listening experience, would DIY kits like GR's and others be a good choice (I enjoy woodworking), or should we always trust factories?

From Monitor Audio Gold 1006G speakers + rythmik audio FM8 subs acting as speaker stands -> Ascend acoustics-elx-towers + Velodyne HGS 12 sub. That's an older sub I had in storage, it's still one of best I have ever heard for it's size. It fits in the corner perfectly. The space is what it is, the approve entertainment area I have in the living room. Some day I will have a dedicated listening/HT room again.

Hey everyone, amateur here, inherited this setup from my grandpa and his father before him. Marantz 2235 receiver and Realistic Lab-290 turntable. Just wondering if these are rare at all due to their age and if there is anything I should know. Thanks!

Source:

- Navidrome on my home server, local lossless FLAC library

- Symfonium (Android) as the controller, casting over UPnP/DLNA

System:

- JVC A-X9 (1979 Super-A integrated). No digital inputs, so whatever feeds it is doing the D/A

- Klipsch Heresy (Super Heresy 2.0) and JBL 4311Bs

I was originally using a Chromecast Audio (3.5mm to RCA), casting from Symfonium. Then I switched to my FiiO M33 R2R set to NOS/Flat, line out, running BubbleUPnP and casting from Symfonium the same way.

Is there a consensus on whether I'd actually hear a difference between these two? Is the CCA's analog out holding the system back?

The FiiO is inconvenient. I have to turn it on, wait for it to boot, turn on Wi-Fi, open BubbleUPnP, connect, and Bubble has its own quirks and glitches. The FiiO exists for my DCA Noire X; I just started using it as my amp feed too.

I'm not opposed to something like a WiiM Pro or Pro Plus if it gives me the convenience and an advantage over the CCA

What I want:

- Always on, shows up in Symfonium as a renderer

- Bit-perfect, gapless ideally

- Transparent. I'd rather the vintage gear be the character

Around $300 CAD max

hello all. wanted to know if anyone has experience with these speakers. they are wharfedale s77's. they sound quite great. the top pair was my dads and i found the bottom pair that had bad inductors on the crossover board, bad tweeters and bad woofers. found all original components(same tweeters, mids and tweeters as wharfedale e90s. not sure about the crossover network). have to make everything look pretty. they are paired to a technics sl1600, jvc sea-r7 equalizer and currently a technics su7600. recently purchased a sansui 9090(non db) that needs some work, but will eventually be part of the system. i know the spacing of the cabinets is far from ideal, but its all the room ive got and id rather have the equipment for when i have the space. ive included the back tag of the cabinets as well as a pic of the whole setup. wondering if anyone has a pair, had a pair or heard them before. they dont seem too common, and i want others experiences and opinions if any. thank you

I have a Cinema 50 with a Rotel 200wpc handling my B&W 604s (L/R).

I want to get a vintage Marantz receiver. I’d keep the Cinema 50 for the AV stuff and use a switch for the amps.

Anywho, given that the speakers are a bit hungry, does it make sense to use the Rotel still or am I losing the vintage Marantz sound?

Thank you.

From January 1957, almost 70 years ago ❤️

Wasnt going to keep the 901s but after giving them a few listens... well theyre still here.

Not trying to let the cat out of the bag here, but DCM speakers (pre-MTX) are one of the biggest hidden gems in the Hifi world. You can listen to any speaker in just about any setting, come back to the DCMs and still be impressed by the linearity and SQ.

The Bose 901s are fun and sound fantastic when setup correctly, but you almost have to listen to a couple songs on another setup afterwards to remind yourself that the full and complete frequency band still exists in your brain.

Im sure anyone who's owned or listened to a set will be able to chime in!

(Sorry to the DCM hoarders, weve had long enough to grab up the more hard to come by models lol but if anyone has TF2000s on the East coast give me a ring 😆)