Yeah it's crazy the little details we think are super important when getting into a hobby that seem to be pretty unimportant later on. I had a Lamy Safari as my first pen, but going into it I thought that the snap cap would be a huge issue. I thought it would be super loud or annoying to put on and off or something like that. Turns out it's not even a problem now that I've got the pen lol.

That pentel looks awesome! I really like the simple and classy look of it. That's a big reason I like the Lamy 2000. It looks like a black pen at first, but is much cooler once you really look at it.

Honestly with speakers, cheap stuff is a lot more fun that expensive stuff to me. I've got a pair of Quad Z-3 towers. Yeah, of course they sound good. If they cost that much and don't, there's a big problem. The thing I like about cheaper speakers is how they all have a very fun character. Once you're spending a lot of money, every speaker out there just tries to sound exactly the same. Cheaper speakers do different stuff though. There are some speakers that focus on midrange, so vocals sound really sweet and warm. There are some that focus on the top end, so you get every little detail up top. There are some that focus on dynamics, so you get that "front row of a concert" sorta feel. I like experimenting with all that stuff. It's just fun. And you don't have to spend a ton of money and get those KEFs to really get into it.

Just for fun, I'll build a cheap setup for you, so you'll know what to get in the future if you ever feel inclined haha.

The Micca MB42X are really the "go-to" starter speaker. They're one of the cheapest that sound decent. And, honestly, they sound really good.

SMSL SA50 to power them. That's on sale for the same price as the SA36 right now. They're the same thing, just this has more power. You don't need it, but you might as well have it haha.

Some speaker cable. You need to cut it and strip it to put it into the speakers. There are quite a few tutorials out there on it. It's pretty easy.

Cable to plug it in.

Boom, just like that you've got a sweet stereo speaker setup that will blow any single speaker out of the water, and easily impress anyone! It comes to around $150 with everything.

I'm not trying to talk you into anything, but I'm basically pointing out that you don't have to spend thousands of dollars to get a respectable system.

While we're on this, another thing I like about hobbies is that anyone can be in it at any price range, and that's super cool to me. If someone only has money for a $15 Pilot fountain pen, who cares? That's awesome that they like fountain pens! They don't need to have a $200 fountain pen to be cool. Just anything is sweet. Same with speakers. You don't need a multi thousand dollar system to be "into audio" or whatever you'd call it. If you've got a setup that you like, at whatever price, that's sweet! I'm glad we both enjoy music.

No matter what you do, it's always better to start small. Start small, make small mistakes. Start big, make big mistakes. The important thing is to experience a little of everything while spending as little as possible. Then, you can make your money go further, to maximize your fun and experience.

Don't get all-in-one radios. They're expensive, and if you break something, nothing works. It's better to get a bunch of separate radios that are a lot cheaper, so if something breaks, you're not off the air.

u/ElectronSpiderwort recommended a Kenwood TM-D710GA:

• Kenwood TM-D710G, Kenwood TM-D710GA APRS Mobile Radio
  
  Absolutely consider getting this radio. Even if you get other radios, you will still love this one. You can do so many different things with it, it will keep you busy for a long, long time, even if that were the only radio you got. My favorite feature is the ability to send text messages. You can even send to cellphones via email. Each phone company has an email alias for SMS messages, so search for the SMS email address for the particular phone (phone company) you want to reach, and you can send text messages to that phone even the user is not licensed. They can watch your travel on a map if they want to see where you are.
  
  It's an expensive radio, but you can save a lot of money buying it used. People take care of these things, so you should have no trouble finding one in near-new condition. Buy two, one for your vehicle and one for home.
  
  A Mirage B-320-G 200 watt 2 meter amplifier is the only amplifier you will ever need, if you need one at all. It will work equally well with a handheld, or a mobile radio, and at 200 watts, it's not in the price-capability region where it's cheaper to just buy a dedicated high-power radio. You can buy it for a mobile, or buy it for a handheld, and eventually use it for both. It actually puts out about 240 watts at full power. That's impressive, and way more than you will ever need. If you put lower input power, it outputs lower power, so it basically covers everything, which is awesome.
  
  One HF radio I would like to have is a Motorola Micom 3, because it can work any HF frequency, and it does a great job of it, but it's almost $8000 with no accessories:
  
  
• motorola micom - Google Search
  
  Marine is a big part of life in Maine, and having access to marine frequencies could be helpful. I have forgotten if a Micom is type accepted for marine used, but if it is, you might save money by getting one. It's as good mobile as it is at home, and there's even a backpack version if that's your thing.
  
  A Motorola APX 8000 handheld costs about as much as a new Micom at $7000+, but you get 4 bands and lots of features. I would prefer to get a Yaesu FT-60R with the AA NiMH pack. It's cheap, works great, and it's designed for AA NiMH batteries! I currently use a Kenwood TH-F6A, which is much more expensive with amazingly fast scanning speed on 2 receivers simultaneously, but the radios I use the most are Motorola MT352R FRS radios I can buy nearly new after holidays for about $23 each (people return them and they get sold as "open box" or refurbished for half price). The performance beats any ham radios I have ever used, and they're so cheap you can loan them out like candy. I keep them in plastic bags so they're always clean and new, and nearly waterproof. They are also designed for AA NiMH! AA batteries are important. See r/AAMasterRace.
  
  I have a nice selection of fine quality BNC telescoping antennas tuned to all the frequencies I care about, from Smiley Antennas. Put a low profile BNC adapter on your new radio as soon as you get it, and get those big antennas from Smiley. The Kenwood TH-F6A goes down to 0.050 watts, so with a big antenna, you save battery above all. People think of antennas as being for a lot of various purposes, but they don't often think of battery life, because most radios can't go as low as the Kenwood TH-F6A. With the big antenna, the low power gets out just fine, and no matter how rich you are, batteries are bulky and heavy and it's always better if you don't need more of them. I got the biggest 2 meter and 440 MHz antennas Smiley makes. I got their tri-band antenna, and antennas tuned for FRS, MURS, marine, and probably a few other things I have forgotten. Be sure to mark your antennas so you know what frequencies they're tuned for.
  
  An ADS-SR1 simplex repeater with the larger memory option will get a lot more use out of all your handheld radios and mobile. It runs on AA batteries, and it has a voicemail system. It's not a lot of money to greatly expand your capability.
  
  I want an MTR3b_LCD, because it's the only radio small enough to EDC that can go around the world, on 40, 30, and 20 meters. Nobody else has a smaller, more capable radio. The radio, the antenna, and batteries, will all fit in your back pocket. Ridiculously amazing.
  
  Contact K1EL and tell him to make a Morse code keyer that emulates a USB keyboard, so you can practice Morse code in your routine PC usage at 45 WPM. You will become an expert very quickly that way.
  
  Begali Adventure Mono will work equally well portable as it does on a desk. If you buy one key, this will do it all. Don't get a 2-lever iambic key, they suck. All the fastest Morse code operators use single lever keys. NOBODY codes faster with an iambic key. NOBODY. I have no idea why people think they must have this useless feature. Palm Pico Single, N3ZN-SL (single lever), American Morse Equipment Mini-B, and any nice touch key, would round out your collection of keys. Again, avoid iambic 2 lever keys like the plague. They are poison.
  
  An Elecraft KX3 (10 watts) with a KXPA100 (100 watts), and a KPA500 (500 watts), along with all the other accessories like a PX3 (SDR waterfall display) etc, will cover all of your regular ham radio HF needs, from portable QRP, to high power at 500 watts. You will have a lot of flexibility with this setup, and it's not super expensive. The best part is Elecraft gear has a high resale value, so you will have no trouble dumping it if you decided it's not for you.
  
  If you like luxury gear, take a look at Elecraft's other radios. You might decide to buy nothing but Elecraft. A lot of people do, and Elecraft has rightfully earned that loyalty.
  
  Airspy HF+ SDR. It's the most bang for your buck, and outperforms most radios at any price, but it only costs about $160, if I remember correctly. You can never have too many inexpensive, high quality receivers.
  
  RTL-SDR. It's $30, and does everything up to gigahertz range with mediocre quality, which is what you would expect from a receiver that costs 5 times as much. This thing is versatile. When you just need to test something, or monitor something extra on the side, these are handy. Many people own 2 or more. I like to dedicate mine to monitoring FRS frequencies, because I wouldn't want to dedicate a more expensive receiver to such a low job. An RTL-SDR is probably the smartest first purchase you can make, especially if you believe in my "start small" philosophy. Even when you go big, you will still find uses for these things.
  
  
• AmazonSmile: RTL-SDR Blog R820T2 RTL2832U 1PPM TCXO SMA Software Defined Radio with 2x Telescopic Antennas: Electronics
  
• AmazonSmile: BlueRigger USB 2.0 Type A Male to A Female Active Extension/Repeater Cable - 32FT (10M): Gateway (get 2 maximum for each RTL-SDR)
  
  You need test equipment, like dummy loads, watt meters, SWR meters, antenna analyzers, etc. And power supplies. You need to know what your equipment is doing or not doing.
  
  Get a nice antenna system. You don't need to spend a lot of money at first, but antennas should be on your mind while you're selecting radios. Antennas make or break your station, regardless of what radios you have.
  
  That's all I can think of for now. I'm sure you will have a lot of fun shopping for new gear!

Help! Comfortable Closed Back Headphone Needed.

• Budget - £150 (approx $215)
  
• Source - Laptop / Desktop computer with headphone amp.
  
• Requirements for Isolation - Good isolation. Using mostly at home, so don't mind a bit of leak.
  
• Will you be using these headphones in public - No.
  
• Preferred Type of Headphone - Closed Back, Over Ear.
  
• Preferred Tonal Balance - Good, neutral, wide sound. I don't mind a bit of emphasis on the low and high ends, as long as they are well controlled and not muddy. I actually quite liked the bassiness of the ATH-M50x, but a bit more control would be nice.
  
• Past Headphones - Sennheiser HD 215 - very comfortable and they do sound good but looking for an upgrade.
  
• AKG K72 - don't sound too bad for the price, a bit muffled and lacking clarity. Like the design and very comfortable.
  
• AKG K550 - sounded amazing but I had a significant problem with comfort. After about 30 mins use, a real burning pain starts to slowly grow right at the crown of my head where the top of the headband rests. An hour in and it's pretty unbearable. As a result, they sat in my cupboard, unused for two years. I tried using them again a couple of weeks ago, but had the same issue, so I've been forced to sell them.
  
• Audio Technica ATH-M50x - I would say that in terms of sound, these were definitely a bit of a downgrade. The overall sound is just a lot more muddied and coloured, and the soundstage is nowhere near as good as the K550s. They are a bit more comfortable, but not by much. I can only really use them for about 2 hours before I am in considerable pain from the headband. I think I will be returning these and trying to find something more comfortable.
  
• Preferred Music - Listen to a bit of everything. Primarily EDM, Pop, Rock, Alternative, Classical.
  
• What would you like to improve on from your set-up - Comfortable! For long periods. I think I might be better off with lighter headphones, since the pain is always due to pressure at the top of my head.
  -Good, neutral, wide sound. I don't mind a bit of emphasis on the low and high ends, as long as they are well controlled and not muddy.
  
  With this is mind, a couple of candidates so far:
  
  
• Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 80 Ohm - from what I've heard, supposed to be pretty comfortable. Link: [DT770] (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beyerdynamic-DT770-Pro-Headphones-Ohm/dp/B0016MNAAI/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1463390210&sr=1-1&keywords=dt770)
  
• Sennheiser HD 380 Pro - again, supposed to be pretty comfortable and quite light. Not sure these are much of an upgrade in terms of sound. Link: HD 380
  
• AKG K271 Mk II - Lightweight and have a similar headband design to a pair of AKG K72 I have, which are really comfy. Link: [K271] (https://www.amazon.co.uk/AKG-K271-MKII-Circumaural-Headphones/dp/B0016MOC28/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1463389006&sr=1-3&keywords=akg+closed)
  
  What would you recommend out of these 3? Any better alternatives in my price range?
  
  If anyone can offer any advice or help, it would be much appreciated. Thanks.
  

Absolutely.

For your controller needs, if you want to use a DualShock4, DS3, Wii U Pro Controller or WiiMote, all you need is a mini Bluetooth dongle and a driver such as DS4Windows (google "[controller] driver windows"). With the proper driver they should be supported under most games, but they might require a button mapping tool to work with some stuff (we can help you with that).

If you want to go the easy route and have a controller supported by most games with no driver configuration as soon as you plug it in, an Xbone controller is your choice. However, it will require a special M$ dongle to work wirelessly, and be warned that this dongle only works under Windows 10. Alternately, if you can live with some inferior design features, you can get a 360 controller (which still works with nearly all controller games) and its corresponding dongle, which has the added benefit of working with all Windows's back to XP. However, be aware that both of these controllers require AA batteries rather than the rechargeable packs found in DualShock/Nintendo. You can buy a rechargeable pack for Xbox controllers but it obviously costs extra.

All of the aforementioned controllers will also work over USB with any operating system.

Now to the second part of your question. I assume that you mean you want to play on your TV–this can be accomplished one of two ways and is easy to setup. The first and most obvious way is to simply keep your PC in your entertainment center and hook it to your TV over HDMI, in much the same way that you would your PS4. Steam's Big Picture mode tries to emulate the homescreen of a console to make controller navigation easier, and does a pretty good job of it. Coming from the PS4 interface I'm sure you'll feel right at home–but you do still need a KB+mouse to get in Big Picture from a cold PC startup. This shouldn't be an issue as there are many cheap wireless keyboards with inbuilt trackpads on offer.

The second way is to use a Steam Link. This is a very handy little set-top box that will stream video input over the internet from a PC in the house–if you've ever heard of the PlayStation TV, this is similar. In order to use the Link you must have fast (at least 10mbps; check using speedtest.net) Ethernet on both ends (your PC and the Link) and a controller that connects over USB (either thru a USB cable or a USB wireless receiver. The Xbox receivers mentioned in a previous paragraph currently don't work with the Link but Valve says they are looking into it). It's very simple to setup–hook the Link to internet, plug in your controller and HDMI cable for TV connection, and pair it with your PC. Then you'll have total access to all your controller-supported PC games from the couch, with no loss of graphics.

Also, as a PC gamer, I have a word for you–there are some games that do play better with KB+M, especially shooters. Trust me, once you try something like Call of Duty with a mouse, you will never be able to go back to aiming with controller sticks. If you want this benefit but still find KB+M uncomfortable, there is the Steam Controller which features a more accurate trackpad in place of the right stick, and will work with most of the games that an Xbox controller works with.

One final word. If you are actually, legitimately serious about getting into PC gaming–please for the LOVE OF GOD do not buy a pre-built one. BUILD. YOUR. OWN. Seriously, if you are looking to surpass consoles and get value for money, I CANNOT stress this enough. Although it may seem daunting at first it's really little more than high-tech LEGOs–/r/BuildaPCforMe will furnish you with a parts list so you don't have to bother with that, and then the build will take two hours tops (even if you're inexperienced). There are tons of great videos on YouTube that will show you how–this is my personal fave, although I do advise you not to use any of those parts since that vid is considerably old.

If you have any questions feel free to reply to this and I can help you out.

After I finished building my PC, I still wanted to build but had nothing else to put into it... so I went a little buck with the peripherals.

Mouse: Cyborg R.A.T 9

I got this mouse for two reasons: it's extremely ergonomic, versatile and comfortable to use and it looks like it could probably transform into a Decepticon.

Keyboard: Razer Blackwidow 2012 Ultimate

The keyboard was actually a gift, I have really enjoyed everything about it though. Besides the glossy finish that does get really mucked up, I have no complaints.

Mousepad: Razer Goliathus Extended; Control Edition

I wanted my mouse and keyboard to both be on my mousepad so I opted for this giant ass thing. It's worked really well for me, besides collecting crumbs when I snack and game...

Speakers: Audioengine A5+ Bamboo Edition

Picked these guys up for a steal, they sounds completely phenomenal. Owning these speakers kind of pushed me into the world of high end audio, which eventually lead to me getting my DAC and my headphones.

DAC: Audioengine D1 DAC & Integrated Amplifier

Got the DAC here on Massdrop for like 40% off or something, I've found that it really rounds out the low end of the speakers and gives them more transparency overall.

Headphones: Sennheiser HD598s

I can't speak highly enough of these headphones. If you're into electro or metal, these probably aren't for you merely because of the fact that they are a very neutral sounding set of cans. The low end is definitely there, but it's not pounding and overpowering like many other headphones I've owned. I still swap over to my old HD408's for anything I want to rattle my skull with.

Headphone Stand: Cheap Knockoff of the Seivking Omega stand

Same thing, off Massdrop for a good price. It's a cheap Chinese version of a very high end stand but it has actually been really nice to keep my headphones on and compliments the speakers really well.

Headset: SteelSeries Siberia v2 Frost

Very comfortable headset, and really good surround effects on them. I could always tell where Elizabeth was in Bioshock Infinite because they have great directional sound.

I'm also running 2 of these fans on my desk to keep everything nice and cool during those hot summer days. Throw some LED accent lighting, a couple of USB hubs and some monitor mounts and you've pretty much got everything that sits on my desk.

Oh, and I almost forgot the best part! It probably gets the most use of any of my peripherals =]

Hope this helps your decision! I would certainly recommend a mechanical keyboard, you'll never go back after you've tried one out and there's many inexpensive options for them out there!

Jesus, this turned into a really long comment...

If you're only seeing large dust particles on the surface but not hearing much in terms of popping and crackling, then I'd go with just a basic carbon fiber brush like this AudioQuest one. If you're new to vinyl and don't already have one, it's a good thing to pick up anyway. It's good practice to brush each side before each spin. While these types of brushes won't clean a truly dirty record, they'll help your clean records stay clean.

If your records are noticeably loud and noisy then you'll probably have to go the route of wet cleaning. I see kits like this one a lot but I don't think they're really worth the money. You can do a better (and cheaper) job with:

• Microfiber Cloths - Run them all through a cycle in your washing machine (just water, no detergent) to get rid of any fuzz.
  
• Isopropyl Alcohol & Distilled Water - Put a solution of 1 part alcohol and 2 parts water into a spray bottle. You could even use as little as 1 to 4, I don't think it makes a huge difference. Make sure to get 90% plus alcohol and avoid any types of additives like menthol.
  
  You can lay one cloth flat to set the record on, spray it down and scrub around lightly with one of the cloths (it can help to dampen this with the distilled water). Personally I like to then dry the record with another cloth, spray it down with just distilled water to rinse it then dry again and repeat on the other side but you can find a method/system that works for you. If you're being super particular about it then remember to flip and replace the cloth the record is on so as not to contaminate the side you just cleaned. Also if you're worried about getting your labels wet, car applicator pads like these actually cover a label almost perfectly and they can also be used in place of a microfiber cloth to scrub the record, they work great.
  
  If you plan on sticking with vinyl for awhile though it's worth it to save up for a SpinClean. I was a skeptic for a long time but I'm glad I finally got one, it really is worth the money. It does a good job, it's well built and it's stupidly easy to use. If $80 seems too steep for a yellow plastic trough (which it really is, unfortunately) there are cheaper models such as this. Doesn't have a lid and comes with different cleaning fluid but it doesn't seem like a half bad option.
  
  Whichever option you go with always make sure you're putting your newly cleaned records into clean inner sleeves. If they were dirty in those sleeves it's very likely those sleeves are dirty too. Also remember to keep your turntable mat and stylus clean.

Hey all!

This is probably old news for many of you but for those thinking of setting up GroovyMAME with CRT_EmuDriver, do it; you won't be disappointed. It is a little bit of mucking around but the fruits of your labour are well worth it.

Some helpful links that I've collected along the way:

GroovyMAME -- Get the latest GroovyMAME from here. This forum is also pretty active so if you get stuck, you may find someone else in a similar spot as you. A great resource!

CRT_EmuDriver -- Get the latest CRT_EmuDriver versions here. Also has guides for setting up based on your selected hardware / software setup.

Wavebeam Guide -- Excellent and comprehensive guide from Wavebeam detailing the entire setup (including software and hardware requirements). Given that it is over a year old, use it as a reference to give you an idea of what is involved. The hardware aspects are pretty much the same now, but some of the pieces relating to software you will want to seek more up-to-date info.


Buttersoft Windows + CRT / PVM Guide -- buttersoft's supremely thorough thread on hooking your PC up to your CRT / PVM. Lots of great info here.

GroovyMAME Setup Thread -- Recap's thread on setting up GroovyMAME. The guides and posts on the Eiusdemmodi forum are descriptive and thorough. In particular, you should read this post as it has useful information pertaining to audio latency (search for 'PortAudio') and I foolishly missed it the first time and wasted a lot of unnecessary time with ASIO4ALL.

As for my setup, before I begin, I will point out that it is not ideal for someone planning to avoid Windows and boot directly into a MAME frontend. For that, you should really consider a discrete card that be flashed with Calamity's ATOM-15 -- more info here. I went the way I did because I wanted to be able to keep my computer relatively versatile given that I already have a dedicated cabinet.
With that out of the way...I spent probably more than I needed to getting this up and running. I couldn't find a whole lot of info about people who have set this up on relatively "new" hardware. Most people tend to favour older OS's and discrete cards, whereas I was more interested in Windows 10 and an AMD APU based system after reading this post outlining the hardware behind the recent SkyCurser arcade game. Enough waffling on:

• Case: IN WIN BM643BK18PNU3
  
• CPU / GPU: AMD A8-7600 Kaveri
  
• Mobo: ASRock A88M-ITX/ac R2.0
  
• RAM: Ballistix Elite 4GB Single DDR3 2133 (probably should get another for dual channel)
  
  It is all hooked up to my Olympus OEV-203 via a VGA to RGBHV cable, with the H/V sync on a BNC Y adaptor (male to dual female). I am just running the audio through the mono speaker on the PVM at the moment using a 3.5mm to RCA cable with a RCA Y splitter.
  
  Hope this helps some of you. Good luck!

Headphones:

• AKG K612 Pro
  
• AKG K701
  
• AKG K702
  
• Audio-Technica ATH-AD700x
  
• Audio-Technica ATH-AD900x
  
• Beyerdynamic DT880
  
• Beyerdynamic DT990
  
• Philips Fidelio X2
  
• Sennheiser HD558/HD579
  
• Sennheiser HD598/HD599
  
  Headsets:
  
  
• Massdrop x Sennheiser PC37X
  
• Sennheiser Game One
  
  

  
  

  
  I have Audio-Technica ATH-AD700X, Beyerdynamic DT990 (600 ohms), Philips Fidelio X2 and Sennheiser HD598 of these.
  
  AD700X has subdued sub-bass and emphasized treble. It has clean bass and a little harsh treble. It has a huge soundstage, excellent imaging, separation and clarity, and great detail retrieval.
  
  DT990 has subdued sub-bass, emphasized mid-bass and very emphasized treble. It has clean bass and a little sharp and splashy treble. It has a huge soundstage and excellent imaging, separation, clarity and detail retrieval.
  
  Fidelio X2 has emphasized sub-bass, mid-bass and treble. It has clean bass and, as far as I remember, smooth treble. (The stock earpads caused channel imbalance, so I discarded them around a year ago, and haven't bought new stock earpads yet.) The soundstage is very wide, like the others I've mentioned, but it lacks some depth. It's probably only noticeable if you play competitively or compare it side-by-side with headphones that are deeper. This affects the imaging from front to back. The imaging from left to right is excellent. Separation and clarity are excellent. Detail retrieval is great, but the bass overpowers/masks sound cues a lot.
  
  HD598 has subdued sub-bass and is mid-forward. It has clean bass, smooth treble, and excellent clarity. I haven't used it much, so my impressions are that it has a large soundstage and good imaging, separation and detail retrieval.
  
  

  
  

  
  K701 and K702 are too hard to drive for the MixAmp. K612 might be loud enough, but is said to sound much better with a dedicated headphone amplifier. You can use an amp with the MixAmp. You'd need a 3.5mm-to-RCA cable and a TRRS Y-splitter. The featured amp is Schiit Magni, which has been replaced by Magni 3 and is a very powerful amp. It can also drive the 600-ohm version of DT990 and DT880.
  
  To use an amp without the MixAmp, you'd need a DAC (digital-to-analog converter), e.g. FiiO D3, Schiit Modi 2 Uber or Topping D30. There's a common problem with reversed left and right channels when using USB DACs, so use one with optical unless the product officially supports PS4. You'd need an RCA-to-RCA cable to connect the amp to the DAC. You could use a DAC-amp instead, like Micca Origen G2. It can't be connected to the MixAmp, only separate amps can.

Oh man. Brace yourselves, I am a total Amazon junkie. (Note: These may not all be BIFL, but I'm responding to the OP in specific.)

• $9 butter keeper. (I bought a slightly different one that's no longer available, but it's the same basic design.) Keeping butter that isn't for cooking or baking in the fridge is for chumps. Mine is always perfectly spreadable room temperature while staying fresh for weeks... sometimes months.
  
  
• $9 TV antenna. I didn't own a TV until a few years ago, and it didn't have a built-in antenna. I don't watch much broadcast TV, so I grabbed the cheapest one I could find. Case in point for why digital is better than analog, this one picks up every digital channel perfectly.
  
  
• $13 shoe rack (now $18). Over the past year of living in this flat, I'd developed a bad tendency of kicking my shoes off at the bottom of the stairs just inside the front door. This looked like a cheap piece of shit, but I figured for the price I couldn't go wrong. Now almost every single pair of shoes I own is in one spot where it's easy to grab—and, more importantly, everything's out of the way of people coming in and out of the house.
  
  
• $14 jug of earplugs (50 pair). Essential for sleeping with the window open in loud neighborhoods, sharing rooms with snoring friends on a trip, or sharing beds with snoring dudes or gals you're sleeping with. These were also my go-to earplugs for shows until I got a pair that's better for listening to music.
  
  
• $22 electric kettle. The coffeemaker in our office puts out water that isn't nearly hot enough for a proper cuppa, and I got sick of microwaving it to boiling a mug's worth at a time. No bells and whistles, but it's performed perfectly since day one, with no breaking-in period like you get with kettles that have plastic parts in contact with the water.
  
  
• $32 32'/10m HDMI cable. Ran it between the computer in my bedroom and the TV in my living room, allowing me to watch all kinds of streaming TV and downloaded videos with friends in a spot more comfortable than standing in front of my desk.
  
  
• Slightly over the $50 limit, but $53 space heater. My best friend and roommate is one of those dudes who's built like a furnace, and our place uses radiators for heat. We had a few days of him sweating his ass off even with the thermostat set to 68, before I realized that we could just turn it way the hell down, and I could heat my own bedroom separately. This sucker dumps out a ton of heat, with a slew of features to sweeten the deal (my favorite being the remote control).
  
  
• Another that's slightly over, but $55 garment steamer. Collapses small enough to fit pretty much anywhere I've ever needed to store it, puts out steam within maybe 30 seconds of turning it on, and with a full tank has enough water to steam as many items as I've ever needed to do in a row. I haven't touched my iron once since I bought this thing, and my only regret is not buying one as soon as I started college over a decade ago.
  
  And, saving the best for last:
  
  
• $43 heated footrest. Hands-down, this is one of the best things I've ever bought in my life. I was looking for an unobtrusive, unobnoxious way to help myself stay warm in the office, which tends to be chillier than my taste year-round. When I opened it up, I was skeptical, since it looked like a cheap injection-molded piece of shit. Now, I'm pretty sure I'd rescue it from a fire before my mother. I don't want to imagine ever trying to get through another winter without it.
  
  ----------
  
  EDIT: As requested by /u/Mogrix, I posted List Part II: Electric Boogaloo, with more items from my Amazon history.

Nice, a sleek black and white aesthetic. Nothing is out of place here. Glad you went with a mouse mat with a small logo.

I don't have any suggestions really since it's all but perfect. I can offer a potential upgrade or two if you have money that needs spending!

A headphone stand has already been mentioned but the style of headphone stand that you decide to go with is also a consideration. You can get ones that stand on your desk. These are good if you want the headphones to be a point of attention on the desk. They are nice-looking Grados so might be a good idea.

If you want headphones on your desk but not to take up any space then you can get ones that attach to the edge like this or to the underside of the desk like this.

If you don't want them to be anywhere near the desk then you can find wall mounted ones or something you can stick to the side of a desk leg if it's wide enough à la this.

If you want a better quality LED bulb for your lamp (because it is a nice lamp!) then it might be worth investing into some high CRI (90+, ideally ~95-97) LED bulbs. They can be expensive but they are very nice. Make sure that you double-check the base type of the bulb already in the lamp before you buy. Yuji LED sell what are probably the best LED bulbs you can buy right now. You can also choose between colour temperature. If you only use the lamp during the evening then go for the 3000K option for a warmer colour.

For a future and more expensive investment (that could also become a hobby), you should look into buying or building a custom mechanical keyboard. Your setup would love it! Check out /r/MechanicalKeyboards if you're interested.

Hope this helps!

Miles.

hey friend, i recently wrote a "how to" setup APRS with a HT, Direwolf, and YAAC on linux. copy paste is below ...

edit:

If audio is getting from the radio to direwolf, check the volume levels on the radio output, and check the mic gain on your computer. These are really the only two settings that will affect how direwolf can rx and decode. Direwolf logs out when it receives something, and it tells you on a scale of 0-100 the volume level. I try to shoot for 50-60 and I get very consistent decode.


Tutorial: APRS software user interface, with software based audio TNC, and RF gateway

Overview:

APRS is a tool that was designed to convey information about objects, telemetry, and reporting, as well as communicate between individuals and groups with direct, and group messaging. Many people have the experience, or mindset, that APRS is used primarily for location tracking. This is partially due to the limitations on many hardware implementations of APRS that vendors have provided. One way to learn more about APRS as a broader, and more powerful system is to utilize software to visualize, and interact with other stations, and objects. This short tutorial will discuss how to setup a software based user interface (UI) for APRS that will provide you with mapping, messaging, and object manipulation abilities, as well as how to connect that UI through a software based audio modem, or TNC, directly to a radio, so that other users within your immediate range, as well as the range of any digipeaters will be able to interact with the same local APRS data without any reliance on the internet, or internet gateways.

User interface:

There are several different user interfaces available that have been designed for APRS.

UI-View is a popular piece of software which is no longer being maintained as the original author has passed away.

YAAC is a successor/replacement to UI-View which is cross platform (Java) with a intuitive interface, and many capabilites. We will be using YAAC for this tutorial.

Xastir is primarily a Linux application built on the X windows library system. It is quite functional, but is less intuitive and is currently less activly developed than YAAC.


Audio Modem (TNC):

TNC's originally were AX.25 packet assembler/dissasemblers with the addition of a modem to convert baseband digital signals into audio tones. In the case of a software TNC, it has the same capabilites, encoding and decoding both the AX.25 layer, and data layer to and from audio so it can be transmitted or received from a radio.

Direwolf is the premier audio tnc, which is documented to run on Windows, OSX, Linux, and single board computer Linux environments such as Raspberry Pi BeagleBone Black etc.

RF Gateway:

The RF gateway is probably the simplest piece in the equation. You need only a radio that supports audio in, audio out, and VOX. There may be some complexity if you choose to make your own cables, however there are ready made cables for popular and inexpensive radios (Baofeng) which are available for under $20 from amazon, which feature isolation to protect both your computer, and your radio.

Here is a link to a high quality cable available on Amazon, which works for Boafeng radios: https://www.amazon.com/APRS-K2-Connector-BaoFeng-APRSDroid-Compatible/dp/B01LMIBAZW


Supplementary:

It can be very helpful to have a radio that is capable of broadcasting an APRS beacon to test your setup as you go.

Your laptop may have a single plug for both headphone and microphone (TRRS) or it may have two seperate plugs. If you have two seperate plugs, you will need a splitter to seperate the microphone, and headphone connections from the cable linked to in the above RF gateway section. The cable linked below will split the two should you need it.

https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-MUYHSFMM-Headset-Splitter-Adapter/dp/B0058DOWH6/


System setup:

We are going to build the APRS system from the ground up, starting with Direwolf, the audio modem/tnc and the RF gateway. If you are a Linux user, there are packages for direwolf in ubuntu/debian as well as yum based systems:

sudo apt-get install direwolf or sudo yum install direwolf

For Windows and OSX go to https://github.com/wb2osz/direwolf and follow the instructions to download the latest release and run direwolf from a command window.

direwolf does not need any configuration for our initial setup, simply run direwolf, connect the audio and microphone jacks between the computer and your radio, and tune your radio to 144.390.

Be certain that you do not have any rx-CTCSS or DCS tones setup. Set your squelch as low as it will go, and enable vox with the lowest setting possible on your radio. Now is the time when it is handy to have a HT that is capable of beaconing APRS data. If you have one, set it to beacon and you should start see data coming in on the terminal where direwolf is running. You may need to adjust the volume on the output of your radio, the output of your computer, as well as the microphone gain on your computer to get everything decoding properly.

Once you can reliably decode becons from a local HT, or from a digipeater within range, you can move on to setting up the YAAC user interface, and connecting it to direwolf.


YAAC, the APRS user interface software we are using, is a Java program and requires that your system has the Java runtime environment installed. For Linux users, be certain that you install the full JRE, and not a "headless" JRE, as the headless versions do not come with the graphical libraries that YAAC requires to run. Also as of this writing YAAC did not work with Java 9, however I experienced no problems using the OpenJDK Java 8 JRE so be sure to check the version you are installing.

After you have the Java Runtime Environment installed, download the self upacking binary for your operating system from the YAAC website at http://www.ka2ddo.org/ka2ddo/YAAC.html#install

For linux users, the file was not set as an executable, so I had to chmod +x YAAC_linux_x86.bin before running ./YAAC_linux_x86.bin

NOTE: YAAC does not extract itself into a directory - so you likely want to create a directory first, then move the self extracting file into that directory so that you dont end up with a bunch of files all over.

After the package has extracted, simply run the YACC.jar program. You can do this from the command line with: java -jar YACC.jar

YACC will ask you if you want help configuring it, select yes and walk through the steps configuring your call sign, latitude/longitude etc. When you get to the part about adding and configuring interfaces, select the option to "Add AGWPE Port". YACC will create a new window with default information populated - you MUST add your callsign, and change the transmit dropdown from "disabled" to "enabled". Click finish, and on the next screen you can decide whether you want to beacon or not (I chose yes) along with any free form comment you want, then click finish.

That is it - you have a basic APRS software station set up that can transmit, and recieve via RF link. You should see objects start to appear on the YAAC map view, and the direwolf command line output should match up with data YAAC is displaying.

Homework:

From here you can learn how to create message groups, chat directly with stations, place objects on the map so that they are only visible to other local RF stations, or so that they propegate out through the internet via a digipeater I-Gate (if one is in range) so that they show up on the APRS-IS backbone (e.g. aprs.fi).

> ... how do you get the best possible quality out of a set of PC headphones for gaming and streaming services like Netflix? Say you had a budget of $200. Do you spend it all on headphones? Is a sound card important here? Is a headphone amp? I'm interested in how each of these work with a PC specifically.

That's a good question. For under $200 for an entire setup you're likely not going to need a separate amp. Most headphones in this price range will be low impedance, so they won't need much power anyway. Depending on your PC you might have a decent onboard DAC on your motherboard. If you built your PC and the motherboard cost over $50 your sound should be quite good, so I wouldn't recommend eating into the budget of your headphones. However, if you feel like you get any background noise from your headphone ports or want something with slightly better sound, you could get a fairly cheap DAC/amp like this one. (Keep in mind this will take away from the budget of your headphones). If you do buy a DAC, make sure it has some kind of built in headphone amp or that it doesn't require extra amplification.

For $200 this is what I would recommend buying for movies/tv, music and gaming:

• Option 1: 200 bucks on a single pair of headphones; that's it. If you feel like your motherboard has decent sound, then put all of the money into what will make the biggest difference; the cans on your ears. Spend as much as you can on a good pair that fits your tastes in sound characteristics. For a closed headphone you have lots of choices, too many to list or recommend. For open cans the AKG Q701 is fantastic for detail and sound stage and is under $200 currently.
  
  
• Option 2: If you don't like the quality of sound coming from your motherboard (static, noise or low dynamic range) you could spend around $50-$100 on a fairly good DAC/amp and then spend $150-$100 on a quality pair of headphones. If you want closed cans, I would look at the ATH-M50 series or Sennheiser HD-380s which are on a fantastic sale. (I own the 380s, they are phenomenal for that price). If you want open headphones the Fidelio L1s are crazy cheap right now.
  
  Personally, I wouldn't buy an internal PCI sound card for a few reasons. For one, they are in close proximity to high voltage/amperage components which can introduce EMI and noise into the signal. Also many internal sound cards aren't as good for the money as an external DAC/amp and they often have really iffy driver support and need updates. External setups usually don't need to be touched and are pretty much universally compatible since it's just USB or optically connected. The biggest benefit of an external DAC/amp is the portability and ability to easily use it on another computer, laptop, phone or other device.

A little quick research shows these things.

1. Adding AUX to the factory JBL unit requires soldering onto the main circuit board of the radio after disassembly. No professional installer is going to do that. Period.
   
2. You can use an inline AUX/antenna adapter. They're $25 most places. It still uses the FM transmitter model, but it fits inline between the antenna and the head unit. The inline models interrupt the signal from the external antenna and provide a much cleaner sound. iSimple IS31 is an example. Removal of your head unit is an easy job for any installer, and fitting that thing in there is pretty easy. Most installers will begrudgingly do this for you, probably cost you $100 in labor plus parts. They'll be more likely to want to do this step if you're buying speakers at the same time.
   
3. Research your car at Crutchfield. Find the parts you want to fit your budget. Then make the next decision:
   
   1. Buy from Crutchfield and install it yourself. A reasonably handy friend can help. Your car is stupid easy to work on. Doesn't take many tools. You might be averse to installing it yourself, but if you're talking about buying shit on eBay you're obviously on a budget. Consider it again.
      
   2. Use the research to set your budget. Take your new knowledge to a reputable shop. Most places I've been will have nearly identical pricing to Crutchfield for parts and will of course charge you time and materials to do the installation. Expect $75-$85 per hour for the install. Some shops have a standard like $100 for basic installation of a head unit and a per-door speaker cost. They'll do a nice job, but you'll pay for it.
      
      Speakers...
      
      

• Your car has tweeters in the dash, one in each door, and the sub in the rear deck.
  
  • There are no tweeters (dash) that I've found that will fit without modification. You'll either have to buy eBay/junkyard replacements or go surface mount. Or find somebody willing to do the modifications.
    
  • Front and rear door speakers are easy and are as cheap as $40/pair. Probably cheaper if you're in Walmart mode.
    
  • Subwoofer (center of rear deck) is also easy. Probably $70+ for a nice one, less for something that'll work.
    
    That "thing under the passenger seat" is the factory JBL amplifier. There are kits now that will either bypass that factory amp or interface with it, depending on what you want. If you bypass it, your factory subwoofer goes away. Again, Crutchfield research.
    
    Shout out to Real Time Audio & Accessories for their work. They're a touch north of Gwinnett, but close enough and not far off of I-985 at Spout Springs.
    
    ​
    
    Have fun with it and good luck.
    
    ​

> are there bluetooth headphones that actually sound good?

I've been on a quest for actually good sounding bluetooth headphones myself recently, and the conclusion I came to was - no...not without some help.

Get this: ES100. Clip it to something (it's incredibly tiny and lightweight) + whatever headphones you want (if the cables are swappable, then look for some short ones... Fiio makes some short MMCX cables for instance). Bam, any headphone you want is now bluetooth at basically its full potential. It drives everything I've tested it with amazingly well (quite a bit better than my Schiit Fulla, at any rate) and sounds amazing.

If you will also be using the headphones for gaming or movies/TV, then instead get the BTR3 ... the ES100 is slightly better (more gain, more firmware updates, more configurable options, etc) overall for AptX-HD music playback (or LDAC, or AAC), but it doesn't support AptX-LL (low latency) mode, which is important for anything interactive. BTR3 supports all of those including AptX-LL. In low latency mode, I can just barely perceive a slight delay in terms of lip synchronization, but only just barely if I'm doing my best to look for it, and I might just be imagining it. For any casual media consumption or gaming bluetooth via AptX-LL, at least with the transmitter I'm using and this receiver, is good enough.

I've tested both of these with my Fiio FH5 and Etymotic ER4XR IEMs (both of which are quite resolving IEMs), and in both cases it sounds 100.00% indistinguishable to my ears compared to just plugging them into my smartphone. On the other hand, when I connected them via SBC codec using a USB bluetooth dongle, I could easily tell. Though, actually, even via SBC things still sounded better than I figured they would....goes to show that the default SBC codec isn't the only problem with most bluetooth headphones. Decent headphones via SBC still sound fairly decent, if not at their absolute best.

Oh, and the ES100 has an optional "high gain" mode, but even with that disabled, it gets me significantly higher volume if I pump it up to painful max levels (as a test) compared to the BTR3. The BTR3 was never too quiet at max volume for me, but if I had headphones that were hard to drive then that might sometimes be an issue.

I ended up tightening my budget quite a bit on this new home theater, so some of my choices aren't as nice as what I had before, but I'm very happy with what I got in the end. I want to thank everyone who gave me advice in my last post here. It was all very helpful!

I went with a 65" Samsung 120Hz smart TV. I decided against getting the 240Hz because I couldn't see a difference between the two when looking at it, and the 3D makes my wife sick in any case. That saved me almost $500.

For the receiver, I took everyone's advice and opted away from the all-in-one set I'd been looking at. Instead, I got a great price on a Pioneer VSX-824 that I've been very happy with.

I know the Denon reciever is what everyone recommended, and it's what I bought at first, but strangely enough my PS3 didn't work with it. It worked just fine connected to the TV directly, and other devices worked with that HDMI cable and port, but the PS3 just told me to go fuck myself. A quick google search told me that it's a flaw in the way the HDMI handshake works with Denon receivers, so back it went.

I went with Pioneer speakers as well, hooking up a
pair of tower speakers for front left and right, a pair of matching bookshelf speakers for the rear, and the matching center speaker.

The subwoofer will have to wait, for now, but the plan is to purchase the matching subwoofer when we're ready.

Instead of the Harmony Ultimate, which didn't seem to get any good remarks, I opted for the much cheaper Harmony 650, which has made my wife very happy. No more frayed tempers about what button does what on which remote. I'm even buying my parents one for Christmas.

I'm hugely pleased with the upgrade over my previous setup, even if it's not everything it could have been. What do you all think?

For electronic music (I listen to 90% drum and bass, and also great sound for games, I cannot recommend the sennheiser HD-380 pro. The bass extension into the sub bass is fantastic, much better than my HD650. It fits all of your needs, except it is closed and has a lot of isolation.

There are plenty of reviews on amazon that express how they enjoy the hd380 over the ATH-M50x.

I find the isolation great for gaming, especially in shooters because it blocks out the external noise and allows you to hear footsteps perfectly in their correct direction.

It has a neutral signature which makes it a great overall headphone. I broke my first pair because I left it on the floor, and immediately replaced it.

Great for movies as well. Explosions really rumble thanks to the fabulous bass extension. But the audible bass isn't bloated, it flows smoothly into the great midrange.

The HD598 is more purely a musical headphone. It has a 1/4" jack which is made more high end home audio. While the hd 380 pro has a standard 3.5mm jack which will fit in your computer's soundcard.
The hd 380 pro also has bigger earcups, which I find comfortable because my ears hurt if the cups rest on them or touch them.

I bought them for full retail in 2010 for $200 and they were definitely worth the price. Now they are $150 on amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-HD-380-PRO-Headphones/dp/B001UE6I0G

I love the look of the old rack systems. They may not have top of the line components but they still sound pretty good.

It looks like your setup was well taken care of! If I were you I would do the following:

• Before you play any records examine the stylus on the turntable tonearm and replace it if it looks worn or corroded. It looks like this is the stylus you need but you'll need to compare what's actually on your turntable before ordering
  
• Before you play any cassettes clean and demagnetize the cassette deck heads. A simple cotton swab and some rubbing alcohol on the head will clean it, and an inexpensive tape head demagnetizer is all you need. Here's a video guide on demagnetizing
  
• Get a Chromecast Audio and a 3.5mm to RCA cable so you can enjoy your tunes without the compression problems of Bluetooth.
  
• Get rid of the books and binders and other junk and fill up your shelves with records, cassettes, and CDs!

Not a dumb question at all. Personally I don't agree with many of Logan's reviews/opinions when it comes to audio, but having a decent driver for your headphones/speakers is a great investment if you are an audiophile. [I think you are after something like this though. It is a very good unit.


I am sure others will also have input/suggestions but this is just one of the top of my head


An alternative is an internal sound card to drive your audio and a good entry level card that makes a world of difference over most onboard audio drivers is one of these.

There are alternatives to fit most use cases and budgets so if you want more info, feel free to ask.

It is worth adding that audio will only sound as good as the weakest link in the chain. If the initial quality/bit rate or the headphones/speakers aren't that good, purchasing a good driver will not make a difference. I can also expand on this if you want

Well, I don't know enough about amps to recommend you a perfect one. That's pretty cool that the E17K and K5 can dock. But you are pretty much absorbing the price for a portable DAC with a Desktop AMP.

You might do better with recommendations on /r/headphones though they don't really recommend Schiit much.

I myself, have an Earstudio Portable Amplifier. Basic 100 dollar, Bluetooth up sampling from 16 bit to 24 bit with 3.5mm Jack + 2.5mm Balanced Jack DAC/AMP portable combo.

However best part, for a 100 dollars you get a portable DAC/AMP (USB to USB including your phone/PC) and bluetooth to boot as well. I pretty much only got it for dual usage, it's connected to my PC right now via USB and if anyone calls me or play video from my phone, while connected, it diverts audio via bluetooth. Using it with the AKG K7XX, powers loudly to my PC and phone. Also has App control on smartphone, which almost no other portable dac/amp does except creative I think.

Anyways, whatever you choose, hope it goes well switching to new headphones. I have gaming headphones and pretty much just bought AKG for the experience. Everything sounds better at least.

This will definitely be the cheaper option but there are still some newer stereo receivers with phono inputs. I have an Onkyo TX 8020 and it has a phono input. Looks like all/most of the Onkyo stereo receivers include a phono input.

But yeah OP, check your local Craiglist/Kijiji/whatever, people sell their older receivers for cheap all the time. That will definitely be the cheaper option if you are okay with going used. Receivers tend to age pretty well, just check to make sure it works.

EDIT: pretty much all receivers will have a headphone out on the front. It's often a 6.3 mm, but you can pick up a 3.5 to 6.3 adapter for pretty cheap.

As for aux in, a lot of stereo receivers will only have RCA inputs, but you can also pick up a 3.5 aux to RCA cable for cheap too. Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D5H8JW0

1. What is your budget?
   
   
2. 4K is still being worked on and improved. What you're describing is almost impossible and super expensive.
   
   
3. Don't do SLI. People have a lot of problems and they don't always work with all games anyway. Stick with one good GPU, like a 1070.
   
   
4. There's really no need for a Titan X unless you're a professional videographer or graphics editor. That's beyond overkill. A 1070 is more than enough for any gamer today.
   
   
5. You went overkill on some parts but only listed 16 GB of RAM. You should go with 32.
   
   
6. You didn't include your audio options like a DAC, amp, or speakers, and could have listed a better headset. I have the Sennheiser PC 363D (Amazon link) for gaming and watching TV/movies, and it's awesome. For listening to music, I use Sennheiser HD 598 SE (Amazon link). For your PC audio, you want good speakers. Check out the JBL LSR305 (Amazon link). You want a decent DAC, so check out the Schiit Modi 2 or Modi 2 Uber (Amazon link for Modi 2) (Amazon link for Modi 2 Uber). You could even get the Schiit Bifrost. Depending on what headphones you get, you might also want an amp like the Schiit Magni 2. Many people call it a Schiit-stack when you have both a Schiit DAC and amp together, usually the Modi 2 and Magni 2. You could also check out the new combo DAC/amp, Schiit Jotunheim. I found some great deals on eBay and paid about half the retail price for a Schiit Bifrost Uber DAC. Some other options are: JDSLABS Objective2 + ODAC Combo, Cambridge Audio DacMagic XS v2, Micca OriGen+, Fiio E17K, AudioQuest DragonFly, and Audioengine D1. Some great people helped me learn about audio from /r/BudgetAudiophile /r/audiophile /r/Audio.
   
   
7. Make the list with PC Part Picker Australia so it's easier for everyone to see.

Budget $120

Source Nexus 7, ASUS Z77 Extreme4 Motherboard, PS4

Requirements for Isolation I don't mind being able to hear my surroundings a bit, I'd like very little sound leakage though. Isolation isn't a deal breaker unless the isolation is particularly bad for a closed headphone.

Preferred Type of Headphone Over-ear closed

Preferred tonal balance Never owned a good pair of headphones so I can't say based on experience, but from what I read I think neurtal/articulate/imaging/accurate/nice soundstage headphones would be best.

Past Headphones Best headphones I've owned have been super cheap ones. Best thing I've owned sound wise is a Turtle Beach PX22 Headset ($60)

Preferred Music I'm mostly using these for gaming/watching videos/listening to podcasts, I don't have a specific music I listen to, but the first real thing I plan to do with these headphones is playing Dragon Age: Inquisition, [here] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQDs5P42MNg) is the main theme for that, I like this kind of music atm.

Location USA

Headphones I Narrowed Down To - Feel free to recommend something else though

Sennheiser HD 380 Pro $114.99

[NVX Audio XPT100] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0093PVTPS/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3QWSZ44N8P3XH) $79.99

Audio Technica ATH-A700X $99.99 -

[KAM HP1] (http://www.ebay.com/itm/KAM-HP1-Reference-Headphones-for-Recording-Studio-Audiophiles-B-Stock-/221620705687?pt=US_DJ_Monitoring_Headphones&hash=item33999f9997) $81.44 Not much info on these, basing this consideration solely off [this] (http://www.head-fi.org/t/648810/review-kam-hp1-an-unknown-headphone-that-rivals-the-hm5) review

The PS4 only supports digital connectivity (old school analog A/V plugs have finally bitten the dust). So for video, it sounds like you're good -- HDMI will work great, as you mentioned your monitor supports it (alternatively an HDMI to DVI setup would also work for a monitor).

But for audio, that's another story... The PS4 uses digital / optical audio cables (also known as a TOSLINK connection). You need a decent speaker system for this type of connection. You mentioned that your monitor doesn't even have speakers (does it have an audio out port though? if so, you may be in luck and can just plug a pair of cheap computer speakers or headphones in). Otherwise, you pretty much only have three options:

• Option 1: Buy a [digital-to-analog converter](
  http://amzn.com/B004C4WPXA), along with a digital / optical (TOSLINK) audio cable and an [RGB-to-headphone style adapter](
  http://amzn.com/B000I23TTE). From there, you can get a cheap set of computer speakers (even something simple like these would work). Attach the cables together and plug in the speakers and boom -- you'll have sound. (Note: if the PS4 is anything like the PS3, you'll need to enable "multi channel output" under its sound settings.)
  
  
• Option 2: Buy a set of speakers that support digital / optical (TOSLINK) connections. We're not talking cheap computer speakers like before; these will likely be a pretty decent sound system to support digital / optical (TOSLINK) connections. ([This is the cheapest sound system](
  http://amzn.com/B002V3R2SM) I could find on Amazon that supports it -- it's a surround sound / DVD Player combo, in case you're interested.) You'll also need to buy a digital / optical (TOSLINK) audio cable, of course, which I linked to in the above example.
  
  
• Option 3: Or, your final option... just buy a TV. It'll be bigger than a computer monitor, it'll have the built in speakers, and it'll look nicer. TVs have come down in price significantly the last few years, so maybe you can pick one up for cheap on Black Friday or something.

Hello guys, First of all, idk if this is the right place to post this but i am going to try and hope you guys can help me becuase the guys at r/buildapc couldn't help. Here is my original post at r/buildapc https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/4b8mgm/recording_audio_not_working/ . This post has my pc build and the statement of my problem.
Restatement of the problem from my other post: I built my pc last summer so it has probably been a good 10 months since i had it. After a few months of gaming, i finally play a game with my friend and then just noticed that the recording audio doesn't work. Not on skype or any other platform. I tried a whole bunch of stuff to try to fix it like going through the audio settings in windows 10 and reinstalling the realtek drivers. I even bought a headset splitter to see if that was the problem. This is the headset splitter http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0058DOWH6?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00 . All the wiring in my motherboard seem right so idk what could be the problem. Any ideas guys?
If you guys can help that will be great. If not can you guys recommend me a cheap DAC or soundcard to buy becuase i got pretty cheap headphones so i dont need anything significant. Headphones: meelectronics air-fi af32. I would rather get an internal soundcard so i can just leave it in the case and not worry about it but i would still like to use the front speaker jack on my case, would the soundcard let me do that or would i have to use the speaker jack on the card. Any info would help. Thank you so much.

I live pretty close to the corner of Fairfield and Gulf Beach, so I wouldn't say that makes me the definitive authority for the West Pensacola/NAS area on antenna television, but I think it makes me pretty close to being an expert on the subject.

This is the model of antenna I have, made by Terk. The main element is relatively average in size, as illustrated by the picture taken with the water bottles. If I were to estimate, though, I would say it's about 12" tall and 18" wide and deep. The "rabbit ear" elements, though, are inestimably tall. It sits on top of our rather large (6' tall) entertainment center and easily can touch the ceiling with them. Fully extended, though, they're probably about 36" long, each.

Now for what matters: reception. In all honesty, it's not entirely bad. I regularly receive: 3.1, 3.2, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 15.1, 15.2, 21.1-5, 23.1-4, 33.1, 35.1, 35.2, 42.1-3, 44.1, 55.1, 55.2, and 58.1. All-in-all, not too bad. Now for the bad news: there are a couple of channels that are intermittent, if present at all. Fox is one of those channels. As a fan of football, this infuriates me! So I researched the signal levels for our area. Alas, Fox is one of the weakest stations for our area. It's based out of the west end of Mobile. So, unfortunately, if you're like me and are craving any shows from Fox (like my fiancee does for Glee), you're going to have no choice but to go with an outdoor antenna.

If you want to shop for that locally, try RadioShack. Truthfully a great selection there. Otherwise, every review I've gone over has pointed that the model of indoor antenna I have is one of the best on the market. Good luck out there!

Harmony Remote 650 or 700. They are identical, except the 700 is rechargeable (both use AA batteries, but the 700 has a built-in charger). The 700 has been discontinued but you can still find them pretty easily.

Harmony 650: http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Harmony-650-Remote-Control/dp/B004OVECU0

Harmony 700: www.amazon.com/Logitech-915-000162-Rechargeable-Discontinued-Manufacturer/dp/B004OVECUA

I have one of each and have been really happy with them -- I'm using them with Roku 2XS, Roku 3, Samsung TV, LG soundbar, Sharp TV, a set-top digital antenna box, my XBOX360, bluray player, air conditioner, etc... it's all programmable via a webapp and highly customizeable as well.

The Harmony series operates a little different from "normal" universal remotes. Once you have your devices defined, you create "activities" that use them. Push the button for an activity and the remote figures out what settings need to be applied. IE "turn the TV on and to HDMI1, switch the soundbar to optical2,set the volume controls to soundbar, the menu & arrow buttons to ROKU, and dim the lights to 40%" -- it makes it REALLY easy to use.

Hey! Stoked on your purchase! Curious though, did you mean LP120?
But hope I can help answer your questions!

1. I tend to not, the main dust cover is plenty imo.
   
2. A stylus brush, a wet anti static record brush, along with the one you have in your post. Basically just cleaning tools. Another good buy is one of these record sleeve packs. Once you start collecting, its best to replace the paper sleeve a new record would come with or an old sleeve from the thrift store. Keeps the records in their best shape. Lastly, one thing ive been eyeing is one of these. Seems to have some pretty good reviews.. haha
   
3. Stick er on the turntable, turn it on and use the wet brush for a few rotations. NEVER move the brush in terms of side to side motions, always let the spinning do the work. This video has some tips on cleaning, give er a watch
   Hope my answers help!! Enjoy your new turntable!! Whatcha listening to??

as others have said, its worthwhile to upgrade to a turntable with an included dust cover. this will significantly cut down on dust on the tt.

some dust is inevitable, short of a white room. no one has really answered your question about maintaining a clear playing space or how to clean the stylus/records though. here's some more info.

---

cleaning the stylus

i use one of these.

however, if you want to go the inexpensive route, i dont recommend any alcohol based cleaners because it can degrade the connection of the diamond/ceramic/etc. tip to the cantilever. instead, you can use a magic eraser. dont go out and buy that mr. clean shit either, its a rip off. buy it in bulk for cheap and clean your whole house while you're at it! just keep in mind that this shit can and will snag on to your stylus and, if you're not careful, ruin your whole day with a bent cantilever.

if you want to go the alcohol route, make your own liquid. be sure to use distilled water(80%) and a mix of isopropyl alcohol(20%). i did this for a time with out any problems, but its not ideal. apply it with a stylus brush. APPLY THE SOLUTION DIRECTLY TO THE BRUSH. NEVER DIRECTLY TO THE STYLUS.

i even hear some people use contact lens cleaner.

if you be fancy...give this stuff a try. a good buddy swears by it, but im a cheap shit and can't speak to its quality or performance.

---

cleaning your records

you have many options here.

• least expensive - hand held cleaners.
  
• more expensive - spinclean
  
• even more expensive - squeaky clean.
  
• "pro grade" cleaning options such as loricraft, okki nokki, or smart matrix, etc.
  
  if you're just starting out, i would just go with a hand held cleaning solution for now. plenty of youtube videos online on cheap DIY cleaning methods as well.
  
  ---
  
  cleaning the platter and plinth
  
  i do this at least once a week. more if i'm spinning a lot. use a microfiber towel. NO WATER. water attracts more dust, and doesn't belong near sensitive electronics. remove the platter if you are able and be sure to wipe it thoroughly before using again. clean under the platter as well. DON'T wipe off any exposed bearings that are oiled/greased as doing so could harm the equipment over time.
  
  ---
  
  record storage
  
  if you live in a very dusty place, it might be worth it to invest in some outer sleeves for your records. for the most part though, as long as you keep everything clean you should be just fine. many people get by just fine without them.
  
  ---
  
  enjoy your new tt! :)

Ok. So you don't need to push a ton of wattage through your mains and a decent, but not insane, sub will do.

My, personal opinion, recommendations.

Receiver(In no order. These are just brands I respect with good enough features and wattage):

1. Harmon Kardon. $329.00 . http://www.amazon.com/Harman-Kardon-AVR-1700-Network-Connected/dp/B009HB2USI/ref=sr_1_5?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1383147455&sr=1-5&keywords=harmon+kardon
   
   
2. Denon. $259.00. http://www.amazon.com/Denon-AVR-1613-Channel-Receiver-Networking/dp/B007R8U5QW/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1383164105&sr=1-3&keywords=denon
   
   
3. Onkyo. $259.00. http://www.amazon.com/Onkyo-TX-8050-Network-Stereo-Receiver/dp/B004UR486G/ref=sr_1_9?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1383163556&sr=1-9&keywords=onkyo
   
   I have always had good to great experiences with the above brands. If looking stylish is at all important, do the Harmon Kardon. Also, in my experience, HK power is very very clean. All of these include wireless networking and HDMI switching. I would buy the denon personally. But, I'm biased towards denon.
   
   Subs:
   
   
4. Velodyne. $399.00 http://www.amazon.com/Velodyne-Impact-10-10-Inch-Powered-Subwoofer/dp/B001GON5AG/ref=sr_1_4?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1383163718&sr=1-4&keywords=subwoofer
   
   
5. Klipsch. $399.95. http://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-Synergy-Sub-10-Subwoofer-Black/dp/B00D65QYMO/ref=sr_1_23?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1383163849&sr=1-23&keywords=subwoofer
   
   When it comes to these two subs, it's a crap shoot deciding which to get. Velodyne and Klipsch subs are both fantastic. I'm leaning, personally, towards the Velodyne. But that's just me.
   
   So, in conclusion, you had a budget of $800 dollars. If you did the Denon or Onkyo and one of these subs that puts you at 650. As a bonus, here's a used KEF center channel for 150 bucks on Ebay. It would give you 3.1 channel.
   
   http://www.ebay.com/itm/KEF-HTS3001-Piano-gloss-Black-2-Way-Uni-Q-3000-Series-center-channel-Speaker-/281195898826?pt=Speakers_Subwoofers&hash=item417894e7ca
   
   Also, do yourself a favor and get something similiar to this:
   http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Harmony-Remote-Control-Silver/dp/B004OVECU0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383164516&sr=8-1&keywords=harmony+remote
   
   It will replace all the remotes in your system and make switching from TV->Games->DVD much easier with Macros.

Find out if your local public library uses Hoopla (a Netflix-like service that has movies, TV shows, audio books, etc.) and if it does, get yourself a free library card and you will have a nice library of movies and shows at your disposal. My local library just became a part of this last week so I've only begun exploring it, but it's pretty sweet. And free.


If you have a friend who has Comcast or a similar cable provider, ask nicely for their log-in and you can stream some live cable TV channels and have access to almost-full current TV series. My father was kind enough to lend me his username and password, but I admit that I rarely use this for anything other than watching films that haven't yet arrived on Netflix or Amazon Prime.


And, obviously, get yourself an OTA. I have this one on one TV and this one on another TV. Both are great, and both are inexpensive.

FM transmitters will reduce sound quality. Bluetooth will reduce sound quality. You have both, so they're both reducing the quality of the sound.

Radio stations have huge towers to produce a strong signal, which you're picking up with the antenna of your car. The transmitter you're using produces a very weak signal, which is fine to produce a small "station" for your car, but isn't strong enough to transmit the bass and treble of audio.

So, there isn't any way to increase the quality of an FM transmitter (that I know of). Which leaves you two options.

1. Buy an aftermarket head unit for your car that has bluetooth or an auxiliary input.
   
   
2. Get an FM modulator. This is what I use in my car. It's sort of like your FM transmitter, but instead of producing a little bubble station to play audio over it you plug it in behind the radio and it takes over the stations. Instead of broadcasting a station, it's hardwired to play louder than other stations. It's CD quality audio. I'm not an audiophile, but I really like good quality sound and it sounds amazing.
   
   This is what I purchased. I've had it in my car for about 3 years and it's worked flawlessly the entire time.
   
   This one has bluetooth, but is a lot more expensive.
   
   Good luck!

Just launched a balloon this week using this set-up. It worked beautifully. I'm assuming you're following the makezine article? If so, be careful to adjust the values of a couple of the surface mount resistors in the software because the trackunio expects values of like 10kOhm and the article lists like a 6.x kOhm one. There are variables to do so either way.

A few quick notes: learned the hard way, it's better to over-inflate your balloon than under inflate it. A difference in 1m/s ascent rate can have big effects on your time to go retrieve things. It pushed us into a really heavily forested area and made retrieval hard. I'd make a complete dummy payload that you attach to your filling apparatus, so when that lifts off the ground, you know you have the right mass + free lift. Then remove the dummy payload and attach your real flight line. It can be hectic at launch but our transmitter worked for much longer than the 4 hour duration of the flight (used disposable AA lithium batteries) so you've got some time to go. Likewise, our CHDK hacked camera worked well past landing. Patience at launch will save you frustration later.

Secondly, the trackunio code we used wasn't well configured when it comes to repeats. I thought I had fixed it but apparently I didn't flash the most recent code over to uno. Anyway, we ended up asking for repeats through the whole flight, and not just when we were less than 5kft above the ground. I feel pretty bad about this because balloons cover a big area and I don't want to clog up 144.390. In hindsight, I should have tested this by setting my threshold below my current altitude when I was driving around.

For recovery, i found typing the exact lat/long (in hours, min, sec) into http://www.sygic.com/gps-navigation and putting it in pedestrian mode to work beautifully. Got us to within 50 feet of the balloon, with a countdown of how far away we were. This was great.

While I used aprs droid to decode things out of my 2m radio, I actually got better performance from a cheap sdr receiver and gqrx. We didn't fail to decode a single packet with that set up and a cheap magnet mount 2m antenna, while APRS droid + the dedicated radio missed a couple. I'd highly recommend the little dongle if you don't have one. They're loads of fun outside the ballon.

Finally, just in case you've not seen them balloon performance calculator and landing predictor.

The MSR7s are my favorite closed cans, and ive tried a lot. The clarity is astounding for a closed back, and almost as clear as my HD600s. I don't find them sharp either. Remember this, the headphone will only sound as good as your source. I use an audioengine D1 dac paired with my MSR7, and using a amp/dac combo will bring out the best in them, tighting up the highs and giving you slightly more detailed bass. If you use spoitify, make sure you enable high quality, or download some flac files to really see what the MSR7 can offer. When done right you will love them. These are some of the most accurate cans you can get for under 400, (excluding the 600s) And yes, the comfort is way up there in the top of closed back cans. Remember, the source of your sound is VERY important!!! Youtube songs will not do!

https://www.amazon.com/Audioengine-D1-24-bit-Digital-to-Analog-Converter/dp/B006IPH5H2

I started out in search of a wired Bluetooth cable for my ibasso's and ended up getting This one off ebay. For $30 i'm quite happy with it. Build quality is good, memory wires are great and battery life is excellent, but the bluetooth calling has some static glitches when adjusting volume and the call quality is shrill at times, this could be my Ibasso's though. The Mic seems to work well even when it's behind my ear. The manual says there is an AI voice, but mine just beeps. If i didn't know better i'd say this cable has the same chipset and software as Taotronics TT-BH026US I returned before I started focusing on sound quality ;-) It beeps between songs, when adjusting the volume and between chapters of Audiobooks, which is annoying, but not a deal breaker. Also, I just purchased the EarStudio ES100 It sounds fantastic!! The sound quality is almost indistinguishable from a wired connection using ibasso it01's and UE Tri-Fi 10's and it sounds much better than wired directly in to my iphone 7 plus via lightning to 3.5mm. It supports (AAC, AptX, AptX HD etc. and it's tiny. The app is also pretty awesome, shows streaming bitrates and which codec is in use. There's also a feature to allow ambient noise in via the mic on the unit. My only issue with it is where to place it on my body so the mic is close enough to use for phone calls.

Everyone here is making this so unnecessarily complicated. I just picked up DJing last year myself and it's not hard to start at all. I did quite a bit of research on what DJ controller would be the best for someone who is just starting, but also wants to have something more than a simple mixer.

1. Build a music library and download Serato
   
   
2. Import your music library and organize it to your liking.
   
   
3. I bought a Pioneer DDJ SB2 and it's awesome. You can do really basic stuff but at the same time you have the ability to do some higher level mixing as well.
   
   
4. While you wait for your controller to arrive, watch this https://www.youtube.com/playlist?annotation_id=annotation_2381793899&feature=iv&list=PLk1VCXHnvPLDLbKTvHacpo6tQDzp4OS38&src_vid=W1OCHTWqc_w. It's a full on tutorial on how to use your controller along with Serato.
   
   Good luck and have fun! It's a blast to get into
   
   I FORGOT you obviously need a laptop and some speakers. Any speakers will do, just make sure it's RCA output. Here is a cheap converter if you currently have a 3.5mm output.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor | $289.99 @ Micro Center
CPU Cooler | be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3 67.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler | $89.90 @ Newegg
Motherboard | ASRock Z97 EXTREME4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard | $102.98 @ Newegg
Memory | Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory | $61.99 @ Amazon
Storage | Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $149.99 @ Newegg
Storage | Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $71.99 @ Newegg
Video Card | EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB ACX 2.0+ Video Card (2-Way SLI) | $599.99 @ Amazon
Video Card | EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB ACX 2.0+ Video Card (2-Way SLI) | $599.99 @ Amazon
Case | Fractal Design Define S ATX Mid Tower Case | $79.99 @ NCIX US
Power Supply | EVGA SuperNOVA P2 850W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply | $109.99 @ NCIX US
Monitor | LG 27MC67-B 60Hz 27.0" Monitor | $449.99 @ Amazon
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $2618.79
| Mail-in rebates | -$20.00
| Total | $2598.79
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-03-11 07:58 EST-0500 |

No need to spend 3000$ when this build will do the job for 500$ less. Also don't go for an internal sound card like suggested in the other builds, better to go for an external DAC/AMP combo. this will give you the best possible sound quality for your music production without spending over 1000$ combine them with a good set of studio monitor headsets and it will give you crystal clear sound reproduction, ideal for producing music.

A friend of mine who is a music producer himself swears by these headphones as having a good neutral accurate sound representation, which is what you will want for music production.

As for the computer itself:

i7 4790k allows for overclocking, heavy gaming and streaming with ease.

2x 980ti will let you play games at 4K 60fps high to ultra settings.

16GB of RAM should be more than enough, and you can always add another 16GB for a total of 32.

500GB SSD and a 2TB HDD like you asked.

the cooler is super quiet and allows for cool temps even when overclocked.

fractal design define S is a great quiet case that isn't too expensive. offers lots of room for all your parts, cable management, and whatever else. I went with the closed version, but there is a windowed version as well if you prefer.

PSU is fully modular to make cale management easier and has platinum efficiency, which meas less power consumption, less heat output, and less noise.

Monitor is a nice IPS 60Hz 4k panel, and it's fairly cheap for a 4K monitor.

If you have any more questions, let me know.

You can get a Spin Clean which uses proper fluid (not soap) to clean your records and doesn't submerge the middle of your record and ruin it. It also includes microfiber towels and brushes to dry and also to get out any embedded dirt from grooves.

Or if you're cheap like me, you can just use microfiber cloths and anti-static spray like this and just spritz your microfiber towel/cloth with it like 2-3 times and give your record a quick wipe. Gets rid of any static that built up in the pressing process and taking your record out the first time, which 1) prevents it from picking stuff up and 2) gets any excess vinyl out of the grooves so you won't have any issues.

If you have a TON of money to blow, get a VPI machine, which is basically a bit like a mix of the Spin Clean or just some anti-static spray in that you wet the record with special fluid, spin it around on a special turntable while it's locked in, and then vacuum dry it. If you're lucky, places nearby may even have a machine. I have a shop where if I buy like $20 worth of stuff they clean a record for me for free or if I want, it's $1 a record to get cleaned and the results are amazing.

Hope that helps!

The video I linked is the raw livestreamed video, no re-uploading or editing from a vod. I livestreamed it on YouTube and after the stream it was saved onto YouTube like that.

I use GPU to record and CPU to stream. Since my GPU is significantly more powerful than my cpu.

The recorded footage, I was going to use as a backup in case something went wrong with the livestreamed footage for whatever reason. Like a bunch of dropped frames or something. But that hasn't happened yet.

My cpu usage when streaming is only around 51% and GPU usage is only 20%.

I have a hard drive that is literally only used for recorded footage. It is fragmented but that's fine because the footage doesn't need to be defragmented. If the footage gets used, it'll only be thrown into Adobe premiere, edited, uploaded, then deleted from the drive. No use in keeping it around if it'll be on my YouTube account forever. But recently I haven't had to use the recorded footage because the livestreamed footage is good enough.

Hope that helps answer your questions! Not trying to debunk anything you're saying, just giving more intimate details about my setup!

I do use a hdmi splitter inbetween the HD 60 pro, ps4 pro (any console for that matter), and my monitor. But that hasn't been an issue for months. I think the purpose of it, if I recall correctly, was to use it to record / stream older consoles like the Xbox 360 with the HD 60 pro. And it works very well for that. So I just kept it in the hardware loop. This is the one that I'm using: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004F9LVXC

I hope that helps you guys help me!

Maybe I didn’t spell it out easy enough for you or explain it well enough for you, or maybe you simply didn’t actually read what I wrote. So, let’s try this again.

There is NO quality loss with the es100 or any of the FiiO Bluetooth receivers. Quite the opposite. They have a built in AMP(this AMPLIFIES the sound and outputs more power to drive the headphones better), and on the es100 a DAC chip(Digital to Analog Converters that increases the sound quality). So it takes the Bluetooth signal and enhances it greatly. It sounds significantly and noticeably better and louder, than if you were to take the same set of headphones and plug them directly into the phone with the provided lightning to 3.5 headphone jack dongle. It also sounds way better than a set of Bluetooth headphones. Believe me, I have 4-5 different high-end Bluetooth sets, and have tried out all these different situations. Some of them sound ok, but don’t really get loud enough, and you lose a lot of detail in the music. There is no comparison to the es100 or Fiio Bluetooth receivers. They sound amazing! And you still have your phone wire free. The only thing that is wired is your headphones to the tiny Bluetooth receiver which you can just clip to your shirt or put in pocket.

Plugging directly into most phones sounds like shit. Phones don’t output enough power to really drive a decent set of headphones. So they also does not get loud enough for me personally.

If your someone that is content listening to music with the set of pods that come with the iPhone, then these devices are probably not for you. I myself have quite a few sets of headphones that require a cable, and I was pissed that I was basically being forced to use one of these dongles to keep plugging them directly into the phone, or use Bluetooth headphones. The dongles I kept losing/misplacing because they are so damn small and they are expensive to keep replacing, and I didn’t want to use Bluetooth headphones as the sound quality isn’t the best. Especially since Apple uses only the AAC codec and not better ones like aptx, aptx hd, or LDAC. So it forced me to look at different options and the es100 was the answer. I didn’t know how much I didn’t like plugging directly into the phone via dongle until I used this thing for a few weeks. Music that I have been listening to for years, all of the sudden sounded better, more alive. I was hearing micro details and sounds that you just usually couldn’t hear. It’s amazing!

Best $100 I ever spent. I know that that could be too much money for some folks, but it’s about the cost of a few of the Apple dongles! If $100 is too steep, the FiiO options uBTR is $28, the BTR1K is $50, and the BTR3 is $70. They can all be found here:

https://www.amazon.com/FiiO-BTR3-Bluetooth-Receiver-Portable/dp/B07FVN14FH/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1549717742&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=fiio+btr&dpPl=1&dpID=31GuLdGu5jL&ref=plSrch

Es100:

https://www.amazon.com/EarStudio-ES100-24bit-High-Resolution-Bluetooth-Unbalanced/dp/B078H4YD2L/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1549717742&sr=8-2&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=fiio+btr&dpPl=1&dpID=31e1njGDDpL&ref=plSrch


Just so people know, I have no affiliation at all with either of these companies. Just products that have helped me get over the lack of a headphone jack on iPhones. And not having your phone connected to any wires is amazing. But you still get amazing audio quality which is important to me. Hope this helps some and clarified what I was trying to get across in my first post. Or not...

Ok, here's a plan that will cost you NOTHING if you don't like it.

Assumption: Your TV has an HD Tuner built-in, this is key. Let me know if you need more clarification on this.

Go somewhere and get an "HD Antenna." They range from thin indoor panels to big gaudy outdoor arrays. Make sure they have a powered amplifier as well (think most do). I would recommend a store first, so you can try one (smaller/cheaper), then take it back if it doesn't work out and try another, once you've found the perfect one, either keep it or buy it online for 50% of the store cost. There are a LOT out there, and the right one depends on a LOT of variables (elevation, obstructions, interference, etc). I have the Terk Klingon Sword looking one. It's more of a directional antenna, but works fine pointing North to split the difference of the two closest sources. I have mine pointing out a window, and then have it plugged into the the main splitter of the house (outdoor TWC junction box) to feed to all my TVs. The good thing is, you only need one antenna. Point it where you think first, then do a channel scan. Your TV should have a signal meter. May take two people yelling if your antenna is far away from your TV. Too far one way may mean Channels from the East coming in great, and Channels from the West not coming in at all. Fine tune and then repeat the channel scan to find the sweet spot! It may take a couple hours, but just think of the pleasure you'll get from never paying for cable and calling TWC up to tell them to go Fuck themselves!

Just message me if you have any more questions or need more details. I have 4 HD TVs and they all receive CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, PBS, WJZY, UNC, and more off that one antenna.

Also, don't get too discouraged if the first one doesn't work worth a shit, I tried a flat panel one first and it wasn't worth a SHIT. Then I tried another terrible one with the same result. Good Luck!

While people are recommending headsets that come with the mic. I'm going to recommend something else. Get a high quality set of over the ear headphones. I'm talking something like the Audio Technica ATH-M50S, Audio Technica ATH-AD700, Sennheiser HD555/595 (The 595's are very similar to the 555's but sound better, there are links around that you can mod your 555's to become 595's), or Sennheiser HD380 Pro. And then attach a Zalman Mic to it.

I have a pair of HD595's and absolutely love them, I can wear them all day and not feel it. They are built like tanks and have amazing sound quality. With my Zalman mic, I not only have a headset that has much higher sound quality than any gaming headset, but I can also use it for VOIP.

I used to have a pair of Creative Fatal1ty MKii, but after picking up my Sennheiser's I can't go back to them. The comfort and sound quality is literally night and day.

Although slightly out of your price range, the two companies make extremely high quality audio equipment. If you look through their offerings you'll definitely find a pair of headphones that will fit your budget. If you watch Amazon you can find that they cut prices dramatically from time to time, I picked up my 595's for around $150, and now they're almost $250.

Speaker amplification:

• Stereo Recevier: Cambridge Audio Topaz SR10v2 $399 $135. Has a great built in phono preamp, possibly a $100+ value. Manufacturer refurbished with a one year warranty. May have a scratch or small dent that does not affect the performance. Or PIONEER SX-10AE $149.99 $119.99. Manufacturer refurbished with a one year warranty. As good as or like new, may have never left the factory.
  
• AV Recevier for better TV sound as well as turntable: Denon AVR-X1500H 7.2 $599 $299. 4K HDMI switching, Audyssey MultEQ XT room correction EQ speaker setup, HEOs WiFi networking and streaming, smartphone app remote and Amazon Alexa voice control.
  
  Larger speakers:
  
  
• Closeout DCM TP160 by MTX Audio $249 $85 pair or black $109. Review by u/DieselWang and Video Review.
  
• Or the tower version and you don't need to build or spend $65+ on speaker stands, DCM TP260 2-Way by MTX Audio $399 $149 pair.
  
  Speaker wire:
  
  
• Pure Copper Oxygen Free Speaker Wire then 4 Ways to Strip Wire. Optionally add banana plugs.
  
• Already with banana plugs AmazonBasics, Crutchfield, DFWCableConnection, Blue Jeans Speaker Cable and Blue Jeans at Amazon.
  
  Bookshelf (misnomer) speaker stands:
  
  
• Dayton Audio SSMB24 or Monoprice Glass.
  
• Sturdy Monolith by Monoprice Speaker Stands. DIY Custom Speaker Stands.
  
  Speaker Placement: Stereo Music Listening and Home Theater.
  
  Subwoofer:
  
  
• Low budget on sale: 12" Infinity Primus PS312 $499 $199. Value of around $300 compared to better $400+ options.
  
  Add WiFi streaming to any recevier without it:
  
  
• Dayton Audio WBA31 $42 + shipping, has app based WiFi streaming, Apple Airplay, DNLA and NAS compatibility and also Bluetooth as a backup.
  
• Chromecast Audio $38 shipped from the UK.
  
• Or an Alexa Dot or Input for voice control and it also has Bluetooth as a backup.
  
  Cleaning:
  
  
• If not getting a Spin-Clean machine or similar lower cost clone, try DIY cleaning: How to clean vinyl records and make your own cleaning solution • Best way to clean your vinyl records. It is also the most economical! • DIY record cleaning • How to clean Vinyl • Wet and Vacuum Clean a Record On the Cheap. After drying, place your vinyl in new anti-static inner sleeves.
  
• Stylus: A stylus brush back to front, ONZOW ZeroDust, or a magic eraser.
  
  Guides:
  
  Home Audio: Intro to home stereo systems • Zeos Tutorials, Diagrams and Videos • r/audiophile Guide to Home Audio • Introduction to Audio Components • What is a Phono Preamp? | Audio Advice • How to Connect a Turntable to a Receiver
  
  Home Audio and Home Theater: r/HTBuyingGuides FAQ • How to Set Up a Basic Home Theater System • How to Set Up Your Home Theater Receiver • TV vertically centered at eye level while seated • r/hometheater
  
  Also check out r/BudgetAudiophile.

You'll find the cheaper headsets compensate by squeezing your head instead of forming appropriately to it. This is even more common in the full ear headsets, who have to be able to withstand you moving about.

The point being, it's not the rubbery ears that's giving you headaches, it's the build quality. I know what you're thinking, Bose have fantastic drivers for sound, but ergonomically they fall flat on their face.

*****
Few Options

• Sennheiser HD380's (Rubbery Ears, No Mic) - Far and away the best quality you can buy for your buck. You'll notice they are sloped, which fit more naturally with how your ears are anatomically attached to your head. 3.5mm with a 1/4" adapter. My personal favorites. Amazon 99$ - 50% Off
  
  
• Sennheiser PC141 (Behind the Head, Mic) - Great headset for an entry level price range. You won't hear the CT's jumping up and down while switching weapons from around the corner, but it'll get the job done. Amazon 35$ - 30% Off
  
  
• Sennheiser G4ME ONE (Cloth Ears, Mic) - Slanted styling for anatomically correct fit, just like the HD380's. You should be noticing a brand trend by now. Also the ear foam is a cloth covering, not rubber. This reduces sweating, makes them more breathable, and also doesn't give you that sealed pressure chamber affect. This helps reduce headaches, and improves long time wear. Amazon 195$ - 30% Off White or Black
  
  *****
  
  Hopefully this gives you a few options. I would again really emphasize that when it comes to headphones and people with sensitive facial zones/heads (I'm in this group), Sennheiser and other quality companies cannot be beat.

I'll just mention stuff I've tried myself.

If money is no object, multiple monitors or at least headless ghosts are ironically useful in virtual desktop applications like Bigscreen. I run 3x2560x1600 in one large screen. Bigscreen has an update coming for multiple monitors too. Big physical screens are nice for spectators/multiplayer.

Until the wireless adapter comes out, a decently long displayport cable and longer USB cable running to the link box to cover the large play area and if you have an original Vive, the new 3-in-1 cable with a sleeve.

I've been looking at [this overhead pulley thing](https://www.amazon.com/MDW-Retractable-Management-Headset-Adhesive/dp/B01M6EB8DM/
) but I haven't actually tried it yet.

Two Vives would be good, you can run them off the same 2 base stations and partition the space with chaperone. I run a Rift and a Vive in the same room.

Get an assistant/intern/wife/child to help you set up/put things away, maintain everything, patch/update, find new content, etc...


Accessories:

• Wireless headset/mic and an anchor for it
  
• HOTAS, pedals (CH Throttle, T16000M, driving pedals for Elite Dangerous)
  
• Force feedback wheel/pedals/shifter (old G25 here and the Simraceway wheel - surprisingly precise handheld wheel you don't mount to anything)
  
• Xbox one controllers
  
• Steam controllers
  
• X-Arcade/NES/whatever emulation controllers
  
• Leap Motion
  
• Charging stations and rechargeable batteries
  
• Locomotion options like Omni (Virtuix still hasn't shown up yet) / PocketStrafe / Wii balance board w/ GlovePie hacks
  
  You might want a good recording setup with mixed reality support as well.
  
  e: stuff I forgot
  
  
• Transducer like a buttkicker for tactile feedback in seated experiences (mine is a DIY) / Subpac wearable for standing
  
  
  

Not sure why you would want the l/r and the center, other than it's a good deal. Are you hoping to fill it out to 5.1 eventually?

I've never heard Fluance, but the go-to recommendations around here are one of these two Pioneer speakers, or the Miccas. Search this sub to look for reviews (and double check the model numbers if you're interested. I'm doing this from memory). If you get the Pioneers you should be able to afford the subwoofer that goes with it. Also, you can usually find a Polk sub like this one on sale.

There are better options, I'm sure, but these get a lot of recommendations for budget systems. I have a brother in law with the Pioneers and no sub and he's pretty happy.

As for hooking it up, you just need a 3.5mm to RCA jack cable like this one. Also, if your receiver has an s/pdif input you could go from the sound card to the receiver that way. If you use the first cable, the sound card will be decoding the digital into analog. If you use the s/pdif cable, your receiver will do the decoding. Depending on the DACs in the card and receiver, one might be better than the other.

Welcome to the sub! Congrats on passing your Tech.

First up pick up an RTLSDR, these are great little receivers that will cover 30MHz-1700MHz which covers a tremendous swathe of spectrum. Definitely check out the different types of antennas you can make over on Antenna-Theory, the RTL-SDR blog and /r/rtlsdr

Then if you want to transmit on the post popular amateur bands for techs (which are local to your area) pick up a VHF/UHF Baofeng radio like a UV-B5, UV-82 or UV-5R. Not a whole lot of difference between any of them; I think the UV-B5 is the better one, since it has a better antenna and a rotary encoder. But it's very much up to you as to what you get (style > substance after all :) ).

Now from there its a question of what where you are. City? Rural? Nearby airport? Ports or ocean?

Edit: I should start linking to the wiki more often: Baofeng radios and Your First Radio are good places to start.

> so I picked up a cheap indoor antenna

This is why you're having trouble picking up local stations.

Cheap antennas are only good in two situations: Either you live right next door to the only television station you want to watch, or you need to hook something up to your TV in an emergency (power outage, moving and haven't set up cable service yet, cable outage, etc).

If you're going to use an antenna as your primary source for television, you need to invest in a good antenna. A $15 indoor antenna might've cut it decades ago back when there were only three channels and no wireless interference from things like cellphones, microwaves and home routers, but they don't cut it anymore.

[This Terk amplified antenna] (http://www.amazon.com/Amplified-High-Definition-Antenna-Off-Air-Reception/dp/B0007MXZB2) remains one of the best on the market. You can pick one up at Fry's or Best Buy for around $80, or on Amazon for $40.

You mentioned you live in an apartment and, unfortunately, this alone could limit your ability to pull in certain channels. Since your apartment tends to face only one or two directions, your line of sight to the broadcast towers for your area could be really limited. The good news is you're well within your right to put an antenna [like this one] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007VTXUJ6?psc=1) outdoors. A landlord can only restrict what you attach to the building, so how you put it up is something you'd have to think about.

Last, are you sure your complex doesn't receive basic cable for free? A lot of landlords cut deals with the cable company to provide basic cable to tenants for free, mainly so the landlord doesn't have to deal with antenna and satellite dish issues. If you receive basic cable, it would solve your issue of getting some of the networks. If not, I'd highly recommend the Terk amplified antenna linked above.

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Harmony-650-Remote-Control/dp/B004OVECU0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414427392&sr=8-1&keywords=logitech+universal+remote

that is the most popular logitech universal remote on amazon. Regular price is $90. Sounds like kinect is on par with the cost of a universal remote but instead uses ultra useful voice commands and also turns your smart phone into a universal remote. Sounds like a great deal and great value for only 100 bucks

I read a lot about separate amps and DACs but I wanted something portable and cheap and easy. I'd been looking at the the EarStudio ES100 which is $99 but while at the Brooklyn aloft hotel one night after getting tipped at King's Theater, my phone popped up that it was on special for $74.25 and I went ahead with the purchase

I hadn't realized this at the time the ES100 started as a kickstarter to have studio level quality and it exceeded my expectations. My only gripe is that every time I plug it in or unplug it, it turns on and I have to hold down a little button to turn it back off. I miss old fashioned on/off toggle switches

There's an iPhone app where I can EQ it to take advantage of my headphones (lots of BASS)

I still have a wire from my headphones to this little thing and I also have a conversion cable 1/4" to 3.5mm or whatever. Ideally a high quality bluetooth receiver like this would be built into my headphones but I'm guessing that professionals don't take headphones seriously if they come with bluetooth built in

anyway, I highly recommend if to anyone that loves music without any sound limitations

cheers

Yeah I actually really enjoy bass but not when the mids and highs are suffering from it. But yeah on the 18s 100% would say to not hesitate to pick these up. Overall they feel on the flat side which is a good thing to me, very authentic. I feel like I'm hearing exactly what the recording engineer intended for me to hear in incredibly clear detail. With none of the bass issues I felt with the 11's even though the bass and sub do show up when they should. Love Them!

Also I use the Ear Studio Es-100 because I really wanted a decent wireless option. Good Luck picking a pair of monitors! Post them when you get them!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078H4YD2L/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

put a ball point pen in your mouth and close your eyes and you should be able to see everything perfectly... changing stations i can't help you with.

​

problem you have is you are just a few miles from some strong broadcast towers and you want to pickup stations at a long distance. and this won't happen normally and the use of an amplifier will wipe out all your signals because you will overload your tv set's tuner once you go over about 90db

your only hope to pick up baltimore stations is to point a directional antenna northeast at baltimore

see but look at your signal strength .. for DC you are in the mid 70's db and for baltimore you are in the 35's

it is like twice as strong and the DC stations are close to the top margin where you overload your tv's tuner.

Remember these signal levels are only approximate but your distance of 2 to 4 or so miles says $10 rabbitear antenna is all you need.. but baltimore might not be an option .. I think unfortunately all you are going to be able to pickup are the stations that say GOOD on your Rabbitears listing

try something like this

https://www.amazon.com/RCA-ANT111E-Digital-Antenna-Non-Amplified/dp/B000HKGK8Y/

or maybe something like this pointed northeast at baltimore

https://www.amazon.com/Channel-Master-STEALTHtenna-CM3010HD-Antenna/dp/B00PKLOA7I/

​

I am in delaware and I try to get Baltimore and Philly and .. I am equally about 50-60 miles out and I use huge antennas and the strongest amps you can get.. and it is rough getting signals from 2 markets because

​

Look on your tvfool report... see all the A and C boxes on the left of your table readout .... that means those channels have interference from other stations that are nearby .. meaning trying to get both DC and Baltimore might lose you every station with a A or a C red box... Or maybe not.. you never know until you try..

but I have those problems where I live and some days its just a crap shoot as to which tv stations are going to be available.. and even the really strong 5 out of 5 bar stations get knocked off.

​

so yeah .. its cool .. give it a shot.. im just saying don't be surprised heh because it can get weird trying to do what you want to do.

good luck

So, lots of information there, you've got some god questions.

In regards to the headset, you're right that a 50Ω set really shouldn't need an amp on its own to power them to a sufficient volume out of a computer. The reason to get a DAC/Amp would be to get cleaner sound from a discrete piece of hardware. If you aren't looking for ultimate sound quality out of your headset, you're probably fine with the outs on your PC (As unpopular as that opinion is around here, it's true). You can always try the headphones out without an amp, then if you're hearing hissing or lack clarity with your PC headphone out, then you can get a separate DAC/Amp and split the mic out using something like this.

In regards to the surround sound, I would probably save some cash and go with two sets of LSR305s rather than a set of those and the Logitech system. This way you can tune the speakers for your room individually, and I'm certain that the 305s are much higher quality than the Z906, even without the sub. The only hitch there is that you won't have a center channel, but many of us here use a phantom center provided by the front mains rather than a dedicated center channel.

You might need some fancy switchgear to have your audio interface connected at the same time as your surround sound, and all of that, but if you can sort that out, I think having quadraphonic 305s will sound better than the Logitech system.

Also, you can probably use your audio interface for whatever second set of headphones you go with, save a bit of money there. If you do go with a separate DAC/Amp for the second set of headphones, I've really come to appreciate the price/performance value of my Modi2u. I've returned higher priced DACs because I just couldn't tell the difference, or thought they sounded worse. It's a matter of preference, though, so demo what you can.

Hope that helps!

I know that if you get teh M-50 this might be out of your price range. but The Audioengine D1 DAC I've heard is pretty good.

Plus on amazon, someone already had the Fiio E-10 and is comparing it between the two. It should be the top comment. http://www.amazon.com/Audioengine-D1-Premium-24-Bit-DAC/dp/B006IPH5H2

theres a Massdrop for the Audioegine D1 DAC for 100 dollars. basically a group buy that passes the savings onto you. normally it cost around $150. https://www.massdrop.com/buy/audioengine-d1

Again, I think you're good with the headphones alone, but if you want the DAC, thats a pretty good deal for a pretty solid DAC.

I'm going to suggest a few things because your setup has a lot of potentials. First, mount that CRG9. That behemoth is a great monitor but the stand just takes up too much space, once you mount it, it will give you an unbelievable amount of desk space. Second, drill a hole and route your mouse and keyboard cord thru it. Also, get something like this to hang your headset underneath the table. Last but not least, put some pictures or your collection or what not onto the wall to make it more personal. Afterward, your setup will look much better and super clean. Hope that helps.

Does it have to be motion control? My experience with them has been that they're awful to use. I find a touchpad works a lot better. Maybe you've a different use case than I do.

I use something like this. They can control volume just fine, but you'll need to make sure HDMI-CEC passthrough is enabled on the Shield, and whatever equipment you have for audio accepts CEC. I, personally, do not like CEC because it can often get confused and start turning off the wrong thing, stuff like that. I have older components though, so maybe it works better on newer stuff?

I used one of those controllers for Keyboard/Mouse struff. But I use a Harmony remote for most stuff. I don't need the keyboard/mouse all that frequently so it just sits on the end-table. The Harmony remote controls a Flirc that's plugged into the Shield. Between the Harmony Remote and the Flirc I can use the remote to do just about anything. It's really amazing. You can even macro multi-key commands, assign them to a specific key, you name it.

Harmony has some newer remote systems as well. They look like they could do just about anything, you might want to look into that.

Lastly, Google's Android TV Remote App has a touchpad to.

Again, if you really need motion control, I'm not sure. I've not had luck with those.

Absolutely no prob :)


My mom reviews electronics for a living so we end up getting tons of new devices really often and generally need to find cables to match so things are being switched out and added in all the time. To make it more convenient instead of having to go sort through a box or into a drawer and untangle cables I wanted something super easy access to so that if i needed an hdmi , bam, I had one. Same with the others.

For the controllers I used Stick-On Game Controller Hooks 2 Pack. The snes and nes usb controllers are simply hung via a tack.


I got a simple ~$10 corkboard from walmart, used a label maker for the labels and then used CraZy TACKz 36tacks to hang the cables. I wouldn't recommend them though, a standard tack works better honestly ( In theory a hook is great but they loosen and then swing around making it a pain to re-orient them when you're taking things on and off frequently.)

The headphones under the desk is The Anchor Great adhesive, super cheap and can orient it vertically or horizontally which lets you fit two pair ( in my case one for skype/discord+gaming and the other for general use since it has better quality but no mic)

---
For anyone else curious about the other pieces of the set up:

the desk is Series A:72inch Desk by Bush Business Furinture.

The lights are EconoLed RGB 5M 3528 LED Strip Light 300leds

Mousepad is Reflex Lab Huge Gaming Mouse Pad

The headphones are :
SteelSeries Arctis 5 and Audio-Technica ATH-A900X

Monitors are : ASUS VN279QL and Dell U3417W FR3PK

Keyboard is : Razer BlackWidow X Tournament Edition Chroma

Mouse is : Razer Naga Hex v2

I'm surprised there are analog channels still around. I love OTA TV and cut the cord a long time ago, but I thought we'd completely switched over to digital in 2011 (two years after the US killed analog TV).

I don't know what reception is like in deep rural areas, but if you live within 100km of a major urban centre you can probably pick up its digital transmissions. You just need a TV with an ATSC tuner—any TV manufactured after 2007 will have one built in—and a sufficiently sensitive antenna. If you have the land to put up an antenna mast you're even better off.

If you live near an urban centre you can get by with "rabbit ear" antennas. Even in Toronto I only got about three stations on my rabbit ears until I upgraded. I own a Terk HDTV-A now. I got about twenty stations in Toronto, and in the US I get lots more. Most of those Toronto stations came from Grand Island New York, about 90km away, but you can do a lot better than an indoor antenna if it's important to you.

I love digital OTA TV so if you have any questions I'd be happy to try to help.

This guy definitely knows what he's talking about. I personally rock the Superlux HD668B. The treble on them is a little high, but as your ears adjust to them, they sound excellent, especially for their $50 price tag. They beat out many $100-250 headphones.

However, the HD700s are some of the best headphones ever made, and will be good for pretty much anything; gaming, music, late-night movie watching, so if you're able to burn some money, definitely get those as they will likely be your go-to headphones for years to come.

Also, the headphone jack on the PS4 controller is pretty weak, not really meant to power great headphones, and it also uses Bluetooth which compresses the audio quality. If you have a home theater receiver connected, you can use that to plug your headphones into and it'll do you well. If not, I'd suggest getting a headphone amplifier. You can probably buy something like the Prozer DAC, which is remarkably cheap for it's quality. They have a $20 version as well, but headphones don't come anywhere near being able to hear that kind of fidelity (192 kHz, CD quality is 44.1 kHz), so it's really useless outside of maybe a studio where they have specialized gear for that sort of thing.

If you're going to be using headphones, you can get a cheap USB condenser mic, plug it into the PS4, and just set it near you on a table or something. The Samson GoMic is great, and very portable (about the size of a bite-sized Butterfinger candy-bar).

The headphones he listed though will absolutely get you where you need to go and a wide range of prices. And they all range from "damn good" to "excellent."

Of course, there are a plethora of "gaming" headphones, but most of them are junk because they cut a ton of corners on parts so they afford to put in "virtual surround sound", license Dolby, the microphone, and the software in the headphones to process/EQ the audio to bring you the sound "as intended" which is marketing bullshit, because the audio that comes out of the PS4 is what was intended, it doesn't need any additional processing. It's the same tactic Beats uses, and sadly, people fall for it. Gaming headphones, 99.999% of them, are just marketing scams with fancy buzzwords, really.

So yeah, TL;DR, grab the headphones you want, a headphone amp/DAC if you need, and a mic, and you'll have an audio setup that will blow most people's headphone setups away.

Edit: Fixed since I made this post on no sleep and there were some errors. lol

I've had this one for going on 8 years now...

http://www.amazon.com/Amplified-High-Definition-Antenna-Off-Air-Reception/dp/B0007MXZB2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1417550944&sr=8-1&keywords=terk+antenna

I would recommend it, it looks a little goofy, but it works wonderfully. Some might recommend getting a powered antennae because it might help boost reception but I feel like that is just more wires and hassle. This guy can perform with the best of the powered antennae out there.

You actually have one of the best android devices for that second to the LG v20. It supports Bluetooth and USB microphones. Otherwise get a splitter like this

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00PYZ2BT4/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1486925540&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=Headphone+mic+splitter&dpPl=1&dpID=41p4oX5fWXL&ref=plSrch

Go to the galaxy apps store and get the stock voice recorder it works great. It'll record with dynamic gain so no matter how loud it still won't distort. You can scream into it and it'll sound fine. It's amazing.

There are also great Samsung pro audio solutions too that'll let you do professional 24 bit recordings with live processing

Sennheiser HD 518s, geared for more electronic music, far better than Beats, Open Ear for beautiful sound

~$70

Sennheiser HD 558s, balanced all around, improvement over the 518s but less geared for electronic music. Open ear

~$100

Sennheiser 598s, practically similar to the 558, just further improved for more accurate sound reproduction

~$150

Sennheiser HD 380 PRO, closed back, extremely good sound reproduction

~$100

Audio-Technica M50x, closed back, one of the most popular Audiophile headphones on the market

~$150

2 Closed Back, 3 Open Back. As you can see, I strongly prefer open for the much cleaner and natural sound, but closed back is still an option.

I mean, if your looking for, "audio tuned to only emphasize the very highs and the very lows", then yeah, maybe beats are for you, however, that doesn't make them of higher quality at all, they are literally doing the opposite of what you would want in a headphone, it's just that you would apparently prefer it. If you had a headphone that was completely flat, then you could hear the exact amount of bass the artist was intending. For example, I have Dual-Subs in the back of my car inside a ported box. If I listen to a deadmau5 song on those with the bass settings tuned way up, I'll get an overpowering bass that basically shakes the car and drowns out the rest of the music. However, when I go home and listen to the song on say my HD518s, I'll get to listen to the song as a whole, and the bass is represented exactly at the level it should be for the song, where you can feel it, you can hear it, but it doesn't drown out the rest of the song.

I know you said under $100, but I've never known anyone to regret spending that little bit extra on a set of cans (except people who bought Beats™). Assuming you're going to be using them for mixing work as well as leisurely listening, I can highly recommend [Sennheiser's HD 380s] (http://www.amazon.com/Sennheiser-380-Pro-Collapsible-Professional/dp/B001UE6I0G). There are very few other products in your price range that compare.

When you have a little extra scrilla on hand, I also recommend picking up one of these so you can boost the output level to the 380s. The power, clarity, and control offered by this combination is an amazing value.

The Windows 7 boot logo screen is always 1024x768 (some TVs report this incorrectly, or the GPU upscales, mine says is 1080p even though it obviously isn't) unless your monitor doesn't support that resolution (and will fall back to the legacy 640 x 480 Vista boot screen, but that's very rare nowadays). Once the video driver starts it will go to your normal resolution. So yes, the resolution change is normal.

I found an interesting thread here on stack exchange.

http://gaming.stackexchange.com/questions/169632/ps4-video-takes-a-long-time-to-show-up-over-hdmi

In other words, HDCP (High Definition Copy Protection) was causing his PS4 to have an extreme delay before displaying HDMI video. You may be having a similar issue.

Check the AMD Radeon Control Panel and look for something along the lines of "HDCP Status" in the monitor/HDTV settings. HDCP should be enabled. However if it isn't, something is not allowing the GPU and TV to establish a secure connection.

Make sure there are no devices (capture cards, splitters, etc) between the TV and video card. Make sure your GPU drivers are up to date too and try doing a clean reinstall of them. Otherwise, I would try is to replace the HDMI cable, as some can be built pretty shoddily. But it could be an issue simply between the GPU and TV. It does happen sometimes. If the issue is HDCP though, you might be able to use certain TV services like Amazon Video, Netflix or play Blu-Rays. If that doesn't concern you, you could just live without it.

I've heard that some HDMI splitter will remove HDCP. However, I have no experience with any for this purpose so I can't vouch for a specific one. Supposedly, this one will: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004F9LVXC/?tag=hotoge-20

Here are my tips:

1. Get some sort of record cleaning device. Could be a Spin Clean, could be a Squeaky Clean, or something more expensive than that. But get something. Once you have it, make sure you wet clean your records within a week or two of getting them. They'll sound better and it's worth it.
   
   
2. Now that you've cleaned your new or used record, why not put it into a nice anti-static sleeve. I'm a sucker for the MoFi sleeves, but just find something that works for you. If you're wondering why you'd want to spend another $20 right now it ends up being $.40 per record.
   
   
3. And once you've put that record in a nice anti-static sleeve you should put the whole thing into a nice poly outer sleeve to protect the jacket. Again, you can get a bundle of these (30 or so) for $5 at your local record store or find any number of places online. But the point is that if you're going to spend $15 - $30 for a new LP it's probably worth an extra $.50 total to protect it. People do things differently, but I put the jacket in the outer sleeve and plop the record in the anti-static sleeve inside the outer sleeve behind the jacket.
   
   Store those well-protected records vertically and out of the sunlight and you should be good to go.

I personally use the Sony MDR7506 as they're pretty much a standard for basic monitoring. Crisp, detailed high end, tight punchy base. Comfortable for hours on end and if you take decent care of them they should last years with the only wear and tear being the earcup material flaking off a bit. They're definitely made for desk-use as they have a very long coiled non-detachable cable.:

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDR7506-Professional-Diaphragm-Headphone/dp/B000AJIF4E

There's also the Sony MDRV6, which are very similar, but apparently have a little more low-end.

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MDRV6-Studio-Monitor-Headphones/dp/B00001WRSJ
__

As far as speakers go, I've been using the Audioengine A5+ for a few years now and have been very satisfied. Great sound and more power than I'll ever be able to use in my small apartment. They look nice too (I got a good deal on the white ones). They are powered speakers (opposed to the A5) and thus don't require a separate amp. They also come with a small remote for volume/mute:

http://www.amazon.com/Audioengine-Active-2-Way-Speakers-Black/dp/B005OA3BSY

For a DAC I use the Audioengine D1 plugged in through USB, which gives me higher quality audio and a convenient headphone out and volume knob:

http://www.amazon.com/Audioengine-D1-24-bit-Digital-to-Analog-Converter/dp/B006IPH5H2/

This is probably as overkill as it gets before starting to lose performance.

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel - Core i9-9940X 3.3 GHz 14-Core Processor | $1815.75 @ shopRBC
Motherboard | Asus - ROG RAMPAGE VI EXTREME OMEGA EATX LGA2066 Motherboard | $1027.44 @ Amazon Canada
Memory | Corsair - Vengeance RGB Pro 128 GB (8 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory | $1179.87 @ Amazon Canada
Storage | Samsung - 970 Evo 2 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive | $659.99 @ Amazon Canada
Storage | Samsung - 970 Evo 2 TB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive | $659.99 @ Amazon Canada
Video Card | Asus - GeForce RTX 2080 Ti 11 GB Dual OC Video Card (2-Way SLI) | $1569.99 @ Amazon Canada
Video Card | Asus - GeForce RTX 2080 Ti 11 GB Dual OC Video Card | $1569.99 @ Amazon Canada
Case | Corsair - 1000D ATX Full Tower Case | $412.33 @ Amazon Canada
Power Supply | EVGA - SuperNOVA T2 1600 W 80+ Titanium Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply | $465.18 @ Amazon Canada
Case Fan | Noctua - NF-A12x25 PWM 60.1 CFM 120 mm Fan | $37.90 @ Amazon Canada
Case Fan | Noctua - NF-A12x25 PWM 60.1 CFM 120 mm Fan | $37.90 @ Amazon Canada
Case Fan | Noctua - NF-A12x25 PWM 60.1 CFM 120 mm Fan | $37.90 @ Amazon Canada
Case Fan | Noctua - NF-A12x25 PWM 60.1 CFM 120 mm Fan | $37.90 @ Amazon Canada
Monitor | Asus - PG279Q ROG Swift 27.0" 2560x1440 165 Hz Monitor | $799.99 @ Amazon Canada
Monitor | Asus - PG279Q ROG Swift 27.0" 2560x1440 165 Hz Monitor | $799.99 @ Amazon Canada
Main Monitor | Asus - ROG SWIFT PG27UQ 27.0" 3840x2160 144 Hz Monitor | $2398.99 @ Powertop
Keyboard | Corsair - K95 RGB PLATINUM Wired Gaming Keyboard | $269.99 @ Amazon Canada
Mouse | Logitech - G502 LIGHTSPEED Wireless Optical Mouse | $199.99 @ Amazon Canada
Headphones | Sennheiser - HD 650 Headphones | $492.29 @ Amazon Canada
Microphone | Rode NT-USB USB Condenser Microphone | $225.00 @ Amazon Canada
Headphone Amp | Audioengine D1 24-bit Digital-to-Analog Converter | $229.99 @ Amazon Canada
Custom Loop | EK Water Blocks EK-CoolStream SE 480 (Slim Quad) Radiator | $132.28 @ Amazon Canada
Custom Loop | EKWB EK-Cable Splitter 4-Fan PWM Extended, 2-pack | $32.99 @ Amazon Canada
Custom Loop | EKWB EK-ACF Compression Fitting for Soft Tubing, 10/16mm (3/8" ID, 5/8" OD), Black, 4-pack | $53.11 @ Amazon Canada
Custom Loop | EKWB EK-ACF Compression Fitting for Soft Tubing, 10/16mm (3/8" ID, 5/8" OD), Black, 4-pack | $53.11 @ Amazon Canada
Custom Loop | EKWB EK-ACF Compression Fitting for Soft Tubing, 10/16mm (3/8" ID, 5/8" OD), Black, 4-pack | $53.11 @ Amazon Canada
Custom Loop | EKWB EK-ACF Compression Fitting for Soft Tubing, 10/16mm (3/8" ID, 5/8" OD), Black, 4-pack | $53.11 @ Amazon Canada
Custom Loop | EKWB EK-Furious Vardar EVO 140 PWM 140mm Fan, 2500 RPM, 2-pack | $88.00 @ Amazon Canada
Custom Loop | EKWB EK-Furious Vardar EVO 140 PWM 140mm Fan, 2500 RPM, 2-pack | $88.00 @ Amazon Canada
Custom Loop | EKWB EK-Velocity CPU Waterblock, Intel CPU, Copper/Plexi | $138.42 @ Amazon Canada
Mousepad| Logitech Powerplay Wireless Charging Mat| $203.00
Custom Loop| EK-CoolStream CE 420 | $135.00
Custom Loop| EK-XRES 140 Revo D5 RGB PWM| $255.00
Custom Loop| EK Vector RTX RE Ti RGB| $230.00
Custom Loop| EK Vector RTX RE Ti RGB| $230.00
Custom Loop| EK-Vector RTX Backplate – Nickel| $72.00
Custom Loop| EK-Vector RTX Backplate – Nickel| $72.00
Custom Loop| EK-FC Terminal X2 3-slot – Plexi| $50.00
Custom Loop| EK-DuraClear 9,5/15,9mm 3M RETAIL| $27.00
Custom Loop| EK-CryoFuel Solid Cloud White (250mL) BUY 5| $20.00
| Total | $16914.49

This uses a custom cooling loop, it is not very hard to make since I used soft tubing, but if you don't want to use that, you can get 2 of THIS or THIS GPU and THIS CPU Cooler and just remove all the Custom Loop parts.

For the main monitor, I chose a 4K 144Hz monitor and 2 secondary 1440p 165Hz monitors which can also be used for gaming or can be used when you stream.

For the CPU I chose a 14 core i9 CPU, which has the best balance of cores and clock speed of the i9 CPUs, you could get more cores but the clock speed will drop a lot and so will your gaming performance.

If it were me, I'd go for something really versatile/nice like the ES100: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078H4YD2L

But that might be overkill... still, it's a very nice little device with some amazing audio capability due to its built in DAC and great software. Lots of folks really like this device and for good reason.

A more budget friendly receiver (pretty plain and more utilitarian) would be something like: https://www.amazon.com/TaoTronics-Bluetooth-Transmitter-Receiver-Simultaneously/dp/B01EHSX28M

I also got confirmation that the only two items I wanted were both disqualified for eligibility, which is bullshit. The promotional terms state video games are ineligible, but it's actually ANY ITEM LISTED IN A VIDEO GAME CATEGORY.
_


Initial Question: Inquiring about the 'BIGTHANKS' promotional code item eligibility.
>03:13 PM PST Pratik(Amazon): Hello, my name is Pratik. I'm here to help you today. Thank you for being a Prime member. NIce to meet you!

__

>03:13 PM PST Me: Hello
>03:14 PM PST Me: I noticed that today, there is a promotional code BIGTHANKS that should remove $8.62 from a $50+ order, however it does not seem to work on the items I am attempting to buy?



>03:14 PM PST Pratik: For the promotions all the items should be sold by Amazon. Here are the terms and conditions of the promotion :

>https://www.amazon.com/b/?node=15240005011&pf_rd_p=0033c189-b389-4340-a57b-3c3f1cb0d54d&pf_rd_r=QY61TM0PMM071R7W6XS0



>03:14 PM PST Me: Both of these items are sold by Amazon.com LLC



>03:15 PM PST Pratik: May I know if they are video games?




>03:15 PM PST Me: They are not video games - one is a controller and the other a Steam Link

>03:16 PM PST Me: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016XBGWAQ/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

>https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GW3H3U8/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER




>03:16 PM PST Pratik: Thank you for the link. I am sorry to say that Offer does not apply to digital content, video games, or Amazon Gift Cards.

>Please read our terms and conditions and you will be able to see it.

>https://www.amazon.com/b/?node=15240005011&pf_rd_p=0033c189-b389-4340-a57b-3c3f1cb0d54d&pf_rd_r=QY61TM0PMM071R7W6XS0




>03:16 PM PST Me: But these items do not qualify under those categories




>03:17 PM PST Pratik: The steam link comes underthe digital content. Please read the terms and conditions :
>https://www.amazon.com/b/?node=15240005011&pf_rd_p=0033c189-b389-4340-a57b-3c3f1cb0d54d&pf_rd_r=QY61TM0PMM071R7W6XS0




>03:18 PM PST Me: I have read the terms and conditions, however the steam link is NOT a digital item and neither of these two physical items are VIDEO GAMES. As such, why are they not eligible for the promo code to be applied?




>03:20 PM PST Pratik: Please check the items one more time. The items comes under the video games category.




>03:21 PM PST Me: They may be in the video game category, however they are not themselves video games. The terms and conditions specifically says "video games" no?

____


>03:21 PM PST Pratik: Please try to understand that if the items comes under the Video games category then the promotion will not be applied.

To complicated and confusing. Can you cut to the chase?

You knocked something into something ... then what happened?

"I accidentally kick the hi-fi and knocked it onto the tuner." ...and then ...what?

So, what is it you need? Seemingly a remote, but what happened to the existing remote?

The remote had a AUX/MD switch, but what is MD?

You CAN NOT run the speakers directly from the Computer.

If you want a full universal remote, nothing beats the Logitech Harmony Remotes. Harmony has many thousands of devices that they support, and you can check them in advance on-line to be sure your device is supported.

https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Harmony-Infrared-Universal-Programmable/dp/B004OVECU0/

https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Harmony-350-Simple-Set-up/dp/B00J7KM5X4/

I use the Harmony 350 with Rotel, Onkyo, Yamaha Stereos with out any problem or conflict.

You plug the Remote into a computer USB input, the go to MyHarmony.com, enter your equipment, it is automatically programmed through the USB connection. No messing with codes or pushing the On/Off button 50 times.

https://www.myharmony.com/en-us/

Now if you want to replace your amp, then consider what features you need and how much money you want to spend. You can get a very good very reasonably price Amp w/DAC and decent power for a pretty reasonable price -

SMSL AD-18 Class-D Amp with DAC - $139 -

https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-AD18-Amplifier-Bluetooth-Subwoofer/dp/B071JN7GXN/

You will find several very positive reviews of this product on YouTube, this being one of many -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEooiaet9eQ

There are many of these Class-D/Class-T amps available on Amazon, the prices range from about $25 up to about $150 depending on brand, power, and features.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=smsl+amp&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=lepai+lepy+amp&ref=nb_sb_noss

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=topping+amp&ref=nb_sb_noss_1

I'm still not sure what the problem is or what you need, but hopefully I've given you some options to consider.

I always like the Harmony One/900 but they stopped making them, it's been replaced by the Harmony Touch, which is a good remote but lacks physical number keys, which IMO is a crucial feature of any decent universal remote.

Logitech still sells the Harmony 650, it's got a rechargeable battery and is pretty much the same thing as a Harmony One, but uses buttons around the screen instead of a touchscreen like on the One. But you can get it for $65, instead of $300 give or take.

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Harmony-Remote-Control-Silver/dp/B004OVECU0/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1406940486&sr=1-1&keywords=harmony+750

This is a bit of a tricky setup, but as long as you only want to use the microphone on your PC it is pretty achievable. Also if you want to play the sound off your PC and use a gaming console, you will require a mixer to play both sources. If you don't require this it makes your setup less complicated.

Either way you will need an HDMI audio extractor, this should work: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BIQER0E Plug that into the output of HDMI switch then:

Setup 1 - With mixer. https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=614305 plug the output of the HDMI audio extractor and your PC (using 3.5mm to RCA cable). Headphones plug into mixer. This will not sound as good as option 2.

Setup 2 - With DAC. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0722FRQQ7 . Plug the output of the HDMI extractor (using an optical cable) and the PC in using a USB cable. Select one or the other using the toggle switch and it will play that source out to the headphones.

I would recommend setup 2, as the external DAC will be of higher quality.

As far as microphones go, try a USB one (this is a decent cheaper one, you can go more or less expensive: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014PYGTUQ) to reduce the audio noise your friends are telling you about.

>What modes/frequencies are you looking at using?

I really have no idea. To be honest, looking at the band allocations, I genuinely don't understand the difference between the bands. Is it basically just if there's people on a particular frequency, then you find another in your band allocation? I suppose it would be difficult to listen to the higher bands without having a huge antenna?

>Are you comfortable with used equipment?

Sure, but the only issue is that since I have no idea what to look for when buying amateur radio equipment, I don't know whether something is trustworthy or not. Since it's expensive electronics and stuff, I feel like that can easily go wrong and I might need a warranty/return, and used equipment scares me a bit. Nevertheless, if there's a way to make an educated decision when buying used equipment that you could help me with, I'd appreciate it.

>Are you near a city/town that has a club presence and possibly a club rig you can book time on?

There's a club presence but it's basically just a bunch of old guys who meet once a month to talk about ridiculously complicated electronics stuff which I don't really understand yet. I think (???) my university has an amateur radio club, so I'll try to visit them, but other than that I have no other contacts.

>Are you interested in exploration/listening/making contact? (SDR dongles can be a huge cost saver if looking at passive comms).

Not really too concerned with making contacts, more about learning about the equipment/science/electronics so that I can make projects of my own in my dorm/college so that I can talk about it to job interviewers. I have an SDR dongle, but I still really don't understand it that well. Can it basically receive everything that a regular transceiver can, but more? Or are there limitations? I understand that it can't transmit and that's cool, but I really get confused by the software aspect. Also, apparently my dongle has a direct sampling feature that can be accessed via software, but to get to the HF frequencies, do I need to actually buy/make my own special antenna just for the HF frequencies or can I use the little telescoping antenna included?

The big question I have is that there are so many frequencies/bands but I don't know what the difference is/what they're used for. All I'm doing now is just going up and down the regular FM bands while also slowly going through the RTL-SDR manuals to understand it. I just think it might be nice/helpful to actually have a hardware transciever that I can play with and hopefully learn about the hardware side when making my own systems/projects (which again, I don't know what I can do, maybe make some repeaters or something no idea) that I can talk about to employers in the telecom/networks field.

There are a number of solutions available. My assumption is you are looking to use the external computer speakers you have currently without investing in a larger sound bar or AV receiver type solution. I also assume those external speakers are connected to the headphone jack (3.5mm) on your computer.

Basically you need to get the audio out of the HDMI signal from the cable box/console. Unfortunately it doesn't look like that Sony model has an audio loop out of the HDMI audio (that would be the best way). If you are lucky the next easiest solution is something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Male-3-5mm-Stereo-Female-Y-Cable/dp/B000I23TTE

A simple RCA to headphone adapter. I know with the cable box I own, all the outputs are live. Meaning you can plug into any of the analog audio outputs (RCA L/R). One thing to note is that this may not work even if those outputs are live. Sometimes HDMI has a processing delay at the cable box or the projector. So the audio may be off by a few frames or more.

I do not know if that would work for a game console. If it only has HDMI out then you would need an active device to extract the audio, and at that point you probably are spending close to a nicer sound bar type solution. If the console has component outputs it may be easier to go analog (RGB RCA connectors and RL RCA audio). You would need a VGA to RCA adaptor cable for the projector as well then:

http://www.amazon.com/VGA-RCA-Component-RGB-Cable/dp/B003DSC96E

(this analog solution would also work for the cable box)

For the Wii or game cube, both of those are just standard composite video with analog audio so the above audio adapter would work.

It's not perfect, it won't do over 1.2Ghz iirc, but for $30 it's totally worth it to get started. Having a sdr, just for reception, is a super powerful tool. I've used mine for all kinds of things. It's not a scientific instrument and I can't use it that well anyway but I like the peace of mind in verifying compliance.
Edit: forgot the link www.amazon.com/dp/B011HVUEME

I got this: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0007MXZB2/ref=pe_385040_30332190_TE_M3T1_ST1_dp_1

It works well, I get something like 20 channels. It does occasionally stutter or have issues, but for the most part the signal comes in clear. We pretty much use it to watch the news. It worked extremely well for the super bowl. I would be a little reluctant to watch a show I really cared about with it, as there is a good chance you would miss pieces of the show when you lose signal from time to time.

• Potato
  
• Fancy Potato
  
• DMR Potato. $110, but close enough.
  
• Nice Mobile Antenna + mount
  
• Cheapie, but still good mobile antenna
  
• RTL-SDR
  
• Upconverter for your new RTL-SDR
  
• A snazzy enclosure for your new upconverter for your new RTL-SDR
  
• A bunch of RG8X coax
  
• Or about half as much RG-213
  
• A chest harness if you do event volunteer work or just like to play whacker.
  
• A nice desk stand to organize all your HT's
  
• Dry or wet dummy loads
  
• Raspberry Pi starter kit
  
• A Ham Radio Deluxe license
  
• A bitchin' yagi antenna
  
• Hamsticks and dipoles and verticals, oh my!
  
• High Sierra JAWS mount. Ridiculously useful.
  
• Antenna tuner or a nicer one for a tad over.
  
• Antenna analyzer
  
• Cheap straight key or a nice paddle for a bit over budget.
  
• Coax switch
  
• Powerpole all the things!
  
• Rigrunner for all the stuff you just powerpoled.
  
• Scanner
  
• Headset
  
• Analog or a digital SWR/watt meter
  
• A Pelican case to start working on your go box.
  
• A sweet atomic wall clock for the shack.
  
  That's all I can think of for the moment. I may add to the list as I think of more cool sub $100 ham toys.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Up-front warning: I'm in a bit of a rut when it comes to brand loyalty so take everything I say as a recommendation of something to try on rather than outright buy sight unseen (though that should really be the rule for any audio gear.)

The Sennheiser HD-380 pro is one of my all-time favorites from a comfort and isolation perspective. They're circumnaural, cheap (relatively anyway) and have a fairly neutral response.

If your focus is gaming, the Game Zero may be up your alley. It's very similar ergonomically to the 380, but includes a mic. (Unfortunately the mic is not removable.)

If you're more fashion conscious you may be interested in the Momentum. These things are probably one of the few I've ever tried that beat my 380s in comfort (the other notable one on my mind being bose's QC15.) These guys come in multiple colors, so you get lots of choices.

If you're willing to take the plunge into open back (less/non isolating) the HD 558 has a nice wide soundstage while still having the comfort of the 380. These are likely the least in line with your requirements, but I still highly recommend trying a pair on if there are any shops around you that carry them.

Since you mentioned gaming, I'll also drop mention of the antlion modmic. They are constantly having inventory issues (can't keep up with demand) but it's an interesting product. New version is on the way.

heres a couple
https://www.amazon.com/SilverStone-Technology-EBA01-Aluminum-Headphone/dp/B00KONCCNG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1467412265&sr=8-2&keywords=silverstone+headphone+stand

https://www.amazon.com/Woo-Audio-HPS-HS-Aluminum-Headphone/dp/B006KTDXYU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1467412354&sr=8-2&keywords=woo+audio+stand

If you want to save space i suggest a holder for under the desk like one of these
https://www.amazon.com/Brainwavz-Hengja-Headphone-Desk-Hanger/dp/B012VIWG28/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1467412509&sr=8-2&keywords=headphone+holder
https://www.amazon.com/Brainwavz-Truss-Metal-Headphone-Hanger/dp/B0192P8U5U/ref=pd_sim_23_9?ie=UTF8&dpID=412kIGeanDL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&psc=1&refRID=KPV7YWEWFV1D50GQ6Q8A
https://www.amazon.com/Anchor-Under-Desk-Headphone-Stand-Mount/dp/B00P31BMHG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1467412509&sr=8-1&keywords=headphone+holder

i also have another idea which might look good with the wood desk. you could diy a stand with some pipes as well. if you're interested in that i think i could find a different forum post with other people doing that.

good luck with your setup :)

good advice here in this thread so far but your description leaves us all guessing a bit.

if, as I suspect, the mic does not require phantom power Then:
I think that a possibly better solution would be to get a stereo mini female to two RCA Male and use the "Record In" or "tape In" RCA's found towards the right on most behringer mixers.

Lika dis: http://www.amazon.com/Male-3-5mm-Stereo-Female-Y-Cable/dp/B000I23TTE

Edit: On second thought the mic probably won't have the voltage to drive that RCA tape in input without a preamp of some kind to "step up" the mic to line level
(the RCA inputs expect line level) ( maybe this would have same chance of kinda working that your 1/8 to 1/4 adapters had going in to line inputs -you would have to gain em up a lot and you would increase the noise floor)
Does your input of your channels have a mic/line switch by the 1/4 inputs --if so this gets you around that aspect of the problem --set the square up/down switch to mic and you are good with what you have (maybe )

What you really might need is a cable that will break out the 3.5 male jack into two XLR's I think (if the mic male mini jack is a stereo plug that does not involve the earphone side of your headset!) -- in this scenario , depending on whether you male plug is TRS,TRRS, or TRRRS, you might end up with one xlr having the mic signal you need going into your mixer ( yay!) and the other one "needing" to have the audio send to your earphone going into it.

Kinda Lika Dis One: http://www.amazon.com/Hosa-Stereo-3-5mm-Male-feet/dp/B000068OEP/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407295366&sr=8-1&keywords=xlr+to+mini+stereo but with a female on the 1/8 side -- an 1/8 Stereo "barrel" would convert the one shown to the right gender

2nd Edit: the above mini to 2 male XLR break out cable would be need only IF the mic has [a TRS mini plug  <br />
TRS = Tip Ring Sleeve  aka stereo - or possibly send receive as this is a two way headset right?](http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Audio-TRS-Mini-Plug.jpg)<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
that would make it possibly  a stereo mic , or at least compatible with a typical computer's 1/8&quot; stereo INPUT <br />
<br />
The XLR breakout linked in edit 2 Might require one leg to be plugged into the mic in and the other one might need to be fed with the line or speaker out of your computer  <br />
 ( without all the facts man, this is damn confusing, I know, but we can get you through this when you fill us in with the ant swears to my  impotent questions(~):-])  <br />
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`<br />
<br />
3rd edit --I just realized that your &quot;typical gaming headset&quot; probably has in AND out on the ring section of the 1/8 plug Unless it splits out to two discrete plugs to go into your computer -one for mic sound in and one for earphone sound out.   <br />
Or it [could be a TRRS male mini ( that is have two rings on the plug) ](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3b/3.5mm.jpg/220px-3.5mm.jpg) or even TRRRS ( three rings)  <br />
this makes things much more complicated.    <br />
Do you hope to continue to &quot;hear&quot; from this headset as well as &quot;Send audio&quot; ( use as a mic)??<br />
<br />
does it have separate jacks for headphone and for mic?  Or all in one?  <br />
if all in one is into some sort of interface before th compooter?<br />
<br />
Home many rings on your mini plug??<br />
<br />
what is the make and model of the headset?  <br />
is the make and model of the mixer?<br />
<br />
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br />
<br />
me &amp;lt;&amp;lt; lots of audio troubleshooting experience, but zero knowledge of gaming headsets<br />
<br />
Please provide the answers to f the questions i asked and I might be able to help with a more definitive answer in a less corn fusing manor with way less wurdz

If you want to test the waters, this is definitely the cheapest option. For an $8 antenna it does an outstanding job. I pick up about 20+ channels outside Charlotte, NC and the quality is impeccable. Looks great on my 60" LCD. I have at least 5 friends who have also used the same antenna and they all rave about it. It's worth the $8-9 to try it out! Good luck.

1. Budget: Depending on the solution - probably no more than 400 euro for a headphone amplifier, or 650 euro for a receiver/amp if that's the ideal solution.
   
2. Looking for: A headphone amplifier, or an AV Receiver that has decent headphone support. Possibly a solid DAC for said headphones.
   
3. Using the gear: I have a desk in the apartment I'm staying. I have a laptop with a single HDMI output port that I currently have connected to my monitor, although I think I could get a HDMI splitter and connect my monitor and HDMI into an AV receiver.
   
4. Gear that I own: I recently purchased the Senn. HD650s. I currently own a FiiO 17K Alpen 2 that I used along with my current headphones (Senn. HD 429 West's) especially when travelling.
   
5. Source input: Laptop: variety of music on the device (FLAC, MP3, Ogg) as well as watching movies/playing games. HDMI out is an option I think, although I can use the FiiO 17K that I own if that's a good solution.
   
6. Willing to buy used?: No. Preferably I'd like to buy from Amazon.de, since I've recently moved to Germany and don't have a way to go collect items from shops - so Amazon.de or some other fast online delivery service.
   
7. Additional information: I do plan on purchasing some speakers in the next few months, so that's why I suggested the AV Receiver route as a potential option, but only if the sound quality is still excellent. I've heard Yamaha, for example, has some decent headphone support (although not sure if I can get a model which is good).
   
   As I said in #6 above, I'd really appreciate it if people could link things I could get online (pref on Amazon.de). Really don't know this city well enough.
   
   If I go the DAC/Amplifier route, I've been looking at the follow:
   
   

• https://www.amazon.de/Oehlbach-Kopfh%C3%B6rerverst%C3%A4rker-integriertem-DAWandler-schwarz/dp/B00MIZR18Y/ref=pd_sim_sbs_267_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=31nUGsyFrGL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&psc=1&refRID=ZDHYESK7S2Z8DD5WBJ95
  
• https://www.amazon.de/nationalen-JDSLABS-Objective2-rerverst-NwAvGuy/dp/B00E0DMCO0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1466607884&sr=8-1&keywords=jds+labs+objective2
  
• https://www.amazon.de/Audioengine-D1-Bit-Premium-USB/dp/B006IPH5H2/ref=pd_sim_sbs_267_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=41J2yqjIuOL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&psc=1&refRID=7FDXYNCRTCTMV41FYAQ3

> That would have meant that third party, HIFI USB-C DACs would be showing up. But that's not what happened.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but it looks to me that is what happened, though. We now have options like the NextDrive Spectra X, a dongle solution that I've been using on my Note9 with my wired JH Audio Roxannes and it's been nothing but an improvement over directly connecting to the headphone jack. I also picked up an EarStudio ES100, a wireless solution that uses aptX HD, which sounds fantastic and lets me use my wired IEMs and plan on using that with the Note 10+ that just showed up for me yesterday.

To me, the fair gripe is that these are extra things you need to buy and carry around, but that's not been a problem for me in practice and it's why I gave up on caring about the headphone jack as a heavy user and mild audiophile.

You might want to look into getting some sort of breakout from your HDMI output from your Kodi source for the audio portion, so that you're feeding 5.1 audio to your amp. Right now, your amp and speakers are only being fed 2.0 stereo audio in analog (basically the lowest common denominator of multi-channel audio).

Something like this would allow you to pipe 5.1 audio to your amp, provided it has an HDMI or optical S/PDIF input. Then again, if your TV has HDMI or (more likely) optical (or RCA digital) S/PDIF audio output, you could feed that into your amp for the cost of the cable alone. This all assumes that your amp is capable of accepting some sort of digital audio at all.

All that to say, however, if your amp is HDMI-enabled, you're probably better off configuring it the way it was intended, and use your amp as a signal selector, and run it as Kodi device > amplifier > TV over the best signal type your devices support (HDMI would be best, followed by YPbPr analog RCA connectors, S-Video, and then composite RCA video. For audio, the hierarchy would be HDMI, S/PDIF [Digital RCA or Optical], 6-channel RCA analog, and finally RCA 2-channel analog)]

Based on what you're saying here, I am guessing your amp is only capable of 2-channel RCA audio, in which case, get yourself a new amp, son! (As you, to your credit, say you plan to do.) If that's the case, save up for a nice HDMI-enabled amp (they basically all have HDMI nowadays). I'm partial to Denon, myself, but they can be on the pricey end of the spectrum.

Edit: And to actually answer your question: until you upgrade your granddaddy of an amplifier, you want to set Kodi to 2.0 audio. Also, consider sending the audio straight from the Kodi device straight to the amp. You'd introduce fewer points of failure/interference that way, and perhaps even lower latency; so it'll be easier to keep the audio and video in sync without fiddling with the settings in Kodi (if that's an issue for you, of course).

That was my problem too in the beginning. This may get a little long, but I can definitely help you out.

Elgato has page to help with this issue

I use the original Elgato HD and at first I had a headset with a USB and 3.5mm headphone jack, so I had to make a little jerry rig setup with a splitter and an audio Y cable

But if you are willing to spend some money, I highly recommend getting this headset
Its what I am using now because I can talk to my teammates in game, hear my tv audio, and listen to music or donation goals on my PC since it has a multi media source input.

I hope this helps.

Ok, so you have 2 audio out ways. The first is optical. This is much better, can do surround sound etc, but isn't exactly headphone friendly, so scratch that. You also have RCA out, which can easily go to a headphone, so here is what you will need.

First up, you need an adapter to convert RCA to a headphone. You might have one hanging around as some mp3 players, etc, comes with them. If not, Amazon has it for 1.46 with free shipping. You can also get them at bestbuy/walmart/etc, but they will likely cost at least $20. Once you have it, you can plug it into the red and white "audio out" ports on the bottom back panel. the closest 2 rca ports to the ethernet cable, and right next to the headphone port (to bad it is only audio in, for from PC's).

Ok, now you have a headphone jack, time to get headphones. You get a bit of choice, as now you just need wireless headphones. This is also where most the money will be. Personally, I would get something like this from amazon or this from ebay. This lets you use any bluetooth headphone with your TV, thus the headphones will work with your phone, etc, and be of more use. If you do go this way, you can get cheap headphones like this all the way up to very good ones. Whatever you want.

If you don't want to mess with bluetooth, or it is too much, you can just get this from ebay for cheap, or this one from amazon. They will both work, though won't be as useful, and likely won't sound as well as the bluetooth ones. Also, if you get the amazon one, it can actually directly connect to the rca output, so that is a plus :).



TLDR: If you want the cheapest way, just buy this. Though not the best, it should do exactly what you need.

Here is my build list formated for reddit

Group | Name | Price | Quantity | Total | Link
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
Pc | (Everything Inside the case) | | | |
$1,601.62 | Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor | $347.00 | 1 | $347.00 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012M8LXQW/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| Cooler Master Hyper D92 54.8 CFM Rifle Bearing CPU Cooler | $44.80 | 1 | $44.80 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NXLYE4G/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| Gigabyte GA-Z170X-UD5 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard | $171.49 | 1 | $171.49 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012N6EW6G/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| Corsair Vengeance LPX 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory | $129.99 | 1 | $129.99 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OTJZTZE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $97.99 | 1 | $97.99 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OAJ412U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| Hitachi HD​S723020BLA​642 | $58.00 | 3 | $174.00 | EBay
| EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB FTW Gaming ACX 3.0 Video Card | $459.99 | 1 | $459.99 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01I60OGUK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| EVGA 850W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply | $90.39 | 1 | $90.39 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KYK1CC6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| XFX AMD Radeon HD 5450 1GB | $29.99 | 2 | $59.98 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005IUW7YE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| PWM Female to 4 x PWM Male Computer Case Fan Splitter | $6.50 | 2 | $13.00 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DYQRFY6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| Sabrent 2.5" SSD & SATA Hard Drive to Desktop 3.5" | $12.99 | 1 | $12.99 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00UN550AC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| 80MM 5000RPM Fan | $0.00 | 2 | $0.00 |
| 92MM 5000RPM Fan | $0.00 | 4 | $0.00 |
Monitors | | | | |
$744.66 | Seiki Pro SM28UTR 28-Inch 4K UHD 3840x2160 | $195.69 | 1 | $195.69 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B013XWQF28/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| AOC e2460Sd 24-Inch Widescreen LED Monitor | $142.99 | 3 | $428.97 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C99MUHQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| Dell 17" 5:4 | $30.00 | 4 | $120.00 | EBay
Cables | | | | |
$137.77 | Cable Matters Gold Plated DisplayPort to DisplayPort Cable 10 Feet | $11.99 | 1 | $11.99 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005H3Q5E0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| Cable Matters Active DisplayPort to DVI Male to Female Adapter | $19.99 | 2 | $39.98 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EDT01TO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| DVI Male to Female 90 Degree Adapter Connector | $4.43 | 3 | $13.29 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008X0ZJZ0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| 15ft 28AWG CL2 Dual Link DVI-D Cable - Black | $10.47 | 3 | $31.41 | https://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=102&cp_id=10209&cs_id=1020902&p_id=2760&seq=1&format=2
| 15ft Super VGA M/M | $5.69 | 4 | $22.76 | https://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=102&cp_id=10201&cs_id=1020101&p_id=3622&seq=1&format=2
| 15ft USB 2.0 A Male to A Female Extension | $1.87 | 5 | $9.35 | https://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=103&cp_id=10303&cs_id=1030304&p_id=5435&seq=1&format=2
| 25ft hdmi cable | $8.99 | 1 | $8.99 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SKVMHI4/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Desk Accesseries | | | | |
$263.49 | Perixx PX-5200 Cherry MX Blue | $72.91 | 1 | $72.91 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00NY45NCY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| Logitech C310 Webcam | $31.93 | 1 | $31.93 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003LVZO8S/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| Lapel Mics | $6.50 | 1 | $6.50 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005DJOIHE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| FingerPrint Reader | $12.58 | 1 | $12.58 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HHHP7C/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| Mouse Pad | $8.99 | 1 | $8.99 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GB0IF50/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| Headset Func HS260 | $79.99 | 1 | $79.99 | https://www.amazon.com/FUnc-FUNC-HS-260-1ST-fUnc-HS-260/dp/B00HH3H83U
| Altec ACS 54 - Speaker | $0.00 | 1 | $0.00 |
| Logitech G700S | $50.59 | 1 | $50.59 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BFOEY3Y/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Audio Accesseries | | | | |
$58.33 | BEHRINGER MICROAMP HA400 | $24.99 | 1 | $24.99 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000KIPT30/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| 5-Pack 6.35mm Male to 3.5mm Female Adapter | $7.99 | 1 | $7.99 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00XAQD4YA/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| 3.5mm Male to 2 x 3.5mm Female Splitter Cable | $3.99 | 1 | $3.99 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0081ZBNI4/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| Coupler 3.5 mm Female - 3.5 mm Female Stereo or Mono | $3.93 | 1 | $3.93 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000068O4N/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| 3 feet Slim 3.5mm Stereo Audio Cable - M/M | $2.71 | 2 | $5.42 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004G3UK5C/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| 3-Feet 3.5mm Stereo Male to Female Extension Cable, 5-Pack | $12.01 | 1 | $12.01 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SWOJLSS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Lighting | | | | |
$86.88 | Studio Designs Swing Arm Lamp Black | $24.75 | 2 | $49.50 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I2S7MHQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| Lutron TT-300NLH-BL Credenza Lamp Dimmer Black | $14.83 | 1 | $14.83 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00024BJZE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| Triple Outlet Swivel Adapter, White | $3.27 | 1 | $3.27 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000HJBENG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s02?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| Daylight LED Light Bulb 15W | $9.64 | 2 | $19.28 | https://www.walmart.com/ip/Great-Value-GVRLA1850ND-Great-Value-LED-15W-A19-Light-Bulb/38596922
Cable Managment | | | | |
$18.81 | 100 Velcro Ties | $5.00 | 2 | $10.00 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001E1Y5O6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| 100 Releasable cable ties | $2.47 | 3 | $7.41 | https://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=105&cp_id=10520&cs_id=1052012&p_id=5795&seq=1&format=2
| Cable Clip nais | $0.70 | 2 | $1.40 | https://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=105&cp_id=10520&cs_id=1052006&p_id=5834&seq=1&format=2
Power | | | | |
$53.13 | Monster MP AV 750 Audio Video PowerCenter | $18.99 | 1 | $18.99 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004ETIKH8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| AmazonBasics 6-Outlet Surge Protector Power Strip 2-Pack | $12.99 | 1 | $12.99 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TP1BWMK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o05_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| 3 Outlet Single-Tap Wall Tap | $4.00 | 2 | $8.00 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007XQORTO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| 15ft 16AWG Power Cord Cable | $5.20 | 1 | $5.20 | https://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=102&cp_id=10228&cs_id=1022801&p_id=5287&seq=1&format=2
| 10ft 18AWG Right Angle Power Cord Cabl | $2.65 | 3 | $7.95 | https://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=102&cp_id=10228&cs_id=1022809&p_id=7677&seq=1&format=2
Network | | | | |
$33.98 | TP-LINK 8-Port Gigabit Desktop Switch | $22.99 | 1 | $22.99 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001EVGIYG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| 5-Pack, Cat6 Ethernet Patch Cable in Blue 3 Feet | $10.99 | 1 | $10.99 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C2B81K6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Monitor Mount | | | | |
$215.27 | Arm wall mount | $17.54 | 3 | $52.62 | https://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=109&cp_id=10828&cs_id=1082821&p_id=12232&seq=1&format=2
| Top wall mount bracket | $4.80 | 4 | $19.20 | https://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=109&cp_id=10828&cs_id=1082821&p_id=3005&seq=1&format=2
| Center Monitor Mount | $7.99 | 1 | $7.99 | https://www.monoprice.com/product?c_id=109&cp_id=10828&cs_id=1082821&p_id=4564&seq=1&format=2
| 2x8 | $7.47 | 3 | $22.41 | https://www.lowes.com/pd/Top-Choice-Common-2-in-x-8-in-x-10-ft-Actual-1-5-in-x-7-25-in-x-10-ft-Lumber/4082916
| 2x4 | 2.55 | 1 | $2.55 | https://www.lowes.com/pd/Common-2-in-x-4-in-x-8-ft-Actual-1-5-in-x-3-5-in-x-8-ft-Stud/1000074211
| 3" clamp | $5.98 | 6 | $35.88 | https://www.lowes.com/pd/IRWIN-QUICK-GRIP-3-in-Clamp/50214643
| 4" Hinge | $2.81 | 2 | $5.62 | https://www.lowes.com/pd/Gatehouse-4-in-H-Oil-Rubbed-Bronze-Interior-Exterior-Mortise-Door-Hinge/4772785
| Wood Screws | $9.00 | 1 | $9.00 | Lowes
| Assorted brackets/hardware | $25.00 | 1 | $25.00 | Lowes
| Case Rack Mount | $35.00 | 1 | $35.00 | EBay
Misc | | | | |
$35.97 | Steam Link | $19.99 | 1 | $19.99 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B016XBGWAQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
| Bluetooth Adapter | $7.99 | 1 | $7.99 | GRANDCOW Bluetooth 4.0 USB Adapter Dongle for Windows 10/ 8.1 / 8/ 7 / Vista / XP
| 19 Key Numeric Keypad | $7.99 | 1 | $7.99 | https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005DJSAAU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I have my Switch, 360, and ps3 hooked up to my monitor using an HDMI switch, and an Audio Extractor. This works super seamlessly, I just turn on whatever console I like and the Hdmi switches and I am able to get digital audio out automatically. I use a headset mainly, one of my friends have a logitech z213 speakers and they sound pretty nice! Hope that helps!

This used to be possible with Windows Media Center and a CableCARD PC adapter such as the InfiniTV 4.

https://www.engadget.com/2010/03/30/ceton-infinitv-4-cablecard-tuner-review/

In the setup outlined above, you plug the cable from the wall directly into the device and you can schedule DVR, record to your heart's content and store recorded media on an external HDD if needed all through Windows Media Center. The advantage being you don't have to worry about your DVR box filling up and if you want to keep recorded content, you can move it onto a different storage device if you like. I love recording sporting events to watch later, for example, and when VCRs went away, this method was very helpful.

Unfortunately Microsoft phased Windows Media Center out of later operating systems and it's completely missing from Windows 10. I guess they'd rather you just keep paying that extra $15/month for a stupid DVR cable box.

I mention all of that to counter the previous poster's point about legality. It's not illegal to record shows for your personal enjoyment off of your legally obtained cable access.

As to your original question - yes. Run your HDMI through a powered HDMI splitter such as this one to bypass HDCP encryption and it should work just fine. If it's for personal use, this should be perfectly legal. If it's for uploading to some sort of bay that is loosely associated with Captain Hook and his cohorts, then probably not so much.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004F9LVXC/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm doing what you described with the Harmony Home Control (Amazon link) and IFTTT.

What you do is setup the Harmony device with "Activities." So for example I have one Activity called "Watch AppleTV" that turns on the ATV, turns on the receiver and switches it to HDMI3 out, then turns on the TV and switches it to input1.

Then you login to IFTTT and add your Harmony and Amazon Echo accounts to IFTTT. Then you make a two IFTTT recipes for each activity. So I made an activity that turns on Watch AppleTV and another that turns off Watch AppleTV. You run these from the echo by saying "Alexa trigger run on the AppleTV." You need to say trigger to the Echo knows to send it to IFTTT. After about two seconds the command runs from the Harmony and you are all set.

The key is you need to make a Harmony activity on the Harmony for everything you want. Then those activities show in the dropdown list for Hamony on IFTTT.

The only one I'm not sure about is your up/down volume idea. I think you could make a Harmony activity for recover volume up then an IFTTT trigger to match. Then another activity and trigger for receiver volume down. I just use the Harmony remote for volume.

One more thing the article didn't touch on. If you live close to a city you can most likely get an antenna for one month's worth of cable. That will give you access to the national channels / local programming. It's not much, but it's entirely free after you pay for the antenna.

Two very popular antennas are the MOHU Leaf and the Terk Indoor antenna


To see where the towers are in your area - you can look at antenna web - I am sure there are other sites, even better ones.

EDIT: If you don't want to spend the money on the antenna and want a little weekend project; you can make your own antenna. Google coat hanger antenna or something or try something like this

Sup all !
I just ordered a RLT-SDR Blog V3 with antennas (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011HVUEME/)
--
And as a total newb on the hardware, what should I worry from the start? Should I put a metal base on the antenna that comes with it, should I use a indoor TV atenna or make a new one? Is there an easy way to start HF with it with not much hardware to buy? Any tips for a beginner with this model?

Apart from that I will read more about SDR while it arrives here, I don't know what to search from the frequencies yet haha. I use Fedora Linux and will use only *nix software and they look awesome! :D
Any tips welcome, and sure I will read the sidebar of course :) Thanks !

So the magni 3 has rca inputs.

So my set up is computer --> optical --> smsl 793 dac --> rca --> magni 3 --> headphones.

The smsl 793 is actually a dac/amp combo but I found it underwhelming with my 6XX, luckily it has a line out if you only want to use the dac portion. I've had it for years but they were only pushing 32 and 80 ohm headphones before and would really struggle to reach listening volume with 300ohms.

However a dac is not necessary. You could very easily take the 3.5mm jack into a split rca into the magni, then hook your headphones to that. You'd just need this cable between your pc and the amp.

https://www.amazon.com/Mediabridge-3-5mm-Male-2-Male-Adapter/dp/B004YEBK66

Many people recommend a dac simply because it can make an improvement in sound, will help avoid electrical interference since the signal is over USB or SPDIF (Coax & Optical), and can help if you have a noise floor issue (hiss) and jitter.

Most modern dacs in computers are fairly decent, and the the built in amps are not terrible for headphones up to 32-80 ohm range. But once you get into those high ohm, you have to get an amp.

Two options for you, I recommend both to many people and use the extender cable myself:
 
When you say "Mic Cable" I am assuming you mean a 4 pole 3.5mm audio cable with a built in mic, either inline such as a cell phone earbud cable or a boom mic like the VMODA BoomPro. I use the BoomPro at my home desk, and have this cable:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00RXNUXGS
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0058DOWH6
Run the cable from back of computer onboard audio, up the back of you desk, and route it through the cable management area of your monitor. you now have a dual jack right under your screen to put your headset on whenever you need to call and cant use the FiiO

Alternatively, leave your headphone as is, forget the mic cable, and get a USB mic. alot of people recommend the Blue Snowball and it is a great mic but also rather large for a usual office desk. I rather like the Blue Snowflake, its almost as good sound quality, perfectly adequate for conference calls and other non recording production needs, and much much smaller:
https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Snowflake-Ultra-portable-High-fidelity-USB/dp/B0012AUHXW

The ultimate remote. Literally.

I bought one of these when I moved in with my now wife a few years ago. She didn't like my collection of remotes and remote keyboard, she just wanted to be able to turn on Bravo. Best thing I ever did. Automating activities makes turning things on/off correctly a snap. For a keyboard you can get one of these. Whatever you turn on that accepts a bluetooth keyboard - PC, PS4, Fire TV, whatever - the keyboard is automatically connected to it. I wouldn't try playing Quake on it, but it works great for web browsing. Battery in the remote dies? No problem, open up the Harmony app on a phone or tablet and work it that way while the remote charges.

I've since set up cheaper Harmony Companions to control the bedroom TVs, since I use Xbox 360s as media center extenders for live TV. My daughter has some Philips smart bulbs and it controls them as well. Overall I've come to love Harmony Hub based products, they just work.

I installed the Netflix Windows 8 application and XBMC.

I then installed OblyTile and created a custom large button at the Start menu/tile interface for XBMC (needed to customize the tile with the XBMC logo, but wasn't tough). I also added the Netflix tile right next to it, large as well.

I installed Chrome (browser of choice) and created two smaller tiles that were links to bookmarks in Chrome, YouTube and Google Music.

Change the background of the Start/tile interface to something dark with a little bit of a pattern. Looks very clean and crisp.

I use a Logitech K400 right now. I have a Logitech 650 and Flirc I want to finish setting up, but I haven't had the chance to tinker with that aspect yet.

Overall, Windows 8.1 and XBMC + Netflix works really well. The Netflix app is stellar and XBMC keeping XBMC full screen (hitting "\") and just hitting the Windows button to get out of it/go to Netflix is very smooth and user friendly. I prefer it over the Apple TV and my Ouya by far.

And I built it with the very affordable Intel NUC DN2820FYK, which accepts 2.5" HDs.

I'm less familiar with this area but I believe either of these would suit your needs:

https://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-dta-120bt2-class-d-mini-amplifier-60-wpc-with-bluetooth--300-3803?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=pla&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIvJaXrZ3J4wIVj4vICh19MA91EAQYASABEgLD4fD_BwE

​

https://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-dta-21bt2-100w-21-class-d-bluetooth-amplifier-with-sub-frequency-adjustment--300-3831?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=pla&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIvJaXrZ3J4wIVj4vICh19MA91EAQYBCABEgLCQvD_BwE

​

I also found a comparison video on reddit for these two:

https://www.reddit.com/r/BudgetAudiophile/comments/9ba6x8/dayton_audio_amplifier_shootout_dta21bt_vs/

​

Also, I didn't realize you were playing audio from your computer. You'll need something like this to run from the line out of your laptop to the Lepai or Dayton (or edifier):

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-3-5mm-2-Male-Adapter-Cable/dp/B01D5H8JW0/ref=asc_df_B01D5H8KO2/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167146065113&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4591896362316768558&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9011555&hvtargid=pla-303037967706&th=1

​

Unless you have some digital output from your computer that the Edifier accepts, a USB audio interface is preferred for connecting a computer to external speakers. This is mainly because the onboard DAC of a computer (or television) is (usually) not high quality. You will have this issue with the Edifier as well. I wouldn't worry too much about this at this point.

​

If you were to stick with the Lepai, you'd just plug your headphones directly into the computer aux port and not use the lepai at all (as it does not have an aux port).

​

Pros compared to Edifier: >$100 cheaper, better sound (probably debatable, I've not heard the edifiers), passive speakers can be used with an AV receiver if you decide to upgrade in the future to an AV receiver for surround sound

​

Cons: No remote, extra interfaces required for different inputs

​

If you are wanting to input from a variety of sources (ie. TV and computer) you may be better off with the Edifier since you do not want to get an AV receive

Sennheiser HD 380's are great. They fold flat, have a great comfy design, and are well balanced. They sound amazing from my laptop. I have to boost the bass when playing from an iPod, but my iPod will drive them well. Very distinct sounding mids and highs, and great sub-bass that isn't overpowered.

The price on amazon is 145, but will vary from day to day:

only downside is the coiled cable which limits portability. I found a decent way to replace the cable and can tell you what you can get to replace it for cheap if you are interested

I like that kit you recommended. Here's the same kit on Amazon - out of stock, but it has a more direct URL, and lists things better.

The kit looks like a great value, but I can't tell - does that kit have an adapter included with all the the other stuff that will let me plug in my FM antenna (f-type connector)? If not, I have to buy one separate.

yeah I don't see why it wouldn't work. you might not need an HDMI splitter if you're using an xbone.. I'm not 100% sure but you might be able to disable the HDCP in your settings somewhere. I know you can on ps4.

idk if mlbtv does 60 fps so you might not be able to do that, but I'm pretty sure it would work otherwise. if you need an HDMI splitter, heres an Amazon link to the one I use.

edit to add: just a thought but you might be able to just use something like OBS to record.. like in your PC browser or something lol. I'm just telling you what I use but I know there's people that do all this stuff without using a PVR. maybe check in with some of the giffers on /r/soccer and /r/nba.

If the radio doesn't have an "AUX" mode, then this really isn't possible to do. Given your car is a 2000, it's highly unlikely an AUX port was even an option.

Two solid alternatives:

1. Purchase an FM Modulator, like this or this. They're relatively easy to install, and you can probably do it yourself. It basically works like an FM Transmitter, but connects directly into your antenna port for a much cleaner signal. It can also be switched on or off, so you keep full use of your radio.
   
2. Purchase an aftermarket head unit. It's certainly cheaper to do an FM Modulator, but upgrading to a good aftermarket head unit will make you happier in the long run. Especially with a stock head unit from 2000, you're bound to start having trouble with it at some point in the near future.
   
   Hope this helps!

I have found the best way of cleaning my vinyl is with the Spin-Clean. At first I was skeptical about buying a piece of plastic at what seems to be a pretty high price. I figured I would give it a try and if it did not work I would just send it back. The Spin-Clean worked very well to my surprise. All my new and used albums gets cleaned by the Spin-Clean before it hits my turntable.

It is almost like a bath for records. The tub holds the water and the cleaning solution. The record is then spun on two rollers between two nice and tight velvet pads. The pads are just like the velvet cleaning brushes people are recommending. So when you are spinning the record in the tub both side are getting cleaned at the same time.

You would think that the record would get even more dirty by putting it in a tub of dirty water. The special formula cleaning solution binds to the dirt and sinks it to the bottom. They say that you can clean about 50 records with each tub. I find this not to be accurate, (I buy alot of used records that are dirty as sin) I get about 20-30 albums cleaned before I have to switch out the water. The solution goes a long way. You only need 3 cap fulls for each bath. I just bought a new replacement bottle (32ozs) of cleaner and it states only use one cap full for cleaning. That stuff is going to last forever.

I have tested albums by listening to them before and after and you can hear a major difference. I would 100% recommend this to any collector.

budget/used mid-fi here looking for a desktop headphone amp under $175. Or should it be a headphone amp/dac? Or should I get a headphone amp that has preamp outs, to put inline with my speaker amp and DAC? Maybe a tube amp, as all I listen to is Grateful Dead recordings from the 60's-early 80's and think a tube might fit the character.


My bedroom setup is pc --usb-->
Cambridge Audio DAC Magic --rca-->
Micca Origain speaker amp/DAC --> Elac B6

This leaves no room for headphones, which I currently power off a cheap usb card that came with a gaming headset. I have a bunch of chifi IEMs, and a couple low (~32 ohm) impedence headphones for now, but am planning on buying something more demanding soon.

The DAC magic is an older usb 1.0 model that only does 16/48, but apparently has high-end technology that upscales everything to 24/96 (or higher I iirc). It also has balanced xlr input/output which I have no use for. Anyways I can tell a slight edge and prefer it over the built-in DAC on the Origain, even though that does 24/96 over usb (and I have close to 100gb of 24/96 flac music...).

The Origain is cool but I think it starts to get channel imbalance when knob gets below 25%, which is usually where I keep it. So I wonder if a pre-amp with volume control could help optimize that better? To use the Dac magic, I'd need a headphone amp with line outs anyway.


So for under $175, would you go for:

1. dac/headphone amp connected to pc via usb
   
   +newer DAC would allow me to natively enjoy my 24/96 flac, or even DSD
   
   -still might not be as good as the dacmagic
   
   
2. headphone amp with lineout, put it in between my dac and speaker amp
   
   +Might allow me to turn Origain's knob higher to prevent imbalance at lower levels
   
   -Should I avoid having another device in the signal path if I can?
   
   
   Also, instead of going for a headphone amp/preamp, could I just use a blanced xlr to unbalanced rca adapter on my Dac Magic to use a cheaper standalone amp like the Bravo 2?
   
   Ideas: cheap tube amp like LittleDot Mk2, littlebear P7, xduoo TA-01, Bravo Audio Ocean Mini
   
   or digital: Bravo S1, FX Audio DAC-X6, DEAFidelity Elfidelity, SMSL VMV V2, SMSL M6, Audioengine D1, or FiiO E10K
   
   I'm scraping together pennies to put down on some cans soon. Either AKG 7somethings, Beyerdynamic DTsomethings 250 ohm, or Sennheiser 6somethings...whatever pops up on Craigslist or letgo.

Let me reply in detail in a couple hours. Got a couple things to take care of.

A side note: live drums is probably your most limiting factor when it comes to starting recording. It involves the most amount of microphones and, thus, the most amount of money to get started on.

Edit:
So, on a $500 budget I would definitely prioritize getting:

1. a USB interface: both the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 and the PreSonus AudioBox 22VSL are fine choices.
   
   2)a DAW: the PreSonus interfaces usually come with StudioOne, which is a fine entry-level DAW that shows much promise. Otherwise, since you're on a budget I would recommend Reaper, which is only $60 and has decent functionality.
   
   
2. a decent pair of headphones for tracking/mixing: since your cap is $500, getting monitors for your setup is out of the question. A personal favorite of mine is the Audio-Technica ATH-M50, while others prefer the Sennheiser HD380 or the Grado SR80i.
   
   After you've got these, you can DI that guitar or bass right into your interface and start recording. If you have a decent amplifier for either of those, I would suggest looking into getting a microphone to actually plug into that interface (can't beat the old standby SM57 for guitar amps in terms of bang for your buck).
   
   When it comes to doing drum tracking, microphones would be out of the question for your price range. So, a sequencer/sampler would be an ok alternative... perhaps EZdrummer?
   
   Well, that's all I have for now. If you have any more questions just let me know.

Sure. The audio can be a little tricky but here is what I have. The easiest thing would be if your home theater system or tv accepted optical inputs so that you could use the xbox's built in optical and connect if directly to your tv or home theater system without doing any conversions. If that does not work you have to convert the optical to a 3.5mm connection or a rca audio connection (these are the red and white components next to your dvi connection) . The way to do that is by way of adapter or cords. Like others have stated adapters might give you latency problems. So a cord might prove the better way to go. Ultimately for your connection it looks like you will have to go from optical to 3.5mm to RCA audio. Conversely the newer controllers have a 3.5mm connection built into it. So you would just have to go from 3.5mm to RCA audio.

I'll try to find links but hopefully this gives you a starting point.

Edit

Start with this or {this + this} then convert that signal to RCA with this

-In theory this should work

For non-simultaneous playback:

Here's what you could do:
Buy one 3.5mm Stereo Male to Two RCA Male Splitter Cable, and one 2 x RCA Male, 1 x 3.5mm Stereo Female, Y-Cable 6-Inch. Also get a 3-Way Audio Video AV RCA Switch Selector Box Splitter. That all together is $9.82 US.

Connect the xbox to your TV as normal. Use the RCA cable included with the splitter to connect your TV's audio output to the Splitter's Input 1. You don't need to connect the yellow video connection on that cable. Then use a male 3.5mm Stereo to RCA cord to connect your laptop/iphone's headphone jack to the Splitter's Input 2. Plug the 2 x RCA Male, 1 x 3.5mm Stereo Female, Y-Cable 6-Inch cable into the Splitter's Output, and connect your headphones to the 3.5mm female end. You should then easily be able to switch between ipod/laptop and xbox/tv sound feeding to your headphones by adjusting the splitter's output switch. This is a very basic setup, but should achieve what you're going for as long as you didn't want the two inputs playing simultaneously.

For simultaneous playback:

Here's what you could do (I admit this is probably a bit of a wrap around way of doing it, but it was fun to come up with):

Buy:
Two Behringer MICROMIX MX400 4-Channel Mixer, one 3.5mm Stereo Male To 2 RCA Male Cable, one Male RCA to male RCA cable, one male RCA to female 3.5mm cable, six 3.5mm to 2RCA female adapter, and six 1/4 inch to 1/8 inch stereo jack adapters. This setup without shipping and handling costs $75.55 US.

This thing only outputs in mono though, so it doesn't benefit your headphones greatly (only one side will play sound). This is why we're gonna get two of them though, and this is the fun part. Check out this picture: http://i.imgur.com/UPMX5j2.png. It has the steps included with a crude illustration. The benefit of this setup is that you can have the ipod/laptop coming in at a different volume than the tv/xbox. Also has space for two more inputs if your ever have more you want to plug in (or to allow a laptop and ipod to be plugged in at the same time).

I... I think that setup would work.

I have a similar problem to yours but instead of a PS4, it's a PC. Basically, I have 2 monitors and I like to switch one monitor from PC to switch and viceversa and my monitors only have DVI and VGA ports. This obviously sucks because I can't switch the monitor output from DVI to HDMI which would have helped a lot instead of the setup i got. I do however got a speaker set that does allow for multiple inputs, so that will work great with my switch and PC in theory. I have a discrete audio card, you should be fine unless you want to route the sound from the PS4 using TOSLINK (I do believe it has one).

So, all I can tell you from my experience... before you buy something like this, is that you do check that the device will let you add an HDMI to DVI converter to the end. In my case (the one I linked) it did not work. I wouldn't get a signal working out with the adapter... shocking i know, because it even says that it won't work with a passive HDMI to DVI adapter on the amazon listing. Anyway, I kind of lucked out because I had bought a capture card in the past and all I have to do is route it to my capture card and use the passthrough function of it (which essentially rebuilds the HDMI stream? I have no idea). I can then use my HDMI-DVI adapter and it works perfectly. The caveat though is that my PC has to be on while I'm playing. Which isn't much a deal because I actually use both most of the time.

But anyway, you obviously shouldn't be buying a capture card for this (unless that's what you want, then the above setup should work fine?), if you do end up buying something like I linked (2+ hdmi switchs with audio extractors) and it doesn't let you use the adapter for HDMI to DVI for your monitor then you can probably get something like this. I haven't test it out so I can't tell if it'll work but it should be doing the same that my capture card is doing. Obviously, it would be best if you could get a 2+ hdmi switch to DVI with audio extractor but there's none i could find.

If you do end up with a setup similar to mine, know this:

1. You'll end up with 2 devices that need their own power supply and both of them will be on while you play.
   
2. You'll need a considerable amount of hdmi cables (I'm terrible at cable management)
   
3. When there's no source detected the switch will be actively searching for a HDMI signal and that somehow prevents monitors/TV sleeping functions. I think it will depend on your monitor and hdmi switch but in my case I have to turn off the monitor connected to the switch when i'm not using it.
   
   And at last, with the amount of money you'll spend on a speaker setup, hdmi cables, passive adapters and the HDMI shenanigans you can probably just buy a 30" inch smart tv for like $100 bucks. Hell, I'm sure you could find old as hell gigantic hdmi tvs for $100 or less. My step dad couldn't get rid of his old as hell 55" tv and had to actually pay money to get rid of it.

I’m a big fan of the Logitech Harmony Companion. Beyond being able to integrate with tons of other smart devices, the remote just feels great.


Logitech Harmony Companion All in One Remote Control for Smart Home and Entertainment Devices, Hub & App, Works With Alexa - Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N3RFC4G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_FFgBDb2ECC1AW

If I was going to spend $50 on the Harmony 650 I'd rather spend $89.99 on the Harmony Home Companion/Control. I bought mine used like new in a box from this particular Amazon reseller and it was all basically brand new and setup in less than 30 minutes with the hub and an external IR blaster.

Harmony Home Companion used like new Amazon reseller

This will do the majority of what you're wanting to do and include the hub for any Bluetooth, IP control situations and includes the Android/IOS app and some home automation control buttons as well.

Here's a good review link as well.

Harmony Home Companion review

yes you should bother.. There are amazing headphones that are easy on the ears!! Headphone examples: Koss Porta Pro X & AFK Khans.

You'll hear the difference trust me.. Def purchase an AMP though.

You could pickup an ES100 DAC/AMP. It should be a very noticeable upgrade!

The AFK Khans cannot be powered by the ES100 just forwarning.. Def pickup a Koss Porta Pro X by Massdrop for your first purchase! :)

https://drop.com/buy/massdrop-x-koss-porta-pro-x-headphones

ES100 bluetooth DAC/AMP - https://www.amazon.com/EarStudio-ES100-24bit-High-Resolution-Bluetooth-Unbalanced/dp/B078H4YD2L/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=ES100&qid=1570060944&sr=8-1

If you need a pad upgrade get these - https://www.amazon.com/YAXI-EARPADS-PORTAPRO-Yellow-Orange/dp/B07L869LJL/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Yaxi+pads&qid=1570060964&sr=8-1

Not sure what is making yours pop, but a Spin Clean record cleaner is handy to have, either way. Especially if you are buying used vinyl. There are DIY solutions out there, too, but this works really good if you have the budget. Cleaned up a lot of records I had that looked perfect, but still had some pops. Also, something to remove the static helps. I use anti-static sleeves.

A remote control will work by sending out pulses of infrared light. There is a sensor on the device - TV, DVD, stereo, yes, even your ceiling fan - that can see the IR pulses, and reacts accordingly.

You can actually see it yourself. Point any IR remote at your phone's camera, press a button, and you'll see the LED in the end of the remote lighting up.

Each device has a specific set if pulses to react to. This means you can have multiple devices, but only have the one remote control one device.

A universal remote will copy these pulses. Devices like the PUCK will have pre-programmed devices you can control. The PUCK has the feature that you can control it via Bluetooth with your smart phone.

If your smart phone has an IR blaster you can download an app like Suremote and have your phone work as a universal remote.

I have a very similar remote to this one. These type of "learning" remote has the added advantage that if a button isn't working correctly, you can programme the universal remote from your existing remote.

Analog to Digital Converter

3.5mm to Male RCA

This is basically your option outside of buying a new soundbar or TV. Also look into some of the budget speaker setups on this subreddit. It will absolutely kill any soundbar you purchase. Not going to totally shit on you for getting a soundbar like everyone else in the sub but MB42X and a cheap amp off of accessories for less is an awesome beginning to a budget build.

So you will run a 3.5mm jack to RCA cord into the Analog to Digital Converter then the optical out of the converter into the soundbar.
These converters can be a little hit or miss with my experience so look around to find the one with the best review. I find monoprices stuff is pretty good. If it doesn’t work maybe try a little more expensive and reliable one.


If you already have a 3.5 you can find an adapter online for 3.5mm female to male RCA
Which is this

I dunno, I'm happy with my $50 Logitech Harmony. Programming is tedius, but once that's done I don't have to touch it again. Controls multiple devices from a single remote and supports macros.

But my favorite is still my trusty old Harmony 550. Then again it didn't cost me $400. For that much money I'd expect it to cook me breakfast too.

Lights: I prefer switches over smart bulbs. I have a lot of the GE toggle and dimmer switches.

Entertainment: Logitech Harmony remote with the hub integrates well. If their setup is simple, the Companion is decent. If it is more complicated you might want something with a screen like the Elite

Security: I think Ring is more open, Google seems to be locking nest down so it doesn't integrate with other things as well.

Additional things: Look into getting a fire tablet and running Action Tiles. I like it to see the status of everything and know what is on/off at a glance. Thermostat, Smart locks, garage door opener, sensors on other doors/windows are other things that can be added in the future.

I have the Harmony Hub/Smart Home. It is the boring looking remote, but don't let it's loks fool you, it is one of the most powerful. You can also use your smart-phone too, which is nice if the remote is JUUUUUUSSST out of reach. :)

Check out this one if you have smart lights/plugs.

And this one if you want the same one with no home control buttons.

Once you get it set up (it could take an hour+ if you arent familiar with the software) it is amazing!

You probably have a Harmony Hub based remote which has been available down to around $100 if you dig for it. That line has been discontinued and replaced with a nearly-identical line of Harmony Home Control devices. The new Harmony Home Control line hasn't been discounted anywhere that I am aware of, outside of a trade-in deal from Best Buy.

The Home Control series adds the ability to interface with some HA devices like Nest and SmartThings. They have promised that an upgrade for existing Harmony Hub users will give them these capabilities sometime "early [this] year" (it was "late [last] year" at one point, so don't hold your breath). It has also been noted that this will not be a free upgrade.

Just like removable batteries and physical keyboards, there’s basically no chance of it coming back. The truth is that the general public doesn’t care, just look at the sales figures from the Note 10/10+ despite the Internet and reviewer outcry about it not having a headphone jack.
Also... there is not much difference (if at all) in sound quality between most onboard DACs and a decent pair of Bluetooth headphones specially while streaming (of course there is exceptions like some older iPhones an the LG V series) and most people wouldn’t care anyway, and those who care like the audiophile community have been using external DAC/AMPs for a while and are moving more and more towards 2.5/4.4mm balanced.

As for options, you can get the EarStudio ES100 so you can use your favourite wired headphones again.

If you are completely against Bluetooth, and since you listen to 18+ hours a day of music, maybe getting a DAP is a better option for you.

Or get an “older” phone, the S10/S10+ still have the headphone jack.

Do you already have a nice gaming PC?

$50 - Steam Link

• Details - http://store.steampowered.com/app/353380/
  
• Amazon link for cheaper/faster shipping http://www.amazon.com/Steam-Link-Pc/dp/B016XBGWAQ
  
• Can use a wide variety of controllers and will use the power of your gaming PC. Xbox360/XBOne/PS4/WiiUPro/SteamController
  

• Wired ethernet at your PC and at the TV is recommended.
  

  
  

  --------------------------
  

  
  

  Don't already have a gaming PC?
  

  
  

  
  

  If act like a console, but play anything available on PC:
  

  
  

  PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
  

  
  

  Type|Item|Price
  

  ----|:----|:----
  CPU | Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor | $181.83 @ Amazon
  Motherboard | Biostar Hi-Fi B85N 3D Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard | $71.98 @ Newegg
  Memory | PNY Anarchy 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory | $32.99 @ Amazon
  Storage | PNY CS1211 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $59.99 @ Amazon
  Video Card | Gigabyte GeForce GTX 950 2GB Dual WindForce Video Card | $149.99 @ Amazon
  Case | Silverstone Sugo SG13B Mini ITX Tower Case | $39.99 @ Amazon
  Power Supply | EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply | $32.74 @ Amazon
  | Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
  | Total | $569.51

Not cheap, but the Logitech Harmony Home companion should work well. Logitech Harmony Companion All in One Remote Control for Smart Home and Entertainment Devices, works with Alexa https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00N3RFC4G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_.vhAybCVYG7EV It should be able to pair via Bluetooth to the mi box and control the TV via IR.

the focusrite 2i2 doesnt have extra RCA outputs. Im using one of these to connect the two.

http://www.amazon.com/Mediabridge-3-5mm-Male-2-Male-Adapter/dp/B004YEBK66/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1394236955&sr=8-5&keywords=mediabridge

Im actually starting to like the amp in the chain. The midrange isnt as present but it still sounds relatively neutral. The vocals are a touch more forward and present. I think this is what the headphone is supposed to sound like. I changed my sourcc removing the audio interface and connected the ipod. It sounds the same as if the amp was connected. I think the amp connection allows the hd600 to sound "normal" and while connecting straight to the audio interface, it was enough power but not quite there. It still sounds pretty good either way. Cant complain, thank you everyone! I figured that if you use max volume on the audio interface when the amp is connected it sounds just fine.

Getting your antenna up to the attic will definitely make a difference. An amp will help too. Though, as I noted in another post, the homemade just didn't cut it compared to a well-made antenna.

But, it's worth noting that I tried a LOT of antennas and found the more expensive antennas didn't perform significantly better than the cheaper ones. The $40 Terk HDTVa blew away some high-end antennas that were like $150. I went to Best Buy and bought all the antennas they had in stock, tested them all, and kept the one that performed the best. The comparison included the homemade one too.

For desktop listening I'd recommend nearfield monitors, as they're designed for exactly that listening environment:

• Focal Alpha 50 ($598 per pair)
  
• Adam A3X ($699 per pair)
  
• Yamaha HS8 ($700 per pair)
  
  Edit: Almost forgot, if you wanna go with studio monitors I do also recommend getting a separate DAC for them, such as:
  
  
• Schiit Modi 2 Uber ($149)
  
• Audioengine D1 ($169)
  
  And since they are active speakers, you can save precious desk space by not having to make room for a separate amplifier! 👍
  
  But if you do have the space for it, hi-fi bookshelf speakers with an integrated amplifier are of course not out of the question:
  
  
• Q Acoustics 3020 ($290/$370 per pair)
  
• Emotiva Airmotiv B1 ($299 per pair)
  
• KEF Q100 ($300 per pair)
  
• Wharfedale Diamond 220 ($350 per pair)
  
• Dali Zensor 1 ($395 per pair)
  
• Monitor Audio Bronze 2 ($500 per pair)
  
  And for integrated amplifiers:
  
  
• Emotiva A-100 ($229)
  
• Yamaha A-S301 ($349)
  
• Emotiva TA-100 ($399)
  
• NAD D 3020 V2 ($399) < Small form factor!
  
• TEAC AI-301DA ($399) < Small form factor!

I run a MX3 but don’t think it’ll drive any of those speakers Well as it’s 35-40 watts per channel and maybe 25 watts Clean......
I would run a receiver but if you can’t then stronger mini amp Like SMSL SA98e but it doesn’t have remote or headphone amp - just an amp. You could run a mini stack - dac/Headphone amp Plus an amp but would be above your Budget at $180-$250ish up to $400ish

PSAudio Sprout II would drive your any of current speakers including towers and is also a dac and headphone amp and remote But runs $599
BUT it’s American Made with Good Quality and Warranty and Support.

https://www.psaudio.com/products/sprout100-integrated-amplifier

I would keep the towers and sell the Rest and get a Sprout II or a ChiFi mini stack..........

SMSL AD18 might drive the Polk 70s but Not to potential. It’s weak point is the headphone amp from what I read...........but will drive Lower ohm headphones

https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-AD18-Bluetooth-Decoding-Amplifier/dp/B01M3ULDG9

.

https://www.amazon.com/DX3-Pro-Headphone-Amplifier-Bluetooth/dp/B07KG9P3X3

Or (no remote)

https://www.amazon.com/Audioengine-D1-Converter-Headphone-Amplifier/dp/B006IPH5H2

Or ( no remote)

https://www.amazon.com/Fosi-Audio-Converter-Headphone-Pre-Amplifier/dp/B07G2NQYLX

Plus

https://www.amazon.com/TDA7498E-Audio-Amplifier-Receiver-Integrated/dp/B077GWVHHN

Or

https://www.amazon.com/SMSL-SA-98E-TDA7498E-Digital-Amplifier/dp/B01N19ZHVV


Or

https://www.amazon.com/Dayton-Audio-APA150-150-Watts-Amplifier/dp/B000VKXLBO

All the Chinese made amps overrate the wattage or post max wattage at 4 ohms in distortion level - either way Clean wattage at 8 ohm is usually much lower.......

Or Sell Everything and get the MX3 and Bookshelf Speakers.

MX3 has some quality issues reported - Mine has been Great for 2 months till other day usb/optical quit working - I tried to take it apart to look for bad/cold solder joints but couldn’t get the board out more than 1” so put it back together and it’s working Again ? - Not Sure about longterm use on this thing.......

I have a channel and my setup works for my ps4. First, gonna need a recorder. I use a hauppage hd pvr 2. They've gotten newer ones since. The thing is you will need to bypass hdcp. They have a method that turns off hdcp but i don't know how well it works. The ps4 function only works for 15 minute chunks. For audio i use my phone and mic. I think the hauppauge official program works, but my laptop isn't beefy enough.

For the bypass is use a powered splitter i got off amazon.

This is the splitter i use. Super easy and works fine. Have had 0 issues with it. Hope this helps.

No, but you could get an IR remote and receiver. There are fancy ones too but come at more cost.

As far as I know, you would need 3rd party software to accomplish switching monitors such as MultiMonitorTool. Assuming you have windows 8 64bit, here is the direct link.

1. Extract the files to C:\MMT
   
2. Right click on MultiMonitorTool.exe and click Send to-> Desktop create shortcut.
   
3. Open the program.
   
4. The program shows you your displays. Determine what is what from the "Name" column. Suppose it's display 2:
   
5. Right click on your new shortcut on the desktop and click properties. Adjust the target to look like this:
   C:\MMT\MultiMonitorTool.exe /switch \\.\DISPLAY2
   
   Press OK. Then use the shortcut to toggle display 2 on and off.

you would be better off with one of these. https://www.amazon.com/RTL-SDR-Blog-RTL2832U-Software-Telescopic/dp/B011HVUEME/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1500058787&sr=8-1&keywords=rtlsdr

they have a protective metal case which helps with interference.

antenna wise you could build a planar disk antenna, it's pretty simple.
http://www.wa5vjb.com/references/PlanarDiskAntennas.pdf

the stock antenna is OK for FM and will receive a lot more than you expect. but with a good antenna the weak signals will just get stronger and more signals will pop up. but I easily went a few months before I wanted to have something stronger than the stock antenna.

If you post your TVFool.com report we can help you pick a good antenna for your area.

But if you want to try an antenna you can either make an antenna or get a Cheap rabbit ears with the loop / flat center thing and see if you can pick any thing up with either of those.. (or you can try a metal uncoated paper clip bent like an L in the antenna port of the TV, If you have any very strong signals very close to you, it should pick it up)

Just a FYI, if you do want an antenna, don't fall for "HD Antenna" marketing. The HD TV is set up by the broadcaster, and picked up by your tv tuner. All antennas are just conductive metal (usually copper or aluminum) shaped to pick up the different Radio Frequencies. Not much more. It's why rabbit ears are moveable, so you can shape them to pick up different VHF signals better.

In the near future of buying some pc stuff and other peripherals, i came across a thought of "which DAC for my dream speakers should i use?" So I plan on getting these sweet puppies:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004H0MQYW/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=17VDCKL4LO5IJ&coliid=I5C4DPHEWA9D4
But obviously to get the best sound, I'll need a DAC or an amplifier.
Here's some I have in mind:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006IPH5H2/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=17VDCKL4LO5IJ&coliid=I1S7F043SU6CQK
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003Y5FRNS/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=17VDCKL4LO5IJ&coliid=I1FYZ24Y1G14AO
Help me choose? i want to get a good DAC but I really want to get the cheaper option. HEALP

EDIT: Here's the original thread for better formatting.

I already said this on another post, BUT if you ask me, for the money and build quality you can't beat Schiit Audio.

Pick up a MAGNI "HEADPHONE AMP AND PREAMP" for $99, a MODI "DAC" for $99 - $249 for the multibit version. So between $198-and $348 you can have an outstanding smi-portable DAC and Headphone/Preamp.

You will need a set of RCA cables to connect the DAC to the Headphone amp. As for connecting your smartphone you will need this USB 2.0 OTG Cable On The Go Adapter and then you will then need to connect that to a USB A-B Cable. Plug the "B" end of the USB A-B cable into the Dac. Additionally you could have skipped the DAC altogether and ran a RCA-to-3.5 cable right into the back of the headphone amp. But if you are aiming to take advantage of the HiFi/master audio I would recommend you use the DAC method. Connecting your laptop is just as easy and you can just run the USB A-B cable into the DAC. Or, if your computer has an optical audio output you could use a Toslink cable to connect direct into the DAC.

your all set man. get after it.

> I've never seen or used a line-out from a computer so I'm assuming this setup's line-out is what you are talking about (what cable would be used to run from this line out to a DAC? It looks like just a 3.5mm jack, same with the other 5 outputs): http://i.imgur.com/MlZCNhc.jpg

Line out is an analog signal, so you wouldn't run it to a DAC. It's labelled number 9 in the picture you posted, and runs straight into an amp with a cable like this one.

However, the onboard audio of computers is often pretty bad (there are exceptions - some newer laptops from well-reputed brands are decent), and I'd usually instead recommend something like the UCA-202 I mentioned.

> I may just get the AudioSource Amp One anyway and still get a USB DAC or line-out to a DAC.

No, seriously search Craigslist (or if you're outside the US, a local alternative like Kijiji or Gumtree) for any of the brands I mentioned. You'll get something that is both better quality and is easier to resell (not to mention that it'll hold its value much better).

> So your saying, if i change all the settings in Game Mode, and then turn game mode off, all these settings will save? So if i switch bak to Dynamic or movie, and it changes everything back, when i turn game mode back on, these settings will adjust again?

Correct! I know it's a pain in the ass (I have to switch mine every single time as well) but you could always invest in a Harmony 650 remote (one of the best things I've ever bought, and I hate most programmable remotes) and set up a macro so it's only one button press and the remote will do the work for you.

https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Harmony-Infrared-Universal-Programmable/dp/B004OVECU0/ref=pd_lpo_23_bs_t_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=02GYJK0FYWE9NHSGDC9E

seriously one of the best things I have for my "game room" one button press and it switches to the system on I want to play, to the correct HDMI on the receiver, while turning the other system I was playing off. Works wonders for having 4 game systems and a 4k bluray player. One button press does it all, including turning what you want on when everything is off.

Good luck. You're gonna need a mess of adapters to accomplish that.

What you're going to need to ultimately do is get PS4 audio sent as an input into your PC and connect your headphones directly to your PC so you can hear both at the same time.

So firstly you're gonna need to make sure you have an Audio IN port on your PC. Next is transferring the Audio over to your PC. The easiest way to do this is pick yourself up a sound card with optical input. Something like this could work.

https://www.amazon.com/Blaster-Performance-Headphone-Forming-Microphone/dp/B009ISU33E/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1511642837&sr=1-1&refinements=p_n_feature_keywords_browse-bin%3A4091980011%2C2889460011

Then you could run the optical cable from the PS4 to the Optical IN on the card and have it do live playback.

The second cheaper option would be to get one of these devices.

https://www.amazon.com/PROZOR-Digital-Converter-Toslink-Adapter/dp/B00KNNSKV0/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1511642983&sr=1-3&keywords=optical+to+3.5mm

Then run a 3.5mm into your PC. It likely won't sound as good but in theory it should work.

You would of course need to make sure you 3.5mm MIC/AUX Input on your PC.

https://www.amazon.com/UGREEN-External-Converter-Adapter-Desktops/dp/B06XP5R449/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1511643145&sr=1-3&keywords=usb+3.5mm+aux+input

Something like this could work on your PC if you didn't have a 3.5mm aux input.

Obviously you'd need the 3.5mm cable like this.

https://www.amazon.com/FosPower-Stereo-Auxiliary-iPhone-Samsung/dp/B00LBJ77ZK/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1511643286&sr=1-3&keywords=3.5mm+audio+cable+25ft

And you'd need an optical cable that would plug into the adapter.

https://www.amazon.com/AmazonBasics-Digital-Optical-Audio-Toslink/dp/B00NH11H38/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1511643360&sr=1-3&keywords=Optical+cable

Idk, but back in the day when I had this kind of setup I had great luck with inline antenna bypass unit, the sound was near perfect. However, that might be more work than you're looking to invest into this.

Nice! First thing i noticed was 3 remotes. When i first started my very first setup one thing that changed my life was this remote right here: https://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Harmony-Infrared-Universal-Programmable/dp/B004OVECU0/ref=sr_1_19?crid=2EXCQYES8ZHGZ&keywords=logitech+remote&qid=1565108225&s=gateway&sprefix=logitech+r%2Caps%2C206&sr=8-19

It was inexpensive on black Friday @ BB for about $20-25 some years ago. It controls 8 devices including, at the time a bought it, the PS3 ( needed an $10 adapter though). Really easy to set up and they still work perfect. Been almost 10 years.

​

But a really nice clean set up.

So your sennhesier gsx 1200 is currently what is giving you the virtual surround sound. So if you get rid of that amp youll need another amp that offers virtual surround sound, which is pretty limited.

​

In other words if you just switched amps you may not have the ability to do that. unless you changed your headphones as well.

​

Arctis pro headset DTS virtual surround 32ohms

https://www.amazon.com/SteelSeries-Arctis-Fidelity-Gaming-Headset/dp/B07B32GY9Z/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1549572900&sr=1-3&keywords=arctis+pro

​

Audio Engine headphone amp/dac This unit sounds really good and fits perfectly on a desktop. With a 32ohm load it should go plenty loud for you.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006IPH5H2/ref=sspa_dk_detail_3?psc=1&smid=A17IVE6SUAZA2P

​

This unit I've never used before but I've always read good reviews and im sure it could power a 32ohm load no problem. Great price point.

https://www.amazon.com/FiiO-E10K-Headphone-Amplifier-Black/dp/B00LP3AMC2/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1549573059&sr=1-3&keywords=headphone+amp

​

The Audio Engine D1 and the Arctis Pro should be a solid pairing.

​

​

​

Pretty much. I'm using the HyperX Cloud II, so I had to take the 4-pole male and have it split to two 3.5mm male to separate the mic and sound using a headset to PC adapter. I'm using something like this.

Here's a wiring diagram with a Modmic.

To get the chat to work appropriately, you need to smash the party button on the chat adapter until it's 100% party (it beeps).

Here's a link to another thread on the subject if it helps for point of reference.

*Edit: If X1 supported generic USB audio like the PS4, this is what the wiring diagram would look like. So much cleaner and no cables anchoring the wireless controller.

For your standard light dust removal I love the classic discwasher like this one. RCA has since bought out discwasher and uses a different tan color material on the bottom which doesn't work nearly as well as the old black felt. If you want to clean records that have actual buildup on them you could look into a record cleaning machine, but those can get pretty pricey. There are some DIY was to clean off record that you could look into too.

As far as damage goes, you're mostly looking for scuffs and scratches. If there's a scratch on a record you can usually tell how bad it it if it crosses an area of deadwax, like the small lines between songs. If the scratch doesn't show up on the dead wax, then it likely won't affect playback too much. It can be hard to tell by just looking at records. i have some that look pretty beat up, but play well and some that look pristine, but have places where they skip. If you can listen at the store before you buy that's the best way to judge.

Yep Schhiit dac and amp are fantastic and the HE400 is as well. Can't go wrong with that combo!


Schitt Modi


Hifiman HE-400

Getting into magnetic planar speakers will get you into a whole other class of audio.

Magnetic planar speakers love power so a Magni wouldn't be bad either but that's over the $500 mark but it's not really required. Also the modi have rca outputs so you'll need something like this http://www.amazon.com/3-5mm-Stereo-Female-Y-Cable-6-Inch/dp/B000I23TTE

EDIT:Skip the modi and just get a Fiio E10 Sorry screwed up on the dac deal but the HE-400 is still worthy by and the Fiio E10 will perform as a good dac and amp.

I agree with pagonda, I'd return them.

This ;)

Okay, I can't pick just one, so I present you the following. As you'll notice, all three are practical items, but that's because most people would/could use them all.

Most comfortable keyboard I've ever used.

Best remote control ever. Seriously, this thing is easy to program and can be customized any way you want. It's only limitation is the 5 device limit, but that's still enough for most (even me!). This is the model I have, but you may find another model by the same brand that better suits you.

This umbrella is not only head-turning cool, it's also really great quality that's above and beyond what you would expect from something that looks like a novelty. It's even cooler to me because I actually do Japanese swordsmenship, and the other members of our club/dojo are jealous.

Awesome. Thanks for the reply, so using this card looks like it would be better to build my own capture DVR rather than using the haupauge pvr?

So I'd essentially build a small efficient pc running Linux, add the colossal 2 as hdmi input and then use the ir blaster with the scheduler to change channels.

Would this pc need anything else other than a cheap motherboard/cpu/memory/hdd/psu and colossal 2 capture card?

Edit: quick hit of research says I would also need this? http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B004F9LVXC/ref=pd_aw_fbt_147_img_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=15JKGZ2G9EX913KRTHQT

I have an 01' but Im pretty sure that this, or something similar, will work and it looks pretty stock, you also need an RCA to 3.5mm adaptor, I got this one
this thing basically bypasses your FM antenna and gives you an aux input, I put mine under the climate control and the input and switch are hidden behind the DIN pocket

it looks like the antenna size might be different in the 06(i cant really tell), but there are adaptors

Oh I have no idea what cord the H151 has. I've never used it, but sometimes people miss out on it so I thought maybe that option would of help. So is it just one usb that works both as mic/sound. Or is it like aux output thing where it's mic/sound in 1. If so that's your problem(2 in 1 cord non usb). Although it's an easy fix just pick one of these up https://www.amazon.com/Maeline-Female-Plated-Headphone-Splitter/dp/B00PYZ2BT4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1483076629&sr=8-2&keywords=mic+and+headphone+splitter

only laptops as far as I know besides phones have the ability to use 2 in 1 cables. Since most desktop's don't include it. You can do that or go USB choice is yours :)

I bought one of these and it might be the best investment ever. Totally worth it. It swallowed up all of my remotes, now controls my lights and it works with my Echo/Alexa. Thank me later.


Logitech Harmony Companion All in One Remote Control for Smart Home and Entertainment Devices, Hub & App, Works With Alexa - Black https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00N3RFC4G/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_hw.gDbVANFWFV

You're unlikely to find a mixer that has those inputs built in. Your best bet would be to use adapters for all those sources and just plug those in on the 1/4in jacks. Keeping in mind though that you should also look for mixers that support panning individual channels; each jack on a mixer typically just supports mono audio, so you'd have to send it back to left / right.

For example, I use a Mackie 402 on my desk. If I want to plug in a stereo line on channels 1 and 2, that "STEREO PAN" button has to be enabled to keep it from mono'ing them both.

Off the top of my head, something like the X Air series supports linking two channels and simultaneously controlling them + L/R panning them, for multiple channels, which you would probably need with your amount of inputs. A quick look and the Mackie ProFX12 would also probably suit your needs. Both of these are probably a little overkill for exactly what you need, but generally they both have the ability to properly handle your sources once they're in 1/4in form.

I'm kind of going on at length on this because I 100% did not consider it as a problem to be aware of when buying my mixer for my purposes and just lucked out that everything works.

For those adapters, a bluetooth receiver and appropriate cables for that particular unit, optical converter, and if "A/V audio" means RCA, just slap that RCA-1/4 from earlier in as well.

A KVM is possible, but the big advantage of a KVM is that it not only allows you to share a screen across two sources, but also an attached keyboard and mouse. Unless you intend to use a keyboard and a mouse with your Switch, I'd go for a far less expensive, 2-port HDMI switch. That's all you need if you're only concerned about video. Plus, I'd argue it has more future utility. It'll be smaller, because it has less ports and the ports it has are smaller. You could bring it with you when you travel and hook multiple things up to HDTV's at hotels or friends' places. Plus, most newer displays have HDMI ports. Buying a DVI KVM (or even a DVI-only video switcher) is going to be more expensive and clunkier.

Here's an example of stuff that would work. I am not endorsing these products at all, I'm just picking the first well-reviewed looking hit from my search results (on Amazon):

search terms: "2-port HDMI switch"

looks good: DotStone HDMI Switch Bi-Direction only $8.. You won't get anywhere near that with a KVM.

and then, with search terms "HDMI to dvi", you could probably use 1 or 2 of either these:

HDMI to DVI (cable)

or these HDMI to DVI (adapter)

If you have a ton of extra hdmi and/or dvi cables, you might prefer the adapter, otherwise you could use it on its own in cable-form. Keep in mind that in a typical setup, the Switch's audio is going through the HDMI cable as well, and whether you used a HDMI switch or a DVI KVM/switch, the connection to your monitor is going to have to terminate in DVI, and that DVI won't carry the audio. Does your monitor even have speakers? Even if it did, you most likely won't get any audio over DVI. I haven't tested this myself, but I just did a little research and found you can use the headphone jack on the Switch, while docked, to get it's audio, so depending on what's going to be playing your sound, you might need one or more things from this list:

stereo miniplug cable (male to male) - for going from Switch to portable speakers or anything with a line-in

miniplug couplers - handy if you need to plug the above into another male cable

miniplug to RCA adapter cable - for going from the Switch to a stereo system or similar

​

​

Looking good, but I have two inexpensive suggestions: get this for a PC stand and get this for your headphones

I just received the glass stand and I like it a lot, used it to raise up my monitor and free up space for my keyboard and my backup HDD. It'd fit/look a whole lot better than that silly AC retail box ;)

A good way (not the best, but easy and affordable) is with a Spin Clean. I’ve returned quite a few mold-covered records from the dead with mine. https://www.amazon.com/Spin-Clean-Record-Washer-MKII-Complete/dp/B002UKSZUU/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=Spin+clean&qid=1570374947&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&smid=A2LY9PGKPA6CIT&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyVVpMWkRGUkdYMjVJJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwODcwNzUxMUI4TFM2TTA3NlZSWCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNTU5MTIzQ1NGQjZWNVo5TkdXJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

I’ve heard that vacuum-based cleaners are better, and I’ll believe it, but for now I’ve been really impressed with the Spin Clean, especially for under $100.

Here's the best way to handle this. I'm making assumptions that you have a smartphone and the RCA jacks in your car's armrest.

Get the following.

• a wired to bluetooth transmitter
  
• a usb car charge port
  
• 3.5mm to rca jack cable (as short as possible)
  
• a cd player mount for your phone
  
  Take the 3.5->RCA cord and plug the RCA ends into the aux jack inside the armrest. Put the USB charger in the 12v socket that's also in the armrest. Take the bluetooth transmitter plug in the power (with the supplied micro USB to normal USB cord) and plug in the 3.5 end of the RCA cord to the jack on the transmitter.
  
  Once the car is on and the transmitter is powered up, pair your phone to the transmitter per the instructions that came with it. After its paired, put all the wires and the transmitter in the armrest and forget about it. You'll never have to deal with it again unless something goes wrong.
  
  Now take the CD player car mount, and turn it so it's horizontal. Put your phone in it and adjust the sides to make sure it doesn't slide out. Switch your car audio system to AUX and leave it there. The only downside is you can't control the audio from the steering wheel. The only thing you can do is adjust the volume.
  
  Now you have an always updated nav system that has guidance and the ability to listen to all your music via the car stereo. I wouldn't try any other BT transmitter. It's the key to the whole deal and I know that one works. The rest of the stuff is universal and pretty generic. You may have some/most of them already. You can really shop around for the USB charger, RCA cable and CD player mount and get the cost down more. The whole setup should be around $75 or less.
  
  This is by far the most effective, economical way to get what you want. There isn't really a way to update or modernize the stock equipment outside of buying a new car. I'm pretty sure that's by design.
  

I had a Corsair Vengeance 2100 Wireless Gaming Headset before my new Cloud Hyper X set. It was pretty mediocre, both comfort and soundwise, but it got the job done.

The Hyper X Cloud set is fairly decent and works well with glasses, but is wired. I use an underside headset hanger to reduce clutter, and am pretty happy with it.

For the office. You just need this:
Yea, I know its dedicated, but it seems like you have the extra wiring. If not, then HDBaseT is your option

Regarding your second monitor, all you need is this:

https://www.amazon.com/J-Tech-Digital-Premium-Extractor-Converter/dp/B00BIQER0E

Regarding the double switching, you could do that. Personally, I would just spend the money to do it right. But, It's not my money :) I bought my 6x6 Gefen off of ebay for like $1100 bucks, but it was admittedly a pretty good deal.

Budget - $80-130

Source - PC soundcard

Requirements for Isolation - No real requirement but some isolation could be nice.

Preferred Type of Headphone - Over-ear

Preferred tonal balance - I guess neutralish but I also like good bass that isn't overpowering.

Past headphones - Various low-ends, really nothing to mention.

Preferred Music - Mostly electronic(Aphex Twin and such), but all kinds really.

So pretty much I'm between choosing this and this. What's the consensus on those two? I'm also open to other suggestions.

Edit: just saw the price on the HD 558, so now I'm considering that as well.

Edit 2: At this point I don't really know what to get, so I'm just open to any suggestions.

Yes, you’ll need a CC to play videos on your TV. Google Home device is optional.

You can separately purchase a HDMI audio extractor to separate the digital HDMI audio signal from the CC HDMI output to the TV HDMI digital input. The extractor converts the digital audio portion to a 2 channel analog output (or 5:1 channel analog output) that you can use to plug into your stereo (L-R) receiver or amplifier audio inputs. This configuration allows you to watch videos cast for viewing on your TV while listening the show on your audio system. Here’s an audio extractor example that you can purchase that is listed on Amazon.

I routinely listen to digital radio, podcasts and music on my HDTV audio systems either via TV sound bar/woofer connected to my HDTV using just the CC.

I also listen to the same via my audio system without the HDTV being on through my audio CC that are connected to my audio system.

On occasions, I have video being cast (e.g., fireplace video, scenic photography, family photos, etc.) via CC while casting music via audio CC at the same time.

However the audio CCs are very useful to cast digital audio for listening on analog audio systems throughout the home.

Google Home is helpful in that to can start and control all of this using simple spoken commands and, following setup, without tablets and smartphones.

The main purpose for the CC Ultra is to stream 4K video. Yes, there are a few sources (e.g., NetFlix) that can provide 4K video streams. However you need to first focus on having enough bandwidth from your ISP to support the additional demand for 4K Video streaming; and pending that’s in place you need either hardware your CCs to your modem or have a local Wi-Fi router or router system in place to handle your normal device demands PLUS the heavy additional demands needed for 4K Video streaming. Handling the video resolution is the issue, not speed.

However if your planning to buy a 4K HDTV, have enough bandwidth down from your ISP, have enough WiFi (or hardware using optional adapter), have 4K video streaming source access (note that NetFlix requires the purchase of their more expensive premium plan to be able to use a limited list of 4K video) then you may wish to purchase and use a CC Ultra.

Here is a 1 to 2(cable box to two componets) splitter http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004F9LVXC/ref=sr_ph?ie=UTF8&qid=1408799072&sr=1&keywords=hdmi+splitter. Works great. My girlfriend used to complain about everything going through the xbox but I still wanted the xbox TV feature to work and this little puppy made both of us happy. Good luck.

What kind of speakers do you have? What sort of input or jack do they have on them?

'Optical audio' is a pretty common standard for delivering stereo or surround sound over fibre optic cable, and lots of devices support it.

The only way it's important to you is if you were to get a speaker system that accepted optical audio, since you could use that as the output for audio from your PS3. There's also some headsets that use it.

If your monitor does not have a headphone jack on it, your best bet will likely be to get yourself a device such as this one:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Digital-Toslink-Converter-Adapter-Optical-Black-96-Khz-2-0ch/dp/B00KNNSKV0/

...then make sure your PS3 is outputting audio over Optical/SPDIF.

You should check out the ES100 as a potential alternative to a BT cable. It's basically a Bluetooth dac/amp unit that's been getting really rave reviews.

From what I have googled and tried out, most BT iem cables kinda suck and have pretty lame battery life. At $100 it's just slightly more expensive than a Bluetooth cable but with superior performance (as it also acts as a dac and amp), better battery life and a great mobile app. Planning to snag one up for myself too.