Miscellaneous

I'm tying to find reasons to buy the pico, but the limiting factor is that it only takes usb so is there some wierd thing that converts optical or coax spdif signals to usb? Probably not

Planning to start doing more hiking and biking. Looking for a multi-activity watch (wrist computer?). A bit of Googling seems to suggest the Garmin Forerunner 935 (cheaper, lighter and anecdotally better GPS performance than the Fenix 5 series). I known some of you here like Suunto as well. Any experiences to share?

I spent the last two hours disassembling my old bedroom system, cleaning out the area where it was, and installing the new gear. There was, ahem, a lot of dust behind stereo shelf (and I wonder why I have such allergy problems ). The old system was my father's: Yamaha receiver, CDP and Pinnacle speakers, all purchased in 1997. The CDP is still in the new system, but it is serving primarily as a surface to hold up the RR2150. I never really took any pictures of the old system, as it wasn't very interesting. This is the only shot I have: As an aside, the new Flickr interface is a nightmare to use. Click through for notes on what's in the photo. I lugged a re…

I am in need of recommendations for a P&S digital camera. It would be a bonus if it is a fast camera and on the smallish side. Budget under $350. Thanks!

Having problems with the search function so apologies if this has already been dealt with. I'm quite enarmored with PC as source due to its convenience but wondering about possible ways to get data from a PC to a DAC. For instance I have a Havana DAC that I've compared using direct USB input vs RCA from an EMU1212m soundcard and preferred the USB by quite a bit even though it's regarded as a lesser method. It just didn't sound as detailed or tonally correct via the RCA socket. So, for an older style DAC with BNC input (like an Assemblage 2.0 for instance) I was wondering whether anyone has any thoughts beyond just connecting up the EMU1212m via a BNC cable and RC…

I was at the Verizon store, trying to undo a Verizon mess-up (what else is new?). It gave me a chance to scope out my next phone, upon which I will be placing a large emphasis on *good* camera performance, as I tire of carrying a real camera to various casual events. My prime candidate, the Samsung Galaxy Camera, was heavily disappointing. It was MUCH larger and heavier than any phone OR compact camera I've owned, not to mention the ugliest. It's like they literally took a phone and camera and fused them without weight or size savings. The 21x zoom lens was not bad even zoomed all the way out as far as IQ and focus speed, but it looked ludicrous when zoomed out. …

Any suggestions for online photo gallery space, free, or reasonably priced? Since my contributing membership at Head Fi is expiring, and I am not renewing, I need to rehost my photos somewhere.

Anyone have any experience here? Kinda tempted by the 3M MPro 100 (which appears to be running $300). With VGA and composite could be good for laptop/iPhone/Touch use.

Who has experiance here? I've been in the market for a lil while, and since I'll be sitting about 2-3m away, I figure the resolution isn't that important since I'll be in the 40-44" range. Most likely in the lower range. Well, that's according to this chart atleast: http://s3.carltonbale.com/resolution_chart.html Now, I've pretty much ruled out LCD due to it's trailing and blacks. I know there are fan boys out there who will dispute otherwise ("the only time it's noticeable is when you have a huge pioneer elite, blah blah blah"), but I think the difference is fairly marginal, on any of the TV's I've looked at. I like the idea of LCD being lighter and less ene…

How important is the correct polarity? Right now my source has XLR-outs with pin 2 hot, and my amp has XLR-ins with pin 3 hot. So I'm wondering whether I should order a pair of polarity switching XLR interconnects from BJC, or just use the ones I already have as I probably can't hear a difference. My system is used 100% for music listening, no recording purposes. Any expert opinions on the subject?

Folks, anyone use the above software for ripping cd to flac ? I've been using it for all these time. Is EAC a better alternative?

Hey! So, I'm looking for a portable player of sorts to placate the babies on the way to China. Requirements are long battery life, or the ability to take AA or another battery pack, and pretty much kid proof. Doesn't have to play DVDs directly, if the ripping process is pretty smooth. I prefer the tablet style. Seems like there aren't many options out there... so, I figured I'd ask around.

I currently have an Odyssey Stratos Plus power amp which I have used for I guess going on 20 years and have been pretty satisfied with. I was thinking about upgrading it as these have gone from the Plus model to Extreme models. Klauss of Odyssey is now offering a Kismet amp. I can get my Stratos upgraded to the Kismet pcbs with a larger power supply for a fairly reasonable price. However, I ran across an opportunity to get a Mark Levinson No. 23 for around the same price as upgrading the Stratos. Reliability is a large factor in my decision. I've read a number of threads on diyaudio related to repairing Mark Levinson gear, and most of them seem to be a massive PITA t…

My ideal power strip thing would be a Power Squid with individual switches for every socket leg. Does such a a thing exist? Also, any power strips/surge protectors of any type that you think are worthy of recommendation?

Anniversary is coming up. In addition to the new car I bought her yesterday, I plan on also getting her a nikon d3000. Just wanted to know which online vendors you guys like to go with.

I don't know much about Leben, but I think this deserves to be noticed: http://www.pricejapan.com/front/e_good_info.php?code=302&category=17 Kudos to Pricejapan

So I've got a bunch of FLAC files that need burnin' to disc so I can play them in my 999es. I don't trust WMP or iTunes. I just downloaded CD BurnerXP Pro and it seems to be a good program. Are there any other programs I should consider? This is specifically for files without a cue sheet, obviously if there is a cue sheet I'll use EAC.

Google Announce Project Fi http://www.cnet.com/uk/news/google-bursts-into-the-wireless-industry-with-project-fi/ http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/04/22/google_project_fi/ https://fi.google.com/about/ https://fi.google.com/about/faq You'll need a Nexus 6 Initially (or pay for in only 24 easy monthly payments) - so they're not pitching to iPhone users, yet and the pricing of $20 + (GB used * $10) may only seem cheap because of how expensive / data non-PAYG other plans are ... What usage patterns does this make sense for (in terms of TCO/coverage) , compared to say T-Mobiles $30/5GB plan ? But interesting to have a virtual / MVNO plan that allows ro…

Thought some of you might be interested... Stereophile: Naxos Blu-ray Breakthrough

Hello, Wife's birthday Friday, and I've been wanting to get her a quality point and shoot for a while. I got her a nice Nikon DSLR a while back but notice she sometimes doesn't bring it as its somewhat bulky. I'd love to get her something I know she will use more portably, take quality pics and she can do all her downloading and Facebook uploading with ease thanks for any recommendations!

I was not sure whether to post this in the dedicated source or amp section. Finally decided to post on the amp section Been intrigued lately by something... I know many popular preamps and headphone amps invert phase. I have also noticed reading some specifications (and some dedicated source forums), that some sources have balanced terminals with inverted phase. (i.e. Accuphase, Burmester, and others), with different pin designation for signals. So my thoughts: So if a preamp, or a headamp that it is known to invert phase is used along with one of the afored mentioned sources (which inverts phase on the XLR outs,) would we finally achieve "the right phase?" My hes…

I live on the top floor of a poorly insulated building in Chicago with southern and western exposure. Even when it is not that hot out, it is hot in here. Does anyone have personal experience, or access to reviews, to suggest brands and/or models of window AC units that are quiet above all else?

Maybe these are old news, but I'm often slow at finding this stuff. I have trouble both at work and at home with power strips that can basically charge my two phones, computer, maybe my slim, ipad, etc at the same time. I just bought one of these and will see how it works. quirky | Pivot Power Flexible Power Strip Any one else try it or have a better solution?

Link to Audiokarma thread