The craziest audio impulse buy you went through with?

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Motzinator

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Ever just impulse buy any audio product?

The schitt modi2 uber was the fastest buy ever for me especially on a audio device.
 
A few years ago, I paid $1100 for a new Pioneer Elite SC-55 receiver and used it for 2.1 on my computer setup. :p :confused:

Sold it last summer for $900.
 
I can't be as crazy as other people. Limited funds. I also don't want to sound like a shill since I've mentioned my speakers a couple time in the past few days. But my speakers.

I was already looking for a new setup to replace my 15 year old audio setup. It was showing its age. I believe the liquid caps are leaking, and didn't feel like replacing them.

Sitting on the fence of an AV receiver + speakers or AiO setup. I discovered the Kanto YUMI powered bookshelf speakers with built-in DAC.

Got a newsletter from an online retailer I shop with frequently that the Kanto's were on sale approximately half price.

Insta buy.

Scary though there was (maybe still is), almost no reviews of the unit. Also that was all the money I had at the moment.

So yeah Kanto YUMI's. I'm stuck with them. It's been a learning experience. I have some positive thoughts to say about them, and some bad. But its become my main audio experience at home now for 5 months so far.
 
Well... crazy or not, I got pissed off by shitty Creative, Asus and Realtek Win 8.1 drivers.
Titanium HD failed to initialize on 50% of reboots, had to fiddle with creative control panel.
Realtek failed to work in DDL mode with some new games (Watch Dogs, FarCry 4).

So I did purchase the newly released Yamaha RX-V379 receiver and connected it using HDMI.

Best decision ever!
 
Modi 2 Uber + Magni 2 Uber + HD650 to replace my Fiio e7 + HD598s

Wouldn't say impulse, but definitely "closed" within 24 hours. Don't regret it at all.
 
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Beyerdynamic T1's I bought on sale. Sold them for the same price as I bought them so not really any loss there :)

Wish I could have snagged HD800s for $899 :p
 
The craziest audio impulse buy for me was probably the Yamaha A2 home theater amp (1500 bucks) that I knew I couldn't use at the time.
 
Most expensive impulse purchase was NAD D1050 dac / amp + Shure SRH1540 headphones... Very happy with the quality though, don't care if people say all dacs / amps sound the same... I have owned quite a few now and there are definite differences!
 
My craziest audio impulse was probably when I purchased two used Yamaha P2201 amplifiers (1976, 230wpc) from Craigslist. I was able to use my Yamaha C-80 preamp to bridge both of the P2201 amps, resulting in about ~700wpc for my main speakers :D
 
Back in like 2009, Newegg had the Senn HD600 for like $270 since they were trying to get rid of their last remaining stock.

I bought it the moment I saw it.
 
Probably buying a second pair of AKG K501 for like $150 or so off ebay some years ago. It may be my favorite headphone I own and being discontinued I figured I should have a backup set.

I probably put in like 10 minutes into this second set just to make sure it worked.

On the bright side, being now very long discontinued, rare and being new-ish conditionI bet I can probably sell it for a very decent profit now.
 
Back in the day I bought one of those DCC tape decks from Radio Shack when they were discounted.
I think I paid $100, might have been $200 though.

I thought it was nifty as it could play Digital Cassettes as well as analog cassettes.
https://youtu.be/Vr8WmypI9tM?t=344
didn't use it that much either.

Last year I bought myself the Logitech UE Boom wireless Bluetooth Speaker.
It was $200. I bought it for my iPad 3 since I was using that a lot to watch TV and Movies and the built in speaker wasn't that great and it is aimed away for the listener and I didn't want to have to unplug and plug
in a pair of wired speakers.
 
Today.

Just bought a pair of M-Audio M3-6's and an M-Audio BX Subwoofer.

560 watts for only $892.00 :)

Plus cables.
 
I bought a pair of colorful Bose in-ears before. They were the sports series or something. They were really bad. The sound was exactly like the cheap ones that come with the apple products.
 
It's about to go down. Trigger finger armed.


Couldn't hold up:


Cavalli Liquid Carbon


Schiit Gungnir
 
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Each and every audio buy I made was completely random with little or no prior research.
I'd actually AVOID reviews of stuff I liked and just bought.

I always wanted a set of Tannoy M2s, and when I got my first ever paycheck I went right in. Problem - There's only the M4 shadow! Holy crap it's big! bigger is better right? no.
They sounded absolutely horrible until I moved into a quite large room.

I borrowed a SB Live! from a friend of a friend in like 1999 or 2000 and was blown away by how we could apply and program our own filters for a cheapo electric guitar :D
So when I saw the Audigy LS on sale I did not even scroll down. Huge mistake - turned out to be a nerfed Audigy without the actual EMU Digital Processing Unit.

Then I thought - how about some USB. Just randomly bought an external x-fi. Listened to it for 2 days and just happily sold at a slight loss. Decided it was 'fake' sounding compared to my then 'rich' and 'realistic' Audigy 2 ZS.

And then.... that big day happened.
I saw an article on soldering alternative operational amplifiers.
So of course like an idiot I ordered an LM4562 in the DIP package thinking - f**it some wire and string and it'll fit, right? wrong. Money lost, IC pins broken :D
When I finally got that opamp on I was hooked.
I stopped reading reviews and just look at the circuits board and look up various 'building blocks' of an audio circuit.
7 years later and I'm drawing stuff up in LTSpice and learning Quickfield :)

My buys are still impulses, but I'm always just happy I got a new toy.
 
After all, why seek out the most miniscule of THDs when so much 'THD' actually comes from the listening room...
Or - why does everyone put the LM4562 into like everything? it's way too punchy for my taste.
For a while I just bought opamps. Tested like 6 different models in a prodigy 7.1 card. Settled on the LT1361. Tried it as a unity gain headphone buffer - yummy. So detailed and yet so pleasant.
 
Sorry for the spam, but if I were to actualy research my next soundcard, I'd look for the following:
- ground lift jumpers, voltage jumpers,
- stereo only
- actual hardware gain selection on amplifying ICs via software or at least switches
- faraday cage
- choice of components, number of components (i'd bypass coupling caps on most cards, some played better and some harsh)
- I'm willing to go as far as to desolder resistors on new units, find out their values, and put them back - this time perfectly matched (L/R).
- I'd friggin' rebuild the card if I liked it - using a silver-alloyed solder. If you saw me clean surfaces like a surgeon before every iron approach you'd laugh your ass off.

So, now the impulses are tweaks, finding solutions (reading up on class A biasing now) not hardware makes per se.
 
michalrz said:
After all, why seek out the most miniscule of THDs when so much 'THD' actually comes from the listening room...
Or - why does everyone put the LM4562 into like everything? it's way too punchy for my taste.
For a while I just bought opamps. Tested like 6 different models in a prodigy 7.1 card. Settled on the LT1361. Tried it as a unity gain headphone buffer - yummy. So detailed and yet so pleasant.
Click to expand...

Heh exactly. People are polishing 0.001% changes when they have 1% problems in speaker/room combination lol.
 
I bought an Asgard 2 initially after much research. Then a month later, completely unplanned, just up and ordered a Bifrost Uber. Like probably 1 whole minute from "I know, I'll get a DAC" to order submitted.

:eek:
 
TechLarry said:
Today.

Just bought a pair of M-Audio M3-6's and an M-Audio BX Subwoofer.

560 watts for only $892.00 :)

Plus cables.
Click to expand...

have you gotten them and hooked them up yet? if so, how does it sound?
 
No such thing as crazy when it comes to the pursuit of great audio :D
 
Zepher said:
have you gotten them and hooked them up yet? if so, how does it sound?
Click to expand...

I just dragged the two big ass boxes in the door 5 min ago :). The sub alone is 55 Lbs iirc.

Should have it set up tonight.
 
TechLarry said:
I just dragged the two big ass boxes in the door 5 min ago :). The sub alone is 55 Lbs iirc.

Should have it set up tonight.
Click to expand...

sweet. I'd like to know how they sound. I have the much cheaper BX5 speakers with no sub.
 
I've had a few sets of the BX5's. You add a sub and you'll have a completely different experience. Just don't cheap out on it. Speakers like the BX5's deserve a good sub behind them.

I got everything set up. Mother of Pearl these things are HUGE! I considered the M3-8's but backed off due to the cost and, mainly, the size. I had no idea the M3-6's were so big !!! These are way bigger than BX5's.

The sub is like 44 pounds, and I about stabbed myself to death about 4 times setting in place after I put the spike feet on it.

It sounds awesome. I still have a little tweaking to do to get it perfect, but with everything flat and zero'd it's pretty damn close !

The only thing in the new setup I might have to change is the Rolls MX42 mixer is passive, and I have to determine if I can live with the signal drop. Right now I have to have the Monitors at 3/4 power and the sub at 1/2 power to get pretty loud at 40% on the computer volume setting. Bear in mind these monitors are rated at 160 watts each and the sub is 240 watts, so they got some pretty big balls. I need to see how the Line 6 Amplifi TT Guitar Processor works out with it (a project for this weekend - these big bastards have kicked my ass for a few days).

I think this setup will handle my Bass and Electric no problem at all.

It was a hell of an investment. About $1000, but if you like your audio pure, clear and exactly how it was intended to sound then you can't beat a setup like this.
 
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nice.
What method do you use to hook up the sub? computer >sub >speakers, or do you use a sub out from the computer?
I've never used a separate sub on a computer system, the ones I have used with a sub were built to hook together like the Klipsh 2.1 (I probably spelled that wrong) or the cheaper 2.1 setups.

Are those M3-6's about this size?
speaker.jpg


My setup is in a cubicle I had installed in my garage and am not sure how good/bad a sub would sound sitting under the cubicle,
cubicle-lg34.jpg
 
Marantz NR1604 receiver. I've used it for a 2.0 setup and HDMI switch for my PS4 and XBO. I haven't turned it on in a long time (it handles standby passthrough from the XBO just fine), instead, I now have a pair of cheap, unpowered speakers for my PC.
 
Oh, noz. They are bigger :) About 50% bigger I'd say.

For connection, I use premium (but not monster) cables all around.

There's a 3.5mm to RCA that goes to channel 1 on the mixer.
There's a 3.5mm to RCA that goes from the Laptop to Channel 2 on the Mixer.
There will be an RCA to RCA that goes from the Amplifi TT to the Channel 3 on the Mixer.
The output of the Mixer is RCA to the RCA inputs on the Sub.
From the sub to Monitors are XLR 3-pin balanced cables. You could mountain climb with these things.

My Sub is under my desk, but it's a 6 foot desk that's 3 feet deep. It would probably be better NOT being under there, but I have no room for it elsewhere. It isn't much smaller than a Dorm Fridge.
 
so the monitors are plugged into the sub.
I'd like to see some pics of the setup if you don't mind.

is this the sub you bought,
http://www.amazon.com/M-Audio-BX-Subwoofer/dp/B00PFQ1ZJ4


My Alesis are a bit smaller, but I do like the looks of the M3-6
8.5 x 9.25 x 15 inches ; 21 pounds

10.9 x 9.6 x 16.8 inches ; 19.4 pounds
 
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TechLarry said:
Oh, noz. They are bigger :) About 50% bigger I'd say.

For connection, I use premium (but not monster) cables all around.

There's a 3.5mm to RCA that goes to channel 1 on the mixer.
There's a 3.5mm to RCA that goes from the Laptop to Channel 2 on the Mixer.
There will be an RCA to RCA that goes from the Amplifi TT to the Channel 3 on the Mixer.
The output of the Mixer is RCA to the RCA inputs on the Sub.
From the sub to Monitors are XLR 3-pin balanced cables. You could mountain climb with these things.

My Sub is under my desk, but it's a 6 foot desk that's 3 feet deep. It would probably be better NOT being under there, but I have no room for it elsewhere. It isn't much smaller than a Dorm Fridge.
Click to expand...

Just a sidenote: cables are not 'balanced' a balanced connection is achieved only when two devices that both support balancing are connected via XLR or a suitable plug. A connection from a balanced source to unbalanced amp or vice versa is not balanced and actually require shorting pins 1 and 3 from the XLR plug if used.
 
> The craziest audio impulse buy you went through with?

There have been many, but the craziest by far:

Fully loaded SSL X-Rack, ££££.
If you know what this is then you realise what a crazy impulse it was to buy something like this and then literally never use it.
 
Bought a Sennheiser HD600 and Hifiman HE500 on the same week after seeing both on sale. Hifiman HE500 was more of an impluse since they had already announced it was being discontinued.
 
Zepher said:
what happens if the pins aren't shorted? I am using a cable purchased from Amazon with a 3.5mm on one end and 2 XLR on the other end.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000068OEO
Click to expand...

If both your devices are balanced then you are fine. If not, you can get anything from broken gear to distortion.

Read up on it: http://thehub.musiciansfriend.com/tech-tips/unbalanced-versus-balanced-i-o-and-how-to-work-with-them

It is quite possible that if you bought 'unbalanced to balanced' cable from Amazon it has the pins shorted by default. If the jack is a balanced TRS and your amp only supports regular stereo however, better to get a proper cable.
 
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B00nie said:
Just a sidenote: cables are not 'balanced' a balanced connection is achieved only when two devices that both support balancing are connected via XLR or a suitable plug. A connection from a balanced source to unbalanced amp or vice versa is not balanced and actually require shorting pins 1 and 3 from the XLR plug if used.
Click to expand...

They are balanced. The sub supports balanced inputs and outputs and the monitors support balanced inputs.

I'm replacing the simple passive Rolls MX42 mixer with an active RM69 mixer (http://www.rolls.com/pdf/M_RM69.pdf?PHPSESSID=671c4b739f73af277b27f20729d6e794) this weekend and it too has balanced XLR as the output.

My signal path will be pure XLR balanced from the mixer to the sub to the monitors once Saturday rolls around.

These are the cables I'm using:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KO8VZI4?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00
 
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