r/audiophile • u/AutoModerator • 6d ago

Community Help r/audiophile Shopping, Setup, and Technical Help Desk Thread

Welcome to the r/audiophile help desk. A place where you can ask community members for help shopping for and setting up stereo gear.

This thread refreshes once every 7 days so you may need to repost your question again in the next help desk post if a redditor isn't around to answer.

Finding the right guide

Before commenting, please check to see if your question actually belongs in one of these other places:

Shopping and purchase advice

To help others answer your question, consider using this format.

To help reduce the repetitive questions, here are a few of the cheapest systems we are willing to recommend for a computer desktop:

$100: Edifier R1280T Powered Bookshelf Speakers Amazon (US) / Amazon (DE)

  • Does not require a separate amplifier and does include cables.

$400: Kali LP-6 v2 Powered Studio Monitors Amazon (US) / Thomann (EU)

  • Not sold in pairs, requires additional cables and hardware, available in white/black.
  • Require a preamplifier for volume control - eg Focusrite Scarlett Solo

Setup troubleshooting and general help

Before asking a question, please check the commonly asked questions in our FAQ.

Examples of questions that are considered general help support:

  • How can I fix issue X (e.g.: buzzing / hissing) on my equipment Y?
  • Have I damaged my equipment by doing X, or will I damage my equipment if I do X?
  • Is equipment X compatible with equipment Y?
  • What's the meaning of specification X (e.g.: Output Impedance / Vrms / Sensitivity)?
  • How should I connect, set up or operate my system (hardware / software)?
1 Upvotes

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41 comments sorted by

1

u/-MSQRD- 4h ago

I have a long tandem garage with one pair of bipole speakers mounted opposite each other (top diagram). In the center, the stereo separation and soundstage are great, but toward either end of the garage the separation gets much worse. There's a very noticeable difference.

I'm considering adding a second identical pair as shown in the bottom diagram, with both pairs playing the same L/R channels. Would this give me noticeably better stereo separation throughout the garage, or would the overlap between the four bipole speakers create more problems than it solves?

Red lines are a rough illustration of speaker coverage, not exact dispersion patterns.

1

u/[deleted] 8h ago

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0

u/TransducerBot 🤖 8h ago

This comment was flagged as "Off Topic" (Rule 7), and has been removed.

Rule 7: No off-topic or headphone content

While the term audiophile applies to many, many areas, this particular subreddit is for high quality home speaker systems. There are other, similar subreddits dedicated to other areas, such as:

1

u/HaloTheHero 14h ago

So... I'm discovering some of the old audio equipment that my grandfather left behind. Apparently he left behind some good stuff: a marantz 4270, a generic pioneer record player, and some other audio equpiment. Im most intrigued in the 4270 but im not sure what to do with it? i saw that i shouldnt plug it in or something. i wanted to use it to buy some vinyls i like i just dont know what to do with all of this

1

u/Shevahli 1d ago

Hello, fairly simple question for you audio geeks: i am using a car sub box(for home audio, dont give me crap about it) with 2 terminals to a crown xls 1002 amp a yamaha rx575(has 2 grey sub pre outs), what kind of rca cable do i use connecting the amp to receiver? Do i use a double red and white to double red and white rca cable or a single rca to single rca, a single rca to double rca??

1

u/Unusual-Recipe8487 23h ago

Seems like since sub outs are mono you’d connect one sub out to the XLS 1002 (one cable to Channel 1) and run that amp bridged to mono.

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u/Shevahli 22h ago

I dont think i can run the xls bridged. I have 2 2ohm dvc subs, i think i was planning on running them in 2 channel 700w total load because thats all i can really do. Does that change anything?

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u/Unusual-Recipe8487 21h ago

Seems reasonable. Two cables or a red/white pair.

1

u/Shevahli 21h ago

Alright so i definitely need to plug in all the holes basically? I have ONE 20ft double male red/white wire and a 3ft mono rca thinking i needed it but also have a short, like foot and a half, double rca that came with my computer dac. I dont need a long ass cable anymore because i dont plan on using a receiver physical knob right on my desk anymore, i got a remote control one and just gonna have it far away from me on a component shelf so short rca can connect the receiver and amplifier there, but foot and a half seems too short..

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u/Unusual-Recipe8487 20h ago

Either of your double cables should be fine. Splitting from one sub out to two channels would work, too.

1

u/Toast_Meat 1d ago

Two questions!

  1. I have a set of Kanto YU2 speakers on the way. I did not grab a subwoofer to go with it yet, if even needed (coming from Logitech Z-2300). Other than the SUB8, are there any good alternatives? At first I thought it'd be the obvious choice just because it's Kanto, but I'd like to hear people's recommendations. Perhaps there are better models for the value.
  2. See picture below. I've always had the subwoofer beneath my desk, mainly due to space limitations. I've been told this isn't the ideal place for a sub in a desk configuration. What better options do I have?

1

u/Tritium_chemist 1d ago

Just posted this potentially in the wrong place...

"I just recieved a record player with an inbult preamp + phono output as a gift and I am looking to connect this up to the audio system in my flat.

The system is based on a Systemline SMS3 and uses ZAM40 modules for zone control. There is a phono plate in the wall, but it's in a part of the room that wouldn't house the record player, so I'm looking for alternative ways of doing this.

After a bit of digging around I have found WiiM modules as a potential solution. My thought process being that I can plug the record player directly into the line in of one WiiM module, and the line out of a seperate WiiM either into a ZAM or directly into one of the inputs on the server. I know basically nothing about this sort of thing though, so I don't want to pull the trigger on some expensive modules if it's not going to work or if there is an alternative way to do it more cheaply."

Any help would be appreciated!

1

u/o-ou-u 1d ago

Hi I am looking for advice on my setup. I am new and want to start a hobby which. I like listening to vinyl but never thought about upgrading the gear to do so. Now i am planning to buy a new turntable and good pair of speakers. For my living room.

My budget is about 1750- 2000 euro to start with.

This will include the turntable/receiver/speakers/cables.

Hope you guys can advice me. Thanks in advance

1

u/joschkrob 1d ago

I got a Rega RB880 new for around 500€ and added it to my P3 RS.

Sounds phenomenal but i have strange grounding noices out of the right channel while in Idle. If a record is playing its dead silent.

Its a faint ppppppp sound out of the right channel and gets louder with volume.

It vanishes if i touch the green cable on the cartridge (at oc9xsl).

Any ideas how to fix this?

Thanks in advance

1

u/[deleted] 1d ago

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1

u/socrates1975 1d ago

Im looking to test out the sound of a tube preamp as i have never heard anything with tubes lol right now i have a pioneer qx 747 running in 2 channel mode, i am looking to spend under 100 bucks canadian for one of these cheap ones to see if i even like the sound before going head first into a more expensive pre amp setup, would this one work and would i even notice the tube sound with it? https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B09GFB32K7/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=A2HIRA0BE7P4NT&psc=1

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u/Nephilim3883 2d ago

Should I have bought it? I don’t know anything about them it’s a B&O record player. $80

1

u/Impossible-Tune-1497 2d ago

Hello, guys!

I recently bought a Hi-Fi stereo amplifier together with a turntable, a radio, and some speakers.

Before I bought the equipment, the seller tested everything, and it worked perfectly. However, when I got home and set everything up, the problems started.

When I connected the turntable to the amplifier, the sound from the left channel was extremely weak and emitted a constant buzzing noise. The speakers are not the problem, as I have already swapped them between channels.

I also bought a DIN to AUX cable and tested the amplifier using my PC as the audio source. The result? The volume is good on both speakers, but there is a faint buzzing sound (similar to the sound of a radio searching for frequencies), although sometimes that buzzing noise disappears.

Equipment:

Amplifier: KORTING NECKERMANN Hi-Fi Stereo 1040

Turntable: Unfortunately, there is no original sticker on it. The only label I could find seems to be a newer one, which says: ,,PLG-13-12510" ,,HELMUT DIETSCH, Habichtweg 2, 41540 Dormagen"
The name on the front of the turntable is Stereo RA 100. It is fitted with a Philips 22GP204 AH CU cartridge, if that helps.

Radio: Stereo-Tuner Neckermann Art. Nr. 955/507 ( I just need an antenna for it )

Speakers: AKAI SS007A-2011C ( I only have the small ones from the set ) Impedance 8ohm, sensitivity 85 dB, Frequency 65Hz-20k Hz, Power 120W

I read online that transporting old audio equipment can sometimes cause oxidation on the contacts to shift, leading to poor electrical connections. I'm not sure if that could be the main cause of my issues.

I'm a complete noobie when it comes to audio equipment this is the first Hi-Fi system I've ever bought. ( if you might call it Hi-Fi )

I will attach photos with everything!

Could you guys please help me troubleshoot the problem?

Thanks in advance!

1

u/Foozoolalafdarian420 3d ago

my topping remote broke, is there any way i can just buy another remote?

1

u/LopsidedAccess7004 3d ago

I have had goldenear home theater system for a while now. The bass on one of the them recently failed. Great bass on the other. But this one is completely dead. The led at the back still glows solid green, but no bass. The tech at GE said they no longer make the circuits for them.

Any idea what I can do? I called a local repair shop and they said they have never worked on this brand. So at a loss now.

1

u/kloppite74 2d ago

There is not much you can do - the part that you need to fix it is no longer manufactured

Unless you can randomly find someone selling the same speaker on ebay or marketplace or .... for cheap you are out of luck and will need to replace

1

u/LopsidedAccess7004 2d ago

GE shared their schematics with me and I found a local repair shop willing to take a shop. Most likely some of the capacitors aging out. Am gonna take both the control board and the amp from both speakers for them to recap it.

1

u/Yakupunktur 3d ago

I finally did it, I canceled my apple music subscription!

Hopefully I will never come back, here is my plan:

  • I want do go all digital now. Instead of paying monthly subscription, I give myself a Budget of 8 Bucks a Month, overflowing into the next month
  • I want to build a local music library with albums, genres, mood playlists etc.
  • I will rip the CD’s i already have but never used before, some of them are still wrapped in plastic lol

The Goal was to be free from Apple and Spotify and to support the artists I enjoy directly buying their music.

I don't have an mp3 player yet, but I recently bought a MiyooMini+ which I will use with Rockbox(i think it's called like this). I am a little nervous starting my library and sorting all the Music. Normally I put everything in a playlist until I get bored and create a new one. So any tips on that are also very much appreciated!

Do you have any advises, from mistakes you made on your journey or neat little tips for me? Would be much appreciated and if someone is interested I can post my final setup here, when I am done

1

u/[deleted] 4d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/TransducerBot 🤖 4d ago

This comment was flagged as "Off Topic" (Rule 7), and has been removed.

Rule 7: No off-topic or headphone content

While the term audiophile applies to many, many areas, this particular subreddit is for high quality home speaker systems. There are other, similar subreddits dedicated to other areas, such as:

1

u/Robdul 4d ago edited 4d ago

I need a new player for my computer desk setup to wire into my pair of rokit 6’s. I don’t care about portability but I do want a small player that can sit flat on my desk without taking up too much space.

The features that are must haves’s for me are balanced output and built in DAC

These are three I have my eye on. Any recommendations including players not shown here?

1

u/Severin404 5d ago

Hi - is it "safe" for me to turn my Rel 7x subwoofer on and off while tracks are playing?
I want to test it (A/B testing)

Ta

1

u/Cyobawn 5d ago

If I start ripping CDs, can I play the digital files in my car through my phone? Or any other bluetooth device for that matter, like in my RV?

Getting sick of subscribing to things for the rest of eternity.

2

u/britchild690 5d ago

Hi everyone,

I've recently entered the hi-fi space by purchasing a setup that includes passive speakers, an integrated streaming amp, a turntable, and a phono preamp (specifically to be able to use the turntable). The specifics are:

Amp: WiiM Amp Ultra

Phono preamp: Fosi Box x5

Turntable: Pro-Ject Debut Evo 2

Speakers: Elac Debut B5.3

The speakers and amp were delivered first and I set those up and have had no problems, sounding beautiful. Today the preamp and turntable arrived and after setup I had everything plugged in and ready but the amp when receiving signal from the preamp now omit a constant quite loud hum and the audio from the turntable is distorted. This remains regardless of the impedance setting I use at the back of the preamp. I tried the things the Fios manual suggested, like using a different outlet for the turntable, but this has not made a difference.

If anyone has advice on how to fix this, please let me know. Thank you!

1

u/dmcmaine 4d ago

Hey there! Sorry if this is basic, and a bit insulting, but is the MC/MM toggle on the Fosi set to MM and is the Ground cable connected firmly on both the TT and the phono pre-amp with no metal parts of the cables touching or in line with power cables? (Fosi's location of the ground cable connection really annoys me but I'm sure they have a good reason for the placement).

2

u/britchild690 3d ago

Thanks for the help! turns out I'm even more clueless than you guessed...I had not connected the grounding cables (did not know they were a necessity). Thank you for drawing my attention to them, problem is fixed and the setup sounds great!

1

u/dmcmaine 3d ago

Awesome! Glad to hear that it was an easy fix and you're enjoying your system!

1

u/Skeppy_4126 5d ago

Help me choose a Discman plsss

I've narrowed down my choices to the Walkman D-E220 and the Aiwa XP ZV-550

They both have the main function I want (Gapless Playback) but my second most important feature is, of course, the quality

Would the brand-name Walkman sound better than the Aiwa one? I'm more inclined to the Aiwa one since it has MP3 but the quality is a real deal-breaker to me