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JDutko

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  1. Right, if the inputs and outputs were reversed it would work. Is this a common solution, do you think, the passive switcher? I guess I am just curious if there is a very common setup that most folks use at their computer for headphones and speakers. Is it a case-by-case solution or is there a "standard" hi-fi setup? Ok, perfect!. This is cool and very simple solution. Thanks for sharing! Thanks!!
  2. Hi All, I have some nice headphones and a Dragonfly DAC. I would like to add some mid-fi powered speakers but I realized that switching between the speakers and headphones with the Dragonfly would require unplugging and plugging. How do folks configure their desktops with headphones and speakers so that switching is simple? Is there some clever interconnect or simple switch that I can place inline downstream of the Dragonfly DAC to simply switch between headphones and powered speakers? Is something like the O2 headphone amp or other required? (Not sure if the O2 has a line out to send to powered speakers.) (Also, the powered speakers I like do not have a headphone jack.) Thanks for any cool setup tips and suggestions!!
  3. Kal - You are a champion! Thank you! MoCA has cleared the air. The line silent. Transfer speed is a few MB/s better than Powerline too. I am going through my favorites - never sounded better! Powerline adapters are most definitely not for audio - say goodbye. Again, fantastic suggestion, thank you for reading and contributing to the forum!
  4. Hi jabbr, Yes, I am starting to understand this pollution more now. Its pretty appalling actually because it seems to enter via the ethernet cable! Then passing through all the PC circuitry, motherboard, etc., and eventually out the usb port - crud. I'll be giving a MoCA adapter a try and I called an electrician for an estimate to string a network cable. Bye bye powerline adapter. At least this has revealed some of my knowledge gaps, networking and especially power supply. Thanks!
  5. UPDATE: I may have a ground loop issue! I used a cheater plug on the 3-prong powerline adapter and it eliminated all the noise, even during file transfers when the noise was the worst. So, now what? Do I need an electrician? Is it unsafe to leave the cheater plug attached? At least I found the source of the noise. Now how can I fix it?
  6. I dig it. This is a very reasonable idea. I learned about the ECB220V and MoCA technology only after investing in the powerline adapters. Aside: (I had Comcast and a nice wifi n router, Asus RT N66R. We recently switched to FiOS and mandatory Actiontec MI424WR router. With the new setup, our wifi-connected kitchen BluRay kept dropping out, added the powerline and it fixed the problem. I attributed the problem to the Actiontec and was not concerted with overall throughput via powerline adapters, just that they worked better than Actiontec wifi. My PC setup in the basement, where I connect my headphones, does not currently have wifi, so I figured a simple fix was another powerline adapter. I should have searched "audio + powerline adapter.") I am interested in your spare ECB2200V. I have coax near the basement PC. Please propose me an offer. Will you accept PayPal? ECB2200V do not seem easily available. Are they out of production? I can only find the ECB2500C online. Overall, I am not trying to achieve some lofty transfer speed, just relatively better speed than my wifi n. Thanks for your help!!
  7. Live and learn. I researched powerline adapters but neglected to do a search for "audio powerline adapter." Hmmm, I didn't know about eero. Are they available now? We have Sonos as well, and agreed, very, very stable. I don't know much about mesh network vs standard. I will have to learn more about it. I can get along, but I am no hack and networking is my weakest skill. Incidentally, I have an unused Sonos bridge. It came bundled with my Sonos connect. I am not sure I understand precisely your suggestion, but, are you suggesting that the Sonos bridge would function in place of the powerline adapter? If yes, interesting idea. To answer your question about the network speed I'm trying to achieve - "relatively better." I am not set on an exact number because I have never achieved advertised or review-reported speeds for any of my tech. Before we switched to FiOS, and a mandadory Actiontec MI424WR router, I used an Asus RT N66R. It was very stable and performed much better as an n router than the Actiontec. Yet, transfer speed was about the same, but probably as expected in the real-world (with channel 6 or 11). Whenever I want to transfer a bunch of files to my NAS I dug out an RJ45 cable and sat next to the router with my laptop (nice intel card inside). Powerline adapters with my hardware is about double what I get with wireless n. The current PC in question is in the basement, i.e., not mobile. Thanks for your help!
  8. I am seeking advice, thanks. I am using some powerline adapters to get "better" speed to my basement and kitchen. They do provide faster than wifi speed, at a cost, a ton of electrical noise, I'm not sure which, EMI or RFI. It is most noticeable when using headphones. Here is the setup: NAS->FiOS Router->ZyXEL Powerline PLA5205 Adapter->Computer (Gigabyte Gaming 5 motherboard with DACUP USB)->Audioquest Dragonfly->Audioquest Golden Gate Cable, 3 meter->NAD HP50 headphones I can hear noise, pops, crackles and clicking, in the headphones when no music is playing or during a quiet section of a track. Unplug the network, total silence. Playing from a local drive, same scenario, noise when the network cable is plugged into the jack, quiet when unplugged. Moreover, file transfer over the network "intensifies" the noise. It is a bit louder and more of a consistent buzz. The motherboard has the so-called DACUP USB ports which supposedly supply "cleaner" power to the USB ports over conventional USB ports. What have I tried? Not much, but here is some data. NOISE: 1. I tried a ferrite clamp on the network cable - no effect. 2. I tried different outlets for the powerline adapter (probably same circuit) - no effect. 3. I tried USB3 ports (non DACUP ports) - no effect. 4. 1/8" female/male 6 foot extension cable - no effect. 5. I plugged the powerline adapter into my surge protector. (It worked but at 1/2 the speed when plugged in the wall outlet.) - no effect NO NOISE (but not a workable setup): 6. I temporarily moved my FiOS router to the basement to bypass the powerline adapter. (The NAS was disconnected so I could not test file transfer noise.) The line is silent. 7. Stock headphone cable (too short to use without extension) and "lower quality" 1/8" inch cable. The line is silent, all conditions. (weird?) 8. Cheap external powered computer speakers. The line is silent, all conditions. What can I do to eliminate the noise? A power conditioner? (Hopefully inexpensive, i.e., <$100) A network switch between the powerline and my computer? (Hopefully inexpensive too) String RJ45 along the floor about 60 feet? Yuk. I cannot string cable though walls, so if I have to use a direct line, it will be very long and tacked down along the floorboard, doorways, and stairs - not cool. Thanks for your help!!
  9. Hi Folks, I posted this same topic on another forum and got some nice feedback there too. Here is the link: The product of constants is a constant: a bit rate question. - Hydrogenaudio Forums
  10. Thanks for the reply! Sure, its easy enough to calculate the bit rate because the bit depth, sample rate, and stereo channel are listed, but why not just include the bit rate too? Still, there is something not obvious about how the "compression bit rate" is determined. Of course I am too uninformed about the technical aspects of digital sampling to justify this question; nevertheless, bit rate is related to bit depth and sample rate and does not include file size, so how can its value be altered when considering compression? Why would compression/decompression change the bit rate?
  11. Hi Folks, I have a simple bit rate question regarding FLAC files. (I have been looking at the bit rate values of various FLAC files using JRiver and MediaMonkey.) If bit rate is the product of constants why do FLAC files have unique bit rates? That is, all FLAC files ripped with a given bit depth, sample rate, and channel number, all constants, should share an identical value for bit rate. For example, FLAC files ripped at CD quality should all display an identical bit rate, 1,411.2 kbps (bit depth x sample rate x # of channels; 16 x 44100 x 2). What am I missing here? Are these average bit rates? Is it connected to compression? Thanks for any help with this question!
  12. Thanks for the reply. I figured as much. Its bee a long time since I have owned anything but a laptop - the peripherals are long gone.
  13. This is an interesting idea. Thanks for the suggestion. I will look into this possibility too!
  14. I also have a NAD D 3020 and its making, probably EMI, noise. It is paired with Paradigm Atom v7 Monitors - apparently very sensitive speakers. I can hear a very quiet clicking or ticking noise through the tweeters. It is mostly in the left speaker but sometimes both. Here is the important part. I can hear it when nothing at all is connected to the D 3020 and the amp is on its own wall outlet. I have contacted NAD and the audio shop about the sound but I still have not found a fix. Here are a few things I've tried. 1. I tried a second D 3020, the demo from shop, and it too makes a similar sound. 2. The NAD tech sent my a firmware upgrade - no effect. 3. I bypassed the ground with a 2 prong adapter - no effect. 4. I introduced banana clips to the speaker wire - minimal effect, the sound is quieter but not eliminated. So it can be only a few things, the "ticking" sound is inherent to all D 3020, my home electrical wiring, the speaker cable, or speakers themselves. Do we have a similar issues?
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