What did you do today?

[GuilleAcoustic]

I've had a Pro-ject turntable not so long ago, I think I still have a simple Pro-ject headphone amp laying around here somewhere.

Did you like Pro-Ject stuff ?

Decently built gear, very to-the-point stuff which I like.

Agree, especially with audio where the ideal amplifier would be a wire with gain. The less the better !

I've been tempted by the Pro-Ject Stereo Box RS, which is an integrated amplifier with tube input stage and dual mono gain stage for 1000 euros, but getting small single purpose devices allows for easier and cheaper upgrade over time.

The integrated amplifiers (Pre Box DS/RS, Pre Box DS Digital and Stereo Box DS/RS) lack the phono stage. Only the Maia and the Maia DS have phono stage, but they have inferior preamp and gain stage compared to dedicated pre and power amps.

 

[Phuncz]

I liked it, although I don't have much reference points or expertise, but it did what I wanted from it.

 

[Soul_Est]

Have you thought about getting a MultiBit DAC instead? The reason I ask is that is (imho) like the the turntable you're getting: no part of the music is thrown away. Something like the Schiit Audio Modi MultiBit for example?

 

[EdZ]

Here it is:

A little easier to see on the mATX board:

Looks like it could be a vertical Type A socket, for a DOM or similar.

 

[GuilleAcoustic]

Have you thought about getting a MultiBit DAC instead? The reason I ask is that is (imho) like the the turntable you're getting: no part of the music is thrown away. Something like the Schiit Audio Modi MultiBit for example?

I really am after upper grade devices. This is a child dream of mine and tbth music is food for my soul, something that deeply heal my wounds. I'm not much of a gamer, running Minecraft from the iGPU is enough for me , so no big money to invest in computer stuff.

I'll wait a little as the DS2 line is being released, have to wait for inflated paycheck to come anyhow.

Phono Box DS2 and DAC Box DS2 ultra are already out. The Amp Box DS2 (Power amplifier) and Pre Box DS2 Digital (Preamp + Phono + DAC + Headphone) have just been announced today :

 

[IntoxicatedPuma]

I got briefed on the Nintendo NX

 

[Soul_Est]

I really am after upper grade devices. This is a child dream of mine and tbth music is food for my soul, something that deeply heal my wounds. I'm not much of a gamer, running Minecraft from the iGPU is enough for me , so no big money to invest in computer stuff.

I'll wait a little as the DS2 line is being released, have to wait for inflated paycheck to come anyhow.

Phono Box DS2 and DAC Box DS2 ultra are already out. The Amp Box DS2 (Power amplifier) and Pre Box DS2 Digital (Preamp + Phono + DAC + Headphone) have just been announced today :

Ah, for that, you have the Bifrost ($599 USD with Multibit), Gungnir ($1,249 USD with Multibit), and Yggdrasil ($2299 USD). They are all upgradeable as Schiit Audio releases new upgrades.

I got briefed on the Nintendo NX

That's awesome. I wish you weren't bound by a NDA.

 

[IntoxicatedPuma]

I think in a few weeks most everyone will know about it. Most of the rumors seem to be accurate. I am very interested to see what the new Nvidia shield devices are packing. If they are packing a new Tegra Parker chip, then Nintendo will look like they got screwed.

 

[BirdofPrey]

I still don't know how I feel about NDA.
On the one hand, I got to see some really cool stuff early, on the other hand, what good is that when you can't tell anyone?

 

[IntoxicatedPuma]

I still don't know how I feel about NDA.
On the one hand, I got to see some really cool stuff early, on the other hand, what good is that when you can't tell anyone?

Well, when thousands of sites are throwing out the rumors before the release, it seems they are kind of useless to have an NDA. I see a bunch of stuff that is right and then a few things that are wrong, which makes me wonder if the people are dreaming things or I have bad listening skills.

 

[EdZ]

I am very interested to see what the new Nvidia shield devices are packing. If they are packing a new Tegra Parker chip, then Nintendo will look like they got screwed.

I don't think so. When the PS4 and XB1 came out they were already a generation revision behind the latest architecture, and more dramatically behind in performance compared to higher end GPUs. The realities of having to lock down a specification for enough time before production to actually have any games available at launch mean you can't use the latest-and-greatest chip, which is pretty normal.

I'd love to see a revision of the original Shield, or at least a Shield tablet with an integrated controller. The Shield Tablet with a separate controller is only 'portable' between places that happen to have a table to put the tablet on.

 

[IntoxicatedPuma]

the Shield Portable was a pretty good idea. If they could find a way to do wireless display with low latency, that'd be awesome. I hope future iterations of the Nintendo NX can do that too.

 

[Phuncz]

Today I went to the movies to see Independence Day: Resurgence. But not in just any theater, one with Dolby Cinema, namely 'Vue' in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. There are only 3 of them in Europe.


Leather upholstered seating, extremely clear and perfectly positioned audio with floor-shacking low-frequencies, amazing visuals with deep blacks and bright whites, indirect lighting when the movie isn't running, no break, friendly staff and so much more. The best cinema experience ever. The film was just a popcorn-muncher but who cares lolz.

I went again to Vue to see Rogue One recently. Before the movie there was a new "look how cool this tech is" short about the Dolby Cinema stuff. It was OK, until they showed off HDR with <0 nits black, then my jaw dropped on the rumbling floor.

 

[jeshikat]

HDR really is cool tech and I wish people gave it more credit.

 

[|||]

I think HDR will be hyped-up more once mainstream displays have the capability for at-home use...at which point theaters will need to have it to measure up to standards.

 

[vluft]

I think HDR will be hyped-up more once mainstream displays have the capability for at-home use...at which point theaters will need to have it to measure up to standards.

Yup. If I have to replace my TV, I'd 100% go for HDR over more pixels that I can't even see at viewing range. (I'm hoping I don't, though – I've got one of the last of the plasmas and I want it to last forever)

 

[EdZ]

DCI already matches (current, nobody is close to even Rec.2020 gamut yet) HDR TVs in colourspace (most HDR TVs target DCI-P3 anyway) and in bit-depth (DCI mandates 12bit). IIRC one of the SMTPE standards targets 1200:1 for projector contrast ratio, while Rec.2100 does not supply a target contrast ratio.
The main difference is in display luminance: Cinemas target 16ftL ('foot-Lamberts') or 55 Lumens per square metre. Mastering-grade screens are meant to target 35 ftL or 120Lm^-2. Rec.2100 mandates a peak luminance of 1000Lm^-2. However, this is only for a point illumination, and specifically mentions the entire screen is not meant to perform to this level.
The tricky part is that cinema displays are massive. To achieve high illumination levels from a projector means having a mightier light-source than even the existing multi-kilowatt water-cooled Xenon-arc monsters. I believe a lot of the push for laser-based projection is to have a lightsource powerful enough for higher illumination levels, without melting the projector.

 

[confusis]

Got rid of the only TV in the house, did a 11 hour shift at work, bought my next two review products and am about to start writing a review.

 

[Soul_Est]

Worked a couple computers, decorated the Christmas tree, cleaned the washroom, and did some research to start a social media experiment.

 

[jeshikat]

I made a new thread to continue the USB 3.1 mobo header discussion: https://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/usb-3-1-motherboard-header.1239/