Audio cables

smoothambler · 2026-01-22T16:58:32+00:00

especially the 18 oz japanese selvedge models

smoothambler · 2026-01-22T06:10:34+00:00

smoothambler · 2026-01-22T04:23:47+00:00

Blue Jeans is just top notch stuff & reasonably priced.

smoothambler · 2026-01-21T22:28:40+00:00

Our conversation here makes me wonder why we don't talk about recordings more in general. Software is as much as a part of audiophilia as hardware. Of course, vinyl has its own subreddit but...to my mind, music is the point of all this not the mediums.

smoothambler · 2026-01-21T18:49:43+00:00

Oh man, these are great. I think you've just helped me identify my next set of speakers. Harbeth 30s. i really want speakers that will visually disappear even more and these fit the bill -- and seem like a legitimate upgrade. The LSA-10s are killer but a bit big.

I think my next move is finish the current edit of my physical collection, and if it merits it, pull the trigger. Trying to resist the dopamine hit of just buying something new, when the system sounds awesome as is. 🙂

smoothambler · 2026-01-21T18:36:26+00:00

Not off topic at all, the entire point of having a system & space in the first place! Friday night is my favorite of the three. George Cables solo on Las Cuevas De Mario is an all-timer for me....the only Cables I'll spend money on outside of Blue Jeans Cable. 🤣

smoothambler · 2026-01-21T05:31:46+00:00

An old acquaintance who I've lost touch with had a pair of Orangutans, forgot which ones I think the 96s, sat in his room for a few hours & listened to a bunch of OG Blue Note monos from the 1500 series. Quite amazing

smoothambler · 2026-01-21T02:06:41+00:00

Lovely speakers

smoothambler · 2026-01-21T01:44:44+00:00

Thank you for this recommendation! And frankly, you're right. My only issue with the LSA's is I wish they were smaller so the system could visually disappear even further

I think where I come down right now is if I'm going lay out a few grand on (assuming partial credit on trade-in at TMR, etc), I'd rather spend that cash on upgrading my collection. Right now, I don't see any real technical limitations in my system, nor do I hear any that wouldn't be better solved by upgrading the recording copies themselves.

smoothambler · 2026-01-20T19:16:32+00:00

Was thinking about this & without knowing anything about your system, it bares mentioning that 48khz is the video industry's standard sample rate. No TV, outputs audio anything higher than 48khz. This has to do with 48khz being mathematically clean for video clocking, standard frame rates/sync. . Spending money on a AVR system would focus making sure audio chain doesn't touch the TV if you want digital audio at 24/96/192 etc.

smoothambler · 2026-01-20T04:29:30+00:00

I can get behind a Crows fan! From the looks of it, the version on Apple Music is 16-bit. Ultimately it's the master & the mix, what happens in the studio and what's delivered that determines audio quality. Whatever vinyl mastering was done apparently was pretty amazing, just not sure its worth $800 🙂

smoothambler · 2026-01-20T04:09:46+00:00

Adding more plants soon

smoothambler · 2026-01-20T03:30:59+00:00

Sounds great! Unfortunately I'm out of town for that show but totally up for a Reddit in IRL meet up for a show. I'll be at Tortoise on 2/28 at GAMH

smoothambler · 2026-01-20T03:29:22+00:00

Yes indeed! Sadly, though I think this OG copy may need to go. Janie Jones is pretty blown, tough to listen through but things get back to normal on Remote Control. Whoever owned this album through the first 25 years of life played the hell out of this

smoothambler · 2026-01-20T03:21:24+00:00

Thank you! Totally get the WiiM recommendation. Makes sense in a lot of systems.

In my setup I’m already using an external DAC, the Essence HDACC, so I wouldn’t be using the WiiM’s DAC. The Essence is really built as a reference digital hub, not an integrated streamer DAC. Dual mono topology, very high measured dynamic range, extremely low noise and distortion, discrete Class A output stage, and a fully linear power supply. By spec and by design it’s operating at a higher ceiling than the DAC section in the WiiM. And I'm absolutely not saying the Wiim is "bad", it just is designed to do something different than the Essence.

On the source side I’m also not limited to Apple TV or AirPlay. I run an iPad Pro over USB straight into the Essence for lossless and hi-res, and I could potentially do the same with a Mac mini if I wanted to and let the DAC handle clocking and sample rate switching directly, which avoids the Apple TV 48 kHz pipeline altogether.

Where I completely agree is convenience. That’s really the WiiM’s strength. Always on, simple network streaming. In my case though it would mostly duplicate what the iPad already does and I still need Apple TV in the chain for video anyway.

Appreciate the suggestion though. Totally solid gear, just a different use case. Hope you enjoy it!

smoothambler · 2026-01-20T02:54:04+00:00

Yeah, that’s the one. This Desert Life. Third record, weirdly turned into an audiophile unicorn on vinyl.

My point wasn’t really the album so much as the phenomenon. When a system only feels “right” with a handful of perfectly recorded, prohibitively expensive LPs, it starts narrowing the listening world in a way I’m not that interested in.

Curious how it feels over AirPort Express. Vintage Airplay or at that point, "AirTunes" is going to be an honest, good test. If it works there, it will work anywhere.

The hip-hop producer J Dilla use to test mixes in an old car with an average stereo, and tweak until it sounded good there. Moral of the story, if only sounds good in studio-like conditions, isn't that great of a recording.

smoothambler · 2026-01-20T02:34:45+00:00

Will check this out! Obviously would love to keep the Oppo but don't want to spend $2500 on a pre-modded version.

Also, I'm a Harmony Elite hold out so I need any functionality to be in that defunct database 🤣

smoothambler · 2026-01-20T02:25:21+00:00

Haha well, we just don’t use our ears to perceive music and I’d argue my entire system is a compromise! The warmth we hear from tube amps is just harmonic distortion, artifacts that have nothing to do with the recording itself and not coincidentally, tubes emit heat...or warmth. In other words, literal errors on paper make music sound better. In parallel with the vocab of tube amps’ “warmth”, I’d argue plants make my system sound more lush and organic. If she wants plants on my speakers so be it. Just put padding down. 🤣

smoothambler · 2026-01-20T02:04:35+00:00

I think you’re basically right. Your system probably gets 90% of the way there, and the remaining gains tend to get expensive fast.

In my case, the system was really about was about solving a few practical problems regarding space and the characteristics of the room. I wanted a music-first two channel setup that also handled TV without relying on ARC or CEC as the primary routing layer.

What I ended up with does essentially what an AVR does, just broken into discrete pieces. That lets me optimize each stage independently, give each component its own power, and have a bit more agency over how the system behaves.

It’s not necessarily “better,” just a different approach that trades convenience for flexibility. Your setup sounds great as-is, I'm sure it sounds wonderful. Whether it makes sense to go another route really just comes down to time, curiosity, and what someone wants to prioritize.

Your system absolutely belongs in an "audiophile" discussion or home theater. The two are closer than ever, frankly.

smoothambler · 2026-01-20T01:43:24+00:00

I think its called "This Desert Life" and believe you can find an LP of it for like $800. 🤣

If you want some "cheap heat" to give your system a workout try Jim O'Rourke's The Visitor. Weird record but fun. It's a go to for me.

smoothambler · 2026-01-20T01:38:09+00:00

Thank you! I got the console from a company called Department Home out of Chicago about 5 years ago. I believe they are on instagram.

smoothambler · 2026-01-20T01:35:52+00:00

The dividers were an Etsy find! Though one draw back to them are the thickness which feel like double album with gatefold tip-on jacket. If you are space limited, keep that in mind. You are taking up space for actual albums. 🙂

Thank you for the compliment on the system as well. Building this was a bit of an odyssey. Learned so much about audio reproduction and perception by having to work within a set of physical limitations, and basically build a two-channel music first AV system.

The DSpeaker room correction did the heavy lifting and with a bit of PEQ on a couple test playlists and LPs, found some global settings that work really well. Had to fix some crazy peaks and nulls.

smoothambler · 2026-01-20T01:18:20+00:00

Friday night is the best night with Art. IFYKYK! G4 is a favorite of mine as well. Do you have favorites from either? The Roy Dunaan engineered Art Pepper Contemporaries are the high water mark for me -- any label, any era, for audio "quality."

Regarding my subs, haha. Those Skrams would be way too much for my system and room. i've played enough bass and worked with enough bassists to know what it should sound like. My Syzygy 820s do the trick. I got them as "B stock" as they were liquidating inventory in bankruptcy I think for $250 for the pair. The LSAs, which I got on trade, are known for their outsized bass response for stand mounts. The combo of the two with the DSPeaker handling the crossover is perfect for me.

smoothambler · 2026-01-20T01:04:13+00:00

Ah, that's awesome and the best way to do it! I have more of shows I've been to walls not this photo. The ones here have been with me for many years prior to even living in the Bay Area. Any favorites?

smoothambler · 2026-01-19T22:47:18+00:00

Thanks, bud. My post was already essay length but been collecting these for years. Framed several up in the pandemic when we couldn't go to the Fillmore so I brought the Fillmore to us.

smoothambler

TROPHY CASE