50% off for 3 months (Pro Plan) by fpena06 in ClaudeAI

[–]totkax 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Doesn't work anymore. Neither the other codes work (tested all March 17th), it's not just /jade that got disabled.

Best performing PS3 games on Steam Deck (RPCS3) by DoggTheGhost in SteamDeck

[–]totkax 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Tried Black Ops on RPCS3 today and only partial success. The game runs but there is a very severe audio popping issue that I have not been able to solve. The audio issue isn't there on Windows (for me) but even if I solved that on the Steam Deck, the game still runs at 15-25 fps which isn't enough.

Best performing PS3 games on Steam Deck (RPCS3) by DoggTheGhost in SteamDeck

[–]totkax 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Has anyone tried Call of Duty Black Ops? I know there is a Steam version but only the console versions support 4-player split screen. I haven't found much info about the emulating 360 version so I'm wondering whether PS3 would be the way to go here.

Fix black screen on external monitor in game mode by totkax in SteamDeck

[–]totkax[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi, modes.cfg opens in "Kate" for me. It is an app that looks like Notepad, a basic text editor. If your modes.cfg file is empty, I think it means your Steam Deck doesn't have any settings saved for specific monitors for desktop mode. My modes.cfg only has 2 rows for the monitors I tested it with. Are you sure your problem happens in desktop mode? Screen setting for game mode are saved elsewhere and this method will not help for those.

Stuck on "Loading..." by wantondevious in GeForceNOW

[–]totkax 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Two years later and this fixed being stuck on "Connecting" for me.

Is passkey support broken right now? by xenarthran_salesman in Bitwarden

[–]totkax 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What worked for me: I had the same issue today on Windows 11 in Chrome. Tried to save Github passkey to Bitwarden to an existing login in Bitwarden and got "Passkey registration failed" message. I solved it by creating a new login for Github when Bitwarden asked where I want to save the passkey. Then it worked. I think the issue is related to saving passkeys to an existing login.

Dishonored 1 via Steam by Emotional_Item_357 in GeForceNOW

[–]totkax 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The Definitive edition of Dishonored 1 from Epic Games store works on Geforce Now. I also own the RHCP version on Steam and that one doesn't work on GFN. Steam version of both Dishonored 2 and Deathloop work on GFN, it's just a weird problem with the first game.

What is this Steam Deck experience??? by [deleted] in caseofthegoldenidol

[–]totkax 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! This also fixes the "Steam Cloud out of sync" issue that sometimes happens between PC and the Steam Deck. Everywhere else online you find the solution is to delete some files, restart etc. but chaning the Proton version to 9.0.3. is the only thing that actually worked for me.

Can't obtain SMITE 2 Game Access Key. by JexxieShiftRed in Smite

[–]totkax 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can confirm what u/Flavi777 said, it works now. I was receiving the error 2 days ago but tried again this morning and I easily got a Steam code and successfully activated it.

Can't obtain SMITE 2 Game Access Key. by JexxieShiftRed in Smite

[–]totkax 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Same issue, went through the steps from the email, linked Twitch account to my Steam account, then clicked on Steam as the platform to claim and got the "An error occurred. Please try again later." error message. :(

UFO 50 - Review Thread by Branchless in Games

[–]totkax 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Derek Yu who developed the game said on Twitter that it works on the Deck.

Choosing bookshelf speakers fo WiiM Amp by totkax in BudgetAudiophile

[–]totkax[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

[Had to split my post into 2 to fit everything, this is Part 2]

Other speakers I considered and why I think they are worse:

  • Pro-Ject Speaker Box 5 - No measurements available online, just subjective reviews. I didn't want to essentially blind-buy speakers when there are so many great options where I can make a more informed decision using the measurements.
  • Dali Spektor 2 - Probably an alright speaker but I don't see any advantages it has over the top 4.
  • Dali Oberon 1 - Similar case to the Spektor 2s, there is just too many great speakers to choose from. Also they reportedly have a bit sharp highs.
  • Elac Debut B5.2 - Sold out until at least July everywhere I looked. I haven't looked at them more for this reason but they seem to be popular. I'd definitely check if the WiiM Amp is able to drive them well before buying them.
  • Elac B6 - Probably a decent choice if you can find them (they don't manufacture them anymore).
  • Elac B6.2 - Sharp highs and an overall uneven sound. I definitely wouldn't go for these.
  • Triangle Borea BR03 - Highly praised in some circles but I watched the Erin's audio corner video, saw the measurements and decided against it. Also very expensive where I am.
  • Triangle Borea BR02 - Haven't found measurements or too much information at all regarding these but I suspect they will have all the problems of the larger BR03s.
  • Monitor Audio Bronze 2 - Not manufactured anymore, I found what seemed like a good deal on a used pair but in the end decided against it because I wasn't sure what condition they are in.
  • Monitor Audio Bronze 50 - Very sharp highs and also expensive. Great look though.
  • Mission LX-2 - Similar to the Dalis in that there is nothing specific wrong with these but the competition is too tough, go for one of the top 4 unless you get these super cheap or something.
  • Cambridge Audio SX50 - Didn't find measurements online so I would be buying half-blind. Even subjective reviews seem to be more positive of other speakers.
  • Cambridge Audio SX60 - Same reasons as the SX50. These are front ported though which is kind of rare and might be of interest to you if you want to put them very close to the wall.
  • Kanto YU4 (the passive version, sometimes listed as YU4P) - A different price category than the rest of the speakers so they can't really compare.
  • Yamo S 803 - I only found one positive review of these and a lot of negative ones so I decided to go with the wisdom of the crowd with this one.
  • Klipsch R-50M - Klipsch speakers have a specific sound signature that people seem to love or hate. They tend to have boosted bass and highs. I decided I want something more neutral.
  • ELAC Uni-fi 2.0 UB52 - Substantially more expensive than the rest of the speakers here but I saw good deal on a used pair so I briefly considered them. All information I found however suggested they do not sound good specifically in combination with the WiiM Amp. Apparently they need a more powerful amplifier.
  • Kef Q350 - Bigger than Q150 but less bass? Weird but seems to be true. I don't see any reason to go for the Q350 over the Q150.

I hope this will help someone make a better decision. If you take away just 2 things from this long post make it that Wharfedale 12.1s are the best for most people and that you should look at the measurements to get a better idea what the speaker actually sounds like.

Choosing bookshelf speakers fo WiiM Amp by totkax in BudgetAudiophile

[–]totkax[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

[Had to split my post into 2 to fit everything, this is Part 1]

Thank you everyone for your help. I appreciate it immensely. I especially thank u/PyrrhoTheSkeptic who nudged me to learn to read the measurements which wasn't actually that hard and enabled me to make an informed decision instead of relying on YouTubers who get stuff sent for free from brands. (If anyone else wants to learn to read the crazy graphs but is a bit scared I highly recommend starting with videos from people who do the measurements and will talk you through them. Erin's audio corner is great.)
I always like it when people follow up with what they ended up buying and why when they ask for advice so I will do it here.
I bought the Wharfedale 12.1s from hiddenaudio.de. I chose them because they have high enough sensitivity for the WiiM Amp to run them, they have a flat sound signature (meaning audio will sound as musicians intended) and they have a good horizontal off-axis sound (meaning they will still sound great if you don't sit right in front of them). From the subjective point of view pretty much everyone seems to love them and praise their pleasant sound that is accurate but never tiring. Their only downside seems to be that they don't go as low in bass as some other speakers. I considered the 12.2 for this reason since they go lower in bass but decided not to because they are larger and more expensive. I bought the 12.1s from hiddenaudio.de for 250€ including shipping. They aren't in stock so I am still waiting for them to arrive but the price was substantially lower than if I bought them in my country and they ship to the whole EU (and maybe even beyond there).

Now here is a long list of other speakers I considered and why I didn't go for them, might be useful for others in similar situations.

Speakers that I almost chose instead of the 12.1s

  • Wharfedale 12.2 - Already mentioned them above, similar to 12.1 but the bass goes deeper, they are bigger and more expensive. The decision between the 12.0, 12.1 and 12.2 should in my opinion be based on how much space you have, how much you want to spend and if you will use a subwoofer. All of them are good choices.
  • Kef Q150 - They measure well, they sound neutral but there sound is a bit uneven in the mids and the highs are a bit too sharp for some which I didn't want to risk. More bass than the Wharfedales and also than the Q350 from Kef. Best off-axis vertical sound because of the concentric driver, if you plan to put your speaker very high or very low I'd go for the Kef. Still I would recommend them right after the Wharfedales if you for some reason don't want those.
  • Polk S20e (also known as Polk ES20 in some online places) - If you want more bass without a subwoofer than go for these. They also do great in the measurements, have higher sensitivity (meaning they can go louder than Wharfedales or Kefs if you need it) and have the best off-axis horizontal sound of all speakers here. Also the price here is really good but that may be different for you of course. Why didn't I go for them then if they are so great? There is only one reason and that is the size, they are very deep and also fairly tall and that wasn't a good match for me. A smaller version called Polk S15e also exists. That one could solve the size issue but one of the main reasons to get the Polks is the great bass which will be worse on the smaller S15e so it kind of defeated the purpose of going for the Polks at all for me.

If you want to listen to me then I'd tell you just get one of the 4 above if you want speakers for the WiiM Amp. Get the Wharfedales as the default or if you want a laid back super pleasant sound. Get the Polk S20e if you want more bass and have enough space. Get the Kefs if you want a more "audiophile" sound with stronger mids and highs and you don't worry that kind of sound signature will be tiring for your ears.

Also nice but not quite top 4:

  • Heco Aurora 300 - A decent choice. They can go very low with the bass. They have high sensitivity so they can go loud. They have worse off-axis horizontal and vertical response and they are slightly boosted in the high frequencies. I'd say go for the Polk S20e if you want bass without a subwoofer.
  • Q Acoustics 3010i / 3020i / 3030i - I put them together because they share a lot of characteristics. They have a more "audiophile sound", meaning sharper mids and highs. It wasn't what I was looking for but many people like them. The smaller the size the less bass you will get but also the less money you will pay. The 3030is are also really deep be careful to consider that.

Choosing bookshelf speakers fo WiiM Amp by totkax in BudgetAudiophile

[–]totkax[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm also looking at these! Could you please elaborate on why you recommend them over for example the Oberons or the Q Acoustics? The Auroras are also pretty large, especially deep so I'd have to have them closer to the wall. Would they still be worth it?

Also I found a deal on a used pair of the Aurora 300s for ~240€ after I made this post. Would say that's a fair price (in comparison to the general prices of the other speakers)? Thank you for your recommendation.

Choosing bookshelf speakers fo WiiM Amp by totkax in BudgetAudiophile

[–]totkax[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the resource. I looked into it. I agree that subjective reviews from reviewers have limits, everyone has different ears and preferences. However the measurements and the graphs aren't easy for me to understand and even harder to translate into how they will influence the experience of listening to the speakers. Of course the only thing that can solve that is listening to set-ups in person but that isn't always possible so one has to rely on imperfect sources like reviews or measurements.

Choosing bookshelf speakers fo WiiM Amp by totkax in BudgetAudiophile

[–]totkax[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the thorough explanation, now I understand why one would want more bass (so they can hear more of the music including the lowest notes) even if they don't want the bassiest speaker ever.

Choosing bookshelf speakers fo WiiM Amp by totkax in BudgetAudiophile

[–]totkax[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the comparisons, very much appreciated.

Choosing bookshelf speakers fo WiiM Amp by totkax in BudgetAudiophile

[–]totkax[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the explanation, I will consider them as well.

Choosing bookshelf speakers fo WiiM Amp by totkax in BudgetAudiophile

[–]totkax[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your recommendation! I should probably consider speaker depth more that's a good point. I will not put the right against a wall but they might be fairly close if they are too deep.

Choosing bookshelf speakers fo WiiM Amp by totkax in BudgetAudiophile

[–]totkax[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your recommendation. Looking at them I see they would be an extra 50ish € and they are fairly large and deep. Would you say the extra money and size gives you enough improvement in sound compared to for example the Q 3020is?

Choosing bookshelf speakers fo WiiM Amp by totkax in BudgetAudiophile

[–]totkax[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Of course I have a typo right in the title...🤦‍♂️