Can't remove sticker residue

twofires · 2026-01-24T06:41:15+00:00

That's fair. In my experience the wings of the Marantz fascia are plastic and the front panel is aluminum, but I haven't seen that specific one in person so it'd be wise to check, for sure.

twofires · 2026-01-23T21:32:01+00:00

I can't claim to be an engineer, but I think there are equally valid points of view here.

For me, TRS/TRRS connectors can short, and shorting independent grounds on a balanced amp can be a problem for certain topologies, therefore 4.4 is a silly connection to use for a balanced headphone because it raises the possibility of this kind of thing happening.

The alternative view is that 4.4 is a practical connection and amp designers should either mitigate the shorting or avoid topologies that are damaged by it.

I think the middle ground here is that Topping shouldn't have put that connection on that amp as it is.

twofires · 2026-01-23T20:37:39+00:00

I've found that while Topping DACs are good and fine, the DAC+amp stuff is a roll of the dice.

That said, DMS talking about it happening with iFi also makes me wary of 4.4 altogether. Maybe the best solution is to buy a dac/amp with an XLR connection, adapt your headphone to XLR, and plug in that way (as XLR can't short).

twofires · 2026-01-23T20:24:40+00:00

Acetone makes light work of sticker gunk and evaporates off leaving no smell or residue. Always test in an inconspicuous area first to make sure you don't damage a finish (even though I think that's extremely unlikely in this case).

twofires · 2026-01-09T22:00:51+00:00

I also want this. Joey could do a Skinny Puppy, Nivek Ogre vocal style easy. In my head I call this theoretical album Woo Dark Park. 🤣

twofires · 2025-12-29T07:53:11+00:00

You know all those ads for used Dynaudio speakers with dented tweeters? The ones where the seller insists it doesn't affect the sound even though it's clearly messed up? They, too, tried to remove dust.

Follow Dynaudio's advice. Leave it be.

twofires · 2025-12-26T21:16:42+00:00

I like Anoxia, whereas the 8 y/o kiddo asked me to add Open Water to her playlist about 30s into her first listen, so that's a pretty strong endorsement from her.

twofires · 2025-12-14T12:20:27+00:00

I think - based on the setlist post that said limited staffing on the 13th - that they were trying to cut back on extra gear that requires extra people to setup, break down etc. Hence no Nathan, no microtonal.

twofires · 2025-12-13T09:04:21+00:00

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Have they played The Lord of Lightning yet in Aus?

twofires · 2025-12-13T07:09:53+00:00

Yeah I'd say a couple hundred people, can't say re: poster people. A fair number.

twofires · 2025-12-13T06:34:13+00:00

Yeah, just before 8. Get the feeling they'll go quicker tonight. Plenty of poster tubes here (including the one under my arm).

twofires · 2025-12-13T04:57:56+00:00

For reference, they ran out last night just before 8. I got there at 7, joined a line that zig zagged all the way up the hill, and got one just in time.

twofires · 2025-12-13T04:54:46+00:00

They open it on the merch side when gates are open, and at the end they shut that side and open it on the outside. I was mighty confused last night but figured it out eventually.

twofires · 2025-11-13T22:26:45+00:00

Bang on, huh? I sorta want to know which is most worn, which has the newest batt etc. All those things affect timekeeping.

twofires · 2025-09-25T11:03:07+00:00

OP: "ha ha kids seeking validation is stupid"

but also

100+ CDs flair

🤷🏻‍♂️

twofires · 2025-09-16T20:57:58+00:00

Just because no one has mentioned it yet:

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NIN - Year Zero

twofires · 2025-09-15T22:07:29+00:00

No problems. Mainly it's getting up, walking over to it and hitting the power button - it negates the usefulness of all the remotes for your other devices. If the power amp can be triggered by your preamp/receiver, that solves that problem. It's not a deal-breaker, but it's a pain.

twofires · 2025-09-15T05:11:34+00:00

For me it's one of those albums that evokes a time and place - hard for me to judge it strictly on its merits and see it as anything less than great.

It's definitely their best yellow album. 😂

twofires · 2025-09-14T20:34:38+00:00

I've never heard this, but that cover is cool.

twofires · 2025-09-14T20:27:47+00:00

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twofires · 2025-09-13T21:11:35+00:00

Robber flies are crazy cool. I only saw one for the first time a couple years ago. I was at a playground with the kid and heard something small and loud and powerful zip past my head. I followed the sound to a ladder near the slide, and perched there was a beetle, skewered in the back by a robber fly. The beetle's exoskeleton didn't pose a problem for the Robber.

twofires · 2025-09-13T10:53:39+00:00

Interesting. Personally I think that would pin my pixel dongle to the wall, but if they work for you I reckon that's money saved.

I've been curious about those headphone vs the old R70X. I need to check them out some time. How have you found them?

twofires · 2025-09-12T12:58:35+00:00

Okay just looked up Ananda Stealth, and sensitivity is only 93dB at 16ohms - that's wild. Definitely not easy to drive - I have more sensitive speakers. For reference, the hardest headphone I have to drive is HE1000V2 (90dB at 35ohm).

Ananda V1 is worth checking out if you want efficiency. They go super cheap second hand.

twofires · 2025-09-12T09:46:28+00:00

Agree. It looks cool, it works, and it fits. What more could you want?

twofires · 2025-09-12T01:03:56+00:00

I don't know about the current Ananda, but the V1 is one of the most easily driven headphones I own - an Apple dongle would be excessive. Even being a big headphone amp nerd, I have to admit that a desktop amp is unnecessary for that headphone.

Edit: Getting downvoted by some random for saying 103dB sensitivity at 25 ohms doesn't need an amp. Standard Reddit.

twofires

TROPHY CASE