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MikeyFresh
05-11-2016, 03:53
Greetings all, I'm a new registrant who discovered this forum via a link on moodeaudio.org.

About 6 months ago I joined the world of network based hi-rez audio streaming, when I purchased the fabulous value Sonore microRendu, on the advice of a friend in San Diego. What a home run sonically, replacing my 10 year old "convenience" streaming solution, the Apple Airport Express and iTunes /AirPlay.

For two other rooms in the house, I built Raspberry Pi3 based "bargain" streamers and loaded the super impressive moOde OS to use those as UPnP renderers, and it's all worked with nary a hitch, each room appearing as a different "zone" in JRiver Media Center which runs the DLNA server function in combination with BubbleUPnP Server.

Another recent fascination is with the "super capacitor" based UpTone Audio LPS-1, which I now use to power the microRendu. It's been an enormous upgrade to the iFi iPower to say the least, and prompted further interest in this type of power supply in the form of Vinnie Rossi's patent pending and forthcoming MINI PURE DC-4EVR.

I'm also very disappointed and frustrated with myself for ever having taken part in Indiegogo based "crowd funding" projects by LH Labs. I kick myself daily for this, and although it may still turn out ok, suffice it to say I'm fully soured on IGG or crowd funding anything ever again. What possibly was I thinking? I'm a big boy though, I did this without a gun to my head, and so I accept whatever the consequences are as my own fault and nobody else's. Maybe the final chapter on this will be a happy one, I prefer to hope so, as pessimism won't help me now!

I enjoy repairing, refurbishing, and modifying various electronic devices at least as far as my knowledge will allow.

Recent winning attempts include a new magnetron bulb installed in my 10 year old GE microwave oven, a $58 part that all acquaintances assured me was a foolhardy purchase. They were wrong, the microwave now functions as new again.

Another triumph involved the replacement of a defective and bulging Li-Ion battery in a Moto 360 Android Wear watch owned by a friend and out of warranty, which followed the replacement of the LCD screen in that same friend's Canon DSLR which he had dropped and smashed after one two many cocktails (he was very lucky it was the LCD that smashed and not the lens).

I am a veteran of 7 different iPod tear down and rebuilds, 2 iPod Gen. 6/7 Classics, 3 iPod Gen. 5.5 Videos, and 2 iPod minis, all of which received new batteries, and flash memory cards replacing the aging and fragile moving parts hard disk drives.

My biggest DIY accomplishment involved keeping 5 Samsung HDTVs out of the landfill, by researching, replacing and repairing known to be faulty power supply capacitors. A thread I started on another forum to help others do that same repair has had 15,976 views to date, and I've received a few PMs from people who told me the thread enabled them to repair their faulty HDTV. The most gratifying of those PMs came from a woman in Arizona who said she did not have the money just prior to Christmas to buy a new HDTV, so she ordered the $10 in capacitors, bought a soldering iron, and fixed her HDTV using my tutorial.

My HiFi related fetishes include NOS vacuum tubes, too expensive but silly good sounding cables including power cables, vibration/resonance control devices such as those made by Symposium, and EMI/RFI control/filter products such as ERS cloth, Shakti Stones, Furutech GC-303 compound, and well, you get the picture, I have a condition known as audiophilia nervosa but it's under control (maybe?).

Light Dependant Resistor
05-11-2016, 05:06
Hi Mike
Welcome to AOS one of the funniest and fun to be involved forums :). Lots of good ideas and new ideas you might want to contribute to in the DIY section
It is totally silly what works often perfectly, and thrown to landfill, good on you for helping others with your tutorial.

Lots of network / computer audio users on AOS too, have fun, it is good to have you on board.

Cheers / Chris

walpurgis
05-11-2016, 09:46
Hello Mike. Welcome to AOS.

Tell us what music you listen to and what equipment you use in your Hi-Fi system.

If you've had a look around the site, I'm sure you're aware that there's a lot to get involved in.

Feel free to join in any chat that appeals to you.


Enjoy the forum,
Geoff.

struth
05-11-2016, 09:55
Hi Mike...great intro, hope you find the forum useful and fun

MikeyFresh
05-11-2016, 14:29
Hi Mike
Welcome to AOS one of the funniest and fun to be involved forums :). Lots of good ideas and new ideas you might want to contribute to in the DIY section
It is totally silly what works often perfectly, and thrown to landfill, good on you for helping others with your tutorial.

Lots of network / computer audio users on AOS too, have fun, it is good to have you on board.

Cheers / Chris

Hi Chris,

Thanks and yes, the forum's DIY section will get a thorough look from me sooner than later!

I've got some new projects slated and some others in the preliminary/planning stages, I'm sure the AOS membership will be an asset!

Cheers,
Mike :cool:

MikeyFresh
05-11-2016, 15:17
Hi Geoff,

I listen to music broadly categorized as Rock, Jazz, and Classical, in that order. I lean more towards older/classic stuff than new, but really anything thats good works for me.

I admit to having bought many of the same albums several times, first on vinyl LP, then more than one CD mastering, followed by DVD-Audio or SACD in many cases too, and most recently hi-rez downloads. Crazy but true.

My main Hi-Fi room system consists of the following:

Sonore microRendu streamer/UpTone LPS-1 power supply
LH Labs Pulse SFi DAC
Marantz SA-15 SACD player
Arcam FMJ DV29 DVD-Audio player
Musical Fidelity A308 Integrated amp
ProAc Tablette Reference 8 Signature loudspeakers
ProAc Response ER One subs
DSPeaker Anti-Mode 2.0 room correction (60 Hz and below)
Symposium Isis rack
Audience Adept Response aR-2p power conditioner

Various cables by Siltech, Shunyata, Kimber, Cardas, Purist Audio Design, Forza, Element, Neotech, Oyaide, Supra... and believe it or not still others including my own DIY home brewed using wire and parts from VH Audio and DHC among others.

Also various tweak/enhancement products by Symposium, Shakti, QRT, Array Solutions, Baske, EMO Systems, iFi, Monarchy, Oyaide, Furutech, Shunyata, and more that I'm forgetting.

Systems in other rooms include components from Sugden, Benchmark, Musical Fidelity, Wadia, iFi, Parasound, Adcom, Sharp Aquos, Pioneer, etc...

Portable on-the-go systems include several modified iPods, iPad 2, Moto X Pure phone with no sim card, and DAC/amps including the Oppo HA-2, Resonessence Labs Herus, CEntrance M8, ADL Stride, and the venerable Headroom Total Airhead.

Headphones include various IEM and over the ear models from AKG, Beyerdynamic, Etymotic, Grado, Sennheiser, and Yamaha.

Non-working in need of repair items include a VAC VLS II preamp, the 2nd time its failed on me since 1995 or so.

Only recently had I begun to sell off various perfectly good but not heavily used/redundant pieces to new happy homes and owners, and that will continue, I need to lighten the load substantially lest anyone think I'm curating a museum of hi-fi.

MikeyFresh
05-11-2016, 15:35
Hi Mike...great intro, hope you find the forum useful and fun


Hi Grant,

Thank you, the forum looks to be a great asset to the audio enthusiast community, I'm glad to be aboard.

Regards,
Mike

Barry
18-11-2016, 23:34
Welcome to AoS Mike,

You certainly seem to be a 'hands on' type of person, so I hope you will find items of interest to you in our DIY section. And if you don't, perhaps you might like to contribute something yourself.

Your embracing of various "tweaking and enhancement" products might be challenging to some sceptics here (myself included), but we would be interested in learning of your experiences.

Enjoy the Forum
Barry