72 lines
3.6 KiB
Markdown
72 lines
3.6 KiB
Markdown
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title: "Audio Setup"
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date: 2022-08-16
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---
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Over the years, I've invested in a (in my opinion) pretty good audio setup that
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I use very frequently (especially during the winter). I'm quite fond of it, so
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I'd like to show it off! And perhaps, someone out there might find the
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information interesting :)
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# Hardware
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The hardware consists of four main parts. I use a [Focusrite Scarlett
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2i2](https://focusrite.com/en/usb-audio-interface/scarlett/scarlett-2i2) both
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as a USB-connected DAC and an interface for my microphone. I'm quite satisified
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with the 2i2; it has served me well for a few years now. The fact that it can
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act both as a DAC and a mic input allows me to declutter my desk a bit.
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Otherwise, I'd have to buy a separate DAC and microphone receiver. Perhaps
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someday I'll find a use for the second microphone input ;p Before I had the
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2i2, I used a USB microphone and an AUX adapter that connected directly to my
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headphone amp, so this really was a big upgrade for me.
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The 2i2's line outputs connect to a [Schiit Magni
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Heresy](https://www.schiit.com/products/magni-1); the headphone amplifier.
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Besides the glorious name, this product really is amazing. It packs a serious
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punch for its size and price and I find it's a great match for my headphones.
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The only issue that I've had with them is that they can crackle when you change
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the volume, but luckily it goes away again once you stop moving the knob.
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Personally, I don't think it's that much of an issue, but I figured I should
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mention it anyways.
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Now for the stars of the show; the headphones. Perhaps I went a little
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overboard with this one, but I don't regret it at all. My main drivers are the
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[Sennheiser HD 660S](https://www.sennheiser-hearing.com/en-US/p/hd-660s/). They
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sound absolutely amazing paired with my Magni head amp. I'm by no means an
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expert on audio, but I can definitely tell a major difference between these
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headphones and any other pair we have in the house. The audio is incredibly
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clear; I really can't get enough of it.
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Lastly, the microphone. During the pandemic, I bought myself a Devine BM-600
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XLR mic. The quality's quite good, especially for the price. Sadly I don't get
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to use it a lot anymore, as I rarely call people on the computer anymore.
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Before this however, I used the Devine M-Mic USB microphone. I mention this
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because it's probably one of the best budget microphones out there. Last I
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checked, it only cost around 30 euros and the voice quality is insanely good
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for the price.
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# Software
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While I get the appeal of LPs and CDs, they're just not very practical with the
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amount of music that I listen to every day. That's why I have a
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[Tidal](https://tidal.com/) HiFi subscription. Due to me being a student, I can
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get a 50% discount, meaning I only pay 5 euros per month for high-quality audio
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streaming. I highly recommend Tidal; it has served me well for months and will
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continue to do so.
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Due to me using Linux, I sadly can't use a native Tidal client, so I've had to
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resort to using
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[Mastermindzh/tidal-hifi](https://github.com/Mastermindzh/tidal-hifi),
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specifically installed using the
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[tidal-hifi-git](https://aur.archlinux.org/packages?O=0&K=tidal-hifi-git) AUR
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package. It runs the Tidal web player in an electron session, along with some
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wine magic to support HiFi playback. It even has a task bar icon and
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everything, so it works about as well as any other native client.
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Right, I have to finish this post. The goal was to describe my audio setup, and
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I think I accomplished that. I'm definitely not an expert on these things, so
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I'm not going to go more in depth than needed. All I am is an audiophile that
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cares a little too much about the quality of his music ;p
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Cheers
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