OK, there are many different ways to approach your current setup.
Wired vs wireless isn’t that much of an issue as you can get very affordable Bluetooth adapters for your computer.
Also the goal of what you want your headphones to do is going to come into play here as well because you may want a stationary setup vs mobile.
Then there’s the microphone requirement…
Actually rather than fill an unrelated thread with headphone advice I’m going to DM you.
Anytime!
If you want to extend the life of your XM3’s you can get some high quality upgraded cushions from “Wicked Cushions” for $30. They have a couple of different styles other than just straight black.
Okay so this provides an interesting set of restraints as they are traveling headphones. I have yet to find what I consider the perfect traveling headphones but there are a couple I have found that come close.
The Sony WH-1000XM5 and the Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra’s
Bose has some remarkable ANC, after all that is one of the things that really established their name in the market. My main two complaints with the Bose is the sound signature isn’t always the best (IMO) and that the app can be finicky at best bordering on terribly annoying.
The Bose Quiet Comfort Ultra’s are really amazing for the ANC and their sound is improved with their new processor but if you are on an apple device you will miss out on this feature. Only devices with a snap dragon 888 or newer can take advantage.
One of the caveats is that the microphone quality is not the best I had some complaints about call quality when using the Bose.
One pro is that they collapse into a smaller form factor with a slightly better carrying case.
For the Sony XM5 I really preferred the sound signature and styling is just Chefs Kiss. They fold flat enough which makes packing them easy enough even if they aren’t as small as the Bose. I also prefer that the XM5 has a 3.5mm audio jack instead of a 2.5mm on the Bose. It feels more likely to last longer. Also because they are slightly older you can probably find a better deal.
The Sony does a remarkably good job at rejecting background noise when making phone calls and has a much wider band of frequencies captured. The Bose sounds very tiny and scratchy.
The Sony also has a longer battery life which is nice.
I know you said that outrageous good noise cancelling is key but if you are willing to compromise a little on the ANC quality the Focal Bathys have far superior sound.
The frequency curve on the mids to low end is practically flat, it does fall off the tiniest bit on the upper mids and lower highs but for me this means you get a really accurate sound reproduction that isn’t tiring and can be listened to all day long. The soundstage is really wide especially given that they are closed back.
The looks are a bit odd and they are a bit on the larger side. They still fold flat and they have a superior amount of cushion and I think the build quality is better.
Oh if you are a bass head that just wants super punchy powerful bass go for the Sony’s over the Focals. The Focals are more accurate but less present.
Lastly is my currently traveling setup. Its… non-traditional. I am using a pair of Samsung Galaxy Pro 2 buds which really fit my ear well and already have some pretty remarkable ANC. Not nearly Headphone level but still very good. Here is the non-traditional part: if I REALLY need to block out outside noise IE on a construction site or in the shop I wear the buds underneath a pair of passive cancelling earmuffs. Specifically the Peltor X5 Earmuffs.
It’s not stylish but the Earmuffs + Buds + Comply Foam tips feels like you are in a void. Barely have to touch the volume to hear your music as clear as day.
Genuinely looking for new headphones?
Wired or wireless?
I kind of love headphones.
Two slipped discs. Not happening.
Huh, I was guessing flaming hot cheeto chicken.
Day one: Dear citizens, your elected government is stepping in to combat the extensive spread of misinformation and lies in consumer media. We have heard your desire for a safer cleaner internet based on scientific fact.
Day ???: Citizen of the state, receive your government sponsored daily truth. Any dissenting opinions will be met with immediate sanctions and corrective discipline. Remember, government is truth, government cannot lie. You will see reason or else.
Oh boy. This is kind of a land mine when it comes to getting recommendations.
The first thing that you have to address is EXACTLY what your goal is. If you are primarily building a gaming first workstation second computer that will have significant differences from if you are building a home NAS server where you one garunteed data accuracy/security.
In my personal experience the majority of crashes, stutters, and freezes I have experienced since I started building computers in the 90’s have been software related and nothing to do with hardware. I’ve still got a Pentium 4 running Windows XP SP2 that is bullet proof and never gives me any problems. It also doubles
as a great space heater. I would do your best to create a good system. UT understand that there may still be all the things you have experiences because it’s software not hardware.
As a general rule of thumb last generation hardware is going to be where you want to look. It is new enough that the performance will be good enough for the vast majority of things you want to accomplish and because of its age (in theory) has had enough time for bugs to have been ironed out and firmware/software fixes created.
Regarding CSM motherboards. They are not more stable than any other type of motherboard. It is a program designed to ensure companies can have a long lifespan on the same hardware because the manufacture gives a garuntee that they will continue manufacturing the part. The manufacturer also makes the promise that they will give a 6 month end of life warning for any SKU that they will be discontinuing so that enterprises have the opportunity to plan for upgrades to their systems if required.
ECC is great if your data is super important to you and you can’t have any loss whatsoever, even a single bit or two. I personally have never run ECC on my home rigs and the only issue I have ever had that I traced to my RAM was my computer crashing when doing large video renders. Turned out one of my sticks was functionally dead. Put any kind of load on it and it would just shut down and be unresponsive. No amount of ECC would fix that kind of issue.
There is evidence that ECC RAM can lead to overall high latency and power frame times during gaming but unless you are playing at 240hz at e-sports competition levels you probably won’t notice. Depending on what motherboard you choose make sure to check if it supports registered or unregistered Ram of you go the route of ECC. This will impact both your options available to you and the cost of the Ram.
If you can find ECC that’s compatible with your motherboard of choice and isn’t that much more expensive then go for it. Can’t really hurt anything.
Powersupply: The highest rated Seasonic power supply you can afford and a UPC. Check for the 80+ rating, in order from best to least (least here means still REALLY good but not as amazing) : Titanium - Platinum - Gold - Bronze. Try to get one larger than you system needs NOT because it means it’s more stable or efficient but rather so that if you upgrade down the line you don’t have to touch the power supply.
Dual redundant is only necessary if you are looking for as close to 100% uptime as possible and you literally cannot shut down your computer because you will lose money or data. Dual PSU will allow you to swap out a dead one for a fresh one with no downtime. That’s why they exist, no other reason.
Raid M.2 is a perfectly good idea but a good rule of thumb is to have your operating system on the boot drive and ABSOLUTELY nothing else. Have SSD’s for your programs and games. When running multiple SSD’s and M.2s and GPU’s (depending on your situation) you might need to keep an eye out on how many PCI lanes you are filling up.
I air cool probably the way to go for you. I’m a Noctua shill and I’m proud of it. I love their black editions of their fans and the NH-D15 is kind of the king of covering all your bases for colling needs. The silence is a major selling point as well.
Warning! Mil spec hardware by definition is literally the lowest bidder on a government job. Just because something says milspec doesn’t mean it’s the best. Usually it means it’s pretty mid tier. I have had some good experiences with milspec gear, some OK experience, and more terrible experiences than the other two categories combined.
Great ingenuity but if falling into the inventor trap of “I’ve figured out one part of the equation and am neglecting the rest of it”
The inventor says “Some additional off-the-shelf systems – brake and steering boosters, as well as e-heating and air conditioning – would also be added under the hood.” While also stating all the original components are remaining untouched.
Does he have any idea how cramped the majority of modern engine bays are? I used to work on saburbans, bucks, chevys, and ford’s where you could literally stand in the engine bays. Modern cars though? Good luck having enough space to even get your tool let alone your hand where it needs to go.
Also “Off the shelf” systems?
Heaters are a nightmare. Resistive heaters, while being the most common, cheapest and easiest to access, use obscene amounts of energy and would put a huge drain on the tiny batteries he is proposing being used. PTC heaters are a possibility but Heat pumps would be ideal. Heat pumps take up space and are best designed into a car from scratch.
E-brake boosters are definitely a thing but are not a one size fits all and ABSOLUTELY require the removal of the existing system.
Finally the AC… The best electric units I’ve seen are retrofit kits for classic cars. Once again those require significant removal of existing infrastructure in order to be installed. More of an issue though… they cost 2-4 thousand dollars! That’s certainly going to eat into the project 4-5 thousand dollar estimated installation cost.
Side note: These are effectively motorized wheel spacers and I have seen a ridiculous amount of damage to vehicles from wheel spacers that are just simple chunks of metal.
Innovation is always encouraged of course and hopefully his work leads to something applicable. As it stands right now it’s a bit of a pipe dream.
Thanks!
It would probably consent.
oh man, I absolutely love the bachans yuzu sauce. it’s tangy slightly citrusy with just a touch of spicyness to it. It’s one of those sauces like Yum Yum, Chick-fil-A Polynesian, Thousand Island, or Maple Mustard that if I wasn’t supervised I would probably be putting on everything within reach just to see what’s good together.
Oooh that looks delicious.
I have a PC of theseus. My CPU and GPU get swapped out on alternating 3-5 year intervals. I buy the best GPU I can afford KNOWING that in a few years I’m going to be upgrading my CPU. My computer is an eternal bottleneck.
If you just plan on keeping everything as is for as long as possible then getting a less powerful GPU would hurt you at all. It would save you some cash.
What this guy said, welcome to the world of being CPU bound.
That being said, unless you are going for benchmark scores you most likely won’t run into any issues. There are RARE instances that because of the nature of the bottleneck the systems actually operates worse than previously but thus is a vary rare occurrence. You will definitely be not getting the full performance of your GPU though.
Man, having a damn fail is one of my few nightmares. I hope as many people are able to be saved as possible.
What a ridiculously fun race. Some good battles on track in all parts of the field. Great job by Piastri, hopefully tomorrow’s race will be just as good.
In a country described as “Historically prone to earthquakes” I wonder what kind of earthquake resistant architecture is present. You have to wonder if the level of wealth available to the general population has something to do with that.
Yeah, my blocked website list is growing everyday with websites that are literally just a 4 paragraph summary of a reddit post. 3 of the paragraphs are usually just "user ‘spezcocksucker’ says this but another person disagrees. Here’s the reddit link and 27 ads.