Computer Setup

Nice Schiit you've got there.

Love these minimalist setups, specs?

That's exactly what I'm asking for lol, nice rig.

What do you think of the Samsung 840 SSD? I'm thinking of buying it.

Insanely fast, very much worth the money. 8 sec full boot into W8.1.

I have one (First Gen 64gb IIRC) I would definitely recommend, it's fast and it's been extremely reliable.

I have the 256gb version and it is real fast. I don't think it is worth the extra cash to go with the pro version. Haven't tried the sandisk extreme series ssd's but I hear they are good as well.

That's the kick starter one right? It's damn sexy

You might be thinking about the NCASE M1. The R4 is not funded on kickstarter.

Yeah I realized pretty much straight after :P

Never thought I'd say this, thank you SEAMEN_STAIN. Never heard of this project, I'm hoping these become available to the masses so I can use them for my client builds.

Same exact rig except for a TX650 V2 and a few more HDDs :)

Damn, we built the exact same computer. What kind of desk is that?

Mind listing the peripherals + DAC?

CM Storm Quickfire Stealth with Cherry MX Brown switches

To anyone looking at the Vali. Please read the FAQ and full description. There is a cheaper amp, the Magni, with similar form factor and qualities from Schiit that provides near objectively better amplification. This is not bullshit, it's objectively a better amp.

I have the same desk in white! Love that thing! Nice setup! Same look I want someday, or at least a monitor stand.

What kind of case and stereos?

Z-5500 mmmmmm the smell of value makes me smile oh so hard

They've been through a lot and are still kicking strong! Think I got them in like 05 or 06 for like $399 or something like that. Getting my moneys worth!

Not anytime soon, need new everything else! I7 930 and GTX470 are falling behind!

What is the item called that your monitor is sitting on? I have the Galant Series desk and would like to get a little more desk space.

It's just a shelf with legs, sold separately. Forgot the names. Just search for shelfs, there's tons of them. Then look for legs

I Love the minimalist setup, what is the desk if you don't mind me asking? Is the monitor mounted on the wall or a stand?

The desk is an Ikea Malm Desk with a pull-out, the monitor is mounted on a 2 foot swing-arm mount, and the headphones are Sennheiser HD 600s.

Was looking at getting this desk for my apartment. I was curious if the pullout can be placed on the right side to support my mousing arm/elbow. Is that true or is this picture just flipped? Ikea shows it on the left on the website. Thanks for the info!

Yes, you can have it on either side.

Excellent. I think I will be getting one then. Thank you!

Wow that was a fast reply! Thanks for the info!

I can't tell from the image, what kind of surface is the desk on? (carpet or hard flooring of some sort).

It is on carpet. It rolls really well, with one flaw. If you have it sitting in any one place with items on the top for too long, the wheels will sink into the carpet a bit and make it difficult to roll. It just requires being lifted slightly and then pushed or pulled in the desired direction. Not an issue at all.

Right, so at the risk of sounding like an idiot, what is the silver box featured in picture number 5?

It's a Schiit Vali amplifier used to power the headphones.

I don't really understand what amp's do, opposed to sound cards.

Think of a sound card as a car radio, and an external amplifier as an external amplifier in a car pushing aftermarket speakers.

But what powers my speakers is an external power cord that i plug directly into the wall, so i don't really get how an amp would power speakers?

Your speakers are self powered. They get ample power from the built in "amp" inside the speaker.

So, as a source you could be using a soundcard, right?

That means the amp is self contained...

Does more power = better quality of music?

Yes. Specs for analog electronics are a lot more difficult to wrap your head around than digital electronics, but basically a higher maximum rated power translates into more of something that audio engineers call "headroom," which translates into richer sounding audio without making your ears feel like they're bleeding after listening for a while.

They're fundamentally different functions. A DAC/soundcard makes a conversion. It takes digital sound data, which is basically like a scatterplot of information and draws the wave that we traditionally know as the sound waves we hear. It's job is to basically try to accurately reproduce the original sound by redrawing that wave. It also attempts to output this wave as accurately as possible without allowing for any distortion.

Thanks for explaining! So if i'm correct, when you're an audiophile a soundcard is always a must. The digital 1's and 0's will be translated/interpolated into a analog signal.

You always need a soundcard or DAC. Everything that plays digital music has one. You cannot have sound without conversion of the digital data to a wave. The quality of the DAC is what comes into question.

CM Storm Quickfire Stealth with Cherry MX Brown switches.

Not op, but the MX brown are basically blues without the sound. They are perfect if you like the bump/tactile feel, but don't like the loud sound.

Hmm that sounds like what id need. I type like shit. Hunt and peck and I hit dem keys hard. I saw his KB on Amazon and the reviews arent great, do you have any recommendations?

Don't listen to those reviews, the QF stealth is basically a QF rapid with the different keycaps, and the Rapid is one of the best "entry" level Mechanical Keyboards.

Thanks for that, I was on mobile and couldn't link it correctly

My pleasure. It's one of my favorite subs. :)

If you bottom out quickly, you might not even feel the bump on browns. Buy the sampler.

Nice setup! Which headphone stand is that?

It's a Cosmos Black Aluminum headphone stand. I can't find a link for it anywhere. I bought it off of Amazon and it looks to be discontinued.

Ah, thanks! Happy holidays to you!

Be very careful with that mouse, the scroll wheel will break very easily.

That's what mine did! Piece of shit...

Ended up buying a sensei mlg after. Best mouse I've ever used and very sturdy.

My M90's scroll wheel broke. Sent it back to Corsair and it seems to have been lost on the way there or is taking a very long time to get there. It sucks because it's a really good mouse other than that.

Great set-up, love the clean look! One question: What does that little metal box do, where your headphones are plugged into?

It's an amplifier for the headphones, and the headphones are plugged into it.

What kind of amp is it, if you don't mind me asking?

Do you have any microphonic issues?

I did with the previous Vali, but it turned out to be defective and they sent me a new one. I have no problems whatsoever with the new one.

How're you liking that mouse?

Hows the scroll wheel? is it similar to hyper scroll or just a regular scroll wheel?

But no mousepad? Can't imagine it gliding too well.

I use a Corsair MM400 Standard Edition mousepad. It was not pictured.

Not clean enough to fit into the picture eh ?

It arrived today, after the picture was taken.

Nice, which model is this? The Z-something? I just saw one today but forgot to write down the name.

Me neither. What don't you like about yours? I didn't like the shape or the buttons.

Where is your DAC? You can't not have a DAC.

My current setup sounds very good to me. I'm having trouble justifying spending $150 on a Loki or $100 on a Modi.

What is your current setup (besides the HD 600 and Vali)? Also, the DAC makes a massive difference in your sound quality. Pick up a Modi and see what I mean. I used to have the Modi until I upgraded to the Bifrost. That was a huge difference and was totally worth the money. But just the Modi is a massive step up from onboard sound. You really have to hear it to understand what I mean. Getting a DAC means an increase in soundstage, clarity, and detail. It is well worth the money, trust me. You are in the same situation I was before I got my Magni/Modi stack. You don't understand the difference until you hear it for yourself. I liked my M&M stack so much that I sold them and upgraded to the Lyr/Bifrost (Uber) stack. Trust me, it's worth it. By the way, the Loki is a DSD box not a DAC. It's not what you're looking for. Go for the Modi. I promise you won't regret it.

Do not buy a DAC.

What kind of desk is that? it looks great

Ikea Malm Desk. I love the cable management along the backside of it.

Omg so much clutter... jk nice setup

I love this. What mouse?

It appeared to be a Corsair M90 Merry Christmas :)

Thanks, happy holidays to you too!

We've got the same case, desk, and keyboard. You've got good taste!

Do you have a link to the desk?

God damn what a beautiful gaming setup.

What do you do for work? And what sort of software do you run here

Very nice setup. Just one question - Where did you get your headphone stand? Thanks

My OCD neat freak hubby would appreciate this set up. Nicely done. :)

Ugh, thats the desk I wanted at first but my room in my apartment has barely any room with my bed in there so had to settle with the smallest galant.

I like your style, man.

I just bought that lamp

Where did you get the headphone stand? Been looking for one.

I love that mouse! And in a pinch its a make shift bolla.

I have the same exact keyboard and mouse as you! They are a great combination in my opinion.

That is one clean desk and setup, I have the same case!

You got everything from a mechanical keyboard - r/mechanicalkeyboards - and audiophile setup - r/audiophile or r/headphones - to a sleek gaming setup.

This is the station I want. Pretty monitor, slick keyboard, and an amp with nice headphones. Mmhmm. Sehr gut.

How long is the extension on the desk?

Hello darkness, my old friend...

Very clean set up. I'm jealous.

How is the ventilation? My parents have a Haf X and I wanted to know how this case compares.

Clean as heck, and love that amp, huzzah for tubes. I might invest in one.

I want to grow up to be a minimalist just like you guys.

That's a lot of extra desk room for activities!

Oh god, dat minimalism.

That monitor is way too high off the desk, but otherwise I like the clean lines.

While everyone sits and compliments your minimalism, looks or specs, which are indeed nice... I'm sitting here wondering: can I have some info on that glorious lamp of yours?

It is not a TV. It's a 27" IPS monitor. Here's a Newegg link.

Oh, sorry for mistaking it for a TV then!

I can hear her whispering.

So minimalist. Quite cool.

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