expat42451
New Member
There are a number of bluetooth/DAC's around which can be connected to USB for at desk use and switched to BT for wandering around, these for use with corded headphones. Recently I moved to Pasto Colombia and where I live is noisier than I prefer. I purchased, from a local music shop, Audio Technica M50x'es. At the time I purchased them, for some reason, Amazon would not ship the BT version of this headset to Colombia. The sound shop did have an East Brooklyn Labs BAL M50X BT adapter for these phones. These are my first over the ear phones since the Koss Pro 4 days, many years ago. That I am surprised in what definition I can hear with this headset....and how it has made me somewhat dissatisfied with my music library- is an understatement.
I sold my desktops a number of years ago and lived with a laptop and phone until this move. I purchased my first prebuilt desktop (all of the others I have built) a Lenovo Neo M50Q 4th generation with an Intel I5 13th generation processor. The primary OS is Manjaro Linux, 6.12.34 kernel running KDE Plasma 6.35. Added RAM to 24 GB and a 2nd SATA HD. Its not by any means an audophile machine and while it does what I want and need, I suspect the onboard DAC isnt the greatest. I have installed the 6.12.28 realtime kernel. Running Pipewire with the Jack plugins, use Easyeffects and I use Audacity for recording and Audacious for playback but at times play with Strawberry.
I am looking at either the Qdelix 5 K or the FiiO BTR7 on Amazon. I have read that sometimes there can be problems with external DACs being recognized by Linux. Granted, neither of these models I have mentioned would be anything to compare with say something from Schiit Audio, I want the BT option... after using the BAL M50X adapter on the phones for a short period of time and comparing that with what the phones sound like plugged in, I fabbed a long cord that allows me to wander about in the apartment at will.The cord is a PITA. Grated that a direct connection is better, granted that since the Neo is a bottom of the line business computer and what might be accomplished by replacing the Wifi/BT chip, I thought one of the available BT/DAC's might yield better sound than the onboard DAC in the Neo when connected to USB and would have to be better than the BAL M50X quality wise.
Any suggestions or comments would be very appreciated. I am surprised, given the age of my ears- I am 74- what I can still hear when its not either wired or bt earbuds.
Thanks.
I sold my desktops a number of years ago and lived with a laptop and phone until this move. I purchased my first prebuilt desktop (all of the others I have built) a Lenovo Neo M50Q 4th generation with an Intel I5 13th generation processor. The primary OS is Manjaro Linux, 6.12.34 kernel running KDE Plasma 6.35. Added RAM to 24 GB and a 2nd SATA HD. Its not by any means an audophile machine and while it does what I want and need, I suspect the onboard DAC isnt the greatest. I have installed the 6.12.28 realtime kernel. Running Pipewire with the Jack plugins, use Easyeffects and I use Audacity for recording and Audacious for playback but at times play with Strawberry.
I am looking at either the Qdelix 5 K or the FiiO BTR7 on Amazon. I have read that sometimes there can be problems with external DACs being recognized by Linux. Granted, neither of these models I have mentioned would be anything to compare with say something from Schiit Audio, I want the BT option... after using the BAL M50X adapter on the phones for a short period of time and comparing that with what the phones sound like plugged in, I fabbed a long cord that allows me to wander about in the apartment at will.The cord is a PITA. Grated that a direct connection is better, granted that since the Neo is a bottom of the line business computer and what might be accomplished by replacing the Wifi/BT chip, I thought one of the available BT/DAC's might yield better sound than the onboard DAC in the Neo when connected to USB and would have to be better than the BAL M50X quality wise.
Any suggestions or comments would be very appreciated. I am surprised, given the age of my ears- I am 74- what I can still hear when its not either wired or bt earbuds.
Thanks.
