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Noob: Does a new 2.0 instead of 2.1 significantly reduce bass-noise for my neighbours?

cosmosx

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Hi audio friends, professionals and enthusiasts,

I landed on this forum some days ago and since then spent hours reading and skimming through speaker reviews and comments. I want to start with that I am a completely beginner in the whole audio field but was captured by the enthusiasm here.

I moved into a new appartment and found out that the house is poorly soundproofed as my neighbours living under my flat hear my floor-placed subwoofer of my computer room even at lower/mid-level volume. "Music" seems fine, they just get to freely experience the boom boom boom. Because I don't even like how the 2.1 sounds (was a cheap computer 2.1 logitec set 15 years ago) and the subwoofer always booms in the same boom, I am going to get rid of them and was thinking on getting some 2.0 speakers which hopefully do not annoy my neighbours as much. That's how I came across ASR, hi again.

Ok so since you spent already hours on this board, you already know to get some Genelecs or Neumans and live happily thereafter.
I know, I would love to. Unfortunately, my current budget is around 160€ (including table stands). So according to my research here, I have not many options - mostly Edifier MR4, Edifier R1280something (or R1380) and because I am from europe, Neumi is not a possibility.

Ok, can you talk a bit about your Environment?
Most of the time I would be 80-100 cm away from the speakers. Behind the speakers would be a wall, I could leave some little space however. Space between speaker direction and wall would be around 3m - 3.20m. I am a bit sensitive to sound, so I mostly listen at a little lowered room volume. If possible, the speakers shouldn't be too noisy when nothing is playing since I also plan to use them for video calls.

Equalizer, Equalizer Babyy!!
Yes, I would be happy to use software on my computer to get a better listening experience.

I have some questions about these:
1. Will removing the sub and getting one of these 2.0 pairs even resolve my issue of my neighboors listening to the current boom boom? (at similar volume)
2. My ear position is around 45cm above table height, am I right in getting some table stands (also to reduce table reflections)? In case of the R1280 or R1380 who are front ended (sorry, I don't know what the correct term is), is a wallmount also fine? but damn those cables.
3. Dumb question: those files by Amir or Maiky76 work with APO, is there a similar thing with mac? Right know I am still having a windows desktop, but might "upgrade" to a macbook soon.
4. When using the bluetooth connectivity of the R1280DB or R1380DB with eg. a phone, the equalizer will be bypassed. Is this even enjoyable and worth getting the convenience over the cable-only versions (-T)?
5. R1380 seem to be the "newer" version of the speaker at the same price, however wasn't measured here yet. Since there are no measurements and no "EQ-hack" by amir or Maiky, is this a no no then?
6 - final: what should I get?? ;)

Thanks to all of you reaching the end of this long post and taking the time to write an answer. You are awesome.
 
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HarmonicTHD

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Hi audio friends, professionals and enthusiasts,

I landed on this forum some days ago and since then spent hours reading and skimming through speaker reviews and comments. I want to start with that I am a completely beginner in the whole audio field but was captured by the enthusiasm here.

I moved into a new appartment and found out that the house is poorly soundproofed as my neighbours living under my flat hear my floor-placed subwoofer of my computer room even at lower/mid-level volume. "Music" seems fine, they just get to freely experience the boom boom boom. Because I don't even like how the 2.1 sounds (was a cheap computer 2.1 logitec set 15 years ago) and the subwoofer always booms in the same boom, I am going to get rid of them and was thinking on getting some 2.0 speakers which hopefully do not annoy my neighbours as much. That's how I came across ASR, hi again.

Ok so since you spent already hours on this board, you already know to get some Genelecs or Neumans and live happily thereafter.
I know, I would love to. Unfortunately, my current budget is around 160€ (including table stands). So according to my research here, I have not many options - mostly Edifier MR4, Edifier R1280something (or R1380) and because I am from europe, Neumi is not a possibility.

Ok, can you talk a bit about your Environment?
Most of the time I would be 80-100 cm away from the speakers. Behind the speakers would be a wall, I could leave some little space however. Space between speaker direction and wall would be around 3m - 3.20m. I am a bit sensitive to sound, so I mostly listen at a little lowered room volume. If possible, the speakers shouldn't be too noisy when nothing is playing since I also plan to use them for video calls.

Equalizer, Equalizer Babyy!!
Yes, I would be happy to use software on my computer to get a better listening experience.

I have some questions about these:
1. Will removing the sub and getting one of these 2.0 pairs even resolve my issue of my neighboors listening to the current boom boom? (at similar volume)
2. My ear position is around 45cm above table height, am I right in getting some table stands (also to reduce table reflections)? In case of the R1280 or R1380 who are front ended (sorry, I don't know what the correct term is), is a wallmount also fine? but damn those cables.
3. Dumb question: those files by Amir or Maiky76 work with APO, is there a similar thing with mac? Right know I am still having a windows desktop, but might "upgrade" to a macbook soon.
4. When using the bluetooth connectivity of the R1280DB or R1380DB with eg. a phone, the equalizer will be bypassed. Is this even enjoyable and worth getting the convenience over the cable-only versions (-T)?
5. R1380 seem to be the "newer" version of the speaker at the same price, however wasn't measured here yet. Since there are no measurements and no "EQ-hack" by amir or Maiky, is this a no no then?
6 - final: what should I get?? ;)

Thanks to all of you reaching the end of this long post and taking the time to write an answer. You are awesome.
Mmhh. I am not sure if what you propose solves your problem. For example. If your neighbors are below you, turning down your sub and trying to decouple it from the floor (cut open some tennis balls as you seem to be on a budget). For everything else and if the sound energy is the same it doesn’t really matter if it comes from speakers or the sub. So be cautious before you spent the little budget you have.
 

YSC

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Hi audio friends, professionals and enthusiasts,

I landed on this forum some days ago and since then spent hours reading and skimming through speaker reviews and comments. I want to start with that I am a completely beginner in the whole audio field but was captured by the enthusiasm here.

I moved into a new appartment and found out that the house is poorly soundproofed as my neighbours living under my flat hear my floor-placed subwoofer of my computer room even at lower/mid-level volume. "Music" seems fine, they just get to freely experience the boom boom boom. Because I don't even like how the 2.1 sounds (was a cheap computer 2.1 logitec set 15 years ago) and the subwoofer always booms in the same boom, I am going to get rid of them and was thinking on getting some 2.0 speakers which hopefully do not annoy my neighbours as much. That's how I came across ASR, hi again.

Ok so since you spent already hours on this board, you already know to get some Genelecs or Neumans and live happily thereafter.
I know, I would love to. Unfortunately, my current budget is around 160€ (including table stands). So according to my research here, I have not many options - mostly Edifier MR4, Edifier R1280something (or R1380) and because I am from europe, Neumi is not a possibility.

Ok, can you talk a bit about your Environment?
Most of the time I would be 80-100 cm away from the speakers. Behind the speakers would be a wall, I could leave some little space however. Space between speaker direction and wall would be around 3m - 3.20m. I am a bit sensitive to sound, so I mostly listen at a little lowered room volume. If possible, the speakers shouldn't be too noisy when nothing is playing since I also plan to use them for video calls.

Equalizer, Equalizer Babyy!!
Yes, I would be happy to use software on my computer to get a better listening experience.

I have some questions about these:
1. Will removing the sub and getting one of these 2.0 pairs even resolve my issue of my neighboors listening to the current boom boom? (at similar volume)
2. My ear position is around 45cm above table height, am I right in getting some table stands (also to reduce table reflections)? In case of the R1280 or R1380 who are front ended (sorry, I don't know what the correct term is), is a wallmount also fine? but damn those cables.
3. Dumb question: those files by Amir or Maiky76 work with APO, is there a similar thing with mac? Right know I am still having a windows desktop, but might "upgrade" to a macbook soon.
4. When using the bluetooth connectivity of the R1280DB or R1380DB with eg. a phone, the equalizer will be bypassed. Is this even enjoyable and worth getting the convenience over the cable-only versions (-T)?
5. R1380 seem to be the "newer" version of the speaker at the same price, however wasn't measured here yet. Since there are no measurements and no "EQ-hack" by amir or Maiky, is this a no no then?
6 - final: what should I get?? ;)

Thanks to all of you reaching the end of this long post and taking the time to write an answer. You are awesome.
Edifier isn't a top player even in not too budget budget segments nowadays, so it really depends on your need, budget, connectivity (well, here mostly recommend studio monitors which uses XLR/TRS/RCA input), size constrain on speaker to be the basic requirement for some recommendations.

Computer speaker mini 2.1 isn't really reproducing bass anyway, e.g. logitech Z313 only goes to 60hz or so before steep roll off if I am correct, where a normal pair of 5" woofer monitor goes lower.

For neighbour annoyance it's really YMMV, if it's a poor floor construction where a sub directly put on the floor shakes the roof of your neighbour using a desktop placed might help, or try use some thick carpet/towel to isolate the sub with the floor to start with and see if the annoyance is gone? if not it's shear volume related, where changing speakers won't really help asa long as the bass boom is still there.
 
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cosmosx

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Headphones.
I have ones, however that is not always the solution (especially if I have some people over). I also don't like wearing them for hours, so if it is possible to reduce the annoyance a bit even intraday while having better overall sound quality, why not :)
Mmhh. I am not sure if what you propose solves your problem. For example. If your neighbors are below you, turning down your sub and trying to decouple it from the floor (cut open some tennis balls as you seem to be on a budget). For everything else and if the sound energy is the same it doesn’t really matter if it comes from speakers or the sub. So be cautious before you spent the little budget you have.
Will try out the decoupling but I am pretty sure the bass volume is the problem (which is still way too strong and unbalanced at lowest knob level). I might try to turn it more down with equalizer settings but am not sure what frequencies I have to adjust.
Edifier isn't a top player even in not too budget budget segments nowadays, so it really depends on your need, budget, connectivity (well, here mostly recommend studio monitors which uses XLR/TRS/RCA input), size constrain on speaker to be the basic requirement for some recommendations.

Computer speaker mini 2.1 isn't really reproducing bass anyway, e.g. logitech Z313 only goes to 60hz or so before steep roll off if I am correct, where a normal pair of 5" woofer monitor goes lower.

For neighbour annoyance it's really YMMV, if it's a poor floor construction where a sub directly put on the floor shakes the roof of your neighbour using a desktop placed might help, or try use some thick carpet/towel to isolate the sub with the floor to start with and see if the annoyance is gone? if not it's shear volume related, where changing speakers won't really help asa long as the bass boom is still there.
For me it would be even a plus to even be possible to significantly turn down woofer volume externally at evening. Size wise they shouldn't be too large, however I have some space on my table so a bit larger than the edifiers would probably also be fine. I think my biggest problem is that the sub doesnt balance well with the speaker volume and thus is rather too strong. So my thought was that a better system might reduce the "bad" bass boom of my current setup, balance it better out and make it easier to adjust at night...

Thanks for all your responses!
 

Joe Smith

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In an apartment such as you're describing, would not do a sub. You may be able to use some EQ to reduce overall bass when your neighbors are home. Definitely a compromise but you need to balance your living harmony with sound quality. For that reason, I wouldn't overkill your speaker budget at the current time, if you will be reducing the bass a lot of the time...
 

HarmonicTHD

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I have ones, however that is not always the solution (especially if I have some people over). I also don't like wearing them for hours, so if it is possible to reduce the annoyance a bit even intraday while having better overall sound quality, why not :)

Will try out the decoupling but I am pretty sure the bass volume is the problem (which is still way too strong and unbalanced at lowest knob level). I might try to turn it more down with equalizer settings but am not sure what frequencies I have to adjust.

For me it would be even a plus to even be possible to significantly turn down woofer volume externally at evening. Size wise they shouldn't be too large, however I have some space on my table so a bit larger than the edifiers would probably also be fine. I think my biggest problem is that the sub doesnt balance well with the speaker volume and thus is rather too strong. So my thought was that a better system might reduce the "bad" bass boom of my current setup, balance it better out and make it easier to adjust at night...

Thanks for all your responses!
Yes try that. Doesn’t your sub have an external volume or gain knob?
 

movehome

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I have the Tannoy 402's and they sound really good at low volumes. They're front ported and there's good bass presence at low volume too. I previously had the Edifier 1280T and A/B'd them with the Tannoys and Tannoys are a lot better for a bit more money.

They sell them individually on Amazon so you could buy one and try it out and return it if it's not what you're looking for.
 

Danaxus

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I have ones, however that is not always the solution (especially if I have some people over). I also don't like wearing them for hours, so if it is possible to reduce the annoyance a bit even intraday while having better overall sound quality, why not :)
@Thomas savage's remark was pithy, but not wrong. Fact is that if you want good and full sound, you need good bass. You can't just chop off the frequency response and expect to enjoy the music (much less games or movies). And as you said, your budget is limited, so consider that you will always get more bang for your buck with headphones rather than speakers.

If I were you, I would have a budget set of desktop speakers for casual use - no subwoofer. That's great for watching a show, some YouTube, or casually gaming. Then I'd use my budget on a nice pair of headphones (or IEM if you really don't like headphones, or need them to double up for use on the go), or, if you're happy with your headphones, on a nice dac/amp. You won't be using these all the time, but when it comes time to really enjoy some good music, a movie, whatever, you can fully experience it rather than compromising the bass.

Basically, rather than having meh sound all the time, have 2 setups: great sound occasionally, and meh sound the rest of the time. And with headphones, it won't cost you an arm and a leg to get.

/edit: Serendipitously, Amir just reviewed the perfect IEM for your use case: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ds/truthear-x-crinacle-zero-iem-review.37380/
 
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cosmosx

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Yes try that. Doesn’t your sub have an external volume or gain knob?
It has one, but it was already at the lowest point. At that level the sub is still booming strongly :/
@Thomas savage's remark was pithy, but not wrong. Fact is that if you want good and full sound, you need good bass. You can't just chop off the frequency response and expect to enjoy the music (much less games or movies). And as you said, your budget is limited, so consider that you will always get more bang for your buck with headphones rather than speakers.

If I were you, I would have a budget set of desktop speakers for casual use - no subwoofer. That's great for watching a show, some YouTube, or casually gaming. Then I'd use my budget on a nice pair of headphones (or IEM if you really don't like headphones, or need them to double up for use on the go), or, if you're happy with your headphones, on a nice dac/amp. You won't be using these all the time, but when it comes time to really enjoy some good music, a movie, whatever, you can fully experience it rather than compromising the bass.

Basically, rather than having meh sound all the time, have 2 setups: great sound occasionally, and meh sound the rest of the time. And with headphones, it won't cost you an arm and a leg to get.

/edit: Serendipitously, Amir just reviewed the perfect IEM for your use case: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ds/truthear-x-crinacle-zero-iem-review.37380/
I have the Airpod Pros and am quite content with their sound and spacial stuff, however I do not know if they are thought of as good IEMs here :D
So for the meh sound the rest of the time I thought of getting the edifier speakers above and chop off some bass at 9pm onwards, hopefully being able to fine-tune the frequency because they are better speakers than the stuff I have right know. If this is a bad idea or waste of money, do you know of any budget but good value for buck desktop speakers? For this I might be at the wrong place here...Thanks :)
I have the Tannoy 402's and they sound really good at low volumes. They're front ported and there's good bass presence at low volume too. I previously had the Edifier 1280T and A/B'd them with the Tannoys and Tannoys are a lot better for a bit more money.

They sell them individually on Amazon so you could buy one and try it out and return it if it's not what you're looking for.
Cool, I will check them out! Thank you.
 
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HarmonicTHD

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It has one, but it was already at the lowest point. At that level the sub is still booming strongly :/

I have the Airpod Pros and am quite content with their sound and spacial stuff, however I do not know if they are thought of as good IEMs here :D
So for the meh sound the rest of the time I thought of getting the edifier speakers above and chop off some bass at 9pm onwards, hopefully being able to fine-tune the frequency because they are better speakers than the stuff I have right know. If this is a bad idea or waste of money, do you know of any budget but good value for buck desktop speakers? For this I might be at the wrong place here...Thanks :)

Cool, I will check them out! Thank you.
Understand.

Just to be clear - no speaker will solve your bass problem with your neighbors. And if the sub already is at its lowest volume than switching it off might be the only choice left.

BTW. See this forum. Today Amir reviewed some IEMs for 50USD. Much better invest of your little budget and some left over :)
 

kthulhutu

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Heavily decouple it from the floor, make sure it's not down-firing and place it against an outside-facing wall if you can.
If you buy good speakers, chances are they will have better/louder woofers than your logitech thing so the correct solution will always be to buy the best system you can and shelve the sub bass.
 

hex168

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See:

Note posts #48 and #49.
 

DMill

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Possibly a dumb question. But did you go down to your neighbors apartment and confirm that it’s just the subwoofer you’re hearing? If your hearing your main speakers too nothing you do is going to keep from disturbing them.
 

caught gesture

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You could try something like this under your sub. Decoupling it from the floor is the way to go if your neighbours are underneath you. Next door neighbours with thin partition walls pose another problem. Bass waves travel very easily through thin walls. You might have to sacrifice the low bass range and make do with the harmonics if you want to stay friends with your neighbours.

As far as buying new speakers on a tight budget, try and find a pair used. Rule of thumb is that if they are in good condition, you will pay half price. You’ve immediately doubled your budget. The downside is the time you have to wait until something shows up locally.
 
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cosmosx

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Possibly a dumb question. But did you go down to your neighbors apartment and confirm that it’s just the subwoofer you’re hearing? If your hearing your main speakers too nothing you do is going to keep from disturbing them.
Yes they only hear the sub.
See:

Note posts #48 and #49.
Interesting. If I go with #49 I buy a set of speakers and change the woofers out?
Understand.

Just to be clear - no speaker will solve your bass problem with your neighbors. And if the sub already is at its lowest volume than switching it off might be the only choice left.

BTW. See this forum. Today Amir reviewed some IEMs for 50USD. Much better invest of your little budget and some left over :)
It is such a ****** system that I can't switch it off, since the sub provides power to the active speakers and has no on/off button. Are the IEMs you linked better than my Airpod Pros?
Heavily decouple it from the floor, make sure it's not down-firing and place it against an outside-facing wall if you can.
If you buy good speakers, chances are they will have better/louder woofers than your logitech thing so the correct solution will always be to buy the best system you can and shelve the sub bass.
Hm I will try it out and ask my neighbours how it went. But if I buy speakers and get rid of the sub the system is automatically decoupled isn't it? I thought it may be easier to turn down woofer volume/ adjust lower frequencies with better speakers :D
You could try something like this under your sub. Decoupling it from the floor is the way to go if your neighbours are underneath you. Next door neighbours with thin partition walls pose another problem. Bass waves travel very easily through thin walls. You might have to sacrifice the low bass range and make do with the harmonics if you want to stay friends with your neighbours.

As far as buying new speakers on a tight budget, try and find a pair used. Rule of thumb is that if they are in good condition, you will pay half price. You’ve immediately doubled your budget. The downside is the time you have to wait until something shows up locally.
The mat might make it better, thanks! Next door neighbours have a full room between my room in question and their bedroom, so there was not a problem till now. The ones underneath me have their bedroom there, so this is a bigger problem. How can I sacrifice low bass range? Ie. how to properly adjust the equalizer?

Thanks all!
 

kthulhutu

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Yes they only hear the sub.

Interesting. If I go with #49 I buy a set of speakers and change the woofers out?

It is such a ****** system that I can't switch it off, since the sub provides power to the active speakers and has no on/off button. Are the IEMs you linked better than my Airpod Pros?

Hm I will try it out and ask my neighbours how it went. But if I buy speakers and get rid of the sub the system is automatically decoupled isn't it? I thought it may be easier to turn down woofer volume/ adjust lower frequencies with better speakers :D

The mat might make it better, thanks! Next door neighbours have a full room between my room in question and their bedroom, so there was not a problem till now. The ones underneath me have their bedroom there, so this is a bigger problem. How can I sacrifice low bass range? Ie. how to properly adjust the equalizer?

Thanks all!
Yes speaker woofers would be more decoupled from the floor, especially if you stick them on good heavy stands.
 

HarmonicTHD

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Yes they only hear the sub.

Interesting. If I go with #49 I buy a set of speakers and change the woofers out?

It is such a ****** system that I can't switch it off, since the sub provides power to the active speakers and has no on/off button. Are the IEMs you linked better than my Airpod Pros?

Hm I will try it out and ask my neighbours how it went. But if I buy speakers and get rid of the sub the system is automatically decoupled isn't it? I thought it may be easier to turn down woofer volume/ adjust lower frequencies with better speakers :D

The mat might make it better, thanks! Next door neighbours have a full room between my room in question and their bedroom, so there was not a problem till now. The ones underneath me have their bedroom there, so this is a bigger problem. How can I sacrifice low bass range? Ie. how to properly adjust the equalizer?

Thanks all!
Ah I understand. That sucks indeed.

IEM. Objectively better yes. But no guarantee that you like them. AirPods are not bad and are just very convenient as they are wireless. And I am just reluctant to advise you on how you spent your precious money when seeing how you struggle to find a solution for you and your neighbors. Especially where others might just give a f. about what the neighbors think. Just very considerate of you.
 

caught gesture

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How can I sacrifice low bass range? Ie. how to properly adjust the equalizer?
You just need to set a high pass filter (HPF). The HPF will attenuate frequencies below a certain point by a steady slope. As the frequency goes down below the cutoff, so too does the amplitude.
 
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cosmosx

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Ah I understand. That sucks indeed.

IEM. Objectively better yes. But no guarantee that you like them. AirPods are not bad and are just very convenient as they are wireless. And I am just reluctant to advise you on how you spent your precious money when seeing how you struggle to find a solution for you and your neighbors. Especially where others might just give a f. about what the neighbors think. Just very considerate of you.
Thanks for your input, I appreciate it. Having respect for each others boundaries makes the world a better place :)
It is not that I am super short on money, I just thought that spending lots while throttling the woofer does not make that much sense. Back then, 12 years ago, I hated wearing my trashy gaming headset - but probably because it was just bad and felt awful on my head. Also don't laugh at me but I have no idea what DACs do or how they are used...
Edit: going to order those TRUTHEAR x Crinacle IEM. I am intrigued.

You just need to set a high pass filter (HPF). The HPF will attenuate frequencies below a certain point by a steady slope. As the frequency goes down below the cutoff, so too does the amplitude.
I see. and that certain point is trial and error? Sorry I am completely unknowledgeable in that area.

Have a nice evening.
 
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