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Post by Slinger on Oct 12, 2019 14:53:02 GMT
There is an SPDIF iPurifier - I had one and found it useless in my system. There is also an iPurifier3 which is USB. If you are buying new I recommend making sure you can return it if necessary ... It's purely hypothetical, Jules, I'm just gathering opinions. As I said in the O.P. I'm not convinced by the iFi device, or my AQ Jitterbug.
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Post by MartinT on Oct 12, 2019 14:54:53 GMT
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Post by julesd68 on Oct 12, 2019 14:55:14 GMT
Yes I had a Jitterbug too which I sold - all these products attract as varied opinions as 'audiophile' mains cables etc
Curiously enough though my AC iPurifier actually added noise to my system - I could hear a very low level buzz through the speakers when I plugged it in ...
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Post by Slinger on Oct 12, 2019 14:58:02 GMT
It doesn't seem to have got any warmer since I've been using it, Martin.
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Post by MartinT on Oct 12, 2019 15:25:25 GMT
I shall be listening on battery/charger power for a while as my QP-1 is awaiting a replacement transformer to cope with the Asus' higher power demands.
It's no hardship as I am now convinced that the Asus is doing an altogether better USB streaming job than the Pi. It just makes music sound more vibrant.
Meanwhile, my Mutec MC-3 order will arrive soon and will be converted to run on 5V power from the 2nd QP-1 outlet. This should give another jump up in performance.
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Post by Slinger on Oct 13, 2019 15:10:48 GMT
I've just discovered something; my Tinker Board doesn't like my Chinese LPSU. I played some lovely "brassy" Mahler #1 and my system was screaming at me on the crescendi. The brass was shouty, smeary, and glaring. I switched the power back to one of the 5v/4.5A outputs on my Lidlife Tower and lo and behold, it calmed down immediately. I think I also need to investigate a different USB lead, to give me some sort of comparison and to see if any improvement is to be had in that direction. The top end is still too brittle and glassy for me, even though I've stopped it screaming for mercy. The Oyaide may well still be " running in" but I can't give it forever without some sort of baseline to judge its performance by. Time for a rethink, power-wise, though. Of course, the one thing I really don't want to do is spend huge dollops of money on a "good" PSU for what is just my "second" system. On the other hand I do want to make it sound as good as I can within my means.
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Post by julesd68 on Oct 13, 2019 15:16:18 GMT
I have to say Paul that I get superb results using a Powerbank to feed my streamer. It’s a very cheap experiment if you don’t have one - get it from Amazon and return if you don’t like it?
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Post by Slinger on Oct 13, 2019 15:22:02 GMT
I've got a couple knocking about, Jules. I'll give it a go.
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Post by julesd68 on Oct 13, 2019 15:24:48 GMT
Cool.
I've read about a few people having problems using a Powerbank to do this but mine has worked flawlessly.
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Post by Slinger on Oct 13, 2019 15:30:19 GMT
It's happily playing away as we speak, Jules. Thanks for the prod.
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Post by MartinT on Oct 13, 2019 15:37:15 GMT
Yes, I'm running on my old powerbank, too.
I think you've hit another variation of power supply issue with the Asus, Paul. It really needs a lot more current than the Pi and what previously worked doesn't necessarily work now.
I would say you need 3A to give it sufficient headroom.
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Post by Slinger on Oct 13, 2019 15:49:30 GMT
The powerbank I'm using is only rated at 5v/2A, but the Tinker Board seems quite happy. I might look around for something with a bit more poke though.
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Post by Pinch on Oct 13, 2019 16:12:00 GMT
The top end is still too brittle and glassy for me, even though I've stopped it screaming for mercy. The Oyaide may well still be " running in" but I can't give it forever without some sort of baseline to judge its performance by. One thing to check - as I also mentioned to Martin - is whether the USB input on your DAC is being fed power by the USB 5v - some DACs do this, while others rely just on their own supplies. If it is drawing power from the ASUS board, then this might account for the brittle glassiness that you're hearing (at least, I've had a similar experience). Options here would be find a USB injector cable and then feed it power from a cleaner source, or try something like this: www.aqvox.de/usb-power_en.html
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Post by Slinger on Oct 13, 2019 16:41:43 GMT
The top end is still too brittle and glassy for me, even though I've stopped it screaming for mercy. The Oyaide may well still be " running in" but I can't give it forever without some sort of baseline to judge its performance by. One thing to check - as I also mentioned to Martin - is whether the USB input on your DAC is being fed power by the USB 5v - some DACs do this, while others rely just on their own supplies. If it is drawing power from the ASUS board, then this might account for the brittle glassiness that you're hearing (at least, I've had a similar experience). Options here would be find a USB injector cable and then feed it power from a cleaner source, or try something like this: www.aqvox.de/usb-power_en.htmlI think there are, maybe, too many factors in play for that to be the case. The power bank seems to be taming the top end quite well, and I've got a 3A version arriving tomorrow. It was one of Amazon's "lightning" deals, and it had a 10% off coupon as well, so it cost a few pennies over fifteen quid in the end. Currently I'm prepared to believe it was the LPSU that caused the glare etc.. It's just given me a pretty good Mahler 5 last movement with a stonking finale, although there's still room for improvement. I'll probably keep my eyes open for a used AQ Cinnamon USB cable, or similar, but at the moment, and with the more powerful power bank to come, I can definitely live with the system. I've just put Dark Side... on and it's now, if anything, sounding a little bottom-heavy. I may have to fiddle with the sub's crossover frequency at some time in the future, or I might just keep on pissing off the neighbours.
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Post by MartinT on Oct 13, 2019 17:38:44 GMT
I agree that it's important to get to the bottom of the various factors at play. By luck or judgement, the combination of iSilencer with JuiceBitz USB cable and Audioquest Carbon AES cable are giving me an excellent balance of detail with impressive bass quality.
The power bank lash-up is working pretty well considering I have a nasty SMPS charger plugged in. I am sure that the QP-1 will beat it for sound quality. Finally, amazing as the Mutec performance is, it's going to love running from supercap 5V which will eliminate the ordinary power cable feeding it.
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Post by Slinger on Oct 13, 2019 18:15:58 GMT
I was wondering what effect it would have running the USB 5V/4.5A from my power hub through some kind of galvanic isolation. The Tinker Board setup sounded fairly good being powered from the hub, and if I could clean that power up... Just another thought from my poor, addled, brain.
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Post by Slinger on Oct 14, 2019 15:15:13 GMT
I've had the ATB (Asus Tinker Board) setup plugged in to my existing and fully charged power bank for an hour and a half with nothing running other than the case fan, and it's "eaten" 14% of the charge. On the subject of the case-fan, by the way... It suddenly occurred to me to check my termination of it as I couldn't "feel" it blowing. I'd mis-terminated it, and now the case appears to be cooler than the surrounding atmosphere. It's also silent. I actually had to hold the ATB to my ear to verify it was now running.
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Post by julesd68 on Oct 14, 2019 15:40:56 GMT
I was wondering what effect it would have running the USB 5V/4.5A from my power hub through some kind of galvanic isolation. The Tinker Board setup sounded fairly good being powered from the hub, and if I could clean that power up... Just another thought from my poor, addled, brain. It's easy - just get an ifi galvanic isolation unit for the measly sum of 379 quid ...
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Post by Slinger on Oct 14, 2019 15:47:11 GMT
I was wondering what effect it would have running the USB 5V/4.5A from my power hub through some kind of galvanic isolation. The Tinker Board setup sounded fairly good being powered from the hub, and if I could clean that power up... Just another thought from my poor, addled, brain. It's easy - just get an ifi galvanic isolation unit for the measly sum of 379 quid ... I considered doing that, Jules, for what must have been at least a nanosecond. Needless to say what I actually want is.. #1 The views of somebody who knows a lot more than me on whether it could actually bring any benefits. #2 A method for how to do it "on the cheap," if their views are positive.
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Post by MartinT on Oct 14, 2019 16:03:49 GMT
I've had the ATB (Asus Tinker Board) setup plugged in to my existing and fully charged power bank for an hour and a half with nothing running other than the case fan, and it's "eaten" 14% of the charge. On the subject of the case-fan, by the way... It suddenly occurred to me to check my termination of it as I couldn't "feel" it blowing. I'd mis-terminated it, and now the case appears to be cooler than the surrounding atmosphere. It's also silent. I actually had to hold the ATB to my ear to verify it was now running. Yes, I'm not surprised at the battery consumption, in fact 14% down over 1 1/2 hours is not bad. As for the fan, well done. I take it that it's sucking hot air out now? Glad it's silent as the small fans you find in, say, Netgear Pro switches are horribly noisy.
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