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Post by zappytheviking on Apr 22, 2018 21:46:54 GMT
True, if it keeps current improvement I will be happy to have paid for the pretty. If I get more, happy times. Seems well priced, not much difference when it comes to Ebay. Could get away a little cheaper with a furukawa from china.
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Post by zappytheviking on Apr 22, 2018 20:30:33 GMT
Thanks Mike, good to hear from experience that there is more. Usually order my parts from audiophonics in France. Been eyeing these bits for weeks, agonizing if its worth spending 150-200€ on a power cord. These look like they could do the job, Plug , DIN and cable. Legalities will have to take the sidelines until experimentation proves a concept.
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Post by zappytheviking on Apr 22, 2018 16:37:21 GMT
Every time I try to leave
Something keeps pullin' me back, me back
Tellin' me I need you in my life
Every time I try to go
Something keeps tellin' me that, me that
Everything gon' be all rightEvery time I try to leave
Something keeps pullin' me back, me back
Tellin' me I need you in my life
It was meant to be, you were meant for me
So that means we gotta make it work
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Post by zappytheviking on Apr 22, 2018 16:16:09 GMT
I have been approaching my doubts by DIYing power leads. I managed to prove to myself that it does make a very noticeable difference. Started with a stripped standard lead, removed the plastic, twisted the leads and added a copper mesh shield. Made the sound way worse, smaller sound stage, darker, transients lost the punch. Few days ago found some leftover in wall solid core 2.5mm lead,again copper mesh shield attached to wall plug, silly amount of change. Much brighter, mid and highs changed so much, almost too sharp, bass was snappier too. Settled down after a few days and remains connected to power amp. Using the same quality lead that is in the wall or better makes logical sense to me. I expect fuses to give similar benefit, maybe start at the cheaper end, silver plated Bussman fuses 5-6£. mcru.co.uk/product-category/diy-componants/fuses/?orderby=price&v=f003c44deab6
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Post by zappytheviking on Apr 18, 2018 16:01:03 GMT
Very frugal, only around a 100mA.
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Post by zappytheviking on Apr 18, 2018 15:48:02 GMT
Absolutely, Tokin caps are great, planning a resistor balanced network for the SEG, Stan popped the 15V supercapped in the mail today, exciting. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the tweaks. Resistors over each cap will bleed off slightly more than the SEG consumes, keeps the 3x3caps grid balanced. Around 100.000uF on a DC feed most certainly makes a difference for the Pi-Digione and RDAC.. Mainly I am wondering about bigger ones, say 1F-2F. Likely overkill as smoothing caps but hey, bigger might be better . Maybe there are some negatives involved I know nothing about. Interesting sidenote for power design, Vinnie Rossi with the Lio amp really made a go of supercaps, alternating banks feeding the circuits. www.vinnierossi.com/lio-integrated-amplifier/
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Post by zappytheviking on Apr 18, 2018 13:52:45 GMT
Damn, that front looks really nice and fully shielded toroid inna can, lovely. Whats your opinion on sticking large super-cap banks on the output, good/bad/useful?
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Post by zappytheviking on Apr 17, 2018 15:02:46 GMT
Permanent, having things ready to go is nice, dont mind spending 100w/h on that. Heat monsters would have me second guessing that stance for sure.
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Post by zappytheviking on Apr 9, 2018 19:29:36 GMT
Thanks Miller. Just about 7 days so far, it does sound lovely, great improvements after the first 60h, my major contention is the warm character it imparts on everything, personal taste i suppose. I have been sending a signal through it since the moment it arrived so I can make a reasonable judgment before the return window closes. I will give it another day or 3.
Besides that, a rather lovely, easy to live with sound, in no way do I mean it is a bad product, just to make that clear. If someone is looking for a mellow but detailed DAC, this is it. I especially like the way it makes old AC/DC recordings sound good, a forgiving piece of kit. I would probably be very happy with the Yggdrasil, it is described as extremely detailed and super dynamic , just too expensive for me.
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Post by zappytheviking on Apr 9, 2018 16:33:14 GMT
stanleyb RDAC, true, the low end was weak, it responded really well to improvements in power delivery. It shipped with the cheapest possible wall wart that burnt out after a year or so. Perhaps the channel separation problem is what I am hearing too, the inability to separate sounds with busy music and perhaps part of the spacious sound. Good to know you ship, with the price difference the SEG is momentously tempting. Since I am handicapped by location, Initial impressions are by forum and reviews, heard nothing but good things. Will PM you some questions if you dont mind.
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Post by zappytheviking on Apr 9, 2018 14:57:38 GMT
I did try it with XLR direct and software volume control, cant be certain if the sound was accurately represented since I had to drop it to 5-10/100, likely there was serious bit reduction. Sound seemed a bit meatier and larger, same character.
Thanks for the offer Martin, sadly ASBO is somewhat out of the way for me, would love to BUT, 1300 miles, 2h bus ride, 1.5h by air + 2h more by air (artic circle sweden). Would be so much easier if one could chuck it in the car with a UPS, keep it warm, compare live. Pretty much have to order things and decide to return them or not, haven't found any like minded local nutters yet either.
Still have 7 days to decide.
Dont think it would be hard to sell since Electromod.co.uk and schiit.eu.com are constantly out of stock.
I suppose the main problem is lack of reference, brings on the what-if-itis.
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Post by zappytheviking on Apr 9, 2018 11:52:32 GMT
Just got a new DAC, Schiit Gungnir MB. Plugged in and warming up, according to forum feedback it needs 3-7 days for initial "warm-up". Being a R2R multi-bit ladder it will need to reach thermal equilibrium and stabilize. A product you never turn off since it will need 12-24h to sound decent. After initial listening, I most certainly agree, sound is muddy, vocals are forward, background instruments can hardly be heard. At one point there was a strange warble on the background soundscape. At this point my old Burr-Brown Arcam RDAC is the winner, especially with battery power and Tonkin supercaps and Linear DC-DC converter. The RDACs highs are sparkly, the bass is well defined. What it isnt good at is busy orchestral and rock/metal, dynamics are good but it just doesn't have the resolution to separate the sounds. At this price(1100£) the Gumby better beat it or its going back. 12h later, considerably better soundstage and clarity but still has a plushy velvet mush draped around it,flabby undefined bass. 36h, Vocals are less forward and background is clearer, still too smooth and the bass/clarity is not up to the RDACs level. Gods I hope this is a warm-up issue. Mind you , I am not using the XLR, the amp and DAC both are true balanced capable, I am likely missing out on some performance. Got to order a new 4 channel attenuator, not going to unless Gumby clearly beats the RDAC on standard single ended. Positive note at this time, the Gumby does clearly win on more complex and busy tunes, Chris Cornell - You know my name, on RDAC it becomes a bit of a mess, it just doesn't separate enough, the vocals dissapear into a cloud of instruments, Gumby brings out the vocals and separates the instruments nicely. 48h Further improvement, I am still missing some bass slam. 60h, Magic moment, much of the warm plushy curtains fell away. Clannad - Oh this land , suddenly noticed I was holding my breath in certain passages, this is where trusty old RDAC gets left in the dust. Gumby is clearly better AND diffrent. Naturally presented detail, some say vinyl like, not sure I agree, mostly since I havent heard a vinyl setup in 20y. I would say very detailed yet pleasant, there is a hint of dryness to the overall sound. David Munyon - Four wild horses , not as enjoyable anymore, it doesnt fill the room like it used to, the first bass notes no longer have that deep gut feel to them, less vibrant, vocals are dry and forward. Intruments are drawn in and behind vocals. Maybe the RDAC was failing at placement but I liked it. Win some, lose some. 72h , Vocals not as forward anymore, soundstage is better/bigger. Bass is still somewhat tubby. 144h, some AB listening RDAC, clearer spacious, slight bit of siblant, indistict airy vocals, midrange might have a slight bump, likely to cover for lack of detail. The midrange is pleasing in its own way, I like the effect in many songs, etheric. Some sharpness/siblance at times but also makes acoustic guitarr sound like it has power and snap. Makes a mess of complex busy music, rock and orchestral. Calm intrumental music sounds lovely. Gumby, focused and locked in vocals, warm/dry. The bass is good in comparison, improved with time. Vocals have great accuracy, can hear slight trembles and textures like never before, the soundstage is solid, I interpret that as accuracy in signal processing. Everything is pleasant, this character seems a little like an effect similar to the RDACs space and treble sparkle. Its a good DAC no doubt, but do I want to pay 1100£ for it? Quite the dilemma, Leaves me wondering if a superCap SEG would be a better choice. At around 4x the price there would be plenty left over for LPSU and wiring upgrades that will likely bring more benefit.
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Post by zappytheviking on Apr 8, 2018 21:25:58 GMT
Got to thank you for the Tonkin cap thing, they are brilliant little things, saw Martin mention it a while back in relation to the mod. Used them on my RDAC, put a few on the DC power, same on the feed to the Pi3, big difference. I will settle in and await further developments, exciting.
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Post by zappytheviking on Apr 8, 2018 17:55:42 GMT
stanleyb A proper teaser, am considering going SEG myself. Any hints you could give on the timeline on the PSU, few months? The supercap mod, does it absolutely require 15v by design? Was thinking I would run it at 12.5-13V from my 55Ah battery to start with.
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Post by zappytheviking on Feb 8, 2018 0:25:27 GMT
Completion to above. Should drop power use and RF noise.
Saw mention of disabling USB and that it would also disable LAN, need more research but seems like a bad idea so far. Makes sense since the USB and ethernet chipset are essentially one.
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Post by zappytheviking on Feb 7, 2018 17:44:53 GMT
I stumbled on a snipped about the Rpi3 that might explain why an IFI- silencer in a USB port is having good results. www.raspberrypi.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=39714www.microchip.com/wwwproducts/en/LAN9514One thing that can be turned off easily is HDMI, saw it in a power saving discussion. Since its not in use, disabled mine, not totally sure if it was a great leap forward, have to play with it one day. Switch off /opt/vc/bin/tvservice -o Switch on /opt/vc/bin/tvservice -p
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Post by zappytheviking on Jan 21, 2018 10:27:44 GMT
Luckily there are spots for fuses in the back panel and sometimes even inside.
Intriguing little widgets, another thing to put on the list of things to play with one day.
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Post by zappytheviking on Jan 15, 2018 12:27:06 GMT
Allsorts FTW, had some leftover bitumen, the sweet likeness makes it sound better, just like black cases.
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Post by zappytheviking on Jan 14, 2018 21:39:02 GMT
Just had someone from 2 rooms away come and ask me, who were you speaking too just now, obviously I hadn't said a peep in 3h but the music was playing. Coincidental? naah, gotta be the rack Listened some more, just realized, reverb and echoes no longer seem like an effect, instead of a distant repeat the sound is part of the room. Had no idea, thought things sounded great early yesterday.
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Post by zappytheviking on Jan 14, 2018 21:30:53 GMT
Grats dsjr. Thanks fellas. @zippy Have no idea how a more uniform rack would affect things. Will try it out at a later date. Read this TNT article. www.tnt-audio.com/accessories/vibra_iso_pt1_e.htmlCore concept I have drawn from it, jiggly soft stuff stabilizing chassi from top(weighted) and bottom. A more firm contact shelf to rack and rack legs, RDC cones, or as in the TNT article, polycrystal cones. Maybe the composite cone is taking out higher frequency vibration, the rest is then easily handled by squishy sorbothane, in my case cork. Like a tree, sturdier at the bottom and bendier on top, usually works for them in a windstorm. MartinT , Good suggestion, seems similar to the polycrystal cones, will add it to the upgrades list next to sorbothane and granite slabs. All in all, isolating and damping has given a sort of surround sound, really really good, natural, great spatial information, a clarity that made me turn down the volume several notches. Listening to Enya, actually sounds like a cathedral, never even crossed my mind before. Beginning to suspect the floor heater pump was causing grief, can hear it when its really quiet, 1-200hz rumble. Tapped the amp case, it most certainly will benefit from damping, mind you I got the 100£ cheaper case, now I will spend 50-100£ on granite and sorbothane. Added some more weight and cork cubes for chassis and legs, another step of improvement, the bits are glued together with just a touch of hot melt glue. The cast iron weights are not ideal but will serve for now, they are free. I did hear some strange behaviour from the amp, a few tracks, singers voice wanted to travel to the left, moved the weight around and things mostly balanced out, still better than no weight until replacement. This whole thing feels like surfing, riding the crest with increasingly small margins until there is a big change in some direction, good fun. Had I spent +1000£ for this advancement, wouldn't feel cheated. Some pictures of todays escapades.
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