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Post by MartinT on Dec 17, 2022 14:02:14 GMT
All good points. I shall swap them around and listen and measure.
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Post by MartinT on Dec 20, 2022 17:40:14 GMT
All good points. I shall swap them around and listen and measure. I'm deferring this for another time. Right now, coming out of a nasty bout of flu, all I've wanted to do is revel in music and that is happening in spades. Things have come together happily, be they the Tubulus and LMR-400 cables burning-in or the QA boxes achieving their peak performance or the extra boxes on mains earth duties (or even further back to the final fuse upgrades or Coherent BDM power cable). Doesn't matter, don't care right now. I'm not touching anything! |
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Post by stellabagpuss on Dec 20, 2022 20:30:39 GMT
Get well soon Martin, l've have my flu session a few months back,it hit me bad, so hopefully it's a mild one.
Damien
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Post by MartinT on Dec 23, 2022 19:29:32 GMT
Sinutabs seem to be doing the job, I can suffer from sinusitis after getting cold or flu.
Having an extended listening session tonight, and the Dead Can Dance album Spiritchaser sounds better than I've ever heard it before. Rich with percussion, Lisa Gerrard's voice soars majestically and, most noticeably, the space and note decay are way more evident.
The system still seems to be reaching its new level of performance.
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Post by nicholas on Dec 23, 2022 19:34:38 GMT
The LMR-400 clock cables may be contributing more than we originally thought to the bump up in SQ. They certainly seem to have a beneficial impact on my main and office systems.
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Post by stellabagpuss on Dec 23, 2022 23:27:06 GMT
The LMR-400 clock cables may be contributing more than we originally thought to the bump up in SQ. They certainly seem to have a beneficial impact on my main and office systems. l've recently found the same using Leo clock,swapped out and tested a couple of 50ohm BNC cables,and l was really surprised by the impact they have on every aspect of the sound. This has lend me to hang on to my AD clock cable, but it's also inspired me to make my own cables,which plan to do ,once my BNC connectors turn up. l'll post on my blog,once completed. lt's not that changing the lead makes a clock sound bad,but it changes the presentation,the cheaper cables, sounding more forward and slightly forced,going back to the AD cable,was almost like a clock upgrade in itself |
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Post by nicholas on Dec 24, 2022 0:07:35 GMT
As you foray into the making your own 50ohm clock cables, Damien, keep in mind that the LMR-400 cables that @martin and I are using to great effect cost all of £6.03 from AliExpress.
Looking forward to your cable recipe and how they perform.
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Post by stellabagpuss on Dec 24, 2022 6:52:22 GMT
Thankfully Nick it's not megabucks, l using Huber & Suhner cable, which l've picked up cheap on ebay, looks like its the chosen cable by some, Quartz audio and AD, looking to replicate the AD cable,at a cheaper price.
The things l do to entertain myself 🤣
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Post by MartinT on Dec 24, 2022 9:18:31 GMT
I agree that the LMR-400 clock cable has surprised me, its substantial build quality could have been a giveaway (it's stiff as a pipe), but it seems too inexpensive to be good. I'm about to go back and compare the Belden 4694R I was using previously, to be certain. I'll report back.
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Post by MartinT on Dec 24, 2022 9:53:18 GMT
Swapping back to the 4694R gives a big acoustic with nicely developed air and space - it remains a good cable. Back to the LMR-400, though, and the space is now vast with even longer note decay.
The other area that is noticeably better is bass potency.
The LMR-400 makes my external clock sound more 'clocky', in other words it gives more of why you buy an external clock in the first place: soundstage, tightness, detail, bass.
This 50 ohm cable is a mismatch for my clock, but not for the U18. One of the advantages of a sinewave clock is that it doesn't care about impedance, and in such a short length (30cm), there is no downside.
I've ordered another one to try between my EtherREGEN and first clock.
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Post by stellabagpuss on Dec 24, 2022 13:24:27 GMT
lt's always good play, thankfully even better when it's cheap
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Post by HD Music & Test on Dec 24, 2022 13:42:16 GMT
l using Huber & Suhner cable, which l've picked up cheap on ebay, looks like its the chosen cable by some, Some of the H&S cables I use for basic T&E not to shabby at all Damien.
From time to time I lend out some real high end T&E cabling for comparisons, its quite illuminating at what they are capable of. However this all about inserting loss / BW / Termination / Materials and constrution techniques. Also the ability to accurately view what each of the cables are producing in the TDR & signal integrity domains.
If anyone wishes for an accurate measurement of their cables, happy to do this, you will then be able to build up a selection of preferable cables for WHATEVER the reasons are  |
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Post by MartinT on Dec 24, 2022 18:16:22 GMT
As to why the LMR-400 is so good, it's hard to know for sure. - Shielding: they are both double-shielded; 4694R foil + braid, LMR-400 tape + braid - Core: 4694R solid core silvered copper, LMR-400 solid copper-clad aluminium - Attenuation: | dB/100ft | 4694R | LMR-400 | | 10MHz | 0.7dB | 0.4dB | | 100MHz | 1.89dB | 1.3dB | | 1GHz | 5.90dB | 4.3dB | | 10GHz | 20.0dB | 12.0dB |
The LMR-400 is the lower loss cable and much better with increasing frequency. The 4694R has better materials construction but is overall similar in shielding. The LMR-400 is thicker and more inflexible. The LMR-400 is 50 ohm, the 4694R is 75 ohm impedance. |
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Post by MartinT on Jan 1, 2023 16:17:13 GMT
A system summary for 2023
Key milestones:
2016 - My first dedicated music room
2019 - Strategic decision to move away from media towards streaming
2022 - System design pretty much complete
I won't bore you with component lists or system design, I've probably bored you with all that already! What I've ended up with is a system that delivers music, that keeps me deliriously happy and for which any omissions are hugely outweighed by what it does right. I hardly listen for sound quality any more, it's all about the music and how it touches me emotionally. Isn't that what it's all about?
An alternative system description (just for fun):
A quintuple-isolated, dual-clocked, multiply-grounded digital streaming chain with attention to power throughout and a highly detailed Streamer/DDC/DAC subsystem, powered by a very capable power amp into my end-game speakers. All fed by Qobuz. Detail - Flow - Power. It may sound obvious, but the system suits me perfectly.
As for the future, who knows? I can only suggest that the new EtherREGEN Gen.2 may be a good, and relatively inexpensive, step up, but I don't need anything else right now.
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Post by MartinT on Jan 2, 2023 13:07:17 GMT
Updated system photos. System rack: top-left: Sonore Signature Rendu SE streamer; top-right: Gustard U18 DDC, Gustard X26 Pro DAC, AfterDark Emperor Triple Crown clock; middle-left: PS Audio P3 regenerator; middle-right: Zero Zone 01-A 12V supercap PSU; bottom-left: PS Audio P10 regenerator; bottom-right: Belles SA-100 power amp.  DDC, DAC, clock system with grounding boxes.  Behind the scenes: yellow ipolex fibre in, Mad Scientist Ultra USB out to DDC, Tubulus Argentus I2S out to DAC, LMR-400 clock cable, Coherent AC and DC power cables.  Pre-system: top: TP-Link MR6400 4G router; middle: EtherREGEN reclocker; foreground: AfterDark King clock.  Usher Be-20 speaker with (just visible at base) SPEC RSP-901EX sound processor on Townshend Podium.  |
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Post by mattspl on Jan 2, 2023 13:59:47 GMT
Very nice system Martin and very tidy, especially considering all the cables and connections.
What are the silver cylinder weights on top of the equipment?
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Post by MartinT on Jan 2, 2023 14:09:05 GMT
Thanks, Matt.
The weights are Schramm German door stoppers. Very effective and look quite smart. I have 20 of them now.
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Post by nicholas on Jan 2, 2023 15:31:02 GMT
Most of your kit looks strangely familiar!
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Post by MartinT on Jan 6, 2023 18:25:13 GMT
My 2nd LMR-400 cable arrived earlier today. I'd already forgotten just how thick and unyielding it is! This one has gone into my first clock to EtherREGEN position, replacing the Belden 4694R. It's quite a long way upstream, just after the router, yet to my continuing surprise I can hear its effect quite clearly.
It's a more fluid, calmer cable with greater soundstage depth and superb bass extension. It sounds very much in keeping with my first LMR-400, a lovely cable for peanuts cost. I now need to let it burn in for a couple of weeks, not a problem for a clock cable when the clock is running continuously.
I'll say it again, just to be clear: this is a 50 ohm cable and is a mismatch for 75 ohm equipment. Sinewave clocks don't care, but if you use a squarewave clock do proceed with caution.
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Post by MartinT on Jan 9, 2023 11:29:37 GMT
Listening again last night, the LMR-400 clock cable does again do something very subtle but remarkable in its effect on the presentation. Perhaps 'calm' isn't the best word, as that suggests a reduction in dynamics which is not what's happening. It's quite organic and non-harsh but allows a level of subtle detail to be heard more clearly than before. It isn't just obvious detail, though, as it manifests very clearly as improved soundstage ambience, reverb and decay.
I find it extraordinary that a clock cable, through which the music signal does not pass, can be responsible for such changes. It's certainly not being stressed bandwidth-wise by a 10MHz sinewave, yet the high bandwidth and low loss of the cable must be significant. Belden 4694R has almost as good performance figures, but nowhere near the audio qualities of the LMR-400.
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