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Post by mattspl on Jan 2, 2024 0:07:01 GMT
Everything sounds different. Lowered noise floor. Incredible detail and delineation in the treble. Longer note decay. Striking transient dynamics. Zero harshness and very low sibilance. Really, really hard to believe this is streaming. Requires a shift in understanding. CD and LP are so very far away now. MikeMusic yes, a weight has been on the router for a while now. Sounds good Martin. Am I right in thinking that the new power supply has a dual output? |
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Post by MartinT on Jan 2, 2024 5:25:22 GMT
Yes, they both have dual outputs but I am only using them each to power a clock.
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Post by MikeMusic on Jan 2, 2024 9:45:16 GMT
Be interested to hear how one might power 2 items, compared to 2 singles
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Post by brettj on Jan 2, 2024 9:55:06 GMT
No guesses yet? It's to accompany something I've just received. A power supply to power a power supply? I know David has a few sitting around. Not a grounding box. Something on top? Perhaps a 'black conversion kit?' Has to sit underneath then. |
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Post by MartinT on Jan 2, 2024 9:55:09 GMT
Be interested to hear how one might power 2 items, compared to 2 singles Have to be careful not to short-circuit the grounds and therefore remove the benefit of having a moat. For that reason, I won't power the 1st AD clock together with the EtherREGEN, nor would I power both AD clocks from a single JS-2, notwithstanding that they are about 5m apart. |
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Post by MartinT on Jan 2, 2024 9:58:49 GMT
Something on top? Perhaps a 'black conversion kit?' Has to sit underneath then. Underneath is correct. What is a 'black conversion kit'? I am glad that my two JS-2 power supplies are highly elegant looking brushed finish units and that I have removed two black Zero Zones from the system. |
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Post by brettj on Jan 2, 2024 10:02:11 GMT
I'm sure Mike would buy way too many 'black conversion kits' if there were such things...
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Post by MartinT on Jan 2, 2024 10:44:45 GMT
These are way too nice looking to be 'just power supplies'!  |
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Post by MartinT on Jan 2, 2024 13:39:17 GMT
Speaking of 'new ears' on speedysteve thread, I invited my stepson's girlfriend to listen to my system yesterday as she is a player in an amateur orchestra (The Amati Orchestra) and has performed at some impressively big events. I wanted her to judge violin and piano tone and played her a few suitable pieces. Her responses were in musician's terms, not hi-fi terms, and she referred to the violin and piano tones as "nothing wrong with that". She picked up on the pizzicato playing in a Shostakovich piece and remarked on how good it was to even hear pizzicato in a recording, which surprised me a bit. She then went on to say that she enjoyed hearing so much more in the pieces as she wasn't used to hearing recordings in good quality. We also talked about pianos being percussion instruments and how they often make just one sound in a recording, without the 'strike' being audible. It was an enjoyable session, and educational hearing a musician's viewpoint. |
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Post by MartinT on Jan 4, 2024 19:34:17 GMT
Early thoughts as I suspect the new BRs will take some time to settle with weight on them, as they all do. All comparisons are against standard BR Big Pads, which are already excellent in performance.
They seem to excel on busy, dynamic, music by tightening and clarifying what's going on in the mix. The music punches and slams and doesn't get shouty even during very busy moments. I am hearing more things going on during these moments as they now seem better defined.
Heavy bass is noticeably tighter and less boomy, too, feeling extremely grunty but not loading up the room.
The effects are most obvious, as said, in busy dynamic music like Yello (Flag and Touch) where the clarifying effects in the mid/treble and the utra-tight bass are quite startling. This is the 4th level of isolation on top of RDC Big Cones supporting Solid Tech rack (1), BR Shelf (2), RDC Big Cones and Cups supporting Electric Beach S1NX shelf (3). That's some feat ('scuse the pun).
I'll keep listening with different music over the next few days.
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Post by MartinT on Jan 5, 2024 18:56:54 GMT
Take one example song: PJ Harvey's To Bring You My Love from the album of the same name. It's always been a raw track but whereas you could be forgiven for thinking the recording is hitting the limits, that isn't the case. It's a great recording of the mic and guitar hitting the limits. The immediacy and impact of that guitar are off the scale and PJ's singing is wonderfully distorted.
The above track is like being in a practice room with someone on the guitar and the amp turned right up. It's that kind of immediacy.
Two tracks along, Working for the Man does the same thing with bass guitar.
That a set of footers can do this is remarkable.
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Tobias
Rank: Quartet
Posts: 336
Member is Online
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Post by Tobias on Jan 6, 2024 12:21:53 GMT
Martin, that PJ Harvey album/recording!
It used to be an absolute favorite of mine but to be honest I have thought this mid 90s recording was not the best... and therefore I haven´t really given it a try since i stepped into this HiFi madness...
I started with the first song, as you talked about it, and was glued till the end...
What a wonderful recording this is. The feedback, the distortion, her voice. Pure rock & roll bliss is captured.
To my surprise i noticed that the album also goes deep, on songs where it isn´t expected.
My sub, that works below 35hz is surprisingly active also on the non-bass heavy tracks, pumping up that club venue pressure in the room.
The last song on the album suddenly became my favorite, i think, since it really excelled for me now.
Thanks for making me aware of this album again, it was an amazing 42 minutes.
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Post by MartinT on Jan 6, 2024 12:41:54 GMT
Hi Tobias, I have loved that album for a long time but it's a complete revelation when resolved in stark detail. Like you, I find it mesmerising. I'm very glad you like it.
I'm playing The Dancer again.
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Post by orange55 on Jan 13, 2024 19:49:45 GMT
How are the new big pads coming on?
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Post by MartinT on Jan 13, 2024 21:08:59 GMT
How are the new big pads coming on? They are seriously good. I'm still awaiting pricing and (as long as I don't fall off my chair) I would like to buy another set to go under the DAC / DDC / Clock combo. |
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Post by MartinT on Jan 13, 2024 21:19:43 GMT
Just for kicks, I thought I'd try a small CD player from AliExpress as a transport so that I can occasionally play CDs in my collection. It's never been a burning need as so few are now missing from streaming, but as you know, I like to play and experiment. So this small device costing peanuts (how do the Chinese do it?) arrived and I set to getting it to work. It needs 5V via USB-C so I used the charger for this tablet, just plugged into dirty mains. I found a decent 1m optical cable and connected it to the DAC. It sounds a bit rough compared with streaming but also it's not half bad. Musical memory is not to be trusted, but I would say it's around the performance of my old Ayre SACD player. Inferior transport meets much better DAC (but none of the benefits of cleaning the signal first). Treble a touch clunky but the midrange is fine and the bass not too light. For £60 inc. shipping and VAT, it was worth the discovery.  |
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Post by MikeMusic on Jan 13, 2024 21:25:39 GMT
“Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.”  |
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Post by MartinT on Jan 13, 2024 21:34:15 GMT
I've put it away now, don't want the distraction. I played a familiar Yello track (Junior B) on CD and then from Qobuz and there's no comparison, really - despite both being 16/44.
Fun to try it out, though. Still not missing physical media.
By the way, that Little Feat album is one of the few not on streaming. I ripped it and put it in Google Drive a long time ago so that I can play it.
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Post by orange55 on Jan 14, 2024 9:33:42 GMT
How are the new big pads coming on? They are seriously good. I'm still awaiting pricing and (as long as I don't fall off my chair) I would like to buy another set to go under the DAC / DDC / Clock combo. Thanks. I need a new set of big pads, so holding off now for these. Then of course may find myself swapping out all the current ones. 😀 |
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Post by The Brookmeister on Jan 15, 2024 21:56:07 GMT
154 pages! That's some thread dude, is it a different tweak for each page? 154 seems a lot ! LOL
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