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Post by MartinT on Jul 30, 2024 7:21:14 GMT
I hinted at a mistake I made a couple of weeks ago by removing the two Mini-Circuits BLP-10.7+ filters from my two clock feeds to the EtherREGEN and U18. I took them out on a whim and thought "ok, this sounds fine and seems to have made no difference". It was one of those changes that took time to be fully noticed but was clearly revealed when I put the filters back in place. My vague dissatisfaction disappeared and all was good again.
I hasten to add that these filters are superb but can only be used with a 10MHz sinewave clock. Don't use them with a squarewave clock!
As a prequel to trying the ethernet throttle cable (which goes against all my engineer's instincts to not deliberately round the edges of waveforms in an attempt to remove noise), I tried a single snap-choke on the end of my uGreen cable feeding the ER. It seemed to be fine so I left it in place for a couple of days. I then took it away again and the system sounded better without it.
This does not fill me with hope that a throttle cable is going to improve my system, but in the pursuit of experimentation I will try it when the ferrite ring arrives.
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Post by Clive on Jul 30, 2024 7:57:42 GMT
I’m going to try my WiFi extender (as per Eric’s spec) without the choke cable. It would be good if the choke cable isn’t needed for the reason you state, however I don’t have the benefit of an ER.
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Post by MartinT on Aug 1, 2024 23:33:35 GMT
It's always good to play my son some music, he's not over very often. There have been some changes since his last visit, especially the PS Audio P12 replacing the P10, the Signature Rendu attaining Deluxe status, two JS-2 power supplies replacing Zero Zones, the DAC cable replacing the Cisco optical cable, two Tubulus Concentus clock cables, and much other tweaking.
I played him the Sophie Zelmani (All About You from Soul) we had heard at the Bristol Hi-Fi show (sounding dull on Acoustic Energy speakers) and he was spellbound. His words were "that's the best sound I've ever heard", not bad coming from an amateur music creator. I guess I done good.
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Post by MartinT on Aug 7, 2024 16:55:58 GMT
More insight than ever... I'm playing Worthy Love by Melissa Tallon, a lovely track and incredibly revealing as it doesn't sound very special on a lesser system. This is standard resolution, so no hi-res trickery. It opens with piano and her crystal clear voice over a (muted?) cymbal. That cymbal used to sound murky but now has shape and I can hear the differences in strikes. There is also decay that was not so obvious before. A little later something else percussive joins it. The kick drum coming in with the bass is distinct and not as if a single entity: there is a kick and there is bass. There is a huge and deep bass note underpinning everything in the middle of the song, this is wonderful and shakes the sofa and room. Yet neither her voice nor the other instruments are modulated by it at all. All these things are so much better, and I am getting similar bumps in everything I listen to. open.qobuz.com/track/126172727 |
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Post by palace on Aug 8, 2024 14:43:25 GMT
More insight than ever... I'm playing Worthy Love by Melissa Tallon, a lovely track and incredibly revealing as it doesn't sound very special on a lesser system. This is standard resolution, so no hi-res trickery. It opens with piano and her crystal clear voice over a (muted?) cymbal. That cymbal used to sound murky but now has shape and I can hear the differences in strikes. There is also decay that was not so obvious before. A little later something else percussive joins it. The kick drum coming in with the bass is distinct and not as if a single entity: there is a kick and there is bass. There is a huge and deep bass note underpinning everything in the middle of the song, this is wonderful and shakes the sofa and room. Yet neither her voice nor the other instruments are modulated by it at all. All these things are so much better, and I am getting similar bumps in everything I listen to. open.qobuz.com/track/126172727Good shout MartinT a reference track again for me. |
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Post by MartinT on Aug 17, 2024 18:30:32 GMT
An even bigger difference since I last played it: Orinoco Flow from Enya's Watermark. The soundstage is simply ENORMOUS from the off. What a fantastic sound that you can just fall into. This to me, more than any other piece, is hugely satisfying and shows off my system changes in the last year rather well. Massive depth, air and space, big dynamics but smooth and non-harsh. open.qobuz.com/track/8172601 |
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Tobias
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Post by Tobias on Aug 20, 2024 8:50:42 GMT
Martin, I haven´t read thru your hole thread to figure this out my self... but have you explored more expensive power cables now when you have an even lower general noise floor and (or thanks to) the P12?
I am thinking that the mains cables might also start to matter a lot when at your very low noise floor, that now needs to be protected even more?
Sorry if you have already shared information about this in this thread.
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Post by MartinT on Aug 20, 2024 9:12:41 GMT
The P12 made a large difference as did my JS-2 power supplies. Other contributors to low noise floor were the Tubulus clock cables.
Agreed that mains cables make a big impact, but I had them sorted a while ago. The latest addition, a Coherent BDM powering the P12, certainly helped.
EDIT: sorry, I should have clarified: every power cable in my system is Coherent; most are 6D, the regenerators use a BD (P3) and BDM (P12).
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Post by stellabagpuss on Aug 20, 2024 12:27:01 GMT
Martin, I haven´t read thru your hole thread to figure this out my self... but have you explored more expensive power cables now when you have an even lower general noise floor and (or thanks to) the P12? I am thinking that the mains cables might also start to matter a lot when at your very low noise floor, that now needs to be protected even more? Sorry if you have already shared information about this in this thread. Not trying to hijack MartinT blog, but l've been slowly replacing all my DC psu with Farad Super 3, and l can definitely confirm, that having a clean power can bring advantages, MartinT and myself have mentioned this to each other ,when he purchased his JS and my first Farad. We both kinda of gobsmacked at the time. Apart from lower noise floor,different things happen, the soundstage, and performer positions,and accompanying instruments show their additional layers. Okay... l'll hand it back to MartinT |
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Post by MartinT on Aug 20, 2024 13:16:53 GMT
Thanks, Damien, and I agree that I have been fairly amazed at the uplift in sound quality just by replacing a power supply. I now have three Uptone JS-2 PSUs and they are the best linear DC power supplies I have ever heard for audio duties. In each case, noise floor dropped and the sense of energy, presence and dynamics in music has increased. Quite some change when added together.
JS-2 now power my clocks (one each) and EtherREGEN + router.
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Post by stellabagpuss on Aug 20, 2024 13:20:57 GMT
lt's like a disease Martin, l'm on my 5th Farad, one left to get... Don't the men in the white coats come to take me away then 🤣
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Post by MartinT on Aug 20, 2024 13:24:11 GMT
lt's like a disease Martin A three CBD gummy hit  |
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Tobias
Rank: Quartet
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Post by Tobias on Aug 20, 2024 17:16:34 GMT
My feeling is that we just move the goalpost and when we have really good power supplies then the cables are our weakest link suddenly, even if they where great before.
The scary thing with cables is that it is not as obvious to say where it makes sense to stop since we have no idea what the even better cable will do, now when you have an amazingly low potential noise floor to protect.
For example, since i also have Farad Super3, should i buy the Level 2 cable for it? Have you tried it Stellabagpuss?
Sorry Martin, if this did not belong here.
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Post by palace on Aug 20, 2024 18:14:02 GMT
An even bigger difference since I last played it: Orinoco Flow from Enya's Watermark. The soundstage is simply ENORMOUS from the off. What a fantastic sound that you can just fall into. This to me, more than any other piece, is hugely satisfying and shows off my system changes in the last year rather well. Massive depth, air and space, big dynamics but smooth and non-harsh. open.qobuz.com/track/8172601My wife who is granddaughter sitting for another week has that on Vinyl LP in one of my record cabinets I have new toy/s coming so will try later in the week ... |
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Post by stellabagpuss on Aug 20, 2024 18:54:04 GMT
My feeling is that we just move the goalpost and when we have really good power supplies then the cables are our weakest link suddenly, even if they where great before. The scary thing with cables is that it is not as obvious to say where it makes sense to stop since we have no idea what the even better cable will do, now when you have an amazingly low potential noise floor to protect. For example, since i also have Farad Super3, should i buy the Level 2 cable for it? Have you tried it Stellabagpuss? Sorry Martin, if this did not belong here. l'm pretty sure l have two level two leads and a Ghent Audio. But to be honest,l've found the cables tend to alter the tonal balance, rather than lower levels,with the Farads, TBH l don't tend to obsess about it,but l use both Level 2 on my LB and last FMC. Sorry for the vague answer,as l haven't felt the need to swap and compare,being that the Farad is doing the job. |
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Post by MartinT on Aug 20, 2024 19:10:48 GMT
My feeling is that we just move the goalpost and when we have really good power supplies then the cables are our weakest link suddenly, even if they where great before. The scary thing with cables is that it is not as obvious to say where it makes sense to stop since we have no idea what the even better cable will do, now when you have an amazingly low potential noise floor to protect. You make a good point, but I think that power cables are the exception to the rule. Let me explain: good power cables (at the very least, a Kimber PowerKord which are the cables I started with back when just having one made you a laughing stock by those who 'knew' that power cables make no difference) can be bought at the outset of system building and are enablers, i.e. they will always allow system components to work at their best. Every other component, and other cables, really need to be balanced so that upgrading one component can quite often unbalance a system's sound. The effect of a good power cable is to 'quieten' the incoming power by stripping it of some RFI and EMI noise, thus improving the noise floor and enabling the component to work at its best. A well chosen fuse then enhances the effect, but it can come later. In the UK, there is yet another factor, being that components frequently have a rear panel fuse while the cable always has a plug fuse, and they ideally need to be changed as a pair, making them more expensive. I would say, then, that users can upgrade their power cables to as good as they can afford at any time in their system journey with no ill effect (provided they are good in the first place). And no, a good power cable is about much more than low resistance and thick copper. |
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Post by julesd68 on Aug 20, 2024 19:44:01 GMT
Isn't what Tobias is saying is that your mains cables probably need reassessing as a result of your lowering the noise floor through your new power supplies? They might unwittingly become a potential bottleneck to realising the full potential of the system.
I have no axe to grind either way, being neither a believer or nonbeliever in expensive power cables.
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Tobias
Rank: Quartet
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Post by Tobias on Aug 20, 2024 19:46:41 GMT
Isn't what Tobias is saying is that your mains cables probably need reassessing as a result of your lowering the noise floor through your new power supplies? They might unwittingly become a potential bottleneck to realising the full potential of the system. I have no axe to grind either way, being neither a believer or nonbeliever in expensive power cables. Thanks. Yes, that was what i was trying to say, in a bad way :-D. But i also liked Martins answer. |
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Post by MartinT on Aug 20, 2024 19:51:01 GMT
I guess I approached it by saying take care of your power cables early on, which is what I did. They have seen me through a lot of upgrades. If my Coherent 6D, BD & BDM cables are now the bottleneck (which I don't think seeing as I'm still hearing tweak improvements), then I have reached the limits of what my wallet can afford. Small point of correction: cables for me are not a matter of belief: I can hear what they are doing. I try to avoid ALL matters of faith!  |
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Post by julesd68 on Aug 20, 2024 20:36:18 GMT
Small point of correction: cables for me are not a matter of belief: I can hear what they are doing. I try to avoid ALL matters of faith! Lol - indeed. What we believe versus what we know - a very big question and not for today! |
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