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Post by MartinT on Aug 6, 2020 12:49:26 GMT
The final upgrade in the list posted above has just arrived today from the USA. It's a Wireworld Micro-Platinum Eclipse AES digital cable. My thinking, when I was contemplating spending the last of my hi-fi kitty for the time being, was that the final cable entering the LKS DAC from the Mutec reclocker should be as short as, and of the highest quality, possible. My AudioQuest Carbon AES has been doing fine service but I had been wanting to try a WireWorld for a while now. Here it is. I've no idea if I'm going to hear a difference but I shall see later on.  |
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Post by MartinT on Aug 6, 2020 15:34:01 GMT
I'm having a listen now after treating it to my usual graphene contact enhancer.
I can hear the differences but it's harder to explain in words. The best I can do is that while the AudioQuest is a little obvious, rather like edge enhancement of a JPG photo, the Wireworld is subtle and has more graduations. It's bringing out all the low level detail, note decay and subtleties in the music while retaining a calmer demeanour. Foreground remains pretty much the same but it's less forward. Some of my favourite female singers sound quite superb: Fever Ray, k d Lang, Sharon van Etten.
I'll put a couple of hundred hours on it and then decide.
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Post by MartinT on Aug 7, 2020 19:57:16 GMT
John, the chanting and church bells in Waking the Witch are very clear indeed with this new cable. It remains a cracking test of low level information. The reverb on This Woman's Work is also amazing to me, remembering that once upon a time my system didn't reveal this kind of slow decay into blackness.
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Post by John on Aug 8, 2020 5:29:31 GMT
Yes it is really good test for low level detail and clarity
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Post by MartinT on Aug 21, 2020 7:27:15 GMT
Just over a week ago, my P3 regenerator decided to give up the ghost with sounds of internal arcing. It could have been the intense heat or a brown-out or a combination of both. Luckily, it was less than a year old and still under warranty.
All credit to David Brook of MCRU who responded immediately and arranged its collection for repair. Amazingly, it's due back today, which is brilliant service.
One thing I learned from this, having reverted to running everything from the P10, is how much contribution the P3 makes to overall sound quality. The system took a significant dive in levels of insight, clarity and separation of strands of the music. I can't wait to rebuild it as-was and get listening again.
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Post by John on Aug 21, 2020 7:49:30 GMT
I am glad you getting the P3 back Martin It just shows how critical it is to have a good electrical foundation in place
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Post by MartinT on Aug 21, 2020 20:37:07 GMT
The P3 is back, with a new updated board. All is up and working again and I'm relieved to say that the SQ I had before has returned.
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Post by MartinT on Aug 22, 2020 21:48:24 GMT
Something has improved, the system is sounding wonderful. Possibilities:
1. The P3's improved board reduces noise even further
2. The Wireworld Micro-Platinum Eclipse AES cable has further burned-in
3. My brain is misremembering
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Post by MikeMusic on Aug 23, 2020 9:24:03 GMT
You unplugged and re plugged
The P3 was fiddled with and likely will improve
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Post by MartinT on Aug 23, 2020 9:49:14 GMT
Yes, could be Mike. Or a bit of all of them!
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Post by MartinT on Aug 27, 2020 17:02:24 GMT
I've just taken delivery of this, a Harmonix Enacom plug-in mains filter. I've always wanted to try an Enacom and am about to take it to the music room. It's my 12th plug-in filter, you can never have too many!  |
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Post by MartinT on Aug 27, 2020 17:43:41 GMT
I miscounted: I have 14 of the blighters.
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Post by julesd68 on Aug 27, 2020 18:21:46 GMT
I've got one Martin but haven't been able to use it enough to give an opinion on it.
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Post by John on Aug 27, 2020 18:39:12 GMT
I tried the speaker version I did not notice a difference
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Post by speedysteve on Aug 27, 2020 19:11:44 GMT
I've just taken delivery of this, a Harmonix Enacom plug-in mains filter. I've always wanted to try an Enacom and am about to take it to the music room. It's my 12th plug-in filter, you can never have too many! I hope it's properly earthed😂 |
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Post by MartinT on Aug 27, 2020 19:19:38 GMT
But seriously, this is a two-wire filter, like the ifi active one, sinking noise from live to neutral.
Several of the others are delta filters, sinking noise on both live and neutral to earth.
They each have their frequency bandwidth and optimal areas of operation. By using so many in several locations, they add up to a broad spectrum noise killer as best as I can achieve. Combined with power regeneration, they are responsible for a sizeable dollop of the dead backgrounds and well developed soundstage my system achieves.
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Post by MartinT on Aug 30, 2020 16:03:18 GMT
An observation on another forum that the LT1963A in my BG7TBL clock is actually set to regulate output to 12V, but requires 12V input, got me thinking. This would suggest that it isn't regulating at all and just passing the 12V through, which won't stop the clock from working but is not ideal.
I checked the spec sheet for the LT1963A and it says that dropout voltage is a low 340mV. So I opened up my Coherent/Chinese LPSU and retrimmed its voltage to 12.5V to ensure enough for the clock's regulator to actually regulate and perhaps take a little more noise out of the clock signal.
I know any improvement would be marginal but I'm listening and it seems to me that Paul Simon's voice is a touch less sibilant?
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Post by MartinT on Aug 31, 2020 9:22:56 GMT
A lot more listening last night had me convinced that this is an improvement. The LT1963A regulator must now be removing more noise from the clock's DC line.
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Post by MartinT on Sept 3, 2020 19:28:22 GMT
I'm using Canare LV-77S as my clock cables. I was encouraged to compare it with its obvious competitor, Belden 4694R. The Canare comes with beautiful Canare true 75 ohm BNC connectors while the Belden comes with black chrome Neutrik connectors. Both are very high performance 4K/8K video cables.
I've been swapping back and forth and I'm damned if I can hear much difference, which may simply boil down to style. I wouldn't be able to reliably identify one from the other.
Since the LV-77S was noticeably better than the LV-61S, I've probably reached the limiting performance for 30cm of either. Good experiment, though, and only cost me £16 for the Belden.
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Post by MikeMusic on Sept 4, 2020 9:19:51 GMT
Do they have the same amount of time on them ?
Are they settled ?
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