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Post by Slinger on Jan 31, 2020 22:39:15 GMT
I've got a home-made valve buffer I could use; can I join the (cantankerous old) buffer club? Sorry Paul, we've had a look at the rules and it's Solid State only guv!  Oh well, it was worth a try. |
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Post by julesd68 on Feb 1, 2020 12:50:49 GMT
Remembering what some people have mentioned about running power amps from regen units, I have ordered another MCRU home-brew Belden 19364 cable so I have something long enough to reach the wall socket.
Worth seeing if there is any difference for the outlay involved!
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digititis
Feb 3, 2020 20:28:40 GMT
via mobile
Post by julesd68 on Feb 3, 2020 20:28:40 GMT
Well the first bit of good news is it all works smoothly! Sadly only time for a quick listen today but one thing is for sure - this set up is so much better than going XLR from the D70 direct to power amp; the buffer is doing its thang, whatever that is … That's great news, Jules. Welcome to the buffer club, it's amazing what a bit of serious welly does to the output of a DAC, isn't it? I think the buffer and passive I have are essentially transparent bits of kit and so achieve a similar result in a slightly different way. Going to do some more experimenting tomorrow ... |
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Post by MartinT on Feb 3, 2020 20:37:47 GMT
Well, we're going to disagree on that somewhat. No passive I have ever used has the clout of a properly buffered output stage, whether separate or as part of a preamp.
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digititis
Feb 3, 2020 20:43:58 GMT
via mobile
Post by julesd68 on Feb 3, 2020 20:43:58 GMT
There's more gain in the system at the moment but whether that also comes with ultimately better sound quality we'll have to see. Early days still!
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Post by julesd68 on Feb 6, 2020 15:46:15 GMT
Just finished making up my new 2.5m mains cable from the MCRU kit. What I like is that everything you need is included, including heat shrink and a couple of ferrite rings that just slip over the cable, not the clip on ones. One small issue - I was heating up the shrink and managed to melt a bit of the strain relief on the IEC at the same time! Never mind ...  |
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Post by julesd68 on Feb 7, 2020 16:55:37 GMT
Lots to report today. I must confess I’m getting rather tired of having to test equipment and am a bit desperate to have a system where I can just sit down and listen to the damn music!!! Oh well, here we go. Fired up the system today with the buffer in place as before but quickly evident that something not quite right, missing air and dynamics and everything sounds rather pedestrian; the second track I couldn’t get enough gain out of strangely. So I swapped back to the passive and happiness is restored - masses of gain and everything else that was missing. I do not know the reason why, but I think something must have been amiss in the set-up. The only possible culprit I have found could be that somehow the settings in Volumio had got set to mixer hardware instead of none, but when I switched it back to none after testing the passive, it had no effect on the sq. So a bit of a mystery there. With the passive back in the system I tried out a few tweaks. First up is a plug-in mains filter from Enacom.  I also have a pure silver USB cable from Gothic Audio that I have placed between streamer and reclocker. The interesting thing about this is that the signal and power are split, so I don’t have the power plugged in.  Next thing will be to get either a Gothic or AQ cable to run from reclocker to DAC. Finally, the power amp is plugged straight into the wall. I know what you are thinking, I have changed too much at once. Well of course but I have got impatient today. There is certainly no night and day effect from the tweaks, the only thing I felt fairly certain about was that female vocals had lost a little sibilance at high volume that they had earlier in the session. Detail and rez are superb, but I can’t conclusively tell you it’s the tweaks or just going back to the passive. It's no surprise that the system sounds great with a passive as that is what the power amp would have been designed with at Audio Synthesis. I’m really not sure I have the iron will required to put the buffer back in the system again for another test - such a pain doing all the cables etc etc. But I guess I will have to at some point. At least I’m going to spend some time with the system as it is - it may well be a question of ‘if it ain’t broke …’ I have two more things to try next week.  A very cheap Chinese USB isolator and also my Audience speaker cable that has patiently been waiting in the wings for ages. Today's test track winner is the immortal 'Tennessee' by Gillian Welch - the lead guitar is so well recorded in centre of the soundstage with the sublimely dreamy vocal, whilst the rhythm strums to the right of the mix. The album also has some of my favourite art work ever - I'm going to buy the vinyl and frame it.  I think it was Tim who first introduced me to this, though my middle aged memory may be failing me ... Yello's 'Kiss in Blue' sounds utterly seductive and was made for a decent system. So much air and space with that compelling bass line, straight onto the latest system test playlist! Thanks to the boy MartinT for introducing me to this. I think I need a whisky to recover from all this faff tonight ... |
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Post by petea on Feb 7, 2020 17:23:26 GMT
I installed the Speaker Enacom units to see if I could strike a balance between my 'vintage' Exposure cables and Townhend Isolda ones. They worked perfectly and left the dynamics of the Exposure cables and removed the faint sibilance I could sometimes hear in female vocals in the way the Townshend ones did.
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digititis
Feb 7, 2020 17:27:59 GMT
via mobile
Post by John on Feb 7, 2020 17:27:59 GMT
I tried the Enacom speaker version and could not really hear a difference I got rid of mine very quickly
Your amplifier should not really need a buffer as it designed for passive. Everything is so system dependent
A bit surprised that better USB cables did not help as seems to work for most of us
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Post by MartinT on Feb 7, 2020 17:34:57 GMT
Thanks for the Gillian Welch, I'm listening now (on the PC system while waiting for the music room to warm up).
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Post by julesd68 on Feb 7, 2020 17:49:58 GMT
Be sure to try it on the big boy's system!
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Post by julesd68 on Feb 7, 2020 17:50:35 GMT
I installed the Speaker Enacom units to see if I could strike a balance between my 'vintage' Exposure cables and Townhend Isolda ones. They worked perfectly and left the dynamics of the Exposure cables and removed the faint sibilance I could sometimes hear in female vocals in the way the Townshend ones did. That’s interesting we have a similar experience with Enacom - looks like my feeling is correct about that unit. |
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Post by julesd68 on Feb 7, 2020 17:51:34 GMT
Your amplifier should not really need a buffer as it designed for passive. Everything is so system dependent A bit surprised that better USB cables did not help as seems to work for most of us I’m not saying that the new USB cable isn’t doing it’s thing, but it’s not a ‘lightbulb’ moment for sure. At best I’m getting a bit more detail and rez. Need to spend some more time with it and see how another cable works out. |
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Post by julesd68 on Feb 23, 2020 19:15:56 GMT
Not had a decent session with the system for some time now but this week I hope to plumb in the Audience speaker cable which will be an interesting comparison to the much feted Western Electric ...
Now that I'm definitely staying with RCA cables for the foreseeable future I might try something else. To be honest my Klotz MC5000 by no means feel like a bottleneck but with all of this new found resolution I'm open minded about trying something else.
Any recommendations?
I would like to try the Yannis Tome cables but would be buying second-hand and these don't come up so often.
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Post by julesd68 on Feb 28, 2020 18:54:06 GMT
Gents, I want to buy a new USB cable to run from reclocker to DAC . At the moment my new USB cable sends data only from the ASUS to the reclocker. My question is whether I should get another 'data only' cable - does the reclocker 'add power' to the signal after reclocking?  If it doesn't I can buy a cheaper cable which doesn't have separate data and power lines. |
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Post by Slinger on Feb 28, 2020 19:36:53 GMT
Gents, I want to buy a new USB cable to run from reclocker to DAC . At the moment my new USB cable sends data only from the ASUS to the reclocker. My question is whether I should get another 'data only' cable - does the reclocker 'add power' to the signal after reclocking? If it doesn't I can buy a cheaper cable which doesn't have separate data and power lines. Have you still got a cheapo JuicyBitz USB cable, or similar? If so put that in place between ATB and the Oehlbach temporarily and put your data-only cable bwtween Oehlbach and DAC. It it all still works then you can probably use data-only cables throughout. Ib must admit, I'm curious to know if the DAC requires 5v at the USB in port. |
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Post by John on Feb 28, 2020 19:40:15 GMT
My own experience is the better cables made a difference both sides I have no experience of data only cables
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Post by Clive on Feb 28, 2020 20:28:04 GMT
On the subject of usb cables....I was speaking with Norbert Lindemann today. I asked why he’d dropped USB for DAC connections. He said he didn’t like the variation in sound due to USB cables stemming from power data within the same shield....just asking for trouble.
An interesting viewpoint from a digital designer vs armchair experts saying bits are bits.
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Post by MartinT on Feb 28, 2020 21:00:33 GMT
It's true that USB cables can make a remarkable difference in SQ.
I use full fat USB cables for both the feed from streamer to DAC and power to the streamer.
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Post by Tim on Feb 28, 2020 21:58:11 GMT
though my middle aged memory may be failing me ... Nope, your memory is fine Jules, I'm rather a Gillian Welch junky, her and her partner (David Rawlings) are a bit of Americana/Bluegrass royalty amongst other musicians of that ilk. Their talent and attention to detail is legendary. Saw them at Hammersmith a few years back, sat in the balcony and was a little dumbstruck at the sound quality, wondering why it was so much better than normal.
Heard an interview about that show later and they take hours over sound check. Once they have the sound they want on stage, David goes around the auditorium whilst Gillian plays on stage and they check the sound in all areas of the house for the audience. I do like a bit of OCD 
Oh, and they always mic their guitars too, never plug them into an amp or PA.
That was one of the best shows I've ever been too, just the two of them on stage for 3 hours and they played a sublime version of White Rabbit for one of many encores.
I seem to remember you liked Such Jubilee by Mandolin Orange too? Also very particular about attention to detail and sound quality and also very fine musicians.
Anyway, sorry for the interruption . . . as you were chaps |
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A very cheap Chinese USB isolator and also my Audience speaker cable that has patiently been waiting in the wings for ages.
I think it was 
