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Post by julesd68 on Dec 11, 2022 21:40:52 GMT
I bought the iFi a while back as was intrigued enough to try it but it was complete pants - more like a noise inducer in my system. I found it worked quite well in mine, enough to make me pursue plug in filters more. I think there is a new and an old version, so I wonder does that have anything to do with it? Not sure Matt as I'd read a number of very positive reviews of it. John's iFi streamer is the only reason I would try another one of their products but that would be some kind of player, not noise reduction gadget... |
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Post by mattspl on Dec 11, 2022 22:01:22 GMT
I found it worked quite well in mine, enough to make me pursue plug in filters more. I think there is a new and an old version, so I wonder does that have anything to do with it? Not sure Matt as I'd read a number of very positive reviews of it. John's iFi streamer is the only reason I would try another one of their products but that would be some kind of player, not noise reduction gadget... I see they’ve a new Higher end streamer out too. I’ve been looking into streamers, but it seems to be a minefield. |
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Post by julesd68 on Dec 11, 2022 22:13:53 GMT
Hadn't spotted that one, looks interesting! ifi-audio.com/products/neo-stream/It would take a lot to move me off my ultraRendu, purely because the software is so damn good. But if that new iFi is a LOT better than the Zen it must surely be well worth considering if you want to drop that kind of £££. |
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Post by mattspl on Dec 11, 2022 22:40:13 GMT
Hadn't spotted that one, looks interesting! ifi-audio.com/products/neo-stream/It would take a lot to move me off my ultraRendu, purely because the software is so damn good. But if that new iFi is a LOT better than the Zen it must surely be well worth considering if you want to drop that kind of £££. They certainly make it look impressive in the literature. The optical LAN could be interesting. |
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Post by MartinT on Dec 12, 2022 6:03:17 GMT
Hmm, 'proprietary tech' unfortunately can often mean built-in obsolescence. I'd be wary of buying a streamer on that basis.
As Jules says, the Rendus are built around a variety of platforms, some like DLNA/OpenHome are worldwide standards.
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Post by MikeMusic on Dec 12, 2022 10:48:34 GMT
Not sure Matt as I'd read a number of very positive reviews of it. John's iFi streamer is the only reason I would try another one of their products but that would be some kind of player, not noise reduction gadget... I see they’ve a new Higher end streamer out too. I’ve been looking into streamers, but it seems to be a minefield. Bluesound for a budget beating £500 |
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Post by mattspl on Dec 12, 2022 12:45:03 GMT
I see they’ve a new Higher end streamer out too. I’ve been looking into streamers, but it seems to be a minefield. Bluesound for a budget beating £500 Is the Bluesound decent? I see Fidelity Audio does various levels of upgrades for it. I’m hesitant to buy without hearing in my system as the sound quality from Spotify via the sky Q box is really surprisingly good, even compared to a lot of cd’s, so I wonder will a budget to midrange streamer better it? I know it should, but….. |
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Post by John on Dec 12, 2022 13:34:32 GMT
The node is simple to setup
Upgrading the power supply will take it up another level
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Post by MikeMusic on Dec 12, 2022 15:35:16 GMT
Bluesound for a budget beating £500 Is the Bluesound decent? I see Fidelity Audio does various levels of upgrades for it. I’m hesitant to buy without hearing in my system as the sound quality from Spotify via the sky Q box is really surprisingly good, even compared to a lot of cd’s, so I wonder will a budget to midrange streamer better it? I know it should, but….. Recommended by Tony HD Music & Test even though he doesn't sell them Sounds good to me in my system |
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Post by julesd68 on Dec 12, 2022 16:16:13 GMT
For a budget streamer the microRendu is hard to beat - just add fancy or non-fancy PSU of your choice. No need to get stuck in endless upgrade paths - just move onto ultraRendu if you like what it does.
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Post by mattspl on Dec 12, 2022 16:40:24 GMT
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Post by mattspl on Jan 13, 2023 21:22:06 GMT
I have added some of the sticky acoustic mat(used to line car doors etc in audio installations) to the inside of my Fidelity audio noise filter.
The noise filter is in a light weight plastic case and emits a 50hz buzz/hum. I rolled a piece of the mat onto the underside of the lid. It has done a great job of reducing the buzz.
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Post by julesd68 on Jan 13, 2023 21:44:12 GMT
Didn't you shell out a fair wedge for the filter? Surprised Fidelity didn't sort that at their end.
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Post by mattspl on Jan 13, 2023 22:03:33 GMT
Didn't you shell out a fair wedge for the filter? Surprised Fidelity didn't sort that at their end. Yes, it wasn’t cheap. It seems, reading the reviews of their other filters some customers had paid for extra modifications including sound damping and silver wiring etc. |
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Post by MikeMusic on Jan 14, 2023 10:13:24 GMT
Hmm.
Fidelity doing their reputation harm there
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Post by MartinT on Mar 31, 2023 18:49:50 GMT
I have removed every single plug-in filter that measured as more noise added than removed in my opening post, and replaced them with grounding boxes of various brands. The only two remaining plug-ins are the ones that actually measured a reduction in noise: the Kemp and Sercal. I also replaced the CFC bulbs in the music room with LEDs.
With this combination, my trusty noise meter shows 39-40mV (with the audio representation barely audible), which seems to be the lowest limit I can achieve. I'm happy with this, co-inciding with the best sound quality I have yet obtained from the system.
It's maddening as many different things affect it (for instance, if I have the dimmable LEDs over our dining table on, the noise shoots up to 100mV or more) and you could over-obsess to the point of madness trying to get it down. Best leave it and get back to the music, which I'm doing right now.
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Post by mattspl on Jan 31, 2024 21:03:23 GMT
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Post by MartinT on Jan 31, 2024 21:19:43 GMT
The Kemp is the best!
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Post by mattspl on Feb 12, 2024 19:48:15 GMT
I just received the Kemp SNS plug and have replaced the ifi in my consumer unit. I’ll test this setup and then introduce the ifi elsewhere to see what happens.
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Post by kinfauns on Mar 16, 2024 18:53:25 GMT
I have removed every single plug-in filter that measured as more noise added than removed in my opening post, and replaced them with grounding boxes of various brands. The only two remaining plug-ins are the ones that actually measured a reduction in noise: the Kemp and Sercal. I also replaced the CFC bulbs in the music room with LEDs. With this combination, my trusty noise meter shows 39-40mV (with the audio representation barely audible), which seems to be the lowest limit I can achieve. I'm happy with this, co-inciding with the best sound quality I have yet obtained from the system. It's maddening as many different things affect it (for instance, if I have the dimmable LEDs over our dining table on, the noise shoots up to 100mV or more) and you could over-obsess to the point of madness trying to get it down. Best leave it and get back to the music, which I'm doing right now. I find the subject of mains and it's influence fascinating. If the filters clean the incoming supply is there any "dirt" to be rejected? I too came across the influence of lamps in the room. We have 2 floor lamps in the lounge alongside the system. We still prefer incandescent bulbs (more romantic!). When one blew, for convenience and before I could go to the hardware for an incandescent replacement, I threw in a led. Yip the sound changed. To me it was worse. Top end became indistinct and spatial info was lost. I really thought I was imagining it due to mood etc. So when I got a candescent bulb it was easy to swap and listen. I stuck with my original observation so the incandescents stayed. I really thought a incandescent would have a negative effect compared to a led as surely with a filament it must be noisier. I then looked at my CD player.It has a CFC panel at the front with 3 dimming modes. I always used it with CFC light off. Always sounds better with no lights. Right? Well no. I preferred it with the light fully up. Sounds more immediate and involving. Again, surely there is more noise in the playback? I'm worried. Do I like the sound of noise?!? |
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