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Post by John on Sept 9, 2021 15:51:00 GMT
These days I tend to see my system as a whole, rather than a collection of parts in terms of sound and we have both put a lot of work to get where we are.
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Post by John on Sept 9, 2021 15:55:59 GMT
When we heard the A22 in Martin system the mid bass seemed a bit weak in his system yet in my system its one of my strongest strengths
This could be due to system synergy or that the grounding only had a hour to get the best from the DAC
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Post by julesd68 on Sept 9, 2021 16:07:44 GMT
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Post by MartinT on Sept 9, 2021 16:48:30 GMT
LOL - you know well that there is no way to measure the kinds of things we are discussing, at least not yet. We can only measure influencers like phase noise.
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gino
Rank: Starter
Posts: 3
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Post by gino on Sept 12, 2021 7:06:18 GMT
Yes, John. I can't emphasise enough to those who haven't done it yet that you are most unlikely to get the best out of digital components without grounding boxes. I've experimented enough with them now to know they are essential. I've also learned that not all grounding boxes are born equal. The X26 Pro responds very well to a Quartz Acoustic Premium. Pondering over this for my Mutec. Have you tried Groundmaster with their router? |
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Post by MartinT on Sept 12, 2021 7:11:16 GMT
Pondering over this for my Mutec. Have you tried Groundmaster with their router? Welcome! I haven't come across that one - do you have more details? I use an SGS-1s with the Mutec and a Quartz Acoustic Premium with the Gustard. That's the best combination out of half a dozen I've tried so far. Very low noise floor, finely resolved detail and incredible soundstage. |
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Post by petea on Sept 12, 2021 8:36:58 GMT
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Post by MartinT on Sept 12, 2021 8:56:50 GMT
I see you need a grounding rod with it.
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gino
Rank: Starter
Posts: 3
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Post by gino on Sept 12, 2021 13:41:31 GMT
I see you need a grounding rod with it. that’s correct. Mike at Puritan has a got a bit of advice on it. I purchased a set of routers for the orderliness and aesthetic value, but you can make a panel with binding posts yourselves with star wiring. I’ve had entreq boxes that are now sitting around as platforms for my super tweeters (lol). I have since grounded chassis and signal paths of my sensitive gear. Please do your due diligence, the GM does NOT substitute your SAFETY ground. I merely state my implementation after talks with Mike. Checkout the details at Puritan labs. I’ve driven down 3 rods. |
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gino
Rank: Starter
Posts: 3
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Post by gino on Sept 12, 2021 13:43:02 GMT
Pondering over this for my Mutec. Have you tried Groundmaster with their router? Welcome! I haven't come across that one - do you have more details? I use an SGS-1s with the Mutec and a Quartz Acoustic Premium with the Gustard. That's the best combination out of half a dozen I've tried so far. Very low noise floor, finely resolved detail and incredible soundstage. Thank you! |
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Post by John on Sept 12, 2021 14:23:57 GMT
I used to use the coherent RTZ to good effect on the Mutec but not cheap
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Post by MartinT on Nov 9, 2021 20:14:50 GMT
Another observation on the ludicrously named filters. There is no longer any doubt in my mind that 'Gentle' better suits my system and my tastes over 'Vivid'. This is consistent with my previous preference for SLOW-M in my old Ayre SACD player. They are both Minimum Phase filters.
In fact, I propose that Gustard should rename Gentle and Vivid as 'Natural' and 'Etched'.
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Post by brettj on Nov 10, 2021 7:05:55 GMT
Is your Gustard X26 Pro more towards the 'gentle' sphere?
Was the LKS DA-004 a little more on the 'vivid' edge?
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Post by brettj on Nov 10, 2021 7:07:02 GMT
I used to use the coherent RTZ to good effect on the Mutec but not cheap Where do you use the Coherent RTZ now John? |
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Post by John on Nov 10, 2021 7:46:28 GMT
I still do as good as the A22 DAC is grounding it takes it up quite afew steps
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Post by MartinT on Nov 10, 2021 8:59:25 GMT
Is your Gustard X26 Pro more towards the 'gentle' sphere? Was the LKS DA-004 a little more on the 'vivid' edge? Not really, Brett. I used the LKS in SLOW-M filter mode (you'll probably find it still set to that) and the overall balance is the closest to good soundstaging and detail that I could find. Minimum Phase was originally developed by Meridian and is a filter design that minimises leading-edge ringing, pushing it to the trailing edge where it preserves the quality of transients. In effect, it makes the DAC sound more natural without the edge that Linear Phase gives. In the LKS, you have various ones you can try (SLOW-M being Minimum Phase) while in the Gustard 'Gentle' equates to Minimum Phase. As I said, 'Gentle' is a really inappropriate name!  In the diagram above, you can see how Minimum Phase preserves transient impact while Linear (Zero) Phase has unnatural ringing before the transient. |
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Post by julesd68 on Nov 10, 2021 17:08:41 GMT
Interesting, I have checked my DAC and found that the default filter which I use is Minimum Phase. Never bothered to use others and sounds natural enough to my ears ...
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Post by wannarock2 on Nov 10, 2021 20:11:15 GMT
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Post by julesd68 on Nov 10, 2021 22:22:03 GMT
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Post by MartinT on Nov 10, 2021 22:29:48 GMT
Good review and I can't find fault with any of it. I will say that the comparison with the Chord Qutest is probably disingenuous. It's better than Chord DACs further up the range.
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📶NAS > Gustard x26p DAC > Benchmark LA4 Pre-Amp > NAD M22-V2 Amplifier > Revel F228Be Speakers