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Post by MikeMusic on Mar 30, 2024 11:12:41 GMT
The more we find out the less we find we know When this makes it to mainstream ..... So true... TBH..lm surprised that manufacturers haven't jumped on this. If you where into manufacturing.. there's no reason why up couldn't make pre made sheildeds that could be placed straight on top of the PCB boards. However like a lot of manufacturers... they are more interested in the latest ESS or AKM chip that improves SINAD by a decibel, and use this as a selling point. Plus how many actually *listen* I find a mix of other people's advice, opinion and bias tempered heavily with 'trust no one' is productive I'm old enough to remember the only debate there was Can speaker cables make a difference When I bought my Linn / Naim system I was astounded to be told a Sound Org table would improve the *sound* The rot set in though when MartinT suggested that mains cables improved the sound - what a nutter ! |
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atoz
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Post by atoz on Mar 30, 2024 11:16:27 GMT
The more we find out the less we find we know When this makes it to mainstream ..... So true... TBH..lm surprised that manufacturers haven't jumped on this. If you where into manufacturing.. there's no reason why up couldn't make pre made sheildeds that could be placed straight on top of the PCB boards. However like a lot of manufacturers... they are more interested in the latest ESS or AKM chip that improves SINAD by a decibel, and use this as a selling point. Think Damien, it's all about making money, getting us to buy the next version which sounds slightly better but still has the problems that you have fixed on the r26. upgraded cables etc do get you more improvements but I would say the shielding we have done in this mod would be first priority...maybe saved some people money? |
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Post by MikeMusic on Mar 30, 2024 11:20:30 GMT
So true... TBH..lm surprised that manufacturers haven't jumped on this. If you where into manufacturing.. there's no reason why up couldn't make pre made sheildeds that could be placed straight on top of the PCB boards. However like a lot of manufacturers... they are more interested in the latest ESS or AKM chip that improves SINAD by a decibel, and use this as a selling point. Think Damien, it's all about making money, getting us to buy the next version which sounds slightly better but still has the problems that you have fixed on the r26. upgraded cables etc do get you more improvements but I would say the shielding we have done in this mod would be first priority...maybe saved some people money? With the insane improvements I've had from my kitchen system I'm thinking about more radical mods perhaps as a test before I touch the main system |
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Post by julesd68 on Mar 30, 2024 11:22:06 GMT
Thanks for continuing this excellent blog Damien, it's inspiring reading even for us non-DIY types!
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Post by stellabagpuss on Mar 30, 2024 11:22:27 GMT
Definitively Clifford.... Should I spill the beans... I'm going to revisit my Nord amps, although l've added sheilding, l am now convinced I can extract more from them.
No doubt you'll be taking a peak inside your amp.
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Post by stellabagpuss on Mar 30, 2024 11:25:11 GMT
Thanks for continuing this excellent blog Damien, it's inspiring reading even for us non-DIY types! Honestly Jules it's so basic.... lt can hardly be called DIY, if you can use scissors,fold cardboard, cut tape.... your done. It really is that simple. Damien |
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Post by stellabagpuss on Mar 30, 2024 11:37:07 GMT
So true... TBH..lm surprised that manufacturers haven't jumped on this. If you where into manufacturing.. there's no reason why up couldn't make pre made sheildeds that could be placed straight on top of the PCB boards. However like a lot of manufacturers... they are more interested in the latest ESS or AKM chip that improves SINAD by a decibel, and use this as a selling point. Plus how many actually *listen* I find a mix of other people's advice, opinion and bias tempered heavily with 'trust no one' is productive I'm old enough to remember the only debate there was Can speaker cables make a difference When I bought my Linn / Naim system I was astounded to be told a Sound Org table would improve the *sound* The rot set in though when MartinT suggested that mains cables improved the sound - what a nutter ! Funny thing is Mike... l blame MartinT for all this rain we been having... his power conditioners are causing a low air pressure in the atmosphere.... it's only started since he purchased his latest one... 🤣 |
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Post by julesd68 on Mar 30, 2024 13:03:46 GMT
Thanks for continuing this excellent blog Damien, it's inspiring reading even for us non-DIY types! Honestly Jules it's so basic.... lt can hardly be called DIY, if you can use scissors,fold cardboard, cut tape.... your done. It really is that simple. Lol my secret is out D - I never learnt these skills at primary school!  |
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Post by MartinT on Mar 30, 2024 15:54:15 GMT
Funny thing is Mike... l blame MartinT for all this rain we been having... his power conditioners are causing a low air pressure in the atmosphere.... it's only started since he purchased his latest one... 🤣 It must be all that Dead Can Dance played loud from my place. |
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Post by palace on Mar 30, 2024 16:06:15 GMT
Nice work again Damien,I have mesh coming. In the 70's may be early 80's I spoke to a retired GPO engineer who worked on the old pre transistor valve switched telephone exchanges, his old work mate had worked on the Colossus computer at Bletchley park so big it filled 3 rooms effectively bigger than a tennis court. It was built by GPO engineers & was designed by GPO research engineer Tommy Flowers based on plans by the Bletchley Park mathematician Max Newman not Alan Turing though some of Turing's calculations were incorporated. The GPO engineers were asked about how the reliability of the thousands of valves in Colossus could be guaranteed, their answer was don't switch it off apparently it ran for 3 years without a single valve failure. The GPO engineers also made sure it was well ventilated. The retired engineer I spoke to said the enemy of electronics is heat whether valve, transistor or microchip, all should have air flow not just vents at the top; in order to prevent "stagnation", side or bottom vents are needed as well, the rising hot air will drag cooler air in through the lower vents surrounded by ambient air temperature allowing a lower stable operating temperature, I guess a bit like a VW Beetle engine in a hot dessert were the metal is many times hotter than the air. He also said for longevity never to switch off a valve appliance & switch on straight away let it cool a little. |
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atoz
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Post by atoz on Mar 30, 2024 16:53:51 GMT
Nice work again Damien,I have mesh coming. In the 70's may be early 80's I spoke to a retired GPO engineer who worked on the old pre transistor valve switched telephone exchanges, his old work mate had worked on the Colossus computer at Bletchley park so big it filled 3 rooms effectively bigger than a tennis court. It was built by GPO engineers & was designed by GPO research engineer Tommy Flowers based on plans by the Bletchley Park mathematician Max Newman not Alan Turing though some of Turing's calculations were incorporated. The GPO engineers were asked about how the reliability of the thousands of valves in Colossus could be guaranteed, their answer was don't switch it off apparently it ran for 3 years without a single valve failure. The GPO engineers also made sure it was well ventilated. The retired engineer I spoke to said the enemy of electronics is heat whether valve, transistor or microchip, all should have air flow not just vents at the top; in order to prevent "stagnation", side or bottom vents are needed as well, the rising hot air will drag cooler air in through the lower vents surrounded by ambient air temperature allowing a lower stable operating temperature, I guess a bit like a VW Beetle engine in a hot dessert were the metal is many times hotter than the air. He also said for longevity never to switch off a valve appliance & switch on straight away let it cool a little. Makes sense, I will take on your advice on holes along the bottom of the boxes.Cheers |
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Post by stellabagpuss on Mar 31, 2024 20:09:52 GMT
So sent about 25 minutes with the New mods. l revisited my Nord 1ET400A Monoblocks,you may recall l had added sheilding about a year,which gave a nice lift. What with all the DAC modding happening, l decided to revisit it, in view of more separation of the boards,using sheilding.  Nord 1ET400A Monoblock Sheilded by Damien Read, on Flickr I actually plan to rework the sheilding on the PSU, it's only temporary, as l plan to use Mesh, due to heat output. So what do we get after all of this? A slight improvement in soundstage, as instruments seem to be more placed, definitely more air and presence to vocals... and cleaner bass. It's not the OMG that we had from the DACs. But l guess even that extra few percent, l can still notice. The bass will take a while to adjust to... but it must be working, as l've noticed little bits of percussion that accompanied music being more present, and vocals have simply more space. Lastly, l decided to add some air vents to my R26. l don't seem to have X26 heat issue,but it certainly won't hurt during summer... if we get one 🤣  Gustard R26 With Air Vents by Damien Read, on Flickr Okay.. Hope you enjoy the mods, l know atoz has been busy with his amp, so he be along soon to no doubt to report in. |
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atoz
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Post by atoz on Apr 1, 2024 11:32:24 GMT
Sent Damien a few pics of the inside on my Classdaudio amp and he advised me on what he had noticed that could help.....
reroute and copper shield some wiring, I also replaced the amps internal speaker cabling which was then copper taped and I also shielded a KBU 1010 Rectifier bridge ( made a cover for the KBU 1010 from a piece of lead I had lying about and also copper wrapped it and insulated where needed)
my outcome with these mods are mirrored by what Damien posted above..
"improvement in soundstage, as instruments seem to be more placed, definitely more air and presence to vocals... and cleaner bass. It's not the OMG that we had from the DACs. But l guess even that extra few percent, l can still notice, as l've noticed little bits of percussion that accompanied music being more present, and vocals have simply more space.
Every little helps
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Post by stellabagpuss on Apr 5, 2024 21:49:50 GMT
I have a confession... I gone and done MartinT again 🤣
That's TAS code for ...l've purchased another LPSU.
Recently I discovered that my Gigabyte Brix NUC that runs on 19 volts,will actually run on anything from 12v to 19v.
What with my recent purchase of a Farad Super 3 PSU, l managed to track used mint condition 18volt FS3, at a around half price.
Now l wasn't sure how much of a impact this would make,as the FS3 was replacing a Zero Zone 01 Super Cap PSU.
It's early days, but l've only had a quick 30 minutes with it, but l can report a definitive lowering of noise floor, and within the whole audio spectrum,right down to more grunt, and still taught bass.
Of course this has made the soundstage even more holographic. lt seems the FS3 really is the real deal. Naturally I can't vouch for every device, but l can highly recommend the Farad Super 3 as a upgrade to any source.
Got a busy weekend ahead... So Monday will be my next time to play.
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Post by MartinT on Apr 6, 2024 7:48:02 GMT
Nice purchase, Damien.
I am still over the moon with my two Uptone JS-2 and they are 'end game' PSUs for me (although the JS-4 is coming soon). So I won't be doing a 'MartinT' again for a while!
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Post by MikeMusic on Apr 6, 2024 9:06:16 GMT
Nice purchase, Damien. I am still over the moon with my two Uptone JS-2 and they are 'end game' PSUs for me (although the JS-4 is coming soon). So I won't be doing a 'MartinT' again for a while! Of course Martin. Hohohoho |
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Post by mattspl on Apr 6, 2024 11:21:12 GMT
All this LPS talk has me wondering what a better power supply than the already impressive Zerozone would do for my router.
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Post by stellabagpuss on Apr 6, 2024 12:45:38 GMT
All this LPS talk has me wondering what a better power supply than the already impressive Zerozone would do for my router. Well that's the thing Matt, where does it end... Unless l see one at a used bargain price,l keep my hand in my pocket. The Zero Zone 01 super caps,are great VFM, and are indeed, low noise. It's just that there's more component matching, at a cost with the Farad and MartinT Uptone PSU. And l bet ,like myself... MartinT was half hoping there wasn't much of an improvement... Because it opens further questions of ... What if l .... l use a ifi power x on my Sky Router, works well, lowers noise, better than the supplied one... would a Farad be better yes, could you tell ? That's the million dollar question. |
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Post by mattspl on Apr 6, 2024 14:22:08 GMT
All this LPS talk has me wondering what a better power supply than the already impressive Zerozone would do for my router. Well that's the thing Matt, where does it end... Unless l see one at a used bargain price,l keep my hand in my pocket. The Zero Zone 01 super caps,are great VFM, and are indeed, low noise. It's just that there's more component matching, at a cost with the Farad and MartinT Uptone PSU. And l bet ,like myself... MartinT was half hoping there wasn't much of an improvement... Because it opens further questions of ... What if l .... l use a ifi power x on my Sky Router, works well, lowers noise, better than the supplied one... would a Farad be better yes, could you tell ? That's the million dollar question. I have one of the ifi power supplies on my fibre to Ethernet box and then the zerozone on the router. Putting these 2 supplies in place of the original supplies was quite a large improvement, as was upgrading the DC cable from the zerozone to the router. Id be interested to know what moving the zerozone to the fibre box and putting something better on the router would do. |
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Post by stellabagpuss on Apr 8, 2024 18:02:16 GMT
Well not to much to report, had a busy weekend travelling. And been putting some stuff on ebay, time to crawl some money back.
Been enjoying the set up, and sounds awesome at the moment.
l have made one experimental change, l have been using CAT 8.1 from my FMC to Gustard R26.l swapped it out for a unshielded CAT 6 cable,and added placed some Copper tape over the cable.
Funny thing,l did notice a difference, slightly clearer sound perhaps open, but definitely louder in Volume. l'll have to swap out my other LANs now,thankfully it's a cheap experiment.
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