WeiseHeiliger Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 I have tested Belkin Thunderbolt adapter with Weiss INT202 FW adapter and USB input of the Devialet amplifier and also direct connection, Thunderbolt brings EXTREME improvement in all areas of audio playback. There is no turning back Link to comment
alcarp Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 I'm very interested in this. However, its not clear to me what you are comparing. I'm not familiar with the Devialet amp. Are you comparing coming out of the USB & Firewire ports of a mac with using the Thunderbolt port instead? Link to comment
REShaman Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 I have tested Belkin Thunderbolt adapter with Weiss INT202 FW adapter and USB input of the Devialet amplifier and also direct connection, Thunderbolt brings EXTREME improvement in all areas of audio playback. There is no turning back Hello WeiseHeiliger, That has been my experience too. Enjoy the music, Richard Link to comment
WeiseHeiliger Posted January 29, 2014 Author Share Posted January 29, 2014 Yes, USB or Firewire converter, have significantly better sound if they are to mains via Thunderbolt adapter. Link to comment
REShaman Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Yes, USB or Firewire converter, have significantly better sound if they are to mains via Thunderbolt adapter. OOOPs, For clarity, I was referring to using Thunderbolt HDs instead of HDD via USB/Firewire connections. I have no experience with converters etc. I replaced all my quad OWC external HDDs connected to the mains via USB or Firewire (so as to avoid conflicts for my USB Dac) with Thunderbolt Drives. My experience has only been positive. The speed is also an advantage. But I believe the point you are making is other. Sorry for creating any confusion. Enjoy the music, Richard Link to comment
Superdad Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Please confirm that this is the Belkin product you are referring to: Thunderbolt Please tell us what devices you are simultaneously attaching to the Thunderbolt hub. Are you attaching to it both your Firewire>S/PDIF converter (Weiss INT202) and a USB hard drive for music storage? What DAC is the Weiss INT202 then connected to? And with the Devialet's USB input from your computer, are you using the Belkin hub at the same time as having the Weiss INT202 attached? Sounds like you have two DACs. Lastly, are any of the devices taking power from the Belkin hub? I think the Weiss INT202 has its own separate PS, but if you are also attaching a hard drive, where are you powering it from. Most importantly, what model of Mac are you using? (Internal chipsets and buses differ between some.) Thanks and regards, ALEX C. UpTone Audio LLC Link to comment
DZetye Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 CalDigit makes a better Thunderbolt adapter than the Belkin and it is cheaper, too. I use one and am getting outstanding results. I have (3) Seagate 4TB USB 3.0 external drives hooked up to the CalDigit and it handles it fine. Link to comment
WeiseHeiliger Posted January 30, 2014 Author Share Posted January 30, 2014 Please confirm that this is the Belkin product you are referring to: Thunderbolt Please tell us what devices you are simultaneously attaching to the Thunderbolt hub. Are you attaching to it both your Firewire>S/PDIF converter (Weiss INT202) and a USB hard drive for music storage? What DAC is the Weiss INT202 then connected to? And with the Devialet's Most importantly, what model of Mac are you using? (Internal chipsets and buses differ between some.) Thanks and regards, ALEX C. I have iMac 21, 2013, Audirvana Plus, Weiss INT202, Devialet 170 with USB input (XMOS chip and more ..), Apogee DA16X Firewire, Apple Thunderbolt/Firewire Adapter, Belkin Thunderbolt Dock. Weiss INT202 with external power supply and Devialet are simultaneously connected with Belkin TB dock, Devialet sounds via USB better than Weiss INT202 to Devialet via AES, when I connect Devialet directly with iMac via USB, Weiss INT202 via AES is clearly better. Link to comment
Superdad Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 I have iMac 21, 2013, Audirvana Plus, Weiss INT202, Devialet 170 with USB input (XMOS chip and more ..), Apogee DA16X Firewire, Apple Thunderbolt/Firewire Adapter, Belkin Thunderbolt Dock. Weiss INT202 with external power supply and Devialet are simultaneously connected with Belkin TB dock, Devialet sounds via USB better than Weiss INT202 to Devialet via AES, when I connect Devialet directly with iMac via USB, Weiss INT202 via AES is clearly better. Interesting, thank you. I am guessing that the Devialet's USB input may not have the very best isolation between the XMOS and further DAC stages. That is the most likely reason for the results that you report. Still, it is good to know that such good results can be had with a Thunderbolt dock. UpTone Audio LLC Link to comment
Panelhead Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 I have not tried an external TB drive yet. But do use an Apple TB to FW800 adapter. Connected the dac and then switched and connected the dac to FW port and the FW800 drive to the TB port . The dac on the TB port sounds better to me. But later I tried flipping around the drives and connected the external drive with iTunes folder up to a USB port. Sounded the same as it did on a FW800 port. What I got from this was the port selection is more important with the dac than it is for an external drive. But maybe I need a TB drive to test this. Maybe the TB to FW active adapter is a limiting factor. 2012 Mac Mini, i5 - 2.5 GHz, 16 GB RAM. SSD, PM/PV software, Focusrite Clarett 4Pre 4 channel interface. Daysequerra M4.0X Broadcast monitor., My_Ref Evolution rev a , Klipsch La Scala II, Blue Sky Sub 12 Clarett used as ADC for vinyl rips. Corning Optical Thunderbolt cable used to connect computer to 4Pre. Dac fed by iFi iPower and Noise Trapper isolation transformer. Link to comment
barrows Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 Yes, USB or Firewire converter, have significantly better sound if they are to mains via Thunderbolt adapter. You are aware that Thunderbolt is just an external PCIe connection yes? This configuration is no different than using a separate PCIe connected USB card (like the SOtM) inside a custom server, except, it is easier to power the internal USB card by a very low noise power supply. SO/ROON/HQPe: DSD 512-Sonore opticalModuleDeluxe-Signature Rendu optical with Well Tempered Clock--DIY DSC-2 DAC with SC Pure Clock--DIY Purifi Amplifier-Focus Audio FS888 speakers-JL E 112 sub-Nordost Tyr USB, DIY EventHorizon AC cables, Iconoclast XLR & speaker cables, Synergistic Purple Fuses, Spacetime system clarifiers. ISOAcoustics Oreas footers. SONORE computer audio | opticalRendu | ultraRendu | microRendu | Signature Rendu SE | Accessories | Software | Link to comment
Juan Paulino Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 I get my lynx hilo thunderbolt card today from sweet water. I wonder if the regular apple thunderbolt cable will top my synergistic Active SE USB cable? Musician Setup Black Mac Pro 2014 ->Lynx Hilo Thunderbolt ->Synergistic Research Thunderbolt Cable --> Harmonic Tech Magic Link 2 XLR --> Focal Twin BE 6's --> 2 Silent Source The Music Reference Power Cords --> LAT International Signature Power Cords --> Balanced Power Tech AC power Cord with Furutech Connects ->>Balanced Power AC Pure Power Center-->Dedicated AC line with PS Audio Soloist Limited Edition. Link to comment
Juan Paulino Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 WOWOWOW i finally installed the thunderbolt card for my lynx hilo and damn what a difference. Musician Setup Black Mac Pro 2014 ->Lynx Hilo Thunderbolt ->Synergistic Research Thunderbolt Cable --> Harmonic Tech Magic Link 2 XLR --> Focal Twin BE 6's --> 2 Silent Source The Music Reference Power Cords --> LAT International Signature Power Cords --> Balanced Power Tech AC power Cord with Furutech Connects ->>Balanced Power AC Pure Power Center-->Dedicated AC line with PS Audio Soloist Limited Edition. Link to comment
burnspbesq Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 WOWOWOW i finally installed the thunderbolt card for my lynx hilo and damn what a difference. Dude, I hate you. Just got a new MacBook Pro, and the cost of the TB card for my Hilo was money I was hoping I wouldn't feel obligated to spend. How was the card replacement? Easy? Office: MacBook Pro - Audirvana Plus - Resonessence Concero - Cavailli Liquid Carbon - Sennheiser HD 800. Travel/Portable: iPhone 7 or iPad Pro - AudioQuest Dragonfly Red - Audeze SINE or Noble Savant Link to comment
Juan Paulino Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 Yeah bud, just unscrew the top plate, 7 screws total, remove the USB card and place the Thunderbolt slot it, then screw everything back. Musician Setup Black Mac Pro 2014 ->Lynx Hilo Thunderbolt ->Synergistic Research Thunderbolt Cable --> Harmonic Tech Magic Link 2 XLR --> Focal Twin BE 6's --> 2 Silent Source The Music Reference Power Cords --> LAT International Signature Power Cords --> Balanced Power Tech AC power Cord with Furutech Connects ->>Balanced Power AC Pure Power Center-->Dedicated AC line with PS Audio Soloist Limited Edition. Link to comment
seeteeyou Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 As indicated in the picture above, GC-Thunderbolt 2 from Gigabyte could be modified by Paul Pang with OCXO clock replacement. Could that be another avenue to achieve even better SQ? Link to comment
tranz Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Or power the thunderbolt drive with a cheap linear power supply as another tweak. Link to comment
earflappin Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 WOWOWOW i finally installed the thunderbolt card for my lynx hilo and damn what a difference. Would you mind describing the SQ change you observed? Thanks. Mac Mini / Pure Music > Firewire & USB > Metric Halo LIO-8 > Hypex NCORE 400 > Geddes Abbey Speakers > Rythmik Servo & Geddes Band Pass Subs // DH Labs Cables, HRS MXR Isolation Rack, PurePower 2000, Elgar 6006B Link to comment
jtwrace Posted February 3, 2015 Share Posted February 3, 2015 Would you mind describing the SQ change you observed? Thanks. Not like you're going to buy one. W10 NUC i7 (Gen 10) > Roon (Audiolense FIR) > Motu UltraLite mk5 > (4) Hypex NCore NC502MP > JBL M2 Master Reference +4 subs Watch my Podcast https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXMw_bZWBMtRWNJQfTJ38kA/videos Link to comment
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