A novel way to massively improve the SQ of computer audio streaming

[andervt]

I spent som spare time today reading this thread, and found that I shold post some comments reagarding my listening experiences with some of the products mentioned.

 

I have earlier tested the Sotm SPS-500 vs Ultracap LPS-1.

I found the SPS-500 clearly superior in overall soundquality. When using the the SPS-500 to power the LPS-1 instead of the supplyed power that came with the LPS-1 the difference was smaller but still in favour of the SPS-500.

 

I recently tested SPS-500 vs Ultracap LPS-1.2.

I also this time found the SPS-500 superior of the LPS-1.2. And I do not think the differences are subtle when I think of what is compared. With the SPS-500 the sound is cleaner and less grainy, the soundstage is larger and low end better defined. I am using a self made AC powercord on the SPS-500, and also this time I tried powering the LPS-1.2 with the SPS-500. If the AC powercord make any difference this is included when powering the LPS-1.2 with the SPS-500. I also find the SPS-500 slone sound superior to the LPS-1.2 when powering the LPS-1.2 with the SPS-500. I have tested the supplyes on a Linux Audio Pentium NUC, and Sotm SMS-200 Ultra Neo.

 

I also compared my SOTM-SMS-200 Ultra Neo and tx-USBultra (no master clock) to the 4-core Pentium Audio Linux NUC.

The Sotm combo sounds better than the NUC. When changing from the NUC to the  Sotm combo it is like changing to a precision instrument with higher resolution, larger soundstage and more finess. The NUC has a good price quality sound, and is better than a Microrendu for example, but not at the same level as the Sotm combo.

I use Spiral Groove feet under my Sotm boxes, and also placed these under the NUC with good result wehen I did these tests.

 

I also wonder if people are using the Sotm boxes standing on their original soft feet?

If they do, they have not released the full potential of these units.

Replacing  the soft feet with a  stiff alternative will make an important improovement to the soundquality.
I use Spiral Groove Strange Attractor feet with very good result.
You could also use small aluminium feet or other alternatives of a hard material. This will make the boxes more unstable on the shelve, but do not place anything heavy on top of them for stability, this will degrade the sound.
Place 3 hard feet under the boxes. It is very important that the hard feet have direct contact with the product it is placed under, and the shelve it stands on. Place one foot in front, and two feet in the back on for example the SMS-200, SPS-500, tx-USBultra. Do not use spikes, and do not place them under existing feet.
This will be more unpractical then your soft feet, but will make an important improvement on the sound.
The units must stand in a rack or other hard surface, and not on a carpet or anything soft when you do this test. 

 

[andervt]

9 minutes ago, Superdad said:

 

Terje:

You ought to disclose in your signature that you are a member of the trade. That is a rule on this web site.

 

And the fact that you are also a reseller of SOtM products brings questions of bias.  http://www.andervikaudio.no/andre-produkter/

 

By the way, plenty of other comparisons between the SOtM sPS-500 and the UpTone UltraCap LPS-1.2 have been made and published--here in this thread and elsewhere--with quite the opposite results.  So we invite readers to try for themselves.

 

Regards,

--Alex C.

Thank you Superdad, I was not aware that there was a rule for telling that I was a member of the trade, but this seems like a good rule.

 

There have been other comparisons with opposite results regarding Sotm and LPS powersupplyes, and that is the reason for me writing this. I have tested the LPS-1 one time and the LPS-1.2 two times. And the SPS-500 has been the better power without doubt in my tests. My friend who own the LPS power I tested also agree in what i wrote. I think it would be wrong of me to not enlighten auphile that there are different experiences, and in this way encourage to test themselves.

[andervt]

5 minutes ago, Lebouwsky said:

Even these are offered on your website, you’re misleading readers and dishonouring the forum. 

As you see in my tips regarding feet I encourage to use other selfmade feet of aluminium or other hard materials that are of no cost if you can find something suitable in your home. 

My goal with the tips regarding feet is to share my experiences and help improving the sound.

 

[andervt]

59 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

@andervt This is your warning. Put your industry affiliation in your signature and stop advertising your own products on the forum. You can answer a question about your products if someone asks, but other than that you can't bring them up.

I apologize for breaking the rules and not have my industri affiliation in the signature. This is a good rule. Embarrassing but I just tried to make a signature but could not find where to do it. Please advice.

[andervt]

23 hours ago, andervt said:

I spent som spare time today reading this thread, and found that I shold post some comments reagarding my listening experiences with some of the products mentioned.

 

I have earlier tested the Sotm SPS-500 vs Ultracap LPS-1.

I found the SPS-500 clearly superior in overall soundquality. When using the the SPS-500 to power the LPS-1 instead of the supplyed power that came with the LPS-1 the difference was smaller but still in favour of the SPS-500.

 

I recently tested SPS-500 vs Ultracap LPS-1.2.

I also this time found the SPS-500 superior of the LPS-1.2. And I do not think the differences are subtle when I think of what is compared. With the SPS-500 the sound is cleaner .....

 

Before writing my post yesterday a read Austin Pops excellent intro to orientate me in this enormous thread. Readers are told to focus on direct listening test, and that is what i did.

 

As agreed, after this was commented, it is a good thing to identify that you are in the trade, but did not think of it when I wrote the post and agree that this is something the readers should know when they read my listening comparisons.

I do think someone in the trade also should be allowed to write their listening impressions in this forum. If not this forum will become poorer.

 

My commercial gain from what I wrote yesterday is hard to see. My name, contact info, webpages or other was not revealed before an other poster wrote my name and webpage url in a comment. That a potential buyer should find me in my frosen corner on the earth and buy products from me based on this post was not very realistically until my name and webpage url was published in the thread.

 

After 35 years as audio enthusiast I am not afraid to put my head forward and tell others of  my experiences and listening impressions even it they do not correspond with others. 

My impressions of the LPS and SOTM powersupply was commented as suspect since they were different. Next time I do a listening test and the result is different from others, I will still tell my version because it is the only one I know. If all tests have to have the same result this forum has now value. 

I am not the maker or distributor of Sotm, but have choosen to offer some of the products for sale since they are the best I have tested in their class.

I think this result is most interesting for readers, and showing that 2+2 is not always 4 in hi-fi encourage to test themselves.

My intensions with this test is totally misunderstood, and I stand 100% by the listening impressions i wrote yesterday.

 

There have been a NUC "wave" in this thread, and people have replaced a full package of Sotm units including masterclock with their NUC.

So when the NUC owner and I should compare SMS-200UN and tx-USBultra with the AL NUC we almost expected it to wipe the floor with the Sotm boxes. It did not.

I think it is interesting for readers to know that there are different experiences with NUC`s.

My intensions with this test is totally misunderstood, and I stand 100% by the listening impressions i wrote yesterday.

 

Informing that I experienced good results with Strange Attractors feet under Sotm and NUC made someone meen that I was misleading readers and dishonouring the forum since I sold these feet. In the next sentense I encouraged to try with small aluminium feet or other stiff alternatives. These can be found in your home or garage and cost nothing. Try a small shot glass or something like that 🙂  This is not very commercial , and is not misleading but informing, and a good advice to improve the sound in your system.

As this thread is so big I am not aware if this has been discussed here, but placing the SA feet under NUC when doing the test made an important improvement to the sound if you see it with an audio enthusiast eyes.

This tip is absolutely misunderstood and I stand 100% by this.

 

[andervt]

11 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Trust me, things won’t work out well for you if you keep talking about products you sell. Over the last 11 years this has happened countless times. People try to massage their language into something beneficial for the forum, but I can tell you it never works. You will turn readers against you and leave a trail of evidence that’s forever searchable. 

 

I can’t recommend strongly enough that you stop writing about products you carry. If you can’t stop you will be banned. 

Yesterday I wrote about three listeningtests performed with products frequently discussed in this thread.

The post was accused for beeing commercial and I was accused for having other motives then I have.

I tried to explain and emphasize why I wrote the post today.

 

If this is not acceptable please feel free to delete my user and posts.

[andervt]

13 minutes ago, BigAlMc said:

 

The problem here is that your finding (that the SPS-500 beats the LPS-1 and LPS-1.2) is the opposite of what many others here have found.

 

I currently own all three of the above and the ONLY thing the SPS-500 beats either of the other two on is available amperage.

 

The LPS1 sounds better, the 1.2 better still.

 

Factor in your commercial interest in selling the SoTM kit and your post raises eyebrows.

 

Dunno about the NUC vs SMS-200 claims but a lot of very experienced users (myself included) are very happy with what they are achieving with NUCs and I don't hear many others advocating the SoTM renderer as a step up.

 

Cheers,

Alan

Thank you for your comments Alan.

 

I understand that you see the findings as a problem regarding the powersupplys.

But my findings is the reasons for why I wrote the post in the beginning.

In my system there is no doubt which power is the best. And this is something potential buyers deserves to know so they can test this themselves. The owner of the LPS power I tested is dissapointed with the result since he bought the power based on this thread.

This could relate to the effort I have put into filtering and grounding on the AC supply, to the other electronics used, the Norwegian AC network beeing different built then most other countries. I do not know, and do not feel like putting more time in checking at this time. It is easyer for me to use the best sounding power. The point is that there is worth checking how these powersupplies sound in your own system.

 

The NUC owner is the same as the LPS owner, and there is no disagreement between us which of the units that sounds the best. This NUC is a 4 core Pentium and I understand that the I7 NUC`s sound better?

But I have only heard this one, and it is not as good,  but a lot cheaper. I use feet under the boxes and this lifts the quality, but it also did so on the NUC.

There was an improvement in sound whenEunhasu updated to 4.51 and this version was used last time.

But we tested these to units against each other a few weeks ago with an older Eunhasu and the result was the same.

 

If anyone in my corner of the world have a LPS power and whish to hear what I am describing they are welcome here.

 

Cheers

Terje

[andervt]

12 hours ago, austinpop said:

 

Hello,

 

I don't have a problem with any posters that describe their own listening experiences. The nice thing about this thread is that no one is forcing anyone to do anything. If your findings are contrary to what the majority are finding, that does not make you wrong, per se. Different people hear differently, and value aspects of the experience differently. That's all cool.

 

The problem arises when it comes to credibility and motives. Most readers are intelligent and discerning enough to weigh all factors when evaluating a poster's findings and recommendations. Is the person a newbie to the forum? Or do they have a history of posting findings that others have found helpful? Does the poster have a commercial affiliation in the audio trade?

 

This last one is the stumbling block for dealers, distributors, resellers, and manufacturers. I accept that many, if not all, who fall into this category are also audiophiles. And many are used to giving customers (or potential customers) frank and honest advice. But what works in an in-person interaction does not translate well onto an internet forum.

 

As @The Computer Audiophile mentioned, many, many trade insiders have tried to walk the fine line on this forum between their own vested interest and what they consider as unbiased advice. Most have failed. I think you should just accept that as a dealer, you cannot escape the reality that whenever you talk about a product you sell or promote, you will be viewed as biased. That's life.

 

You may want to study the exceptions to the norm - people like @Superdad, @PeterSt - who manage to navigate the forums while declaring their industry affiliation. The trick is to provide expertise on the products with which you are affiliated, and avoid bad mouthing your competitors. Only then do you stand a chance of being heard.

 

And btw - even then it's incredibly hard.

 

 

Thank you for a well written post Austinpop (as usual)

 

I perfectly agree with everything you write!

 

As said repetedly, I should have informed that I was in the trade when i first wrote the post. Readers should know that. 

 

I have experienced and accepted a long time ago that my opinions will be viewed as biased, and that is understandable and ok with me. This is a question about thrust and getting to know eachother. I dont think I will be a frequent poster in this forum, so there will not be many that get to know me here.

 

I have no expertise in the powersupply I tested. Not involved in development, production or distribusjon although I know what technology is used. I do have expertise in other products, but this does not fit in this thread.

Over the years I have done a lot of improving on existing powersupplys, commercially building batterysupplyes and experiments to get control over the HF noise in audio systems which is a big factor for the soundquality. Listening to these kind of differences is not new to me.

So when we listened to these two powersupplys in my system, heard the differences and I also found out what was written about these units in this thread, I would have felt betrayal not  telling what we heard.

 

This was a direct listening comparison, and doing a comparison without revealing one of the models would have no value.

To me this is not bad mouthing.

 

Superdad and PeterSt are presumably good at navigating the forums and providing expertise. I have not read their posts.

I wrote what I did as an enthusiast sharing my experiences.

Doing this with two hats is difficult, I know from many years of experience.

I will be mistrusted of many  when I share my experiences directly, but I can live with that.

 

Terje

 

[andervt]

12 hours ago, Superdad said:

 

 

It can be hard--and I have taken my lumps.   The trick for me is avoiding posting about listening impressions and just sticking to the facts.  Even then I mange to bother some people...

Yes I know Superdad. I have done this in many years but not much here.

I can tak my lumps and live with that.

 

Thank you for your advice regarding listening comparisons. But this is the most interesting part though😊

 

I am sorry that I put your product in disfavour of an other, this was not the goal. The goal is to share my listening experiences in an honest way.

As you wrote me there are many different opinions regarding these, so I guess you will manage. But this fact makes it even more interesting to me.

 

Cheers

[andervt]

9 hours ago, PeterSt said:

 

@andervt, I think if you read this 5 times or so, you maybe start to see the intelligence of the remark. The "that's life" is not figurative. It's how it works.

 

 

I was reading through the/your last posts and I had the same impression (sitting back and thinking over how it actually works). Also see the [...] I put there, because I like to leave that out for something to agree with (facts in audio ?? - haha).

 

But now some counterweight ...

 

Terje did not sign up this January, but two years before that.

With a stubborn face Terje declared that nobody would have found him or his company when looking for feet. And indeed it is so that right after announcing them he proposed a cheaper DIY solution (I read it, and I plainly read it like that). But try Google. And try it with SOtM if you still have the urge.

Terje is a customer. Hahaha.

 

And you know, it indeed works better if you know what your market is, and this is about competition. No wait, they are your friends. Approach it like that almost explicitly, works better. Don't be stubborn about it. Here, came in during typing of this:

 

 

As if the devil plays with it (as we say it over here). Not even opened yet (but knowing the contents). Possibly you won't understand. Quite a few others will. @Superdad most certainly will. The history behind this works for life. Everybody should "behave" like that, although it feels quite counter productive. It is not. So Terje, IMO it is best not to further defend yourself as you seem only to be stubborn which is very OK, but now it hurts you which is not OK for you. OK ? 

 

---

 

Indeed it is not easy. People regularly ask me for advice which more often is about third party products than about our own (odd to begin with). Someone in this thread will recognize that he did so, only 48 hours ago. I gave a brief response and thought to leave it at that. It is about virtual competition and I was negative about it. Now I am asked to elaborate if possible. I did not yet because this is hard. And this is even in PM fashion, so go figure (but it could even be more hard). Suddenly there is a relation to your posts, Terje, which I only learned of right now. At least I see the relation, maybe it is unintentional. What if I would have elaborated with my own objective ideas / experiences not knowing the context, which next will always fire back somehow (because it will hurt someone).

It is better never to be negative, never mind you could be. And that small picture I injected above, in the end is about the same. This is about millions and millions of dollars. Better be friends instead of debunking a product, never mind how much you think it is justified.

 

Rajiv, sorry to mess with your thread ! 

Thak you for your good thoughts Peter.

This is time consuming and as you say ruin the thread, so I will only comment what i ment with " they would never find me". Of course everyone could find the products I commented and buy. But it would not be my name that popped up when they googled  the product, and I cant see why they should put an effort in finding my name to buy.

 

Cheers

Terje

[andervt]

13 hours ago, Superdad said:

 

Uh oh.

If you are referring to Geir T.'s purchase of an UltraCap LPS-1 and LPS-1.2, the facts do not at all agree with your above assertion!

 

Geir's original LPS-1 was delivered to him on November 15th, 2016.  This giant thread was not started until January 1, 2017.

 

Geir ordered the new generation UltraCap LPS-1.2 on February 20th, 2018.  He was among the first 150 purchasers of the new model (excluding the 100 people who ordered LPS-1s at the end of 2017 and received the very first LPS-1.2s at no additional charge).

 

Only a couple of passing mentions of the LPS-1.2 were made in this thread at the beginning of 2018. It would be a stretch to say those influenced him. And certainly no discussion of NUCs with our supplies were ever made back then as there was pretty much no discussion of NUCs in this thread at that time.

I know GeirT and he bought them after reading about LPS-1 on the internet. Maybe in an other thread? Not important I think. He have also used your powers on other units like the Microrendu.

[andervt]

6 hours ago, R1200CL said:

 

Not all Norwegian has IT. Many now these days has TN. 

And 220 is considered better than 120 😀 (Ref Charles Hanson)

 

What efforts have you done if I can ask ?

(I use Isotek)

 

 

 

Not all in Norway has IT. But that is most common still.

 

I have a large earthing wire directly under the floor in my basement listening room. This ends directly in my AC outlet.

Rugged distributor with Furutech NCF outlets. AC powercords with induvidual HF filters for all units. Approx 20mm2 earthing area in every powercord for hf draining. Capacitor decoupling on both phases and inbetween phases before distributor and to an other earthreference than the  soundsystem.