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


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Most important: please realize this thread is about bleeding edge experimentation and discovery. No one has The Answer™. If you are not into tweaking, just know that you can have a musically satisfying system without doing any of the nutty things we do here.

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51 minutes ago, ElviaCaprice said:

Hope that helped...

 

Hardcore dedication to the frontiers of audio nirvana. Thanks for sharing EC. 

Topaz 2.5Kva Isolation Transformer > EtherRegen switch powered by Paul Hynes SR4 LPS >MacBook Pro 2013 > EC Designs PowerDac SX > TNT UBYTE-2 Speaker cables > Omega Super Alnico Monitors > 2x Rel T Zero Subwoofers. 

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3 hours ago, ElviaCaprice said:

will be replaced with a Paul Hynes SR7 once received

I'm trying to decide if i should order from Paul but heard the delivery time unbelievable. How long have you been waiting for?

DigitalDac: Chord DAVE, Amp: MC275 Mono, Preamp: FirstSound, Source: Esoteric K01X, Cable: TaraLab GME interconnect,
CASSOtM Trifecta Mod 75ohm MCI, TheLinearSolution TCXO Router

Analog: SME 20/2, SME V, Skala, Esoteric C03 Phono

 
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29 minutes ago, ismewor said:

I'm trying to decide if i should order from Paul but heard the delivery time unbelievable. How long have you been waiting for?

May 20th, but Paul is quite clear for his top shelf personally made PS's it's 40 to 55 working days not including his needed holidays.  So I'm looking at sometime mid July to beginning of August.

(JRiver) Jetway barebones NUC (mod 3 sCLK-EX, Cybershaft OP 14)  (PH SR7) => mini pcie adapter to PCIe 1X => tXUSBexp PCIe card (mod sCLK-EX) (PH SR7) => (USPCB) Chord DAVE => Omega Super 8XRS/REL t5i  (All powered thru Topaz Isolation Transformer)

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16 minutes ago, austinpop said:

 

ISO-Regen meets Ultra Trifecta - First Impressions

 
With about 70 hours under the ISO-Regen's belt, I decided it was safe to try a first listen. This time, Eric and I met at my place using my headphone setup (see sig) as the reference.
 
We will do another round in a couple weeks when the ISO-Regen should have at least 200 hours of burn-in.
 
Note: 
  • All components were powered by LPS-1 PSUs.
  • The sCLK-EX modded Zyxel switch (aka Z-switch) and modded sMS-200 were powered by a single LPS-1 using a Ghent Y-cable.
  • Galvanic isolation was ON (switch set to position I) on the ISO-Regen in all cases except experiment 5 below.
Key Questions and Associated Experiments
  1. Compare mR+ISO-Regen vs Ultra Trifecta - Does adding the ISO-Regen to the mR close the gap relative the SOtM Ultra trifecta?
    • Baseline:          Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > tX-USBultra (Ultra Trifecta)
    • Comparison:     mR > ISO-Regen
    • Result: 
      • Sorry folks, this is still no contest. The Ultra trifecta has significantly better SQ. It will be interesting to see how much further the Ultrarendu closes the gap. As I have maintained, the secret sauce in the trifecta has to be the modded switch. Once more such reclocking switches come along, there should be many more viable alternatives. But for now, the Trifecta rules.
         
  2. Replace tX-USBultra with ISO-Regen
    • Baseline:          Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > tX-USBultra
    • Comparison:     Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen
    • Result: 
      • Very close. WOW. Very, very close! We are so impressed with the ISO-Regen. 
      • Ultimately, we differed slightly in our overall preference.
        • Eric felt the ISO-Regen sounded better by a hair
        • Rajiv felt the tX was ahead by a nose
      • Minor differences aside, it points to the fact that the ISO-R is an insane value for the money.
         
  3. Add ISO-Regen before tX in the trifecta
    • Baseline:            Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen
    • Comparison:       Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen > tX-USBultra
    • Result: 
      • The best sounding configuration of the day.
      • Again, we differed slightly in our overall preference.
        • Eric felt he could not hear the incremental improvement the tX added over the baseline
        • Rajiv felt the tX added a noticeable increase in SQ - notably low end heft and a tad more resolution
           
  4. Add ISO-Regen after tX in the trifecta
    • Baseline:           Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen > tX-USBultra
    • Comparison:      Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > tX-USBultra > ISO-Regen
    • Result: 
      • Not as good as before the tX
      • This sounded flatter, smaller, and a bit lacking in resolution and texture
         
  5. Which sounds better - GI ON or OFF
    • Baseline:           Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen (GI ON) > tX-USBultra
    • Comparison:      Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen (GI OFF) > tX-USBultra
    • Result: 
      • This wasn't as cut and dried as I expected
      • Over several tracks, we concluded the GI setting of ON (default) sounded better, but the difference was small
      • On at least one track (Nightingale by Norah Jones on DSD), we felt the GI OFF sounded a tad more natural
    • Editorial: @Superdad - I already ragged you about the labels for the GI DIP switch in the ISO-R thread. Enough said.
       
  6. Finally, we retried a couple of Ethernet experiments. 
    What is the SQ effect of iSO-Cat 6 Isolator
    • Baseline:           generic 6a > Z-switch > Supra 6a > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen > tX-USBultra
    • Comparison:      generic 6a > iSO-Cat6 > BJC 6a > Z-switch > Supra 6a > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen > tX-USBultra
    • Result: 
      • No impact. Nada. Zip. Zero.
      • We continue to hear no effect from these isolators - first on Eric's system, now mine.
      • Others do. Odd.
         
  7. What is the SQ effect of dCBL-Cat7 cable
    • Baseline:           generic 6a > iSO-Cat6 > BJC 6a > Z-switch > Supra 6a > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen > tX-USBultra
    • Comparison:      generic 6a > iSO-Cat6 > BJC 6a > Z-switch > dCBL-7 > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen > tX-USBultra
    • Result: 
      • Definite improvement
      • Consistent with SQ improvement we heard on Eric's system
      • But magnitude of SQ improvement is not large enough for me to justify the cost of the cable ($500)
      • Might be worth picking up used.
Overall Musings
  • The ISO-Regen is a gem. Why am I not surprised! My order for one has already been placed.
  • The Trifecta with ISO-Regen (Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen > tX-USBultra) is true endgame material. At some level I agree with @hols - the ISO-R adds color. But for me, it corrects the slightly thin SOtM house sound with the more mellow and rich Uptone house sound. The end result is magical. But expensive. No doubt. There's no free lunch.
  • In decreasing order of performance, taking price into consideration:
    • $3190:    Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen > tX-USBultra + 3 x LPS-1s
    • $2540     Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > tX-USBultra + 2 x LPS-1s
    • $2940     Z-switch > sMS-200ultra > ISO-Regen + 3 x LPS-1s
      • you can get by sharing an LPS-1 between the Z-switch and the ISO-R, but as has been pointed out, this defeats GI.
  • Bottom line: The Ultra trifecta is still - for me - a  real sweet spot in terms of value for money. If you can swing a bit more, the Trifecta+ISO-Regen is just sublime. After that, you can slice and dice into subsets as your budget requires.

 

Wow... Thnak you so much for the insightful report. It will be very interesting if or when the Mutec Ref10 is added as a Reference clock for the Ultra trifecta.

"Its the REF clock that makes it all so good..."

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53 minutes ago, austinpop said:

 

ISO-Regen meets Ultra Trifecta - First Impressions

 
With about 70 hours under the ISO-Regen's belt, I decided it was safe to try a first listen. This time, Eric and I met at my place using my headphone setup (see sig) as the reference.
 
We will do another round in a couple weeks when the ISO-Regen should have at least 200 hours of burn-in.
 
Note: 
  • All components were powered by LPS-1 PSUs.
  • The sCLK-EX modded Zyxel switch (aka Z-switch) and modded sMS-200 were powered by a single LPS-1 using a Ghent Y-cable.
  • Galvanic isolation was ON (switch set to position I) on the ISO-Regen in all cases except experiment 5 below.
Key Questions and Associated Experiments
  1. Compare mR+ISO-Regen vs Ultra Trifecta - Does adding the ISO-Regen to the mR close the gap relative the SOtM Ultra trifecta?
    • Baseline:          Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > tX-USBultra (Ultra Trifecta)
    • Comparison:     mR > ISO-Regen
    • Result: 
      • Sorry folks, this is still no contest. The Ultra trifecta has significantly better SQ. It will be interesting to see how much further the Ultrarendu closes the gap. As I have maintained, the secret sauce in the trifecta has to be the modded switch. Once more such reclocking switches come along, there should be many more viable alternatives. But for now, the Trifecta rules.
         
  2. Replace tX-USBultra with ISO-Regen
    • Baseline:          Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > tX-USBultra
    • Comparison:     Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen
    • Result: 
      • Very close. WOW. Very, very close! We are so impressed with the ISO-Regen. 
      • Ultimately, we differed slightly in our overall preference.
        • Eric felt the ISO-Regen sounded better by a hair
        • Rajiv felt the tX was ahead by a nose
      • Minor differences aside, it points to the fact that the ISO-R is an insane value for the money.
         
  3. Add ISO-Regen before tX in the trifecta
    • Baseline:            Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen
    • Comparison:       Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen > tX-USBultra
    • Result: 
      • The best sounding configuration of the day.
      • Again, we differed slightly in our overall preference.
        • Eric felt he could not hear the incremental improvement the tX added over the baseline
        • Rajiv felt the tX added a noticeable increase in SQ - notably low end heft and a tad more resolution
           
  4. Add ISO-Regen after tX in the trifecta
    • Baseline:           Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen > tX-USBultra
    • Comparison:      Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > tX-USBultra > ISO-Regen
    • Result: 
      • Not as good as before the tX
      • This sounded flatter, smaller, and a bit lacking in resolution and texture
         
  5. Which sounds better - GI ON or OFF
    • Baseline:           Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen (GI ON) > tX-USBultra
    • Comparison:      Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen (GI OFF) > tX-USBultra
    • Result: 
      • This wasn't as cut and dried as I expected
      • Over several tracks, we concluded the GI setting of ON (default) sounded better, but the difference was small
      • On at least one track (Nightingale by Norah Jones on DSD), we felt the GI OFF sounded a tad more natural
    • Editorial: @Superdad - I already ragged you about the labels for the GI DIP switch in the ISO-R thread. Enough said.
       
  6. Finally, we retried a couple of Ethernet experiments. 
    What is the SQ effect of iSO-Cat 6 Isolator
    • Baseline:           generic 6a > Z-switch > Supra 6a > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen > tX-USBultra
    • Comparison:      generic 6a > iSO-Cat6 > BJC 6a > Z-switch > Supra 6a > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen > tX-USBultra
    • Result: 
      • No impact. Nada. Zip. Zero.
      • We continue to hear no effect from these isolators - first on Eric's system, now mine.
      • Others do. Odd.
         
  7. What is the SQ effect of dCBL-Cat7 cable
    • Baseline:           generic 6a > iSO-Cat6 > BJC 6a > Z-switch > Supra 6a > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen > tX-USBultra
    • Comparison:      generic 6a > iSO-Cat6 > BJC 6a > Z-switch > dCBL-7 > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen > tX-USBultra
    • Result: 
      • Definite improvement
      • Consistent with SQ improvement we heard on Eric's system
      • But magnitude of SQ improvement is not large enough for me to justify the cost of the cable ($500)
      • Might be worth picking up used.
Overall Musings
  • The ISO-Regen is a gem. Why am I not surprised! My order for one has already been placed.
  • The Trifecta with ISO-Regen (Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen > tX-USBultra) is true endgame material. At some level I agree with @hols - the ISO-R adds color. But for me, it corrects the slightly thin SOtM house sound with the more mellow and rich Uptone house sound. The end result is magical. But expensive. No doubt. There's no free lunch.
  • In decreasing order of performance, taking price into consideration:
    • $3190:    Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen > tX-USBultra + 3 x LPS-1s
    • $2540     Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > tX-USBultra + 2 x LPS-1s
    • $2940     Z-switch > sMS-200ultra > ISO-Regen + 3 x LPS-1s
      • you can get by sharing an LPS-1 between the Z-switch and the ISO-R, but as has been pointed out, this defeats GI.
  • Bottom line: The Ultra trifecta is still - for me - a  real sweet spot in terms of value for money. If you can swing a bit more, the Trifecta+ISO-Regen is just sublime. After that, you can slice and dice into subsets as your budget requires.

 

Great, detailed & interesting report Rajiv! :)

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, austinpop said:

 

ISO-Regen meets Ultra Trifecta - First Impressions

 
With about 70 hours under the ISO-Regen's belt, I decided it was safe to try a first listen. This time, Eric and I met at my place using my headphone setup (see sig) as the reference.
 
We will do another round in a couple weeks when the ISO-Regen should have at least 200 hours of burn-in.
 
Note: 
  • All components were powered by LPS-1 PSUs.
  • The sCLK-EX modded Zyxel switch (aka Z-switch) and modded sMS-200 were powered by a single LPS-1 using a Ghent Y-cable.
  • Galvanic isolation was ON (switch set to position I) on the ISO-Regen in all cases except experiment 5 below.
Key Questions and Associated Experiments
  1. Compare mR+ISO-Regen vs Ultra Trifecta - Does adding the ISO-Regen to the mR close the gap relative the SOtM Ultra trifecta?
    • Baseline:          Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > tX-USBultra (Ultra Trifecta)
    • Comparison:     mR > ISO-Regen
    • Result: 
      • Sorry folks, this is still no contest. The Ultra trifecta has significantly better SQ. It will be interesting to see how much further the Ultrarendu closes the gap. As I have maintained, the secret sauce in the trifecta has to be the modded switch. Once more such reclocking switches come along, there should be many more viable alternatives. But for now, the Trifecta rules.
         
  2. Replace tX-USBultra with ISO-Regen
    • Baseline:          Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > tX-USBultra
    • Comparison:     Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen
    • Result: 
      • Very close. WOW. Very, very close! We are so impressed with the ISO-Regen. 
      • Ultimately, we differed slightly in our overall preference.
        • Eric felt the ISO-Regen sounded better by a hair
        • Rajiv felt the tX was ahead by a nose
      • Minor differences aside, it points to the fact that the ISO-R is an insane value for the money.
         
  3. Add ISO-Regen before tX in the trifecta
    • Baseline:            Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen
    • Comparison:       Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen > tX-USBultra
    • Result: 
      • The best sounding configuration of the day.
      • Again, we differed slightly in our overall preference.
        • Eric felt he could not hear the incremental improvement the tX added over the baseline
        • Rajiv felt the tX added a noticeable increase in SQ - notably low end heft and a tad more resolution
           
  4. Add ISO-Regen after tX in the trifecta
    • Baseline:           Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen > tX-USBultra
    • Comparison:      Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > tX-USBultra > ISO-Regen
    • Result: 
      • Not as good as before the tX
      • This sounded flatter, smaller, and a bit lacking in resolution and texture
         
  5. Which sounds better - GI ON or OFF
    • Baseline:           Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen (GI ON) > tX-USBultra
    • Comparison:      Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen (GI OFF) > tX-USBultra
    • Result: 
      • This wasn't as cut and dried as I expected
      • Over several tracks, we concluded the GI setting of ON (default) sounded better, but the difference was small
      • On at least one track (Nightingale by Norah Jones on DSD), we felt the GI OFF sounded a tad more natural
    • Editorial: @Superdad - I already ragged you about the labels for the GI DIP switch in the ISO-R thread. Enough said.
       
  6. Finally, we retried a couple of Ethernet experiments. 
    What is the SQ effect of iSO-Cat 6 Isolator
    • Baseline:           generic 6a > Z-switch > Supra 6a > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen > tX-USBultra
    • Comparison:      generic 6a > iSO-Cat6 > BJC 6a > Z-switch > Supra 6a > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen > tX-USBultra
    • Result: 
      • No impact. Nada. Zip. Zero.
      • We continue to hear no effect from these isolators - first on Eric's system, now mine.
      • Others do. Odd.
         
  7. What is the SQ effect of dCBL-Cat7 cable
    • Baseline:           generic 6a > iSO-Cat6 > BJC 6a > Z-switch > Supra 6a > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen > tX-USBultra
    • Comparison:      generic 6a > iSO-Cat6 > BJC 6a > Z-switch > dCBL-7 > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen > tX-USBultra
    • Result: 
      • Definite improvement
      • Consistent with SQ improvement we heard on Eric's system
      • But magnitude of SQ improvement is not large enough for me to justify the cost of the cable ($500)
      • Might be worth picking up used.
Overall Musings
  • The ISO-Regen is a gem. Why am I not surprised! My order for one has already been placed.
  • The Trifecta with ISO-Regen (Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen > tX-USBultra) is true endgame material. At some level I agree with @hols - the ISO-R adds color. But for me, it corrects the slightly thin SOtM house sound with the more mellow and rich Uptone house sound. The end result is magical. But expensive. No doubt. There's no free lunch.
  • In decreasing order of performance, taking price into consideration:
    • $3190:    Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen > tX-USBultra + 3 x LPS-1s
    • $2540     Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > tX-USBultra + 2 x LPS-1s
    • $2940     Z-switch > sMS-200ultra > ISO-Regen + 3 x LPS-1s
      • you can get by sharing an LPS-1 between the Z-switch and the ISO-R, but as has been pointed out, this defeats GI.
  • Bottom line: The Ultra trifecta is still - for me - a  real sweet spot in terms of value for money. If you can swing a bit more, the Trifecta+ISO-Regen is just sublime. After that, you can slice and dice into subsets as your budget requires.

 

Thanks for the great report. Much appreciated. Keep'em coming.

 

Is the Z-switch mod same as the D-Link switch mod as listed in sotm ?

 

https://sotm-usa.com/collections/ultra-series-mods/products/sms-200ultra-audio-network-player-mods?variant=41281316812

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1 hour ago, austinpop said:

 

  • In decreasing order of performance, taking price into consideration:
    • $3190:    Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen > tX-USBultra + 3 x LPS-1s
    • $2540     Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > tX-USBultra + 2 x LPS-1s
    • $2940     Z-switch > sMS-200ultra > ISO-Regen + 3 x LPS-1s
      • you can get by sharing an LPS-1 between the Z-switch and the ISO-R, but as has been pointed out, this defeats GI.
  • Bottom line: The Ultra trifecta is still - for me - a  real sweet spot in terms of value for money. If you can swing a bit more, the Trifecta+ISO-Regen is just sublime. After that, you can slice and dice into subsets as your budget requires.

 

@austinpop, thank you for the comparison.

 

When you say "the Ultra trifecta", you mean a modded switch (taking the clock from the tx) + regular sms200 (taking the clock from the tx) + the tx Ultra?

 

I would say you can go even cheaper than that and have similar results, just by using a sms200Ultra and a modded switch (taking the clock from the sms200ultra). You lose one LPS-1 here as well. 

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2 hours ago, austinpop said:

Compare mR+ISO-Regen vs Ultra Trifecta - Does adding the ISO-Regen to the mR close the gap relative the SOtM Ultra trifecta?

  • Baseline:          Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > tX-USBultra (Ultra Trifecta)
  • Comparison:     mR > ISO-Regen
  • Result: 
    • Sorry folks, this is still no contest. The Ultra trifecta has significantly better SQ. It will be interesting to see how much further the Ultrarendu closes the gap. As I have maintained, the secret sauce in the trifecta has to be the modded switch.

 

2 hours ago, austinpop said:

Bottom line: The Ultra trifecta is still - for me - a  real sweet spot in terms of value for money. If you can swing a bit more, the Trifecta+ISO-Reg

 

@austinpop - Yet another great post!

 

Since I already have an ISO Regen and a MicroRendu - each on LPS-1 then this becomes pretty tempting. Invest in the SMS-200ultra and modded switch. Swap out the MR and old switch and I'm pretty much up and running for approx $1500 (plus whatever I can sell the MR for). Pretty tempting.

 

Main question for me remains the SU-1. Looking forward to seeing how @Bamber gets on with his modded SU-1 as part of this chain.

 

Thanks for the insightful and detailed post.

 

Cheers,

Alan

 

Synergistic Research Powercell UEF SE > Sonore OpticalModule (LPS-1.2 & DXP-1A5DSC) > EtherRegen (SR4T & DXP-1A5DSC) > (Sablon 2020 LAN) Innuos PhoenixNet > Muon Streaming System > Grimm Audio MU1 server > (Sablon AES) Mola Mola Tambaqui DAC > PS Audio M1200 monoblocks > Salk Sound Supercharged Songtowers

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2 hours ago, austinpop said:

Overall Musings
  • The ISO-Regen is a gem. Why am I not surprised! My order for one has already been placed.
  • The Trifecta with ISO-Regen (Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen > tX-USBultra) is true endgame material. At some level I agree with @hols - the ISO-R adds color. But for me, it corrects the slightly thin SOtM house sound with the more mellow and rich Uptone house sound. The end result is magical. But expensive. No doubt. There's no free lunch.
  • In decreasing order of performance, taking price into consideration:
    • $3190:    Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen > tX-USBultra + 3 x LPS-1s
    • $2540     Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > tX-USBultra + 2 x LPS-1s
    • $2940     Z-switch > sMS-200ultra > ISO-Regen + 3 x LPS-1s
      • you can get by sharing an LPS-1 between the Z-switch and the ISO-R, but as has been pointed out, this defeats GI.

Rajiv, there is if course the direct model with a single machine, local drives, and some combo of ISO Regen / txUSBUltra.

 

My dac chain is sounding splendid with one lps-1, no switch, and the ISO Regen with two USPCBs.

Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio

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5 hours ago, lmitche said:

 

 

My dac chain is sounding splendid with one lps-1, no switch, and the ISO Regen with two USPCBs.

Yes, Larry, I have confirmed what you found out.  I think this configuration gives the biggest bang for the buck.  So good in fact, I have no further desire to explore the SoTM Ultra components/clocking.  

I will complacently observe others findings at a distance, please continue.  Good work guys!

 

(JRiver) Jetway barebones NUC (mod 3 sCLK-EX, Cybershaft OP 14)  (PH SR7) => mini pcie adapter to PCIe 1X => tXUSBexp PCIe card (mod sCLK-EX) (PH SR7) => (USPCB) Chord DAVE => Omega Super 8XRS/REL t5i  (All powered thru Topaz Isolation Transformer)

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5 hours ago, lmitche said:

Rajiv, there is if course the direct model with a single machine, local drives, and some combo of ISO Regen / txUSBUltra.

 

My dac chain is sounding splendid with one lps-1, no switch, and the ISO Regen with two USPCBs.

 

22 minutes ago, ElviaCaprice said:

Yes, Larry, I have confirmed what you found out.  I think this configuration gives the biggest bang for the buck.  So good in fact, I have no further desire to explore the SoTM Ultra components/clocking.  

I will complacently observe others findings at a distance, please continue.  Good work guys!

 

 

And here we come full circle.  A simple solution without a chain of clocks, master clock, endpoints, or FMCs.  One high quality re-clocking device as direct as possible from the server to the DAC.  I was also surprised to hear Roy going back to a similar solution.  This is refreshing to say the least, and it just makes the most logical sense.

 

Thanks to everyone who has put their time, effort and money into buying and experimenting with these devices.

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Quote

What is the SQ effect of dCBL-Cat7 cable

  • Baseline:           generic 6a > iSO-Cat6 > BJC 6a > Z-switch > Supra 6a > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen > tX-USBultra
  • Comparison:      generic 6a > iSO-Cat6 > BJC 6a > Z-switch > dCBL-7 > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen > tX-USBultra
  • Result: 
    • Definite improvement
    • Consistent with SQ improvement we heard on Eric's system
    • But magnitude of SQ improvement is not large enough for me to justify the cost of the cable ($500)
    • Might be worth picking up used.

 

I actually thought that there's a trade-off between a standard ethernet cable and the dCBL-CAT7: standard ethernet sounded more airy to me, dCBL-CAT7 sounded more refined but less airy.  This was the same impression I had on my system with only one dCBL-CAT7.  I haven't really compared with 2, 3, or 4 yet.

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9 hours ago, austinpop said:

Add ISO-Regen before tX in the trifecta

  • Baseline:            Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen
  • Comparison:       Z-switch > sMS-200 mod > ISO-Regen > tX-USBultra
  • Result: 
    • The best sounding configuration of the day.

Great stuff, confirms my own finding. IR before the tX is a killer, nothing beats this combo!

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17 hours ago, ElviaCaprice said:

May 20th, but Paul is quite clear for his top shelf personally made PS's it's 40 to 55 working days not including his needed holidays.  So I'm looking at sometime mid July to beginning of August.

 

Will you let us know when you receive yours?

I'm  thinking about ordering but long lead times in the past make me pause at the moment. 2-3 months is ok but longer than that...

customer server+AudiophileOptimizer >>UltraRendu (SR4) >> Lush(JSSG360) >>> IsoRegen(SR4) >>> Lush^2 >>> blu2 >>Blaxius^2D >> Dave > HD800(SDRmod)

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7 minutes ago, Jiffi32 said:

 

Will you let us know when you receive yours?

I'm  thinking about ordering but long lead times in the past make me pause at the moment. 2-3 months is ok but longer than that...

Will do.  I agree, 3 months would be the end of my patience.  I do have an alternative plan of two additional LPS-1's, tested and will work for my NUC.  But I am curious on Roy's rave reviews and look forward to the SR7.

(JRiver) Jetway barebones NUC (mod 3 sCLK-EX, Cybershaft OP 14)  (PH SR7) => mini pcie adapter to PCIe 1X => tXUSBexp PCIe card (mod sCLK-EX) (PH SR7) => (USPCB) Chord DAVE => Omega Super 8XRS/REL t5i  (All powered thru Topaz Isolation Transformer)

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5 minutes ago, lmitche said:

Thanks, that's good to know.  I may have to find a way to audition one. Are you sharing the LPS-1 with the ISO REGEN?

 

Larry

Let's just wait and see what it sounds like comparatively, when Mozes adds the USPCB upstream of the ISO Regen, TXultra removed.

(JRiver) Jetway barebones NUC (mod 3 sCLK-EX, Cybershaft OP 14)  (PH SR7) => mini pcie adapter to PCIe 1X => tXUSBexp PCIe card (mod sCLK-EX) (PH SR7) => (USPCB) Chord DAVE => Omega Super 8XRS/REL t5i  (All powered thru Topaz Isolation Transformer)

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