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

[Johnseye]

11 minutes ago, mozes said:

It's a great brand, I used to have their entry level receiver MRX 310 and it sounded great and rivaled my 2 channel amps. The ARC feature they have is one of the best for integrating subwoofers, I tried it many times. Their new offering of separates deserve listening. On top of that you get superb service and after sale service from Anthem!

 

You're making my decision harder!  I've been very impressed with a couple of the pre's I auditioned.  If it comes close to that experience I'll be happy because of the added features.  Good to hear they have great service.

 

7 minutes ago, mozes said:

If a manufacturer doesn't reply to my emails after I sent a payment, then I am not interested in his products even if they are arguably the best!

I like to give my business to people who engage with customers before and after the sale.

 

Agreed.  Never again.  There were times I thought I would lose my money, then he responds.  Now I'll have to worry about support if the PSU has issues.  Based on my experience with SOtM it's night and day.  If I were to do it over I'd get an sPS-500.

[mozes]

2 minutes ago, Johnseye said:

Based on my experience with SOtM it's night and day.  If I were to do it over I'd get an sPS-500.

Sotm is amazing. Their responsiveness and flexibility to do almost anything you ask for is unheard of

[JohnSwenson]

28 minutes ago, austinpop said:

 

Hi John,

 

Just following up on your point about 50 ohm vs 75 ohm - is there a standard, or a specification that one can reference, that applies to both variants? For example, if I have understood this right, 50 ohm cable is supposed to conform to the RG58 specification, and 75 ohm  cable to RG59. Is there a similar designation for 50 vs. 75 ohm BNC plugs?

There are 50 ohm and 75 ohm cables and 50 ohm and 75 ohm plugs, just make sure you match them.

 

RG-58 is a 50 ohm cable, RG-59 is a 75 ohm cable. They do not "define the spec" for 50 or 75 ohm cables, they are just particular implementations of a 50 ohm or 75 ohm cable. There are hundreds of different 50 and 75 ohm cables (more 50 than 75), they are all the correct impedance but vary in other parameters such as diameter, flexibility, attenuation, power handling capability (for transmitters) and of course cost. If you want to overwhelmed take a look a www.pasternak.com, they have a very BROAD range of coax cables. You can get pretty much anything you could possibly ever want from them.

 

BTW if you want what is possibly the best coax for handling a clock you should try a semi rigid assembly from them. It is essential thin walled copper tubing with a center conductor, you "form" it to the path you want, it stays in that configuration until you "form" it again to a different path. And not cheap, they are in the $10 per foot range or more.

 

John S.

 

 

[JohnSwenson]

On 9/4/2017 at 8:33 AM, auricgoldfinger said:

 

 

Both the LPS-1 and sPS-500 are more transparent and detailed with better separation relative to the JS-2.  They improved the macro- and micro-dynamics of the microRendu.  With the stock sPS-500 A/C power cable, the two supplies are comparable, but the LPS-1 does seem to have a slight edge.  Given the cost differential, if I only wanted to power a single 3.3V, 5V, or 7V device, the LPS-1 is possibly the better choice.  (In my case, I was fortunate to buy a 1-month old sPS-500 for the price of a new LPS-1.)

 

The Pangea A/C power cable greatly enhances soundstage dimensionality and imparts a sense of realism that makes the LPS-1 sound lean in comparison.  Please note that this particular Pangea cable is relatively inexpensive and would never be confused with a reference power cable.

 

I am not the first person to have noticed the importance of the A/C power cable: 

 

 

 

What are you powering the LPS-1 from? Have you tried powering it from the JS-2? If you use the Mean Well you can get high frequency noise getting into your system back through the AC mains. Some systems are sensitive to this and others are not.

 

John S.

[Johnseye]

7 minutes ago, Always.Learning said:

Yes, I paid him $1214 USD on March 29. Despite a half dozen or more attempts to reach him by email since then, I have had zero replies to my emails. No communication whatsoever, despite the fact the before I sent the funds, we exchanged about a dozen emails over a one-week period. I also tried calling him, using the phone number on his out-of-date website, and got a recorded message that the line was no longer working. 

 

I've been using the email [email protected]. Has he replied to you with this email? Can you tell me what date you sent him funds and what date you expect to receive your power supply? 

 

Unhappy in Seattle

 

That's the email.  I haven't received my SR7 yet.  Hopefully I didn't jinx anything ;).

 

[rickca]

15 minutes ago, JohnSwenson said:

take a look a www.pasternak.com

correction should be www.pasternack.com

[limniscate]

1 hour ago, Johnseye said:

 

That's the email.  I haven't received my SR7 yet.  Hopefully I didn't jinx anything ;).

 

I haven't received mine yet either and paid at the end of May.  He has responded to my emails though.

[Cooler]

Guys, can you suggest me what to do. 

I use HDPlex H5 case for my music PC. There are installed thin mini ITX mother board with JCAT net card and 1 ssd. So the half of the case is empty. On that case i put microRendu with LPS-1 and berkeley converter. Also i bought HDPlex LPSU 200W and feed with it motherboard, ssd and JCAT net card.

 

I want to reduce amount of boxes/cases in my setup (for at least hide them), so im thinking to put LPS-1 and microrendu inside the PC case, and feed LPS-1 with HDPlex LPSU along with music PC, ssd and JCAT. So i will exclude one noise PSU, which i used for LPS-1.

 

Then i would have free space on the PC case, i would put HDPlex LPSU on PC case and order for some custom very short cables, instead of default ones.

 

But i have few concerns about this idea.

1. Will motherboard influence somehow microrendu with its EMI noise? Should i add some metal fence between motherboard and microRendu? 

2. The same question about HDPlex LPSU, is that ok, that i put it so close to motherboard and microrendu? Maybe better to order longer cables and put this LPSU as far as possible from PC?

 

What do you think about that?

Thanks

 

 

[auricgoldfinger]

4 hours ago, JohnSwenson said:

What are you powering the LPS-1 from? Have you tried powering it from the JS-2? If you use the Mean Well you can get high frequency noise getting into your system back through the AC mains. Some systems are sensitive to this and others are not.

 

John S.

 

Thanks for the suggestion.  I have been using the Mean Well plugged into my BPT BP-3.5 Signature balanced power transformer.  I tried using the JS-2 set at 12V, and it brought the LPS-1 back up to a more comparable level with the sPS-500 + Pangea cable (plugged into the same transformer).  However, I still find the sPS-500 bests the LPS-1.  Sorry to be the bearer of that information.

 

Given the improvement, I am now planning to use the JS-2 to power my 2 LPS-1's unless I end up needing the JS-2 port to power other devices that need a linear power supply. 

[toetapaudio]

You might be interested in my thread: Review: DC Power Supplies for AQVOX audio grade switch, here on CA. In the review I tried the LPS1 with Sbooster and MCRUS feed ps.

[austinpop]

A Little Aside on Burn-in

 

I just returned from 6 days away from home. Just before I left, my system was finally back to full strength, but several changes were relatively recent:

• my tX-USBultra, sMS-200, and switch had just returned from Korea after being fitted with SMB connectors to replace the hard wired clock cables in the original mod
• Brand new Digikey SMB clock cables
• Repaired (or possibly replaced - not sure) LPS-1 feeding my tX
• Relatively new ISO-Regen and 2 x USPCBs (about 50 hours on them)

Do all of these things need burn in? Who knows. My view is why get hot and bothered about these things. Since I was going to be gone for 6 days, there was no severe weather in the forecast (I disconnect my gear during our thunderstorms here in Texas!), and I had a spouse at home who could pull the plug in case of contingencies, I decided to let the system burn in, using my standard practice of playing ocean sounds. I turned the volume on my amp to 0. I probably could have left my amp off. Again, why sweat it?

 

By the time I returned, I'd put a good 150+ hours on the gear.

 

The result?

 

To my ears, a very noticeable benefit. The sound was significantly more relaxed, more airy, without a hint of harshness. All the goodness - resolution, dimensionality, micro- and macro-details were all still there, but now coupled with this profound sense of ease. To be honest, I was not expecting this. Not because I haven't experienced the benefits of burn-in before, but because the changes in the system were fairly peripheral.

 

So does burn in of the trifecta and associated gear matter? To my ears, emphatically - yes! I won't debate the why's and why not's since I have no basis to do so, other than empirically. But it's easy enough to do, so just set it and forget it for a few days, and you'll be pleasantly surprised!

[Johnseye]

9 minutes ago, austinpop said:

A Little Aside on Burn-in

 

I just returned from 6 days away from home. Just before I left, my system was finally back to full strength, but several changes were relatively recent:

• my tX-USBultra, sMS-200, and switch had just returned from Korea after being fitted with SMB connectors to replace the hard wired clock cables in the original mod
• Brand new Digikey SMB clock cables
• Repaired (or possibly replaced - not sure) LPS-1 feeding my tX
• Relatively new ISO-Regen and 2 x USPCBs (about 50 hours on them)

Do all of these things need burn in? Who knows. My view is why get hot and bothered about these things. Since I was going to be gone for 6 days, there was no severe weather in the forecast (I disconnect my gear during our thunderstorms here in Texas!), and I had a spouse at home who could pull the plug in case of contingencies, I decided to let the system burn in, using my standard practice of playing ocean sounds. I turned the volume on my amp to 0. I probably could have left my amp off. Again, why sweat it?

 

By the time I returned, I'd put a good 150+ hours on the gear.

 

The result?

 

To my ears, a very noticeable benefit. The sound was significantly more relaxed, more airy, without a hint of harshness. All the goodness - resolution, dimensionality, micro- and macro-details were all still there, but now coupled with this profound sense of ease. To be honest, I was not expecting this. Not because I haven't experienced the benefits of burn-in before, but because the changes in the system were fairly peripheral.

 

So does burn in of the trifecta and associated gear matter? To my ears, emphatically - yes! I won't debate the why's and why not's since I have no basis to do so, other than empirically. But it's easy enough to do, so just set it and forget it for a few days, and you'll be pleasantly surprised!

 

Every audio manufacturer I've ever talked with recommends it. Whether the answer is known or not, I hear a difference and so do they. That's good enough for me. 

[austinpop]

8 minutes ago, Johnseye said:

 

Every audio manufacturer I've ever talked with recommends it. Whether the answer is known or not, I hear a difference and so do they. That's good enough for me. 

 

I guess I came off like Captain Obvious there.

[Johnseye]

20 minutes ago, austinpop said:

 

I guess I came off like Captain Obvious there.

 

There are some who would argue against this but we don't need to go there. 

[afrancois]

9 hours ago, auricgoldfinger said:

 

Thanks for the suggestion.  I have been using the Mean Well plugged into my BPT BP-3.5 Signature balanced power transformer.  I tried using the JS-2 set at 12V, and it brought the LPS-1 back up to a more comparable level with the sPS-500 + Pangea cable (plugged into the same transformer).  However, I still find the sPS-500 bests the LPS-1.  Sorry to be the bearer of that information.

 

Given the improvement, I am now planning to use the JS-2 to power my 2 LPS-1's unless I end up needing the JS-2 port to power other devices that need a linear power supply. 

Have you tried powering the LPS-1 with the sPS-500? I'm getting very good results doing so.

 

My sPS-500 with standard DC cable was clearly not as good as the LPS-1 with star quad. 

 

Now I'm waiting for the arrival of a star quad Y-cable for the sPS-500.

[Lebouwsky]

47 minutes ago, afrancois said:

Have you tried powering the LPS-1 with the sPS-500? I'm getting very good results doing so.

 

My sPS-500 with standard DC cable was clearly not as good as the LPS-1 with star quad. 

 

Now I'm waiting for the arrival of a star quad Y-cable for the sPS-500.

Really curious about your findings using a y-cable powering 2 components with one sps500. Some say it degrades the sound, while Sotm recommands it. And if it degrades, in what matter. I mean, it does save you money and rack space.

[toetapaudio]

Might be of interest

 

 

[auricgoldfinger]

4 hours ago, afrancois said:

Have you tried powering the LPS-1 with the sPS-500? I'm getting very good results doing so.

 

My sPS-500 with standard DC cable was clearly not as good as the LPS-1 with star quad. 

 

Now I'm waiting for the arrival of a star quad Y-cable for the sPS-500.

 

Thanks for the suggestion, but honestly, I'm not interested in buying expensive linear power supplies to power other expensive linear power supplies.  IMO, they ought to demonstrate value on their own or there is no point in buying them.  I already have a JS-2 (which is the lowest in the performance hierarchy), so I am willing to use it to improve the LPS-1 ONLY if I have the spare capacity.  I would never consider using the sPS-500 (highest in the performance hierarchy) to improve the LPS-1.  I have much better uses for the sPS-500.

[afrancois]

6 hours ago, auricgoldfinger said:

 

Thanks for the suggestion, but honestly, I'm not interested in buying expensive linear power supplies to power other expensive linear power supplies.  IMO, they ought to demonstrate value on their own or there is no point in buying them.  I already have a JS-2 (which is the lowest in the performance hierarchy), so I am willing to use it to improve the LPS-1 ONLY if I have the spare capacity.  I would never consider using the sPS-500 (highest in the performance hierarchy) to improve the LPS-1.  I have much better uses for the sPS-500.

 

I see what you mean. I power the LPS-1 with the sPS-500 because of two reasons. First, the sPS-500 doesn't cut it for me with the standard cable. Second, when I use the sPS-500 to power the LPS-1 that in turn powers the sMS-200 ultra, I no longer have these very faint clicks. Something like a very small impurity in a vinyl record? I guess that my standard LPS, that I used to power two LPS-1 had some difficulties doing so and kicked back something in my chain.

 

[auricgoldfinger]

3 minutes ago, afrancois said:

 

I see what you mean. I power the LPS-1 with the sPS-500 because of two reasons. First, the sPS-500 doesn't cut it for me with the standard cable. Second, when I use the sPS-500 to power the LPS-1 that in turn powers the sMS-200 ultra, I no longer have these very faint clicks. Something like a very small impurity in a vinyl record? I guess that my standard LPS, that I used to power two LPS-1 had some difficulties doing so and kicked back something in my chain.

 

 

You may want to consider an aftermarket power cable for your sPS-500.  See my comments here: 

and here:

 

 

[afrancois]

Just now, auricgoldfinger said:

 

You may want to consider an aftermarket power cable for your sPS-500.  See my comments here: 

and here:

 

 

Ghent star quad for the sPS-500 is underway :-)

[SwissBear]

On 9/7/2017 at 7:14 PM, JohnSwenson said:

There are 50 ohm and 75 ohm cables and 50 ohm and 75 ohm plugs, just make sure you match them.

 

RG-58 is a 50 ohm cable, RG-59 is a 75 ohm cable. They do not "define the spec" for 50 or 75 ohm cables, they are just particular implementations of a 50 ohm or 75 ohm cable. There are hundreds of different 50 and 75 ohm cables (more 50 than 75), they are all the correct impedance but vary in other parameters such as diameter, flexibility, attenuation, power handling capability (for transmitters) and of course cost. If you want to overwhelmed take a look a www.pasternak.com, they have a very BROAD range of coax cables. You can get pretty much anything you could possibly ever want from them.

 

BTW if you want what is possibly the best coax for handling a clock you should try a semi rigid assembly from them. It is essential thin walled copper tubing with a center conductor, you "form" it to the path you want, it stays in that configuration until you "form" it again to a different path. And not cheap, they are in the $10 per foot range or more.

 

John S.

 

 

Hi @JohnSwenson,

Could you kindly confirm the link you gave above for the coax cables ? Seems this link is point to an artist web site. Thanks

[austinpop]

1 minute ago, SwissBear said:

Hi @JohnSwenson,

Could you kindly confirm the link you gave above for the coax cables ? Seems this link is point to an artist web site. Thanks

 

As @rickca pointed out upthread, the correct link is https://www.pasternack.com/

 

Enjoy! Or be very confused. Take your pick.

 

[Always.Learning]

This post will be of interest mostly to those who are using SOtM Ultra products or are contemplating purchasing them, especially those who are also looking at the Iso Regen and thinking about combining the SOtM and Uptone products. 

 

I have the SOtM Ultra "trifecta" of switch, sMS-200, and tX-USB. I also have an Iso Regen and five USB cables including a Lush (borrowed from a friend for some long-term listening), a USPCB, an Audience, a generic SOtM that shipped with the Ultra products, and a $5 Tripp Lite with ferrite chokes. I've been playing around with placement of the Iso Regen and placement of the various USB cables. 

 

First, I will say that the addition of the Iso Regen (I received a replacement Iso Regen with a new board after the first one was plagued with ticking noises) makes a fairly big and positive difference. Anyone who has already invested $ in SOtM products should consider the relatively small additional investment in an IR. There are times when the Ultra products alone sound a little too analytical or lacking in color, tonal density, and body. The IR adds body, liquidity, flow, weight, and greater mid-bass and bass impact. When combined with the Ultra trifecta's refinement, detail, clarity, airiness, ambience retrieval, and precision, you've got a winning combination. 

 

Second, I compared the Iso Regen directly into my Chord DAVE via the USPCB vs. the Iso Regen in between the sMS-200 Ultra and tX-USB Ultra. I prefer the latter, with the tX-USB Ultra immediately before the Chord DAVE. With the Lush USB connecting the tX-USB Ultra and my Chord DAVE, I hear better tonality and timbre and better retrieval of air and space. It's a smoother, more engaging sound. I could see how people with different priorities might prefer the Iso Regen feeding their DAC.

 

Third, I compared various USB cables in various locations. These changes were less impactful than the addition of the Iso Regen. I preferred the Lush to the Audience when both were feeding the DAVE. The Lush captured the flow and tonality of instruments in a more authentic, musical way. I narrowly preferred the Audience to the SOtM USB cable when connecting the sMS-200 and tX-USB; the Audience was a little smoother and sounded more beautiful. Note that the Audience retails for $900 and the SOtM was "free" with the purchase of the Ultra products. I only used the USPCB in conjunction with the Iso Regen, as I couldn't make it work physically in other configurations. I have, however, heard the USPCB directly compared to the Lush in a friend's system, and they both have their strengths:  the USPCB is very clean and crisp with great transient fidelity; the Lush brings more tonality, harmonics, and body to the music. If you can make the USPCB work in your system, it's a great bargain. 

 

I'm a musical omnivore but I used three pieces of music to do most of my comparisons:  solo piano (Pascal Roge playing Debussy's Preludes); Manu Katche's Neighbourhood album on ECM; and Simon Rattle and the BPO playing Mahler 9.  

 

I ended up preferring this signal chain: 

 

Late 2012 Mac Mini (with Uptone mods) in "bridged ethernet" mode and running Roon off SD card, powered by JS-2 (which also powers my router for Tidal streaming) and with external hard drive on different circuit and in different room than rest of system  > BJC Cat6a ethernet > Paul Pang switch with TXCO clock (in same room as Mac Mini) powered by Jameco LPS > long run (80 ft) of generic Cat6a ethernet > SOtM dcblCat7 ethernet > D-Link switch modified by SOtM (powered by LPS-1) > SOtM dcblCat7 ethernet > SMS-200 Ultra (powered by LPS-1) (reclocking the modified switch with Digikey SMB cable) > Audience USB > ISO REGEN (powered by LPS-1) > USPCB > tX-USB Ultra (powered by LPS-1)  >  Lush USB > Chord DAVE > HiFiMan HE 1000 headphones; or alternatively > High Fidelity Cable CT-1 Enhanced interconnect > Crayon CFA 1.2 integrated amp > Daedalus/WyWires speaker cables > Daedalus Athena speakers

 

Power:  Shunyata and Audience cables and conditioner; dedicated circuits with 10-gauge wire; HFC MC 0.5 Wave Guide

 

Vibration:  extensive use of Stillpoints and bamboo; Finite Elemente rack and isolation feet

 

Room treatment:  Stillpoints Aperture; A/V Roomservice acoustic room treatment; Acustica Applicata Diffusion Absorption Audio Device

[magnuska]

Thanks for the write up. Have enyojed the ISO Regen/LPS -1 bundle a couple of days combined with soTm sms 200 ultra and TX USB Ultra , it is a large jump in SQ. I don`t have the clocked switch though. Feeding the internal DAC in my Vinnie Rossi integrated LIO amp.

 

No Lushcable but 2 very good USB cables from Triode Wire Labs TWL, ( Strange that these are not seen here more often) They are perhaps more famous for their powercables.