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

[beautiful music]

1 hour ago, Bruce Orr said:

Rajiv-to confirm, you’re using your Pangea power cord on the LPS-1.2? Also what exactly is the ‘energizing’ supply connected to the LPS-1.2?

I think you mean that what is using a power cord for SR4, am i right?

[seeteeyou]

The "energizer" for both LPS-1 and LPS-1.2 should look somewhat similar

 

https://www.meanwelldirect.co.uk/product/22W-7-5V-2-93A-Energy-Saving-Desktop-Power-Supply/GS25A07-P1J/default.htm

 

 

 

We could swap the power cable of that "energizer" as shown in the pictures below

 

 

 

[Kritpoon]

9 hours ago, flkin said:

Reading about the recent posts here about the Ref 10 and the MC3+USB, I thought some would be interested to hear that @Kritpoon and I have done some tests over the weekend with our joint SOtM Trifecta and @Kritpoon's Antipodes with Ref10/MC3+ system. It's in the other thread about the Antipodes located here:

 

 

Interesting results that will probably involve both of us spending more money! 

 

Will be writing it up over the next few days and posting it in that Antipodes thread and here as well. Some of the questions I will be answering will be:

1. Cybershaft OP14 vs. Mutec Ref.10
2. Antipodes with MC3+ vs. SOtM Stable with MC3+
3. Bridged Macbook unoptimised with MC3+ vs. Antipodes with MC3+
4. Bridged Macbook unoptimised vs. Antipodes with MC3+
5. Antipodes with SOtM Stable with MC3+ vs. All of the above
6. Antipodes to UltraRendu to MC3+ vs. (5)
7. Habst 75ohm cable vs. Pasternack RG216 75ohm cable 

2-6 will be clocked by the Mutec Ref.10 wherever possible.

Will be back..

 

Thank you for doing the write up Khun Kin @flkin I am very much looking forward to read about our findings and maybe some more experiments you have done within the past days

[Bruce Orr]

Beautiful Music, 

 

No, Rajiv’s topology shows he is using a power energizer of some type with his LSP-1.2. I don’t know exactly what that is.  

 

I also was confirming what I remember him saying earlier-that he was now using his Pangea AC 14 Mk LLC power cord with his new LSPs. That plugs into the ‘power energizer’?

[Bruce Orr]

13 minutes ago, seeteeyou said:

The "energizer" for both LPS-1 and LPS-1.2 should look somewhat similar

 

https://www.meanwelldirect.co.uk/product/22W-7-5V-2-93A-Energy-Saving-Desktop-Power-Supply/GS25A07-P1J/default.htm

 

 

 

We could swap the power cable of that "energizer" as shown in the pictures below

 

 

 

 

First, I’m under the impression the power supply for the LPS-1.2 is new, improved vs. what came with the LPS-1. Is that right?

 

If Rajiv’s topology is simply saying he is using the Meanwell power energizer that came with the LPS1.2, I understand. It’s not anything special or different from what came with it. 

 

I also underdtood from Alex that the JS shunt was no longer needed with the new, improved LSP1.2 and the power ‘energizer’ that comes with it. (Yet Rajiv seems to be using one!)

[manishex]

Any recommendations on what to upgrade that lps-1 meanwell SMPS to? 

[seeteeyou]

1 hour ago, Bruce Orr said:

First, I’m under the impression the power supply for the LPS-1.2 is new, improved vs. what came with the LPS-1. Is that right?

 

https://uptoneaudio.com/products/ultracap-lps-1-2

Quote

As before, we are flexible with regards to the voltage of the charger—but the charger voltage times its current capability MUST equal 36W or greater.

 

The words were somewhat similar because I couldn't show you a picture with the power cable disconnected from this new version as follows, that's why my previous reply only included picture from the original LPS-1

 

 

Both of them should look pretty much like a brick with this C14 connector on one end, that's why the (detachable) power cable could actually be swapped

 

https://uptoneaudio.com/products/ultracap-lps-1-2

Quote

Standard IEC plug one end, USA wall plug at the other—international buyers can cut and put a local plug on or just use any standard power cord.

 

[Bruce Orr]

Seetoyou

 

thsnks for clarifying!

[seeteeyou]

Bruce

 

You're very welcomed. It's gonna sound so funny because that would be totally overkill for sure, we could even try some kinda "fancy" filters and see if there were any differences

 

https://positive-feedback.com/high-fidelity/acoustic-revive-ras-14-triple-c-rpc-1/

[auricgoldfinger]

8 hours ago, Confused said:

Well the burn in is in progress!  I found a playlist on Roon yesterday that is about 14 days long, hit play, left everything running.  I left the house early this morning but a quick check revealed that music was still streaming nicely.  If nothing else, this tells us something about the stability of Roon, HQPlayer, the SOtM kit and software.  So by the time I get to some comparisons this weekend we should be at something like 300 hours powered up and maybe 130 hours streaming 

 

As for sounding 'thin', I don't think this is how I would describe things.  Definitely brighter than the microRendu, but not thin by any means.  In fact I have been very impressed by the layers, detail and tonality in the bass, punch of drums, this kind of thing.  And yes, the additional resolution from adding the REF10 is apparent everywhere.  In terms of system synergy, I would not say I have a thin sounding system, it's just a touch of HF harshness and a slight digital edge that is bugging me a little.

 

I would focus on USB and BNC cables to fine tune your system. The Lush and SOtM dCBL-UF (copper) are good USB candidates.  I believe romaz discussed BNC cables in the REF10 thread. 

[austinpop]

56 minutes ago, Bruce Orr said:

Seetoyou

 

thsnks for clarifying!

 

Hey Bruce, 

 

I hope you got your questions answered?

1. By "energizing supply" I mean the SMPS wart that comes with the LPSes. With the LPS-1 it was a Meanwell brand. With LPS-1.2, it was some other brand.
2. Both warts come with little "pigtail" power cords. I replaced these with the Pangeas.
3. As for shunting... the Meanwell requires an external JSGT to ground shunt it. The 1.2 wart is internally shunted.
4. My picture may have been confusing. The "JSGT" label represents a JSGT shunt used for the Netgear switch. The shunt from the LPS-1.2 energizing supply does not have a JSGT label, as it is internally shunted, so does not need a JSGT.

I hope I have thoroughly confused you!

[Bruce Orr]

Rajiv, thanks for clarifying. I am a slow learner standing on the shoulders of you and all others on this thread!

[austinpop]

Updated my picture. Hope this is clearer now.

 

 

[Bruce Orr]

Thanks, Rajiv. You do good topology!

 

I'm going to try your Pangea pigtail, unless you think there is something else I should also look at that doesn't empty my bank account.

[austinpop]

7 hours ago, afrancois said:

I don't use Roon's DR values. I notice that highly compressed music sometimes get's good scores with their DR algorithm.

The TR24 version that I also have, sounds very good though. Very low noise floor, this makes it up for some compression.

 

This is the CD I have. http://dr.loudness-war.info/album/view/88987

 

 

Hmm, we should probably take this offline, but just want to mention that I dug up my actual CD from storage, and this is the exact one I have - original 1986 release, catalog number 925447-2.

 

The 96/24 25th anniversary version sounds way better to me. For the record, Roon shows the DR for both original and 96/24 as 7.

[mozes]

35 minutes ago, austinpop said:

Updated my picture. Hope this is clearer now.

 

 

How do you find the SOTM dcbl-Cat7 vs the Supra Cat8?

More importantly, there is a typo in your chart, can you spot it ? 

[austinpop]

7 minutes ago, Bruce Orr said:

Thanks, Rajiv. You do good topology!

 

I'm going to try your Pangea pigtail, unless you think there is something else I should also look at that doesn't empty my bank account.

 

Before you follow my path, make sure you understand my rationale!

 

I have an uncomfortable relationship with cables. I hate that they matter to the SQ, but trust my ears when I hear the differences. I do draw the line at very expensive cables. The main reason is that I like value for the buck, and to me the SQ improvement from cables is relatively small compared to the price.

 

So my approach is to be pragmatic. The Pangea cables, at $50 a pop, are my default replacement cables for stock. I figure that for the modest price, I get good build quality, good materials, and most important, proper shielding. Beyond that, I tend to look at the value of a component, and consider spending up to 10% of its value on a cable. I said consider, because I don't always. So based on that principle, this is where I ended up:

1. All PSUs (SR-4, LPS-1.2, el cheapo):          Pangea AC-14SE MkII ($50/1m)
2. Dectet to P5:                                                  Pangea AC-14SE MkII ($50/1m)
3. Cybershaft OP-14:                                         Pangea AC-14XL ($100/1m on sale)
4. Ayre Codex:                                                    Cardas Clear M Power ($235/1m on sale)
5. Zenith SE:                                                       Cardas Golden Cross ($230/1m on sale)
6. Cavalli Liquid Gold:                                       Pangea AC-9SE MkII ($175/1m)
7. Wall to P5:                                                      PS-Audio AC-12 ($350/2m used on Audiogon).

I think I've already described the story of the AC-12 ... it turned out to be a very clever fake, that affected even cables bought from dealers! PS Audio, in an extraordinarily classy move, replaced all of them with genuine new cables, so I ended up with a new cable worth $1200 retail. NOTE: I would never have spent $1200 to buy this.

 

So that's my approach. I'm not saying it's right or wrong, but it's how I rationalize my spending. Others may have a different approach. I know many think nothing of spending a lot more on cables, and more power to them. Pun intended.

[austinpop]

1 minute ago, mozes said:

How do you find the SOTM dcbl-Cat7 vs the Supra Cat8?

More importantly, there is a typo in your chart, can you spot it ? 

 

Suptra? That's no typo! It means that this is a "soup to nuts" cable.  

[mozes]

1 minute ago, austinpop said:

 

Suptra? That's no typo! It means that this is a "soup to nuts" cable.  

??

[austinpop]

7 minutes ago, mozes said:

How do you find the SOTM dcbl-Cat7 vs the Supra Cat8?

 

Ugh! I like it better. I hate that this is the case, but I do. 

 

But is it 10x better, as per the price difference? No way!! Dang pesky diminishing returns.

 

The dCBL-Cat7 is another cable where I kind of broke my own 10% rule. Hey - nobody's perfect. Let he who is without (extravagant audio accessory purchase) sin cast the first stone (i.e. unused gear gathering dust on a shelf).  Luckily, Lee sold me a demo unit at a healthy discount at RMAF, so at least it wasn't a $500 extravagance.

[rickca]

13 minutes ago, austinpop said:

I have an uncomfortable relationship with cables.

I used to have a relationship with a cable, but I felt it crimped my style.  I just felt so stranded.

[Bruce Orr]

Rajiv - love the formula for checking yourself on cable expense! Thx much for detailing what u use where. 

[austinpop]

Just now, rickca said:

I used to have a relationship with a cable, but I felt it crimped my style.  I just felt so stranded.

 

I guess you never formed a connection. That can happen when you get "drawn" into arguments. Everyone puts up a shield. 

 

But enough puns. Litz stop, before Chris makes us assume a-nnealing position and beg for forgiveness.

[seeteeyou]

I could find something called Karma Kable on Amazon, wouldn't that have great synergy with Suptra?

 

I did not have signal relations with that... never mind.

 

Seriously, let's wait for @Cornan 's report and we'll find out how LPS-1.2 would sound with LT3045 @ 3A as an energizer.

 

That's gonna be 6 pieces of LT3045 on one end plus 2 more pieces on another.

[mozes]

41 minutes ago, austinpop said:

 

Ugh! I like it better. I hate that this is the case, but I do. 

 

But is it 10x better, as per the price difference? No way!! Dang pesky diminishing returns.

 

The dCBL-Cat7 is another cable where I kind of broke my own 10% rule. Hey - nobody's perfect. Let he who is without (extravagant audio accessory purchase) sin cast the first stone (i.e. unused gear gathering dust on a shelf).  Luckily, Lee sold me a demo unit at a healthy discount at RMAF, so at least it wasn't a $500 extravagance.

We all have our sins