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

[gordec]

I'm trying to set up the network bridge for Pro iDSD. Can someone give me some guidance how I would go set it up? I have an USB to Ethernet adapter, power line network passthrough and a wifi extender. Running Windows 10. Thanks.

[PeterSt]

4 hours ago, Bruce Orr said:

read the instructions graciously provided by @austinpop .

 

Hi there @Bruce Orr - we can try to keep it silent, but you know who caused the Lush^2, right ?

(for others : no hidden agenda's anywhere and Bruce, you may not even realize it yourself)

[Bruce Orr]

6 minutes ago, PeterSt said:

 

Hi there @Bruce Orr - we can try to keep it silent, but you know who caused the Lush^2, right ?

(for others : no hidden agenda's anywhere and Bruce, you may not even realize it yourself)

 

Yes, I do. Thank you @PeterSt !  Sorry, your CA handle wasn’t top of mind or I would have given a well deserved nod to you. Much, much appreciated.  It takes a village!  We have Inventors, Evaluators, Replicators, Archivers, How-To’ers, Builders, Researchers and then Followers like me!

[PeterSt]

20 minutes ago, Bruce Orr said:

We have Inventors, Evaluators, Replicators, Archivers, How-To’ers, Builders, Researchers and then Followers like me!

 

What I love is how things can emerge naturally, if only nobody feels he's the best. This very thread is a testimonial of that. You did not ask for anything, I did not plee for whatever I could have, but because of generosity from any angle imaginable we all live well.

Melangoly ? perhaps. But in this case it is your undertone of helping out someone else with unsurpassed encouragement.

That's how it should be.

 

No more lyrics.

[beerandmusic]

2 hours ago, BigGuy said:

 

I have read a lot about DIYing USB cables and even bought "audiophile" Type A & B connectors, wire, etc., for fabbing.

However, after further investigation I learned that it is difficult to meet the differential impedance spec of 90 ohms since measurement requires expensive equipment.  Figured there was no point in experimenting with construction configurations when I could not meet a basic specification!  Do not know for sure but I am guessing that some of the differences heard in USB cables is due not only to how the cable is constructed but whether or not it meets the USB impedance spec.

 

Before I bought the Pangea double headed USB cable, I had Acoustic Sounds contact Pangea and I got a written confirmation that it does meet spec.

 

if you start with a spec compliant cable and then just put the two sleeve shields over it, that would not make the cable non-spec compliant would it? 

[austinpop]

Well said, guys. 

 

@Bruce Orr - thanks for your generosity and helping out after I regrettably lost my patience there.

 

It's the people on this thread that make it so great. So many other CA threads start strong, but devolve within a few pages.

[lmitche]

Feeling a bit jssg360 weary myself.

 

May need to shield myself from CA for a few days.

[lmitche]

Actually tomorrow starts a dive into NUCland with Audiolinux thanks to Roy.

[austinpop]

14 minutes ago, lmitche said:

Feeling a bit jssg360 weary myself.

 

May need to shield myself from CA for a few days.

 

"Le mitche" est très fatigué.

[lmitche]

Mas oui, in a aidez-moi à vous aider, kinda way.

 

 

[gordec]

So I successfully setup my primary ethernet port and an USB -> ethernet adapter which is connected to Pro iDSD. How do I play through the bridge? Can I use Jriver? Thx. Using Windows 10 btw.

[BigGuy]

2 hours ago, beerandmusic said:

 

if you start with a spec compliant cable and then just put the two sleeve shields over it, that would not make the cable non-spec compliant would it? 

 

Can't imagine why if the original construction is not compromised.

[R1200CL]

10 hours ago, beerandmusic said:

 

I too, want it to be spec compliant...which is why i actually prefer to see if i can find one...I am not sure the networx cable doesn't fit the bill?

 

If you’re patient, something will come from Uptone. 

[limniscate]

@auricgoldfinger, @austinpop, and I got together yesterday and had a jolly-good time!

 

I'll post some quick comments about some of our testing.

 

1.  JS-2 versus Paul Hynes SR7MR2DRXL

Interestingly, we could not really distinguish the two when powering the SOtM tX-USB Ultra.  This could have been caused by the fact that the tX is in the middle of the chain in my system because it's followed by a dX-USB Ultra to my Schitt Yggy.

 

The difference was more noticeable when we compared the JS-2 versus the SR7 on the modded SOtM OCX10 with the SR7 besting the JS-2.

 

2.  Modded OCX10 versus Mutec Ref10

The Mutec Ref10 was slightly better than the modded OCX10.  

 

[octaviars]

10 hours ago, beerandmusic said:

 

if you start with a spec compliant cable and then just put the two sleeve shields over it, that would not make the cable non-spec compliant would it? 

 

Adding more sleeves and shields might change the capacitans of the cable. Higher capacitance on a USB cable can affect the signal integrity but I dont know if adding shields and so on will do this to a spec USB cable.

 

 

[str-1]

4 hours ago, limniscate said:

2.  Modded OCX10 versus Mutec Ref10

The Mutec Ref10 was slightly better than the modded OCX10.  

 

Thanks for reporting back on that comparison.

 

For the Mutec to still be better than the modded OCX10, even with the latter enjoying superior (?) power supply from the SR7, there must be a clear gap between the Mutec and a standard unmodded OCX10.  Would that be a fair assumption based on your experience?

[flkin]

20 hours ago, Em2016 said:

 

I asked him last year but his custom made USB cables are not spec compliant. 

 

This may not be an issue for most people but I've had compatibility issues with my DACs in the past with non spec compliant USB 2.0 cables so I stay away from audiophile cables these days.

 

 

 

 

Yes, Vinnie, my DAC maker, keeps emphasising this to me too - to always use spec compliant USB cables. But there are so many good non-spec cables out there that are worth trying and despite the occasional difficulties with some cables (very little so far to date), the overall experience is richer by trying and if you dont like it, letting it go.

 

That said, I encountered an upsampling problem a month ago when I was doing tests between a Habst USB cable and the Curious cable where I couldn't play some high res music after switching cables. Initially I though it was the player reaching it's limits but it turned out that when using the Curious, it fails during upsampling to the highest rates of 512/48 whilst the Habst didn't. Nothing to do with the player at all.

[tapatrick]

Hope I'm not adding to the  360˚ fatigue...

 

I understand how the original JSSG and JSSG360 work as I have implemented them at different stages and now have a bewildering array of cables in various stages and combinations of these techniques, but wondering if anyone has tried just 2 layers of Tinned Braid over  any cables without insulation between?

 

For convenience at the weekend I added a second layer of braid to a set of original JSSG-ed DC cables (not having the time to fully redo the cables as JSSG360s) and got a nice improvement, so I'm wondering if the insulation between the 2 braid layers is needed....

[lmitche]

1 hour ago, tapatrick said:

Hope I'm not adding to the  360˚ fatigue...

 

I understand how the original JSSG and JSSG360 work as I have implemented them at different stages and now have a bewildering array of cables in various stages and combinations of these techniques, but wondering if anyone has tried just 2 layers of Tinned Braid over  any cables without insulation between?

 

For convenience at the weekend I added a second layer of braid to a set of original JSSG-ed DC cables (not having the time to fully redo the cables as JSSG360s) and got a nice improvement, so I'm wondering if the insulation between the 2 braid layers is needed....

Tapatrick,  your addition of the second outside layer thickens the skin and covers more of the minute holes in the first braid, further reducing emmision or/and entrance of emi/rfi into the cable. The mumetal company has a writeup on the effectiveness of braid vs. solid conduit suggesting braid works at 85 to 90 percent of the solid material effectiveness, depending on the level of braid stretching and damage during installation.

 

I have not tried one or more layers of braid without insulation.

[auricgoldfinger]

5 hours ago, str-1 said:

Thanks for reporting back on that comparison.

 

For the Mutec to still be better than the modded OCX10, even with the latter enjoying superior (?) power supply from the SR7, there must be a clear gap between the Mutec and a standard unmodded OCX10.  Would that be a fair assumption based on your experience?

 

The gap between the modded OCX10 with SR7 power and the REF10 is very small.  The differences were subtle enough that we all needed multiple tests to be certain of what we were hearing.

 

Your assumption about the unmodded OCX10 is correct.  The Evox capacitor upgrade makes a substantial improvement and the additional cost is minimal. 

 

I am traveling but will have more comments to post later this week.

[bit01]

15 hours ago, gordec said:

So I successfully setup my primary ethernet port and an USB -> ethernet adapter which is connected to Pro iDSD. How do I play through the bridge? Can I use Jriver? Thx. Using Windows 10 btw.

Yes you can use J River. Set it up as a media server Tools>Options>Media network and click 1st box to enable DLNA. The rest of the options can be set according to how you want to use it. Your renderer/DAC should show up in 'Playing Now' when set up right

[Johnseye]

17 hours ago, lmitche said:

Actually tomorrow starts a dive into NUCland with Audiolinux thanks to Roy.

 

Looking forward to your findings.  I'll be trying Audiolinux out as well.  The NUC will come later.

[kyrill]

23 hours ago, ElviaCaprice said:

 

Thanks Kyrill, for your input.  I have read your findings a few times over on that forum.  I've ordered the following copper fabric off of ebay and plan to make my own sleeve over some cotton wrap.  

https://www.ebay.com/itm/EMF-RFID-RF-Shielding-Copper-Fabric-Roll-42-x-1-Conductive/173229145787?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Graham-Cellu-Cotton-Beauty-Coil-100-Cotton-40ft-Sanex/131346555189?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649

 

Wish you success, it is not that difficult. One remark for the  copper fabric though. It will do it job very well, but in time copper will oxidize into CuO copper oxide and that is a bad conduct. The opposite happens with silver. Silver fabric is hard to get and expensive. Maybe the copper foil is treated with a chemical in order to stop the.oxidation or the blended in nickel has reducing properties. The oxidation will also happen at both sides of the thin fabric and in time the conductive function will get thinner and loses its anti RFI/EMI properties. The metallic looking foil or fabric does not have that property. You can also before using the foil, loosely paint it with a diluted  l(violin) varnish. That will keep the oxygen out.

[Jud]

18 hours ago, austinpop said:

Well said, guys. 

 

@Bruce Orr - thanks for your generosity and helping out after I regrettably lost my patience there.

 

It's the people on this thread that make it so great. So many other CA threads start strong, but devolve within a few pages.

 

You do realize, don't you, that you're such a nice guy I actually thought "Lost patience? Not possible!", and had to go back and look for it.   

 

Meanwhile, I have managed to tweak Larry's beautifully made cable somehow while connecting/disconnecting some stuff I was trying out to the point where it no longer works, so looks like I'll join the ranks of the JSSG360 DIYers! 

[austinpop]

4 minutes ago, Jud said:

 

You do realize, don't you, that you're such a nice guy I actually thought "Lost patience? Not possible!", and had to go back and look for it.   

 

 

 

4 minutes ago, Jud said:

Meanwhile, I have managed to tweak Larry's beautifully made cable somehow while connecting/disconnecting some stuff I was trying out to the point where it no longer works, so looks like I'll join the ranks of the JSSG360 DIYers! 

 

Bummer about the broken cable, I hate when that happens. Good luck on the DIY, it’ll be great.