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

[sandyk]

2 hours ago, auricgoldfinger said:

I decided to swap out the silver DC cable powering my sMS-200ultra for a copper cable, and I have now toned down the HF glare considerably.

 

I believe you, but try reporting that in a non OP moderated forum thread.

[sandyk]

1 minute ago, austinpop said:

 

Not sure what this means, but I’ll take it as a compliment!

 

" I believe you" should have made this clear.

 This thread has remained well on track.

[sandyk]

6 minutes ago, ElviaCaprice said:

Thus it would appear that phase noise is not the only issue being resolved with the sCLK-EX, barring some other negative feature besides clocking in the ISO Regen that would explain it's detriment.

 

 As an aside, I don't know about the ISO Regen, but the original Regen works VERY well at bandwidths way past that of Audio, and that includes high resolution DTV at 1920 x 1080P  with multi channel audio.

 Could consumer grade opto coupling be a weak link, just as Toslink normally doesn't sound as good as Coax SPDIF ?

[sandyk]

1 hour ago, Johnseye said:

I suspect it's the quality of the supply.  Even though the supply has multiple rails it still shares a single transformer.  In our limited testing of my multi-rail SR7 against the SR4 there was a sonic benefit to using two completely different supplies

 

 I found this when using 2 separate transformer windings to provide 2 low noise PSUs for USB.

 It didn't sound as good as when using 2 separate supplies.

[sandyk]

1 hour ago, mansr said:

And how does this square with the deep fear of radiated interference, which spread spectrum reduces?

 Are you suggesting that What you lose on the swings, you gain on the roundabouts  ?

[sandyk]

3 minutes ago, jabbr said:

To be clear: if the system is creating jitter in the system clock on purpose, a more precise clock oscillator doesn’t change that.

 

 I don't have a horse in this race, but many members appear to be claiming  that a more precise clock oscillator results in an improvement, despite using Spread Spectrum. ( perhaps unwittingly)

[sandyk]

34 minutes ago, austinpop said:

 

Thanks for your excellent report. Skepticism is a valued attribute in a scientist, as is an acceptance of findings, even if they are contrary to hypotheses or assumptions.

 

I applaud your honesty, and am very glad to know your system is sounding better.

 To stir the pot a bit .

 

Checksums are unable to say how an Audio file MUST sound.

A crappy Laptop with SMPS can never result in as good a sounding audio file as (for example) a Mac Mini with a J.S. Linear PSU, no matter what the Checksums may suggest . 

 

The best that Checksums can do, if correct, is give a possibility of REGENERATING the files to CLOSE to that of the original Master !!!

[sandyk]

51 minutes ago, rafa said:

Any ideas what can make those problems?

 

 Excessive lead length to or from the new oscillator ,or inadequate shielding , causing it to be susceptible to RF/EMI ?

[sandyk]

30 minutes ago, lmitche said:

Hi BM,

 

I'm camera shy so don't expect a video, but I'll try to take some pictures of an Ethernet cable that's a work in progress.

 

Larry

 

Very few of us more mature (?) members are as photogenic as Mansr is (was?) in his videos.

[sandyk]

1 hour ago, LTG2010 said:

I tried SOTM's SATA 11 with my intel SSD, whilst I did hear a reduction in background noise I also felt it reduced dynamics a bit, perhaps I was too quick to judge or did not let it burn in properly, but the slc without filter still sounds good. Looking forward to your comparison with the optane drive.

 

If you have enough room, it's better to use the +12V rail to provide a cleaner and more isolated, voltage regulated +5V supply for the SSD. 

[sandyk]

8 minutes ago, mansr said:

That's why it isn't used for audio clocks. Neither is it used for USB or Ethernet. There are dozens of clocks in a PC. Spread spectrum settings apply to only a few of them.

 

 That's good to know, as I don't believe that I have any noticeable problems due to increased Jitter in my PC setup.

P.S.

 How about less time wasted posting , and more time developing your new USB add-on ?

 Perhaps you can come up with something so worthwhile that even sceptical Dennis will try it ?

[sandyk]

7 hours ago, mansr said:

What brings you to that conclusion? Connectors are typically made of materials with lower conductivity than pure copper in order to achieve the required mechanical properties. These metal parts are, however, very small compared to the length of a cable, and they are often thicker than the wires they connect. The resistance of a good connector is negligible compared to 1 metre of typical copper wire.

 

 Typical 5.5 x 2.1/2.5mm D.C. connectors are rubbish and lose their mating qualities with repeated insertions. This also applies to the type with the split inner projection which closes up and goes high resistance, and you may need to rotate the plug to get continuity.

I have replaced several of mine with 3 pin mini XLR plugs and sockets.

 

[sandyk]

19 minutes ago, austinpop said:

This should allow me to build JSSG 360 without a heat gun.

 

Does your Wife/GF have a hair dryer ?

[sandyk]

1 hour ago, elan120 said:

with a 3.3V linear regulator to power Conner Winfield OH4 OCXO.  Below are few pictures to show the mod.

 

 You really need to use something much lower noise than your typical 3.3V regulator to power Oscillators like those.

Something like the Pink Fish Media (PFM)  "Flea" for example.

A 3.3V .5A LT3045 would probably work quite well there too.

[sandyk]

56 minutes ago, seeteeyou said:

 

Don't wanna be Captain Obvious but the picture was actually show LT3045-A

 

http://www.ldovr.com/product-p/lt3045-a.htm

 

LT3045 in series might work even better. For instance, a Chinese seller was offering this one powered by 18650 with 5V output and we could add another LT3045 after that

 

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=565126246341

 

OH4 only requires 4 mA

 

http://www.conwin.com/datasheets/cx/cx259.pdf#page=3

I mentioned the PFM Flea because it may have less short term voltage drift due to the time constant of the reference voltage to the low noise opamp. It also has pre-Regulation.

The circuit would need a slight modification for 3.3V though.

Yes, a Pre-regulator may do better with the LT3045.

fleapower.bmp

[sandyk]

7 hours ago, BigGuy said:

I have also read recommendations for USB to be less than 1(?) meter but, like you, would like some scientific basis for short cables.

 

Try ripping some high quality material to a USB 2.0 memory stick plugged directly into a USB 2.0 port , then do the same again with the USB 2.0 memory stick plugged into a 3M (10Ft) TYPE A MALE TO TYPE A FEMALE USB 2.0 EXTENSION CABLE.

 If your gear is revealing enough you will notice some degradation from using the longer cable ,when both are played back directly from the USB 2.0 port.

 Make the cable much longer though and the DC resistance may become a problem resulting in failures.

[sandyk]

1 hour ago, feelingears said:

while the new cable has some notable detail up top, the incumbent Zen Wave silver cable is easily a couple steps ahead up and down the freq spectrum.

 

How does the gauge of wire compare with both types  ?

[sandyk]

9 hours ago, Cornan said:

      10 hours ago, hurka said:

im trialed with 12v lithium ion  20000mah ,very good sounding!but not the best

 

What was the best then? ?

Perhaps the problem is due to the internal electronics that are used for protection?

 I use a 12V 15,000mAH Li Ion battery, and if I plug it directly into my JLH PSU-add on, which has a very large initial inrush current, it shuts down. I use a relay to reduce the inrush current to  the JLH for several hundred milliseconds to overcome that limitation.

 It is also best to use a relatively small value electrolytic capacitor across the input terminals of the device to be powered to reduce any HF noise from the battery.

[sandyk]

 

The best D.C. cable will still be the shortest possible cable with the heaviest gauge wire that your connectors will permit.

You can also do a JSSG with it for a further small audible improvement if the length of the cable isn't absolutely minimal.

 I use 7.5A mains cable offcuts for this purpose , although you may need to enlarge the entrance holes of the plugs a little.

[sandyk]

39 minutes ago, Bricki said:

I'm very interested to know if others have tried a JSSG 360 on their analogue cables? 

 

 It would be interesting to know if there are the same benefits to doing this to well constructed interconnects with 2  layers of shielding,. for those who live in semi-rural or rural areas with much lower levels of RF/EMI, or whether it is due mainly to better rejection of RF/EMI that our own electrical gear, and that of our nearby neighbours is causing.(including Solar Inverters etc.)

 

(I live in a semi-rural area these days,)

[sandyk]

Quote

However, there were some nice gains by adding JSSG 360 to the supra cat 8 (as an Ethernet cable) and it is already heavily shielded. 

 

The Ethernet cable may have benefitted by reducing the amount of RF/RMI emitted from the cable itself ?

 

 The attached specs suggest the possibility of quite a bit of RF/EMI radiation right through the spectrum if shielding isn't adequate .

Maximum bit rate	1 Mbit/s to 400 Gbit/s
Voltage levels	± 2.5V (over twisted pair)

[sandyk]

1 hour ago, lmitche said:

Here is the finished hairball ready for shrink wrap.

 

It looks good, but there is not much actual copper in those leads,  although it will be fine for low consumption devices.

 It's a shame they keep using such tiny connectors in so many products when  something like  3 pin min xlrs are far more reliable long term, and lockable .

[sandyk]

9 hours ago, lmitche said:

The leads are 23 awg each so x4 ~ 16 awg equivalent.

 Hi Larry

 I have tried a similar cable and the amount of copper is still way less than in a reclaimed length from a mains lead.

 I have tried both and the mains cable version with the John Swenson mod sounds better to me.

( I have only used a short lead though )

 

 Kind Regards

Alex

[sandyk]

32 minutes ago, lmitche said:

Hi Alex,

 

I am not sure what you tested, but I am pleased that you found something you enjoy.

 

All the best,

 

Larry

 Larry

 I suspect that how low the original source impedance is may sometimes come into play here.

Regards

Alex

[sandyk]

2 hours ago, Em2016 said:

 

The 360 method is a community tweak but regarding John’s original DIY method there’s no strict requirement to have the shield floating. You can have the shield connected to ground. So when you say “by design” I’m not sure where this was mentioned to be a requirement.

 

Again, I’m only talking about John’s method, not the 360 community tweak.

 

My understanding was that the shield was meant to be left floating, NOT earthed, with (originally) a single strand of a reasonable gauge wire connecting both ends of the braid.

A length of enamelled copper wire would have been ideal for this purpose.