The true experimental tweak thread

[mourip]

3 hours ago, Middy said:

BUT regardless of what you decide keep posting to let us know of the success and failures all helps and it nice to chat to another nice person.

That's one thing Cornan crazy thread has done 100% is bring good people together.

Good luck

Dave

 

 

+1

Thanks for that comment. I for one really look for open minded exploration on CA no matter how it arrives or looks.

 

This thread is a kind of miracle in that it has not attracted the kind of negativity too common in other threads.

 

...Knock on wood or a tourmaline!

[mourip]

Thanks to all for bringing the  LT3045 board to light. Mine came today and I installed it in my Mutec 3+ USB which was already running off of a HDPlex LPS from it's 9v variable output. I had it set to 6.3. Switching from the SMPS to the LPS made a nice change. Today I raised the output to 6.8v and installed the 6v version of the LT3045 board. I also retained the modest sized electrolytic that I had been using for local bypassing of the DC input inside the chassis.I was hoping to at least break even for my effort but found that the improvement was really good. The noise floor must have dropped quite a bit because more details were brought out. I also found an improvement of perceived tonal "correctness".

 

Nice tweak!

 

[mourip]

12 hours ago, mourip said:

Thanks to all for bringing the  LT3045 board to light. Mine came today and I installed it in my Mutec 3+ USB which was already running off of a HDPlex LPS from it's 9v variable output. I had it set to 6.3. Switching from the SMPS to the LPS made a nice change. Today I raised the output to 6.8v and installed the 6v version of the LT3045 board. I also retained the modest sized electrolytic that I had been using for local bypassing of the DC input inside the chassis.I was hoping to at least break even for my effort but found that the improvement was really good. The noise floor must have dropped quite a bit because more details were brought out. I also found an improvement of perceived tonal "correctness".

 

Nice tweak!

 

 

2 hours ago, Cornan said:

 

Great to hear Monge! Thanks for sharing! ?

 

That would be another poster but on my fathers side we are from Denmark also :-)

[mourip]

16 hours ago, Cornan said:

Guys please! If you are against something, start a thread about it. Remember what this thread is all about. The true experimental tweak thread. I think that @The Computer Audiophile can confirm that I have the right to set the guide lines for this thread. You are welcome to join if you have something to add in the context of this thread. It is about being nice instead of throwing pies.

 

+1

 

I have happily marveled for many, many months that this thread had escaped the trolling and closed mindedness that has plagued other threads on CA. Hopefully we can return to a thread where no idea is too far out to at least be considered and feedback is offered in the spirit of the original post which is to uncover new ways to improve sound quality. 

 

Alternatively if you want to point out what you "think" is flawed logic just make your case without judgement and in the spirit of helping. You might actually make your point that way. The only difference between trolling and helpfulness is about how you say it not what you say...

 

[mourip]

21 minutes ago, lasker98 said:

Merry Christmas to you too Cornan.

 

If there was a CA Citizen of The Year Award you'd have my vote. Thanks for all your posts and patience over the last year.

 

All the best,

 

Bill

 

+1. Your open minded and uncontentious posts are greatly appreciated.

[mourip]

46 minutes ago, Cornan said:

Finally I got the time for my planned experiment with Stammheim's (Michael's) two single 3A LT3045 ps in series.

 

 

looks quite nice actually! I love the looks of Michael's single ps! ?

 

 

 

Do you mind me asking how much his single 3A LT3045 ps sells for?

[mourip]

27 minutes ago, One and a half said:

Please have a rethink on the Mutec, the AC power consumption is 10W, at 6.3V, albeit with some efficiency drops 1.5A is tight. This doesn't allow for any overload at the start with all those LEDs to power on during the self test.

 

I am using an LT3045 board inside my Mutec 3+ USB with the USN board removed. It is rated at one amp and is set to 6v. My HDPlex is set to 7v. It has been running great for weeks. And is cooler than when the SMPS was inside it.

[mourip]

3 hours ago, Balázs said:

Thanks @mourip I think you are using the standard adjustable output of the HDPLEX. This is certainly okay but  your input is a relatively low quality (ripple noise is >3 mV(!)) DC signal provided by the LT1083 regulators of the HDPLEX.  What I am trying to do is opening up the HDPLEX and "grabbing" either the secondary AC voltage at the secondary side of the transformator or the AC signal directly after the KBPC5010W bridge rectifiers of the HDPLEX and use this as input for the high quality LT3045s.

 

You're dropping 1 Vdc on the LT3045. Considering what I'm trying to do there's much more to "burn"  because of the 200W powerhorse in the background. Any idea how to do it?... My only idea is to use a still good quality (<40 uV ripple noise) pre-regulator like the one mentioned in this thread earlier.

 

Ah. I understand now. My demand on the 3045 add-on board is pretty low.

 

Regarding the HDPlex. Am I correct in assuming that by adding the secondary regulator I am overcoming the greater ripple of the HDPlex by using it as a pre-regulator to drop down the input voltage to the 3045? I have assumed that the 3045 would make up for any lower specs in the HDPlex.

[mourip]

1 hour ago, Cornan said:

An interesting thing happened today as well. Since I had an electrician working with some issues with the lightning in the apartment that needed to be solved before the new owners take over I disconnected both my router end and audio gears since they have floating isolation transformers. I did'nt anything to happen to either the electrician or my gears while he was messing around with the ac mains.

 

Anyway, when I came back from my adventures with MR scan and coffee syphon I plugged everything in. It sounded noticable better than the other day, so it strucked my to re-evaluate my Google Drive FLAC to Tidal FLAC again. It suddenly sounds noticable better with the Google Drive FLAC just like with Bandcamp app on the move. More details, but this time with greater extent than previous trial. This surely make me want to dig deeper and try to figure out what is going on and how to improve it further. Next trial will be in the new apartment with new fiber connection and router. Interesting to see if it holds true there as well! ?

 

Yet again it proves to me to visit & re-visit several times to get the full picture.

 

I keep all of my digital equipment on 24/7 and just turn on my tube preamp and tube amp a while before I want to listen. On another site several folks were talking about sound quality gains by occasionally turning off their equipment long enough for everything to discharge and then starting back up. To them this seemed to benefit PC's and DACs in particular.

 

Just a couple of data points:-)

[mourip]

Good luck with your new home. In the meantime  perhaps the bathroom would be a fitting place to listen to Handel's Water Music?

 

:-)

[mourip]

On 9/27/2017 at 8:03 PM, wushuliu said:

Hm, not sure if I've mentioned it here but if you are into mains related tweaking I cannot speak highly enough of the Hammond 193L/193M Choke as power conditioner tweak. It was very popular point of discussion at other forums some years back, but faded over time. I try to keep knowledge of it going even though it is not very sexy and doesn't involve any buzzwords.

 

The gist is: Get a Hammond 193L or 193M choke. Get a power plug (dirt cheap at Home Depot, etc). Choke has two wires. One goes in Line/Hot, screw it in. The other goes in Neutral, screw it in. Plug in wall. Done. No, nothing will explode. Never, ever read anything go wrong. of course, it's mains related so be careful, goes without saying.

 

 

 

Effects kick in about 15min. Soundstage goes WIDE, holographic sound, the whole nine. I have never read anyone who has tried not be impressed by it. If you have any doubts, plug in by your TV/video setup. The colors will pop and the black level goes DEEP. You won't miss it. You'll never remove it after you do it.

 

Origin: Apparently a Richard Gray Power Conditioner was taken apart a long time ago (like 15yrs or so) and this was the core of it, or something similar. There is or was a patent online even. DIY'ers got to work and landed on the Hammond 193s as the best choice.

 

Downside: The choke prices have more than doubled over the years so it's not as inexpensive as it once was. They are heavy-ish. The leads are thin and somewhat short so adding additional wire maybe necessary.

 

Even at the current prices though this tweak is a f*cking steal. It's a shame it's been forgotten. But if you're into all this mains work I cannot recommend it enough. Especially where digital devices are used. And video - the image quality is phenomenal.

 

 

 

Is anyone still using one of these? Still recommended after prolonged audition?

 

 

[mourip]

Anyone know what happened to @Cornan? I miss the activity here.

 

Not much thinking outside the box these days...

[mourip]

Thanks Dave. If Cornan is lurking I hope he will jump back in again. 

 

I have a hard science IT background but also enjoy just experimenting. I think that a combination of the two while keeping an open mind produces the best results. I have found this thread to be educational, and most of all, fun.

 

Best,

Paul

 

 

[mourip]

16 hours ago, Cornan said:

...I couldn't find back to the fun. Everything became just a little bit too serious. The name of game for me was to explore the unexplored without having to explain myself. Just finding new ways to improve SQ and share it with others to explore further. Not serious. No science. Just fun.

I got sick of the constant negative input from a people that think they know it all...

 

 

Thanks. I could not have said that better!

 

Things have improved. Chris has made some changes that have helped and some who have insisted on continually baiting others have moved on to the "Objectivist" forum where all of the answers are being kept.

 

Fun is good and these days a real survival technique!