Just upgraded: Hiface EVO!

[Encore]

I should add that I feed all my equipment through an Exact Power EP15A. It's not ideal for all components--my amps tend to lose some dynamics and soundstage size, but without the EP15A, the sound becomes grainy, ecxept for late at night.

 

[barrows]

Missed your isolation question. The P-300 has two duplex outlets on the rear panel (4 plugs)-I recommend replacing these with good ones (like Oyaide R-1s). There is no "isolation" to speak of between any of these outlets-BUT-beware of any power conditioner that claims "isolated zones", this is somewhat of a misnomer in most cases. Often the zones are isolated only by a parallel filter circuit, which really provides little to no true isolation. Really, series type filters are necessary to provide isolation, and even these will only provide isoaltion at the frequency range in which the series element is active (this is why I recommend a separate, series power conditioner for isolating computer supplies). There are no passive filters on the P-300's output, as any filtering would add impedance-the supply itself is as noise free as possible, so no need for post filtering. Although the P-300 does not isolate individual outlets with filters, it does provide a degree of isolation between the two duplexes, as these are separately wired to the main board, and the extremely low output impedance of the unit makes it almost impossible for noise to flow from one duplex, back to the main board, and out to the other duplex. In my experience, plugging a DAC into one duplex and my preamp into the other results is great performance.

 

[Headroom]

Batteries seem like a PITA.

 

Oh my good. I am so wrong here ...

Was not tho whole tread, stepping up the in soundquality?

 

My Hifiguru has a Mantra: Less electronic parts in component and improved independent powersupply (aka DC) is o lot betta than more tronics and (ac) less independent powersupp. YUP!

KISS Rule: Get rid of Preamps plug direct to Poweramp,

less tronics more Music!

 

 

Lead batteris suffer much erlier, discarched deeper than 30%.

80% LIFEPO is a another universe. Simply not alow the Voltage to drop below 2.7v/cell...

 

[Encore]

"80% LIFEPO is a another universe. Simply not alow the Voltage to drop below 2.7v/cell..."

 

How is this done simply? I.e., how does it become resistant to forgetting to plug in the charger, e.g., if you suddenly have to rush out the door?

 

[Part-Time Audiophile]

Try looking at Red Wine Audio's "Black Lightning" solution. $900 should have you sorted when you're worried about your failing memory. LOL.

 

BTW, I thought that LiFEPO4 batteries were discharge-proof -- I thought the total discharge "problem" was for non-Lithium batteries. Not the case?

 

[Headroom]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium_iron_phosphate_battery

 

Need a BMS for charging and monitoring

 

There is no free lunch.

 

[audioengr]

Headroom knows his stuff. Listen to him.

 

Any battery technology must be appended with low ESR capacitors so that the transient currents dont sag the voltage. This is what sucks the life out of your music. Also, the wiring that you run from the battery pack or the capacitor bank to the circuit is critical. Not just loose wires, and the gauge and geometry matters.

 

His charging guidelines are also good, although this must be evaluated for every circuit. Regulators need some headroom. If you get too close to this headroom, they will fail to regulate well, resulting in varying voltage and poor sound quality.

 

Steve N.

Empirical Audio

 

[Headroom]

Keep the +- wires as short as possible, 8 inch is much to long...

 

[Part-Time Audiophile]

I'll do some more detailed comparisons later, and elsewhere (see my sig for the link), but thought I'd post some preliminary thoughts here.

 

Playing some high quality Redbook recordings, such as Tommy Emmanuel's "Live One", I get the same "WTF did he just do?!?!" grins and chills with either converter. If I had to wager, I'd say that the Legato is a hair more refined, but it's a tough call. I think the word is "subtle". But both are thoroughly enjoyable.

 

[Part-Time Audiophile]

Is anybody using the little linear PSU that Tweek Geek provided?

 

[dudeymon]

I'm still using the supplied PSU while I'm waiting on my LifeP04 battery and charger order to arrive. I also use 9V alkalines, but only get about an hour on each one.

 

I'm using the PSU powered by my PS Audio P300 regenerator, and the sound is surprisingly good. I guess the clean A/C going in to the PSU results in a better quality DC output. If I plug the PSU directly in to the wall the sound is much worse.

 

Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

 

I'm looking forward to the LifeP04 set-up.

 

[Encore]

"Headroom knows his stuff. Listen to him."

 

I am - which is why I'll probably chicken out of a battery solution :-D

 

Granted, my Bolder PSU and power cable with Oyaide M1/F1 don't exactly come cheap either, and if I didn't have those already (i.e. they are "free"), I might have pursued the Red Wine solution suggested by Socrates. Hassle-free operation is paramount!

 

[MartinC700]

I used the supplied Tweek Geek PSU, didn't sound too bad, however, the first one went wrong, an internal cap blew up. I noticed when the output was so poor that the poor old EVO started buzzing!

 

The replacement that was sent out worked OK, but was easily bettered by a DIY linear shunt reg.

 

I would be somewhat cautious about the supplied PSU unit, certainly if you plan to leave it plugged in.

 

[dudeymon]

I just received my LifeP04 battery and charger. Did a quick charge and handwired it in to the EVO. All I can say is WOW! All of my disappointments with the sound using the supplied PSU and with Alkalines are out the window - this EVO sounds fantastic with the LifeP04 supplying the DC.

 

I bought a DIY project box to house the battery and put in a rotary switch to switch the battery to either the charger or to the EVO. I hope the switch and additional connections don't affect sound quality. May need to A/B test it to find out.

 

Anyway, bottom line is, to these ears, LifeP04 is the way to go if you don't want to spend $500-$900 on a high-end power supply.

 

Dudeymon

 

[Encore]

"All of my disappointments with the sound using the supplied PSU and with Alkalines are out the window"

 

Very interesting indeed--how would you describe the difference in sound between the Alkaline and the LiFePO4?

 

In my case, the difference between alkaline and my Bolder PSU with the good power cable is subtle. Better bass and dynamics with the Bolder and about equal performance in the highs. I think, I haven't very thorough comparison.

 

Looking forward to hearing more about how the LiFePO4 solution works for you in daily life. Don't forget to keep us updated about that! :-)

 

[dudeymon]

Encore - "Very interesting indeed--how would you describe the difference in sound between the Alkaline and the LiFePO4?"

 

With the alk's, the bass seemed a little thin, not as robust and full. The lower frequency spectrum was certainly present and didn't sound bad, but I just always came away sensing I was missing something in the musical perfomance. The higher end frequencies seemed a little less controlled, a little dry.

 

With the lfp4's, all of the above is gone. Bass is full and clear, with better soundstaging and depth. Highs are precise and pristine, but with a nice analog-like smoothness that invites me to "turn it up to 10", and sit back and enjoy the show.

 

My system: USB drives with 192K/24b upsampled CD ripped WAV files --> Wireless G network --> Dell Laptop --> EVO --> APL 3910 DAC/pre-amp (designed by Alex Peychev) --> Rane AC22B active crossover --> Classe CA-150 solid state amps --> Dynaudio-driver custom-built speakers. Line level cables are balanced designs by Grover Huffman, speaker cables by Grover Huffman. Line components powered with modded PS-Audio P300.

 

Man do I love this hobby!

 

Dudeymon

 

[Guest Analoganimal]

Attended Mr. Sonny Rollins 80th Anniversary concert (live) here in Tokyo this fall, and this was one of my greatest "audio-visual moments" ever :-)

 

I am intending to acquire the M2Tech EVO after having used the Hiface BNC for some time, and I am grateful for all the nice comments in this thread.

 

[Part-Time Audiophile]

@Dudeymon -- did you have the stock PSU from TweekGeek? If so, what did you have it plugged into? The wall? A power conditioner?

 

[Encore]

"With the alk's, the bass seemed a little thin, not as robust and full. The lower frequency spectrum was certainly present and didn't sound bad, but I just always came away sensing I was missing something in the musical perfomance."

 

This mirrors my experience exactly! I didn't find the highs uncontrolled or dry, though--probably on par with my current power setup (Bolder PSU and good power cable). Soundstaging and depth w my current setup is at least on par with the alkaline, probably better. So if your battery solution clearly bests the alks in these respects, well, maybe there's still something to be gained.

 

Hmmm--maybe I should try a Red Wine battery pack :-S It's expensive, but it has hassle-free operation.

 

[audioengr]

"How is this done simply? I.e., how does it become resistant to forgetting to plug in the charger, e.g., if you suddenly have to rush out the door?"

 

This is precisely why a COMPLETE LI battery solution with charger circuits and automatic control costs $1K or more. If you dont want to be screwing around timing the discharge and worrying if you will start a fire when it recharges etc.., then just buy one.

 

Steve N.

Empirical Audio

 

[dudeymon]

 

Socrates- "@Dudeymon -- did you have the stock PSU from TweekGeek? If so, what did you have it plugged into? The wall? A power conditioner?"

 

I had the PSU that came supplied with the EVO from Tweekgeek. I tried it straight in to the wall, and with it plugged in to my PS Audio P300 power regenerator. Sounded much better on the P300, but it still didn't cut it for me. The Alkalines seemed a little better than the PSU.

 

Dudeymon

 

 

 

[dudeymon]

Steve N - "This is precisely why a COMPLETE LI battery solution with charger circuits and automatic control costs $1K or more. If you dont want to be screwing around timing the discharge and worrying if you will start a fire when it recharges etc.., then just buy one."

 

Steve - My understanding is that these newer style batteries and charger were safe and extremely unlikely to cause a fire. Here are the specific components I am using:

 

- Smart Charger (0.7 A) for 9.6V (3cells) LiFePO4 Battery Pack, 100-240VAC, CE listed CH-LFP9.6V0.7A

- LiFePO4 18650 Battery: 9.6V 3000 mAh (2Rx3C, 28.8Wh, 8A rate) with PCB & Polyswitch (2.7) LF-H1P2S3R2WR

 

BatterySpace.com clearly indicated that these items had appropriate protection control circuits and were safe and free from fire threats with normal use.

 

Are you saying they are in fact not safe? If so, please point us to specific web documents that detail and support this. I certainly don't want to live with a fire threat, but I also don't want to spend $1,000 to eliminate a threat that really isn't there.

 

I'm in no way saying there's nothing to be worried about - I'm pretty unschooled in this area.

 

Thanks.

 

Dudeymon

 

 

[tatamata]

I`we notice some problem trying to drive Berkeley Audio Alpha DAC with M2Tech EVO. While Berkeley recognize HDCD code in lower formats (44,1 ; 48 ; 88), showing it by blue led light on front Berkeley panel, it does not work (does not light up recognizing diode) with 96 and 176,4 HRX samples, in which I am certain exist HDCD layer (Reference Recordings). Does anybody know what may be the problem, can it be resolved, or EVO just do not work properly on higher SR HDCD formats?

 

Thanks ;

 

tatamata

 

[Purite Audio]

It works fine here with every format , might be worth checking that you are actually outputting 176 etc.

Keith.

 

[tatamata]

Sure it works fine here with every format too,(I`d said very fine), Berkeley DAC clearly display incoming formats as 96, 176 or 192, but HDCD lock on 96 or 176,4 is not displayed (blue led is not ligted up). Very same file sent on same DAC with Logitech Transporter is clearly recognized as HDCD file (SR 24/96). That is what concerned me.

 

thanks

 

tatamata