Building a DIY Music Server

[Blackmorec]

Well this has been an excellent week for me regarding matters audio, both thanks to this forum. I was introduced to the music and artistry of Anoushka Shankar and I tried a pair of  Mundorf Silver Gold DC cables (NMSGs) very kindly built and supplied by Nenon. 

For the past 30 or more years, an argument has raged between objectivists and subjectivists about the degree to which cables can impact sound quality.  The argument was already hot during the late Analog era, but the advent of digital data streams added more coal to the fire. How can a cable possibly affect a bit stream, especially one that is filtered and retimed downstream of the cable, resulting in a so-called bit-perfect stream arriving at the DAC? Well unfortunately I don’t have that particular answer and all I have is yet more anecdotal evidence that cables do indeed have an effect of SQ. Objectivists may claim that confirmation bias is responsible and I will admit to being positively disposed to these NMSG cables. So if you think that conformation bias is what’s responsible for what I hear, that’s fine by me, but for those who’ve proven for themselves that cables make a difference, read on. 

Nenon has already described in detail how his DC cables are built, which are essentially a JSSG360 screened twisted pair of Mundorf Silver Gold wires with Oyaide plugs to order.  I have already described my system, but for completeness, it comprises a highly optimised network based on a dedicated 500Mbps 5GHz wi-fi band,  Sean Jacob’s DC3s LPSs and Synergistic Research Atmosphere X ethernet cables throughout, feeding an Innuos Statement and Devialet 440 Expert Pro CI DAC and amps. The network is essentially ethernet cables with wi-fi isolation between the dedicated router and hi-fi room. 

My system employs 4 DC3 LPSs, so 4 DC cables....DC3 to Modem and Router are Sean Jacob’s extremely competent twisted pair with ferrite filter while the DC3 to TPLink RE650 wi-fi receiver/ethernet and DC3 to AQVox SE were recently upgraded from Sean Jacob’s cables to a pair of Ghent Audio Neotech JSSG360 7N UPOCC cables. In its initial state with 4 SJ cables handling the network’s DC, my system sounded awesome....tick all the hi-fi boxes of extended shimmering tremble and deep mellifluous bass, soundstage based entirely on the recording venue and its ambient clues. There was nothing about the sound I didn’t like. PRaT was SOTA, timing was exquisite, detail sounded ‘complete’, clarity and purity were reference level and listener involvement was of the highest order.  In other words there were no sonic problems to solve and the music was entirely thrilling or moving, depending on genre. Initially I also had a rather competent analog front end, but this digital system eventually trounced the analog set-up so thoroughly that it got traded, no longer worth the fuss and bother of playing LPs. 

As I discuss these new DC cables, the first very valid question must be of course; ‘how much can 2 DC cables powering upstream network components actually affect sound quality?” Intuitively I and probably most of you would likely believe “not much”, but that is absolutely not my experience. In fact, “a great deal” is far closer to what I hear.  Why?  No idea, other than the fact that the digital stream is in fact modulated DC so any DC characteristics that do contribute to sound quality will likely make it through the stream, along with the timed bits. 

So let’s discuss the NMSGs. 

The cables are solid core, beautifully easy to form and hold their shape 100%. There is no springiness at all so its just a matter of smoothly bending them to fit the exact installation requirements, curving smoothly around other cables and orientating the plugs perfectly, with no strain. LIke all cables, I have noticed some running-in anomalies.  I normally listen to my system at a volume setting of -14.5dB. With the new NMSGs I need to increase that to -9dB to achieve the same SPL. Some may say its lower noise and distortion that means I can listen louder, but that’s not what’s happening. I noticed exactly the same thing with the Neotechs...the missing 5dB returning after about 2 weeks of being constantly powered up. I also notice a slight attenuation of dynamics and perhaps slightly less treble shimmer and sparkle....I’m pretty certain that like the Neotechs, this will all return in due course.  

Running-in deficits not withstanding, the NMSGs significantly outperformed the Neotechs although I can’t really report any typical audiophile improvements..... frequency extremes were already extended and rich in timbral detail, soundstage was, as mentioned, as big or small as what is on the recording, there is NO listening room identity, only the recorded venue and music is 3 dimensional, and sounds like its being played by the instruments....so from an Audiophile perspective, not much room for improvement. However there were some major improvements, just that they related entirely to the music rather than to its presentation. 

The first thing you notice is that the music gains in finesse, inner detail, inner warmth, ease and ‘humanness’. Things like mouth and breath sounds became a lot more complex, detailed and real. 

The music is mesmerising, almost hypnotically so, sending shivers of pleasure down your spine. 

The harp in Andreas Vollenweider’s Cosmology sounded lively, vibrant and sparkling, with gorgeous decay, that extends down into complete silence....what makes this all the more amazing is that you  can sense the silence even while other instruments are playing. 

The system seems to have far greater, finely delineated spacial resolution, which makes the soundstage all the more engaging, precise (not etched) and clear, so you can easily follow 2 or more closely related instruments by virtue of their spacial differentiation. This is especially important when sounds differ markedly in amplitude....loud sounds don’t swamp quiet sounds because they are positioned differently in space so don’t interfere. When you increase spacial resolution you hear more low level detail and greater low level detail creates a greater feeling of reality as sounds are revealed that you would normally only hear live. 

The soundstage itself is also affected. Lower noise and greater low level detail give the entire sound stage a presence, a shape, texture, dimensions, even when there are no instruments playing....the size and shape of the recording venue becomes easier to hear...there’s atmosphere and air ....space that has a presence...an ‘eyes closed’ illusion that you’re sitting listening in an entirely different space with no relation whatsoever to your room. 

The music itself has greater bounce and buoyancy.....with more shape and body to the instruments. Instruments positions are very precisely defined in terms of depth and height within the soundstage. Again this makes individual instruments far clearer in the mix, without any analytical characteristics. 

With the NMSG cables, the music has an inner glow and a richness. The music sounds like it is energising the venue....grand piano for example can have a beautiful percussive hammer strike, after which the music blooms out and expands to energise the room, before decaying according to how long the sustain pedal is held. Timbral detail (tone and texture) has always been excellent but with the NMSGs it now remains stable and present down to absolute silence. That soesn’t sound like a big deal, but it again makes things sound more realistic. 

Rhythmic flow often feels like a strong undercurrent, subtle but powerful and irresistible, pulling you along with it. Instruments sound beautifully consolidated, woven together to form a glorious whole. Even when they’re only subtly involved in the mix, their contribution can be powerfully intoxicating. 

Then there’s the music’s ability to generate feelings. We often speak about emotions, but this goes well beyond that as the feelings are unique to the music....the music changes how you feel, and how you feel changes how you hear the music.....amplifying its atmosphere and your reaction to it.  

Take for example Malia’s Celestial Echo. Extremely atmospheric, extended bass with beautiful warmth, tremendous finesse....very pure, very precise, beautifully timed. The bass is round and bounces from note to note.Tomtoms ‘pop’ with dynamic accuracy, even when played quietly. The system creates acoustics that literally play with your mind,  making you feel spaced out, because that’s precisely what you’re hearing and experiencing in your ‘head space’ 

In my system at least, the NMSG cables make the music live and breathe....they bring the music to life.  Songs I wasn’t that fond of suddenly blow my mind with their detail, depth and presence.  The spatial precision results in improved clarity, purity and the fundamental rightness of the sound. The music creates an atmosphere, which generates feelings that you ‘hear the music through’.

For example the music may make you feel spiritual and other worldly, so your feelings reinforce  the music....which is why the listener involvement is so incredibly high....the music and your inner feelings become inextricably linked. I hope I’m explaining this clearly?

Last week I was introduced to  Anoushka Shankar’s album Rise. The music, predominantly Sitar, Voice and Pecussion sounds exotic, eastern and literally soaking in spiritual essence. It is beautifully resonant with super long note decay. The music is highly atmospheric....with some tracks having a rhythmic undertow of riptide proportions . On one track the musician playing tabla percussion sounds like he’s only five or six feet away from the listening chair......its not loud, but includes all the clues to make the music extremely ‘present’ and intimate. The music and instruments suit each other perfectly and the pace of the music and development of the Sitar’s notes are so beautifully coordinated they’ll bring tears of joy at their sheer beauty.

Another album that demonstrates the NMSG’s prowess is Jan Garbarek’s Legend of the 7 Dreams. Voy Contando is spacious, airy, hauntingly beautiful. There’s a simple drum beat.....but what makes it very special is the astounding clarity and complexity. The system weaves magical spells in the air,  with instruments floating in huge spaces that always puts me in mind of northern larch forests and huge open, cold and lonely wilderness. 

 

At some time I’ve got to stop upgrading my system and instead just enjoy fully what I have. I sense that time may be just around the corner. Nenon is kindly making 2 more cables for my Modem and Router. With the right recordings my system can already present the music in a way that rocks or moves every fibre of my being, takes over my consciousness and creates my mood. More than that I don’t need. 

What I find truly amazing about this is that this final touch, the last step that convinces me that I’ve reached the place I want to be sonically, is brought about by 2 DC cables. Even I can sympathize with the objectivists who would poopoo such subjective nonsense....how do 2 DC cables add the atmosphere, the finesse and the beauty that I’m reporting here? 

So 5 days in and 2 more cables on the way we’ll see where this leads...suffice to say, if you’re pursuing audio perfection and you’re able to solder competently, you should make at least one of Nenons NMSG cables. I’m pretty certain you’ll very much like what it brings. 

Finally, to close this initial assessment a big thank you to Nenon who went to a lot of trouble to buy, build and ship these cables for me to try.  They are certainly a surprisingly key component in reaching my own personal sonic nirvana. 

 

[Blackmorec]

Another little snippet regarding the NMSG DC cables. One of the best ways I have found to QC and kinda quantify my system’s network performance is Internet Radio and specifically Radio Swiss Classic. The low bit rate and lack of resolution obviously provide a challenge in terms of sounding perfect with all the necessary fidelity. The music has a very consistent quality, both in terms of performances (uniformly excellent to vituoso) and recordings, with most of the required audiophile qualities present.  But as soon as my system is slightly off colour it shows up immediately in the announcements, with voices exhibiting slight anomalies. When my system is perfect, so are the voices, but all it takes is a cable running in and the voices become either slightly bassy, or sibilant, depending on what’s currently going on. With the NMSG cables, which are clearly still running in after 5 days,  the announcements are already perfect, with no anomalies....in fact they sound better than they’ve ever sounded. More natural, more accurate and with more of the announcer’s individual voice character.  Once the cables are fully run in and the amplitude and dynamics have returned to where they should be, the announcer’s voices should sound spookily real....at least that’s what my confirmation bias is expecting, so let’s hope that’s what it hears. 

[Blackmorec]

8 hours ago, ray-dude said:

 

A thousand times this!  When we finally unravel all the secret sauce, I suspect a huge part of it will stem from conceptualizing all of these as aspects of a single component in the design.  

 

I keep relearning basic metrology - what you measure/observe is only as good as the integrity of your weakest reference.  Especially for digital systems, perfect reference power and timing, and a lot of "problems" just go away!

 

And since we're sharing untold stories, somewhere in the garage I "unofficially" have a memory board from a Cray 1S. As a whipper snapper engineer, I learned so much from studying that board (and for programming for the Cray).  The entire board design was about clock and power distribution, with a twist of cooling mixed in to keep it from (literally) melting. Complete brute force design, like a lot of Cray designs back in the day, but overwhelming brute force focused like a laser on the key things that mattered most.  I was thinking a lot about that board as I studied Emile's design.

One of the reasons I like Innuos so much is their very clear focus on certain engineering aspects; excellent High stability low noise power supplies, EMI minimisation (internal generation, external screening), vibration control, clock timing and clock power.  When I took exactly these aspects and applied them to the upstream network, I was rewarded with major sound quality improvements. Interestingly I still haven’t found a point where the classical ‘law of diminishing returns’ applies, as each upgrade brings further improvements, in sometimes unexpected ways that are difficult to describe in hi-fi terms of how the music sounds and more easily described in terms of listener feelings, reactions and emotions. Music becomes more exciting, more deeply moving or thrilling, more joyous, easier to listen to without needing to concentrate, more inviting, more compelling, more believable, more bounce-you-out-of-your-seat rhythmical. 

 The one area that still blows me away is the influence of DC cables. The addition of Chord umbilicals to the Statement made me wonder why they weren’t available as an Innuos upgrade, as their effect was so ‘fundamental’ and impactful. Similarly Nenon’s Mundorf Silver/Gold DC cable design has a massive impact, way out of proportion to what it actually is....a DC cable to a network switch for example. 

I came into digital streaming firmly believing that digital was about convenience and choice, but vinyl was still the most convincing medium musically. All the above improvements moved my digital set-up so far beyond what my vinyl set-up was delivering that it well and truly obsoleted my implementation of the analog medium, relegating it to a fussy, old fashioned technology whose days were clearly passed.  

For over 40 years I managed to achieve my version of ‘almost’ complete satisfaction from analog......To put that in perspective, I can now get that level of replay from Radio Swiss Classical....beautiful music and perfectly satisfying sound. So when you hit the play button for a good Redbook resolution recording from Quboz, its still a shock how much better the replay can get, with qualities I at least never dreamed possible from the CD format.  The key to unlocking this performance, at least for me, lay in the engineering goals listed above. 

[Blackmorec]

9 hours ago, Nenon said:

 

I personally don't find mixing many different power supplies to give the best results. You are mixing multiple grounds from different power supplies, and that is not necessarily a good thing. The ground plane in a power supply plays a big role. You can build two power supplies from the same schematics, for example, one with neat star grounding and one where the ground goes all over the place, and typically the one with the better grounding technique would sound better. You can imagine what happens when you mix 2, 3, or even 4 different power supplies, each with its own ground.

 

Have you considered selling all of these and getting a single multi rail LPS? PHD and SJ can do that. It would be more expensive but that would be my recommendation. 

I couldn’t agree more! I’m not a DIY expert but I follow the DIY trends avidly and apply what I learn to optimising set-up.  Ideally you want to free up your system from the effects of noise ‘hash’ which impacts fine detail (read ambiance and the recording’s acoustic signature) spacial resolution, timbral and textural information and even timing and purity of sound (transparency).  As soon as you start mixing different power supplies, with various grounding topologies, the hash they produce is both additive and harmonic in that they’ll interact with each other  to produce yet more noise frequencies to give you a blanketing effect.  Many audiophiles use extensive grounding strategies to remove this hash, but the best way, by far is to avoid producing it in the first place. Minimising the number of different grounding strategies and ensuring a single, really good one is highly beneficial. 

[Blackmorec]

Just to be clear, my post was in reply to Mikicasellas PS questions🙂.  

Also to add one point....my post applies to both single components and entire systems 

[Blackmorec]

On 8/9/2020 at 2:27 AM, Nenon said:

 

Just a quick update:

I swapped the positions of the etherREGEN and my modified Buffalo switch. Now my server is connected directly to the Buffalo like this:

Arris SB8200 modem --(copper)--> Ubiquiti Router --(copper)--> etherRegen (fiber with Fintech transceivers)--> Buffalo switch--(copper)--> server. 

 

That turned out to be a shocking improvement! I expected a small difference that makes me do many A/B comparisons until I decide if I like one better than the other. Not at all. 

 

I just picked a random Qobuz track for the test. It just happened to be this one:
artist: The Ray Brown All Stars

track: You Don't Know Me
album: Don't Forget The Blues

But I also listened to different styles music after that to make sure it's not just that track that sounded better

 

It took about 5 seconds from the track to hear how much better the new combination was. By the 14th second I was convinced what I heard the first 5 seconds was true. After 30 seconds there was no doubts at all. We've all been there, and you probably know what I am talking about. Towards the end of the track I knew I had a new reference! Obviously I went back and forth 5 or 6 times to double/triple/quadruple/quintuple check and never doubted even for a second which one was better. Never heard Qobuz sound so good! Going back to do some more critical listening now... 

 

[Blackmorec]

Hmmm...don’t know what happened to my original reply to Nenon’s articles about his highly modified Buffalo switch, but here again are my observations. 

 

Firstly thanks for posting such fascinating and ground breaking work....while I’m not skilled at DIY, I always find such results really enlightening in the quest to understand where the secrets lie in achieving better SQ from digital streaming. 

I am delighted that the final result exceeded the sound quality of 4 Buffalo switches ganged together in series.....something I saw as an interim and frankly rather inelegant solution given the number of cables, connections and power supplies involved.  

 

I was also intrigued by the observations regarding the type of improvements achieved, that are better described in terms of listener response rather than a more typical hi-fi oriented dialog. I personally find this type of upgrade far more fundamentally enjoyable and ‘sustained’ vs the more ‘cosmetic’ upgrades that add more of something that is soon assimilated by the listener. The former improves the enjoyment level of every listening session over long periods whereas the latter quickly becomes the norm and enjoyment levels remain more or less the same once the listener acclimatises to the improved cosmetics.

 

For me at least, a hi-fi system is really achieving outstanding results when every listening session is anticipated with a degree of excitement, similar to a live event. When you expect to experience something new,  something that gets the emotions flowing and that leaves you highly satisfied, without any sense of let down or dissatisfaction and with the sweet anticipation of the next session, your system is ticking all the boxes.   

 

 

[Blackmorec]

I have a few observations I’d like to make but first, does anyone know what the music was at the beginning and end of Ron’s video clip? Its one of those pieces that immediately grabbed my attention and I’d very much like to listen to the whole thing. 

[Blackmorec]

2 hours ago, ASRMichael said:

@Blackmorec using Shazams app to listen to song it says “artist - JF Gloss , song - Rhythm of the river”

 

If you like that, listen to Chris Jones Roadhouses & Automobiles album. 

Thanks a lot. Most appreciate your finding that for me🙋🏼‍♂️

[Blackmorec]

On 9/29/2020 at 7:55 AM, Nenon said:

M12 Gold vs. PF Buffalo Switch Comparison

 

This turned out to be one of the most difficult comparisons I've done. And most people would not like the subjective results.

The M12 is sounding very good. Definitely less noise, darker background. It brings some level of sweetness to everything - every sound, every instrument, every voice, etc. It brings voices and instruments more forward. They are in front of the speakers instead of behind. It also focuses the instrument (and voices) a little better (as it happens when the background noise drops). 

 

The PF Buffalo on the other hand has more air around the instruments. It's more dynamic. There is more depth. It presents everything in a larger scale. It also does everything that an improved clock does. The sound is more refined. 

 

The M12 is lacking the scale, dynamics, the precision, refinement, and overall better timing of the PF Buffalo. The PF Buffalo is lacking the sweetness, and the lower noise floor of the M12. 

 

I kept listening to both and it was very hard to pick a winner. I already said that Qobuz sounded best with the PF Buffalo in my system. But it can sound equally well with the M12 too. It depends on the recording. I would say 60% of the music sounded better with the PF Buffalo and 40% with the M12. The problem is that when something sounded better with the M12 you get this super sweet and addictive sound. I can see why people like it so much. It can be very addictive. The M12 switch can make some bad recordings sound better. While the PF Buffalo can make the really good recordings excel even more.

 

Those switches also had some influence on locally played files. I would say that the M12 had an arguably larger impact on local files. I think the M12 is doing a little better job blocking the noise that other network equipment transmit to my server. 

 

I would pick the M12 switch for a system that sounds more digital, with some digital harshness and glare. The M12 can help smoothing that and making it sound a little sweeter and more analog. But given the price tag of the switch, if your digital end is sounding harsh, the money can probably be better spent somewhere else - i.e. to fix the source of the problem rather than to try to filter afterwards. I would also pick the M12 if you listen to not very well recorded files.

 

For those who have a really good digital system, where the harshness is gone and you want biggers sound, scale, and authority on already well recorded tracks, the PF Buffalo might be a better choice. But you have to value those properties over the lower noise floor of the M12, which is not an easy choice to make. 

 

And here is the bad news:

When you combine the two together you get the best of both. Real bummer!!! Considering the cost that is...

It gets even more interesting. With two of these switches, you can tweak your system somewhat to your taste. If you put the M12 switch as the last switch before your server, you get lower noise floor. If you put the PF Buffalo last you get better timing and all that other good stuff. But regardless of the order, you can clearly hear the effects of both. The order can boost a little the effect of one over the other.

 

But do we really need to spend that much money to buy both? I am not really sure. Even with both of these switches connected to my system, playing local files completely disconnected from the network sounded best. 

 

You can see why this was such a challenging comparison. I am planning to repeat the A/B tests after a period of time again. 

Hi Nenon,

Thanks for the really interesting comparison of these 2 ‘mega-switches’.  As a non-lover of audio spagetti I’ve been waiting for this particular data stream issue to get sorted and I think you’ve succeeded in clarifying several questions.  Some time ago both you and Romaz both published hypotheses that these switches were like tone controls and could be used to fine-tune a system to a listener’s tastes. I think this most recent evaluation further illucidates what’s going on in this regard. As far as I can see, both these switches quite dramatically improve the SQ that results from the data stream, It seems that both switches improve certain aspects more that others but that the composition i.e the mix of those improvements have only maybe 70 or 80% in common, with the balance being unique to one or the other switch.   

When you take into account the cost of the switches, a really good LPS to drive them plus 1 or 2 DC cables at the Mundorf Silver/Gold level I believe that investing in both switches will really start to run into the classic area of diminishing returns and that the cost of a second switch invested elsewhere (for example high quality LPSs for other parts of the network, mains supply Improvements, better USB cable or even a better server) may well bring superior results (just my feeling). I have no doubt whatsoever that in the right system, the addition of a top flight switch, LPS and DC cable is highly worthwhile, indeed almost mandatory if you want to achieve really great results from remote streaming. I believe your direction on which set of improvements to apply to which type of system should provide an ideal final step in the data stream.  Personally if after adding one of the switches you describe with LPS  and DC cable I feel that my system still needs further improvement  or still has aspects that require correction I would tend to look elsewhere for those gains. Just my personal feelings on the subject.

Once again, thanks for the excellent evaluation 

[Blackmorec]

15 hours ago, bit01 said:

Talking about Mundorf Silver/Gold wire - Is it possible that this formulation acts as a filter somehow dissipating HF energy that may be riding the DC? The sound with it in just a section in a chain has been considerably affected - lost  the residual  'metal hardness' in favor of more natural tones but with what subjectively appears as an HF rolloff or 'softness'.

 

I installed just a foot and a half of it between the PHD SR7T DC power supply and the HDPLEX 800 DC-ATX converter. It replaces a custom (16AWG) GOTHAM HG01 by Ghent Audio. Unfortunately there were associated changes (cables, connectors)  but I believe that I am familiar with their characteristics. It is my first time using the Mundorf!

 

If you refer to my initial evaluation of the Mundorf Silver/Gold DC cables, I did note some initial loss of treble shimmer and extension but after 3 weeks of constant use the missing treble content returned with added air and sparkle vs the Ghent Audio Neotech 7N JSSG360s that I had used previously. 

[Blackmorec]

17 hours ago, Blackmorec said:

Hi Nenon,

Thanks for the really interesting comparison of these 2 ‘mega-switches’.  As a non-lover of audio spagetti I’ve been waiting for this particular data stream issue to get sorted and I think you’ve succeeded in clarifying several questions.  Some time ago both you and Romaz both published hypotheses that these switches were like tone controls and could be used to fine-tune a system to a listener’s tastes. I think this most recent evaluation further illucidates what’s going on in this regard. As far as I can see, both these switches quite dramatically improve the SQ that results from the data stream, It seems that both switches improve certain aspects more that others but that the composition i.e the mix of those improvements have only maybe 70 or 80% in common, with the balance being unique to one or the other switch.   

When you take into account the cost of the switches, a really good LPS to drive them plus 1 or 2 DC cables at the Mundorf Silver/Gold level I believe that investing in both switches will really start to run into the classic area of diminishing returns and that the cost of a second switch invested elsewhere (for example high quality LPSs for other parts of the network, mains supply Improvements, better USB cable or even a better server) may well bring superior results (just my feeling). I have no doubt whatsoever that in the right system, the addition of a top flight switch, LPS and DC cable is highly worthwhile, indeed almost mandatory if you want to achieve really great results from remote streaming. I believe your direction on which set of improvements to apply to which type of system should provide an ideal final step in the data stream.  Personally if after adding one of the switches you describe with LPS  and DC cable I feel that my system still needs further improvement  or still has aspects that require correction I would tend to look elsewhere for those gains. Just my personal feelings on the subject.

Once again, thanks for the excellent evaluation 

I wanted to add an “Of Course” paragraph to the above.

Of course, if you have already optimised the rest of your system then adding a second clock may be the only way you’ll get that extra 20-30% ‘goodness’.  Sometimes, if you want the very best SQ, you just can’t avoid the law of diminishing returns. 

[Blackmorec]

This switch business may be ‘crazy’ but at the the same time the ‘pioneers’  In this field are finding ways to recover the ‘musical energy’ , emotion and involvement from digital streams. Note I say recover rather than adding as i believe that switches bring a resynthesizing cleansing element to the data stream. Remote streaming is a super convenient way to access vast swathes of music but its only great if the music we obtain is wholly satisfying and IME, these switches bring that element to the party. 

I know that many objectivists would claim that these SQ improvements are all in the imagination, but I find it difficult to fathom how my brain could consistently imagine increases in detail information like additional harmonic information,  vocalist mouth sounds, complex bowing sounds, venue acoustics etc which all become clearer and better defined. But beyond hi-fi terms, these improvements to the network stream have the most profound effects of the listener’s reaction to the music, which in the end is what its all about. 

Over the past several months I have gradually improved my network first by adding LPSs to all devices and more recently by improving the quality of those LPSs and standardising all the ethernet cables.  The improved power supplies still bring profound improvements to SQ, as did the addition of Mundorf Silver/Gold DC cables and better ethernet cables. So far, all my improvements have been based on a single AQVox SE switch and fully optimised wi-fi isolation. I have one more LPS upgrade to make, moving my entire network to DC4 regulation before adding a PF/Buffalo kindly modified by Nenon. 

Where is this headed? From my experience its looking like great digital via remote streaming  is going to require similar levels of investment in the network stream as really good vinyl requires in TT, arm, cartridge and phono-amp. Adding switches is clearly a great strategy, but at least based on my recent experience, the quality of the power supplies and their DC cables used on both switches and the other networking modules is equally critical in achieving great results. 

[Blackmorec]

1 hour ago, cool_chris said:

Nenon is correct.

I got 4 Buffalo switches but sent 2 for the clock upgrade to Jord at Pink Faun.

He did fantastic work as you see on the pictures I submitted few pages ago.

Spering the money now to get other 2 upgrated. I need to have all 4 Buffalows  with Pink Faun clocks. Those are fantastic switches.

I wish you could hear the difference on my system. Night and day difference. 

There is no way to take any of the 4 Buffalows away or to get the 5th switch (Ether Regen) out of the chain.

 

I am glad Nenon confirmed the Telegartner M12 being excellent as a musical and sweetness adding solution. 

I wish I could afford to get one and install in my chain as the 6th switch.

 

For now I Prefer to keep Buffalows with PinkFaun clocks if they give 60 % of performance related to 40% of M12 performance ( Nenon rating).

So as far as I understand it correct

you get little more SQ for much less money.

Thank you Nenon !

Best

Chris

 

 

 

Hi Chris,

In my system I use Synergistic Research Atmosphere X Ref ethernet and USB cables. They are delivered with 2 ‘bullets’ which are exchangeable....the one bullet enhances the cable’s detail and spacial resolution, while the second bullet is more orientated around fullness and warmth, so with more than 1 cable you can fine tune exactly the balance between warmth, air and spacial resolution. 

[Blackmorec]

1 hour ago, cool_chris said:

 

Yes. You can do a lot with USB cables.

But I tested 25 different cables, solutions , cleaners , blockers , fibre and many more and got to the conclusion that they all work well, some very well, however only if your system is "mid class" 

If you have top system with perfected everything than removing all of the USB solutions gets you to the over the top sound quality. 

I liked very much the fibre usb isolation, the uptone iso regen and newest Intona 3.0 isolator .

 

Sorry Chris, i don't understand what you’re saying. How does a top class server with a USB output connect to the USB DAC input if not with a cable?   I found my system to work best with a simple USB cable....all the other stuff downgraded the sound

[Blackmorec]

15 hours ago, djwalter2000 said:

I found this video to be enormously helpful in my understanding of how digital can be suspectable to quality issues

 

https://youtu.be/grzoqEb2KMk

Thanks for posting. This really is an excellent video for the lay enthusiast.

[Blackmorec]

The video that DJWalter posted switched on a few Mmmmmms in my mind. From that video I can see how a signal may be damaged and how buffers will have no effect on removing those defects. Its also clear that damage can be gradual and cumulative....the more bad switches and power supplies, the more damage occurs....then by the same token the more ‘good quality’ regenerations, the more the signal defects are gradually corrected. 

Given that some of those regenerations happen in network modules other than switches, it explains why good quality LPSs have a positive effect on SQ wherever they are placed.  Similarly, why anti-vibration measures will positively effect the quality of the regeneration, and why good cables will prevent further de-generation. 

 

Why will we see multiple switch related quantitative differences in SQ improvements between different systems? It must depend on the quality of the stream reaching those ganged switches. The more profound the arriving data stream damage, the greater the level of SQ improvement multiple switches will bring. 

 

 

[Blackmorec]

Regarding the Taiko DIY, this would be a good time to make a financial project design decision

1. Target price range (from $xxxxx - $yyyyy)  or
2. Cost no object, best build possible 

If you pick #1 you get design constraints

If you pick #2 you have financial constraints

If your lucky, #2 falls within 1.  This is a good time to know where your constraints lie, if any 

[Blackmorec]

1 hour ago, MarcelNL said:

I haven't come around to add caps to the power cables but will do so, I'm doing incremental steps of changes so I can keep track of which is which. I'm using copper Neotech UP OCC for the wiring because it sounds great and the Mundorf silver-gold alloy presents a squeaky ringing in the upper mids.

Hi Marcel,  I have both Neotech UPOCC and Mundorf silver/gold DC cables (JSSG360). The Mundorf takes a long time to run in but once it does its incredibly transparent, pure, 3 dimensional and holographic. Not a trace of any ringing or indeed any impurity in the upper mids. The Neotech is a very nice cable but in my system the Mundorf is better by a considerable margin, once its been in the system 2-3 months. 

[Blackmorec]

3 hours ago, MarcelNL said:

Thanks for that insight!

I'll make another EPS cable with the Mundorf and will burn that in separately, I did listen to the analog interlink I made with the Mundorf wire for 2 months

I can see how you arrive at saying it's 3D  and transparent, I found it very 'forward' in the beginning, it all became more homogenous after 4-6 weeks but in a final comparison after 2 months (constantly burning in) I found it too 'ringy'. Perhaps it fares better as power cable. 

Hi Marcel,

I’ve only used the Mundorf cable in DC applications. Having said that i’ve used it extensively for 6 DC cables and 4 fully wired LPSs.  I get exactly what you’re saying about the upper midrange emphasis,  because that’s exactly how it sounds during the mid to latter break-in period, but once fully broken in that translates into resolved space, which is what delivers the purity and holographic nature.  In my experience, whatever sounds the worst during break-in are where the majority of gains lie once the break-in process is complete. For example, beautifully deep and solid, richly timbered bass that you can feel often starts with quite some emphasis, like your room has a bass node.  Power cables do this all the time, which is why I usually break them in using fans and IEC adaptors.

[Blackmorec]

14 hours ago, MarcelNL said:

BTW: I'm having some new custom chokes wound, on 300W  Hi-B cut cores (saturates well beyond the Lundahl), let the games begin :-)

 

I might as well since I have two ATX modules....  I will first compare the Lundahls in common mode, against parallel, against the new chokes, the losers go into the LPSU for the network switch and router and the next experiment will be using two Taiko ATX (one for the CPU and the other for ATX)

 

It seems as if the 220.000uF Mundorf finally completed breaking in....took about 1400 hours , wow

Hi Marcel,

Just interested…. In terms of SQ, did you find the break-in process was a series of downs and ups, with a final big down then big up?  I have gone through a series of power supply upgrades, all with Mundorf caps and the process always seems to follow the same pattern. 

[Blackmorec]

I use Mundorf Ag/Au throughout my entire network supply chain. It takes a really long time to break in and can cause some really strange SQ anomalies on the way such as peaky treble that comes across as sibilance on spoken voice, boomy bass etc. But once fully run in it imparts a beautiful holographic resolution, purity and naturalness to the sound.  

Regarding connectors, one of main impacts to SQ seems to be their impedance values. Certain connectors have a much higher impedance than others.  

[Blackmorec]

9 hours ago, drjimwillie said:

I live in the US in New Jersey, near NYC, I volunteer to distribute the chokes to the group in the US. I could pick up one big heavy box from the distribution center and ship individual packages out to the group. 
 

I don’t know how many people on the list are in the US and I don’t really know anything about shipping, but it can’t be that hard. 
 

If we think it is a good idea, I could use advice from experienced people.

It might just be cheaper to send it from the country of origin.  Different countries seem to have different shipping deals with the US, so I do not know if it will be cheaper.  
It must be super cheap to ship from China, somehow Ghent does it for one must be next to nothing. 😳 (this is a good example of how much I do not know about shipping. Haha)

 

I am throwing it out there as an option. It seems like it’s a community thing to do.

 

Will

Hi Will,

I don’t live in the US but do have some experience with shipping.

 

First thing to bear in mind. I don’t know how much a single choke costs but it could be below the limit for charging import duty. If you bunch a lot together into one shipment, it will for sure exceed that limit and you’ll have to pay duty as the importer, so you’ll now need to recover import duty and shipping from individuals 

 

You should look up US import rates and limits and make sure that consolidation of the shipment doesn’t add duty and tax to the whole delivery as Im unsure if the US has lower limits on customs duty and tax.

 

Actually distributing the chokes is quite easy….receive the bulk package, split and repack into small boxes, pick a courier or postal service, log in all the shipments then either wait for courier pick-up or deliver to their drop off point, depending on the level of service you’ve ordered. Of course you’ll then need to pay for all deliveries 

 

Then you’ll need to do a final reckoning of import & clearing costs, duty and shipment and give the consignees the means of paying you….ie Paypal etc.