This weird trick lowers DAC distortion

[pkane2001]

8 minutes ago, mansr said:

I was goofing around with a PCM1794A chip when the idea occurred to me to see what happened if I hit it with some freezer spray. Monitoring with the REW real-time analyser, I gave it a quick blast. The reported THD dropped a little. Another blast lowered it some more. I kept going. The chip got covered in ice crystals. At a temperature of about -25 °C (according to thermal camera), the THD was some 5 dB lower than the starting point.

 

The lesson here is clear. We need silent-running audiophile freezers with stylish looks and convenient cable inlets.

 

Here you go: https://hothardware.com/news/evga-closed-loop-liquid-nitrogen-cooling-system

 

[pkane2001]

51 minutes ago, Archimago said:

 

Nice. Is the circulation system absolutely silent? We might get another -5dB THD but wouldn't want the ambient SPL in our room going up, right? 😉

 

 

You can set the desired temperature, say -75C! Condensation may become a problem, though.

 

 

[pkane2001]

7 minutes ago, esldude said:

I ran across this somewhere else at one time.  My suggestion was to put a peltier like people use on overclocked CPU's onto the DAC chip.  Should do the trick silently if not in an energy efficient manner. 

 

Still requires a radiator and a fan. In amateur astronomy, peltier-cooled CCD chips are a must to reduce noise during a long exposure. The better ones use nitrogen-filled electronics compartment to prevent condensation. Some do use water cooling to remove heat from the hot side of the peltier. Professional cameras usually use liquid nitrogen.

[pkane2001]

15 minutes ago, PeterSt said:

From close to the past year of "development" (and public forum posts about it) I by now have the proof the other way around: heating up the lot by means of break-in which can be repeated each and every day, deteriorate THD.

 

Heat-up: not measurable by thermal measurement (unless by means of whatever behind the decimal point).

 

Break-in: Just keep the lost under normal playback means and constraint / strength (mimic impedance is tough without sound).

 

So all 'n all, software-wise I have created a repeatable situation (measured on a per day term) that keeping all under the tension of 24/7 payback, deteriorates sound.

The other way around seems obvious indeed. But for me a long shot because e.g. heating up the lot with a föhn, surely does not speed up real breaking-in.

 

 

I have all that stuff laying around and will apply that to the D/A chips readily tomorrow now.

 

FYI (again): I have been testing with this idiocy for almost a year by now (software incurred). So it is high time to apply the opposite.

 

Funny thing is that this afternoon I was discussing the invention of the Warmth Wheel and mentioned Peltier and how it works. Time to have a real application for the latter. Or at least a test of it for the better SQ.

Report the results, Peter! 

[pkane2001]

26 minutes ago, mansr said:

I tried that, but I couldn't easily cool the hot side sufficiently.

run a water cooler to remove the heat, then run the water through a bucket full of water and ice  add some alcohol to the water to stop it from freezing. Believe it or not, that works for quite a while.

[pkane2001]

1 minute ago, PeterSt said:

 

Yes. But not forever.

works as long as you add fresh ice to the bucket