The isolation thread

[Mihaylov]

On 9/19/2021 at 2:10 PM, R1200CL said:

The AD clock has almost no circuitry inside, so I think a good PS is essential, hence why I suggest the LPS-1.2. 

Is it possible to show the AD clock inside? It would be interesting to know which reference voltage source for VC is used - external (then really need a good power supply for the clock) or internal V ref. (then any PSU will be suitable because the power circuit inside the OCXO itself will determine).

[R1200CL]

12 minutes ago, Mihaylov said:

Is it possible to show the AD clock inside?

 

[Mihaylov]

Thanks! But I was referring to the device itself from the inside and primarily the device board, not the oscillator. You wrote that there are almost no parts on the device board.

[Mihaylov]

 

 

 

here

 

 

here

 

Quote

1×NEW CTS 1250019 10MHz 12V Sine Wave replace MV89A OCXO Crystal Oscillator

 

From MV89 datasheet:

 

 

And for 10 MHz:

1 Hz - 99 dBc

10 Hz - 124 dBc

(Superdad comment)

[richard_crl032]

On 9/19/2021 at 7:10 PM, R1200CL said:

Impossible to say. I guess the iFi. As long as it has required volt and ampere.

Here is a PS you can test in the future;

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005002207035576.html?spm=a2g0s.12269583.0.0.2d3855beLQoCWi

I ordered mine with the TALEMA option. 
 

The AD clock has almost no circuitry inside, so I think a good PS is essential, hence why I suggest the LPS-1.2. 

 

Hi R1200CL,

 

I cannot explain for certain but just thought I will continue to sharing what I can only hear. 🙏

 

a. Meanwell smps sounded better than the ifi ipower smps .. more expansive and less "compressed" for a lack of better description

 

b. Leaving the meanwell smps in the same dedicated 20A line for digital components in my complicated system sounded worse than the house's stock 30A line shared with TV, 4k disc player, TV box and other AV components. Not sure if it is because the dedicated digital 20A line goes thru a 2kA isotransformer but I cannot imagine having isotransformer just to avoid breaking the moat if indeed the reason for hearing less veiled music. 🤔

 

Going to stop trying to understand and just enjoying my music until I can decide to spent further on another AD clock or multi outputs Cybershaft OPA-21 and Mutec Ref50 120se etc. in this insane and diminishing return pursue of digital music playback. 🤦‍♂️

 

Cheers.

 

Richard

[richard_crl032]

58 minutes ago, Mihaylov said:

 

 

 

here

 

 

here

 

 

From MV89 datasheet:

 

 

And for 10 MHz:

1 Hz - 99 dBc

10 Hz - 124 dBc

(Superdad comment)

 

Hi Mihaylov,

 

I am quite certain my AD doubleclock is also the same vintage CTS crystal and also believe that AD's certification is genuine but I am surprised on the variation in performance of reported of my sorted "golden one" if indeed simple electronics that does little to achieve from the certification shown of 118db and 144db.

 

Cheers.

 

Richard

 

PS: In my younger days, I did buy 5x CPUs each time to sort golden samples for overclocking and benchmark reporting

 

[R1200CL]

2 hours ago, Mihaylov said:

You wrote that there are almost no parts on the device board.

I see Google served you well 😀

You find a lot on AliExpress as well. Better purchase from Adrian. 

[Mihaylov]

1 hour ago, R1200CL said:

Better purchase from Adrian. 

Absolutely! 👍 Good Luck! 🤝

[FIndingit]

I’m a cheapskate and purchased this 197 dollar CTS (no import fees or taxes added) with board and the results are FANTASTIC. 
 

I did replace the output jack with a bnc and also use the Mini Circuits filter with an extremely short and well shielded cable. And my ER is 50 ohm. 

[Encore]

A little bit about grounding in my system.

 

In the diagram, all the thick red lines are 230 V with earth. Although my listening room is on the 5^th floor in an apartment building, I have been able to install a ground rod under the concrete floor in the basement (the cable runs down a chimney that was already used for internet cabling). According to the electrician who installed it, it measures really, really well. We’re close to a river, so the soil is nice and moist.

 

I went through my setup with a multimeter. The only SMPS in my system (the adapter for the Macbook Pro that runs my Roon Core) is on the A side of the eR, and the shields of the Ethernet cables on the A side do not have galvanic contact with any ground that I could locate in the rest of my system. This also means that the A side of the eR isn’t earthed (there’s no connection between the grounding connector and the earth connector on the ISOL-8).

 

Curiously, the multimeter shows about 130 Ohms between the ISOL-8’s earth and the metal shield of the Ethernet cable on the B side of the eR.

 

I have since learned that in order to prevent ground loops, I should only connect one of the devices to earth. E.g. the amp. The rest should then be earthed through the connections that are made between them with e.g. interconnects. However, I’m not sure that this will be the case for all of them. Specifically, I don’t know if the streamer PC and its LPSUs will be earthed. Already the eR isn’t earthed, or at least the A side isn’t.

 

Before the ground rod was installed some years ago, I had problems with hum with one of my amps. Getting the rod installed gave a huge improvement in SQ, and since then I have had absolutely no problems with hum.

[Encore]

On 1/4/2022 at 5:05 PM, Encore said:

A little bit about grounding in my system.

 

In the diagram, all the thick red lines are 230 V with earth. Although my listening room is on the 5^th floor in an apartment building, I have been able to install a ground rod under the concrete floor in the basement (the cable runs down a chimney that was already used for internet cabling). According to the electrician who installed it, it measures really, really well. We’re close to a river, so the soil is nice and moist.

 

I went through my setup with a multimeter. The only SMPS in my system (the adapter for the Macbook Pro that runs my Roon Core) is on the A side of the eR, and the shields of the Ethernet cables on the A side do not have galvanic contact with any ground that I could locate in the rest of my system. This also means that the A side of the eR isn’t earthed (there’s no connection between the grounding connector and the earth connector on the ISOL-8).

 

Curiously, the multimeter shows about 130 Ohms between the ISOL-8’s earth and the metal shield of the Ethernet cable on the B side of the eR.

 

I have since learned that in order to prevent ground loops, I should only connect one of the devices to earth. E.g. the amp. The rest should then be earthed through the connections that are made between them with e.g. interconnects. However, I’m not sure that this will be the case for all of them. Specifically, I don’t know if the streamer PC and its LPSUs will be earthed. Already the eR isn’t earthed, or at least the A side isn’t.

 

Before the ground rod was installed some years ago, I had problems with hum with one of my amps. Getting the rod installed gave a huge improvement in SQ, and since then I have had absolutely no problems with hum.

So I came across this video, which made me understand--for the first time--what a ground loop is. Never though that day would dawn ...

I went through my setup with a multimeter, mapping continuities, and realized that I had a ground loop between my DAC and amp, so I disconnected the earth lead from the power cable to the DAC. I didn't expect much because I have very good earth and absolutely no problems with hum. Nevertheless, while it wasn't night and day, there was a welcome improvement. More transparency, being able to hear small details better. And more energy/dynamics. Critical recordings once again became easier to listen to.

 

Next task will be to check if the two LPSUs for the streamer PC have a ground loop. The Abbas clock is earthed but that earth does not have continuity to the eR, so I believe I should leave the earth connected there. 

 

The ground connection of the eR is currently not connected to the system earth. Will try that also at some point.

[sbilotta]

Hi Jens, could you share the link to that enlightening video? :-)

[Encore]

1 hour ago, sbilotta said:

Hi Jens, could you share the link to that enlightening video? :-)

Sorry, forgot to do that 😄

 

Now the video only explains what to do if you have an earthed connection. If anybody knows how to do it properly if your wall outlet only has two connectors--live and neutral--their wisdom would much appreciated. AFAIK, there are also experts who say that you should only use power cables with two leads, not three. But I have to say that having my ground rod installed gave a huge improvement, even with some ground loops remaining.