Today I took your advise and did duo-shielding with UPOCC silver and oh my god, I am loving it
Did you also try separating the Data lines from the power lines?
Today I took your advise and did duo-shielding with UPOCC silver and oh my god, I am loving it
Yes, I did have data lines it own braided shielding , and then the cables braided shielding on the outside
In my experience USB cables do matter. I've tried a Belkin, the Pangea cable and a Wireworld Starlight - all sound different. Then I tried a friend's AQ Diamond, significantly better, bought it and stuck with it.
Friends,
Just got in a batch of USB cables that I will listen to and share impressions. Here is what is on tap.
**Audioquest Diamond
**Wireworld Platinum Starlight
**Wireworld Starlight
**Chord USB SilverPlus
I will be using the Mac Mini server with Decibel over USB cable into Benchmark DAC1 Pre into ARC preamp into Forte amp into Magnepan 1.7s. Still working on getting the VT-100 to Minnesota for the tube upgrade.
I will be using my own hirez recordings of classical ensembles and some HDTracks downloads. I will also use some redbook files as well as the 24 bit/44 Beatles USB files.
I'm not sure what I will find but I did notice a significant bump when I went from Belkin Gold to the AQ Diamond. The rest of the cables are on loan from a friend.
My experiences reflect this as well. The Diamond is superb. The Shunyata Venom is great for the money if you don't want to go crazy on price.
All of us who had the Diamond and compared it to Totaldac USB (which is not expensive used, same price if not less), thought the latter significantly better. I first did the compare at Elberoth's then at mine, and sold my Diamond. There is much more body and midbass on Totaldac USB, and better tone, liquidity.
Audiophile Bill and Mike Lavigne both had the Totaldac USB and now have found Sablon's USB which is unpowered, as the Lampi does not need power from the server. If your dac does not, then the unpowered one, by reports of all those who have converted to it, should sound better.
i use the Aqvox regulated Low Noise USB Powersupply (Ripple 0,1µv) in Combination
with IFI Purifier on my Soekris Dac R2R 1101.
It brings more Details in the Music,better darker Backround and the Bass has more Precision.
The best 200€ i spend in Digital really...
Please consider adding the BMC PureUSB1 cable; almost noone talks about it here in the US but I've used one for quite some time and its power-corrected approach does
wonders, at least in my setup, for quality of USB long-runs (mine is 5-meters)....great-sounding cable when all is said and done at a reasonable price.
Hey Stephan, my Open Baffle friend , how are you?
Yes, I was actually on AQVox's English website a couple of days ago before actually working on my DIY solution because I wanted to check whether their solution works for my iFi iDSD Nano, and it does.
Some more info: apparently, Larry, my fellow CA member, was speaking about the shield for his Uptone Audio LPS-1 UltraCap PSU and his DAC, not the USB cable shield.
really good i had tested three Ways of Power Option for USB
1. Elijah Audio Battery Power http://www.elijahaudio.com/products.html
2. IFI Usb 3.0 with Gemini Cables
3. Aqvox USB Power
The Elijah Conzept plays not so transparent darker and had not the Precision like IFI or Aqvox.
My Favorit is Aqvox has an Short Layout nothing in the Way,because the IFI Supply had a better
filtering of Main power the Sound of both were great.
All of us who had the Diamond and compared it to Totaldac USB (which is not expensive used, same price if not less), thought the latter significantly better. I first did the compare at Elberoth's then at mine, and sold my Diamond. There is much more body and midbass on Totaldac USB, and better tone, liquidity.
Audiophile Bill and Mike Lavigne both had the Totaldac USB and now have found Sablon's USB which is unpowered, as the Lampi does not need power from the server. If your dac does not, then the unpowered one, by reports of all those who have converted to it, should sound better.
I have not tried the TotalDAC USB. Is it somewhat reasonable in price?
Father Christmas was up early even though sleep-deprived from the previous nights excess and working in his Electronics Lab:
Result: a new Low-Noise, Linear Regulated Power Supply Prototype based on some clever thinking by @JohnSwenson (his work on the Squeezebox Touch) and others, to replace the criminal use of a SMPS as a temporary external power.
The new Low-Noise LRP proto with the re-engineered USB connection.
The new Low-Noise LRP proto showing the little regulation board.
We were wowed on first listen, although the SMPS iPhone charger with the new USB connection already sounded great.
Listened to several tracks and heard a lot of new micro-detail - Streisand's tongue lifting from her mouth before she sings on Memory. You can bet I never, ever noticed that before - it's not something you hear or pay attention to. Elvis taking his breath before intoning the first verses of 'Fever'.
More striking that everything was the immense sense of space - the soundstage is wider and deeper.
On Billy Idol's Save Me Now, the detail and solidity in the two intertwined bass sequence is astounding of clarity.
Daft Punk's Lose Yourself To Dance shows more details of the bass guitarist's excellent and groovy performance.
Among this and greater details for small performance and vocal vibrato details and also what sounds like an extended region from the mid-range to the bass, there is what feels like a deeper background throughout.
Compared to the SMPS, there is a smooth, velvety quality to the overall SQ, just like the aftertaste of sipping a Jack Daniel's properly.
A couple of things that could need some improvement in my implementation is overall rapidity of transients and perhaps lower distortion there. Perhaps the quality will change with time too, so I am going to let this run for a while until further modifications, tests or enhancements.
My girlfriend never heard U2 like she did tonight.
I never heard some of my favourite Depeche Mode tracks like I did tonight as well.
RIP George, just as we had never heard your multiple instances of talents on display on one of the best songs of all time like we did tonight after the sad news - Careless Whisper...
All of us who had the Diamond and compared it to Totaldac USB (which is not expensive used, same price if not less), thought the latter significantly better. I first did the compare at Elberoth's then at mine, and sold my Diamond. There is much more body and midbass on Totaldac USB, and better tone, liquidity.
Audiophile Bill and Mike Lavigne both had the Totaldac USB and now have found Sablon's USB which is unpowered, as the Lampi does not need power from the server. If your dac does not, then the unpowered one, by reports of all those who have converted to it, should sound better.
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