I haven’t posted for a while and I’ve made a couple of changes, so I thought I should say a few words about them. Because of the nature of those changes, I’m not sure where to put these comments, but I thought I’d start here because both changes affect the WRouter and the WCore, though also my Waversa VDAC, DAC3C and my TV system (it’s too much of a stretch to call it a “theatre”). What I’ve added to the system are a Waversa hybrid LPS and two (so far) Waversa LAN isolators.
Preliminary – A while ago I was able to upgrade my Technicolor Gateway to the latest version powered by an external wall-wart switching supply and having two more ethernet ports. This allowed me to get rid of the D-Link switch and use an Sbooster with the Gateway.
I’ll start with the WLPS H/P. As noted, I was using an Sbooster to power the 12V Technicolor Gateway modem/router. The Gateway serves both my TV set-up and my stereo systems. I use two 1m lengths of Nordost Heimdall 2 ethernet cable between the Gateway and the TV system. Between the two lengths of cable there is an EMO medical LAN isolator to break the ground connection and prevent noise from the TV system travelling on the ground from going into the stereo systems, as well as prevent ground hum caused by the systems being on different circuits. It works, too, for the hum anyway: hum in the main system without and none with. I have two 20ft lengths of custom unshielded CAT6e cable (one with ferrite ring), also joined by an EMO isolator, from the Gateway to the WRouter, 40ft of Audioquest Pearl with the shield floating at one end between the Wrouter and an Oppo player in the TV system (for two channel music there), and 20ft each of fully shielded Audioquest Pearl and Forest joined with one more of the EMO isolators running from the Wrouter to the DAC3C in the office system. The Sbooster made a big difference in all the systems in all parameters over the standard wall-wart, and that included with video. I think the improvements all stemmed from a lowering of the noise floor. I don’t have measurements, but it was easy to go back and forth between the Sbooster and the wall-wart to verify my impressions. The Sbooster was absolutely a keeper.
Not long ago, John Ketcham of Kevalin Audio offered me the opportunity to try the Waversa hybrid LPS, the “WLPS H/P”, and (not very) long story short, I bought the Waversa and sold the Sbooster. While the difference between the two on the Gateway was not as large as the difference between the Sbooster and the wall-wart originally, the sonic and video benefits of the Waversa LPS relative to those of the Sbooster were still obvious and again across the board. I was surprised by this. The Waversa has a high-power third-party switching supply plugged into the wall supplying the internal Waversa-made LPS, which also applies filtering. That’s all well and good, but I’m not sure how the LPS actually works, or why this hybrid unit should react better in my system than the Sbooster “pure” LPS. However, I’ve read from some other designers/manufacturers that an LPS really is not the best solution for a digital device; they recommend using only the switching supply that accompanies their device or they have adopted some form of hybrid power supply. Anyway, the Waversa also operates from 5 to 24V (custom variable) with two output channels capable of simultaneous operation and up to 10 amps output for each channel. If I want to power another device at some point, I have the facility to do so without needing to purchase another LPS. While I was writing this, a Google search gave me a Korean article that provides more information and was apparently written for Korea’s
HiFi Club (there is also a
HiFi Club video review by the same author). I utilised Google’s translator to read it:
http://raheader.egloos.com/v/4438735 More info (including a video) can be found directly at
HiFi Club:
https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ko&u=https://www.hificlub.co.kr/web2017/board/brd_wz_list_n20_v2.asp?table=brd_10281&mkr_code=2906&prev=search&pto=aue
Now… some months later, John suggested I try Waversa’s new LAN isolator on my VDAC. I said “okay…” and he sent me an internal one to install inside the VDAC (N.B. Internal isolators are for Waversa products only and installation involves some careful work, though no soldering). The result was not at all subtle - and immediate – no waiting for burn-in! It was rather shocking, actually: leading edges were faster and cleaner, music was more dynamic sounding generally, and more transparent with the soundstage enhanced in dimensionality and with individual instruments and voices more clearly defined, and bass was both faster and tighter. Now in the system for some weeks, the effect may have increased (my satisfaction has) but I have no way to be sure. The magnitude and speed of improvement were unusual for what seems to be, essentially, the addition of a small filter; I would compare it to a very satisfactory power cord or interconnect upgrade. I did not have to debate with myself to keep the isolator: well worth the cost; not going back.
...
I then purchased an external version of the isolator and have on order another one of those as well as a second internal one, for the WCore; there is no room in the WRouter for an internal isolator. I first placed the external isolator between the Technicolor Gateway and the WRouter. Together with VDAC internal isolator, the effect was perhaps not doubled, but again far from subtle, not something to “listen for” and, once more, immediate. The result was more of the improvements described above. I was quite surprised: the system sounded more immediate and live in every respect. The isolator comes with a short length of flat Cat7 cable that links the isolator to the downstream device. I used that cable initially and the improvements I described above were with that cable – it is the same cable used on both sides of the internal version of the isolator. Because of the experience I had with the VDAC and the Nordost cable, I tried a spare 1m Heimdall instead of the supplied cable. Again, I preferred the Nordost for the same reasons as I described relative to the differences between it and the Cat6e. I kind of wish I had a very short length of the Nordost…
I took the isolator out from between the Gateway and the WRouter and tried it between the WCore and Wrouter, as before in combination with the internal in the VDAC. The result was better than with just the one in the VDAC alone, but less improvement than with the external isolator between the Gateway and the WRouter. Because the isolator’s effect was more pronounced with the Nordost cable between the WRouter and the VDAC, I decided to remove the Cat6e from between the WCore and the WRouter and replace it with the Nordost. Once again, the isolator’s effect was greater with the Nordost.
Each isolator made a difference, and the effects are cumulative with each addition of an isolator. Putting the internal one into the VDAC made a great difference. Adding one between the Gateway and WRouter provided another excellent improvement. As noted, between the WRouter and the WCore there was still improvement, but not to the degree made with the other placements. Changes are immediate and at least as obvious as any interconnect up-grade or power cord upgrade I’ve done in the system. My results in the main system are with an all Waversa digital chain. It might be different with devices from other manufacturers. Supporting this conjecture are the results I obtained by trying the external isolator between the Gateway and the Apple TV 4K in my TV system. I netted sonic improvements to surround sound similar to those with two channel system, and a surprise improvement to video – again, immediate, and not something needing to be looked for: somewhat “smoother” picture with more detail, and fewer “artefacts”, e.g., less jagged distortion on complex patterns. I need to try the isolator between the WRouter and the Oppo, too...
