You will be horrified
Source is a squeezebox touch, driving a Hypex DLCP DSP unit through a no-brand optical cable. Connection from DLCP to power amps is cat6 shielded twisted pair ethernet cabling. The speaker cables are very short lengths of Van Damme Black Series Tour Grade 4 x 4.00mm multicore.
Edit: that is the main system. Most of my listening is actually on my desktop system - raspberry pi driving audioengine D1 through no-brand USB cable, and Genelec monitors connected using belden XLR studio cables. Then there is the upstairs 5.1 system, and the Rio Receivers running squeezebox emulation in the garage and workshop... Oh, and the assemblage tube amp driving BBC LS5/3A's, and the old Philips tube radio that has a raspberry pi and a small class D amp hidden inside...
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I'm liking all the classic fire truck stories! PCB has shipped from Europe, all components in place, inc a pair of Burson V5 and Sparkos Labs SS3602 op amps. Just waiting for the 36 pin dual row right angled female header which has been a pain to source, its a non standard number the only place I could find one was Rapid Electronics and its not rapid in arriving from there European warehouse and at just over a fiver expensive. If any body can find another source I would be grateful. Anyway my brother ensures me the issue with oscillation is a non issue he did spout on about technicalities as to why, anyway he has a scope. As to Capacitance and sonic improvement, we do a V2.0 Amp with 50,000uF we do the same amp with 100,000uF the difference is amazing the control over bass notes starting and stopping, which in turn allows the rest of the instrument there allotted room is amazing its simply bounds along. We also offer the upgrade by adding an extra board of Capacitors plus a few other tweaks for £300 it takes a very good amp to something very special.
Similar project
Hi, I'm following the thread since about a year (and read all the way through it!). I'm planning a similar project. Since I have no skills nor any DIY experience, I'm combining stuff rather than building it. It will look like this: a pair of Magnepan MMGs (XO removed) -- a SMPS-600 and two NC400 modules for each speaker, built into/onto the speaker frame (thus very short speaker cable) -- a DEQX-processor (probably DEQX Express II) as cross-over -- NAD M50 as source. Will probably add a sub too; thinking about a Rythmik 15".
I was also considering cat6 or cat7 as interconnects, the alternative being a double starquad Canare cable. The thing is: I want to bundle the ic with the mains, tidily strapped together in a sleeve. Small as my knowledge about electronics might be, I know it's not the most sensible approach. But it would look very neat (the set-up will be in the living room) and I hope I can get away with it, if I use balanced signal cables and proper shielding.
What do you guys think? Would UTP/FTP-cable be fine? Better go for the Canare? Or is it plain stupid, and should I run the signal and power leads as far apart as possible?
Hi, I'm following the thread since about a year (and read all the way through it!). I'm planning a similar project. Since I have no skills nor any DIY experience, I'm combining stuff rather than building it. It will look like this: a pair of Magnepan MMGs (XO removed) -- a SMPS-600 and two NC400 modules for each speaker, built into/onto the speaker frame (thus very short speaker cable) -- a DEQX-processor (probably DEQX Express II) as cross-over -- NAD M50 as source. Will probably add a sub too; thinking about a Rythmik 15".
I was also considering cat6 or cat7 as interconnects, the alternative being a double starquad Canare cable. The thing is: I want to bundle the ic with the mains, tidily strapped together in a sleeve. Small as my knowledge about electronics might be, I know it's not the most sensible approach. But it would look very neat (the set-up will be in the living room) and I hope I can get away with it, if I use balanced signal cables and proper shielding.
What do you guys think? Would UTP/FTP-cable be fine? Better go for the Canare? Or is it plain stupid, and should I run the signal and power leads as far apart as possible?
Ooh! Nice!
I know exactly how that feels. This is one of my vehicles - it mostly lives in a storage shed just north of Amsterdam:
Thirsty as heck, max speed around 105 km/h / 65 mph if you dare, no power steering, and drum brakes. Oh, and no sound or heat insulation, so only thing between you and the V8 petrol engine you are sharing the cab with is a flimsy sheet of aluminium.
That is one of the better accomplishments of the European Comission, they are finally forcing the mobile operators to get rid of the silly "international roaming" highway robbery.
Ouch! There are some underground parking garages, but they all have very limited height - and finding street parking is a nightmare even for residents.
Not a bad move - schiphol airport would have been another choice.
A beauty! Great find!
Cool unit as well. But I'll keep the thread on topic now
If you are looking at spending $3500 on the DEQX, I'd consider going with PC based DSP for xover/room correction, and a multichannel DAC. Much better way to do things.
Try this for the header:
http://www.mouser.co.uk/Search/m_Pr...P4r1SrWDeYFPnpdeoXzXD6V2lt2F1jlx94buQrN3e9g==
hypex ncore
Or sorry just realized that was 2mm pitch.
Here's the best deal but you need to buy 300 at a time. They have 1400 in stock though.
https://www.arrow.com/en/products/66925-518/fci#
These are the best, but more money. In stock in lower quantities though.
http://www.newark.com/samtec/ssw-11...603?ost=SSW-118-02-G-D-RA&selectedCategoryId=
Or sorry just realized that was 2mm pitch.
Here's the best deal but you need to buy 300 at a time. They have 1400 in stock though.
https://www.arrow.com/en/products/66925-518/fci#
These are the best, but more money. In stock in lower quantities though.
http://www.newark.com/samtec/ssw-11...603?ost=SSW-118-02-G-D-RA&selectedCategoryId=
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Hard to say. I suggest you give it a try. It is definitely not recommended practice, but I have gotten away with some pretty nasty routings of cables when doing in-wall stuff.
You're right, of course. Probably. But as I said: I'm not really a hardcore DIY-er. And a nobody in the field of technology/electronics/IT. And the system will be in the living room, to be used by the rest of the family too. It will have to be easy to use and foolproof.
hypex ncore
It can be. You can have a server in a office somewhere running the software. You get a multichannel DAC like the Merging HAPI (with the DA8P 8 channel DAC board)
http://www.merging.com/products/hapi
it has a Ravenna Ethernet input. So all you need to do is run an Ethernet cable to it through the wall (mount a receptacle behind equipment rack) or you can use a very small computer like a palm sized Intel NUC.
http://www.digitaltrends.com/desktop-computer-reviews/intel-nuc-core-i5-nuc5i5ryk-review/
And keep it beside the DAC. You just set it up once, and then you can use a mobile app ( like Jremote for Jriver) to run the whole system. Super simple clean setup. And way better sound than any DSP chip system regardless of cost. Way better DSP too. 64 bit floating point.
That Merging Hapi is an incredible DAC. It's the same internals as their $11500 NADAC DAC. Yet is only costs $3850 because it's for the pro market. The NADAC's being called one of the best DAC's under $15000. That's just used as a 2 channel DAC. The DAC's even in the best DEQX are nowhere near the same league.
Check out this review:
http://positive-feedback.com/audio-discourse/impressions-the-merging-technology-nadac-mc-8-dsd-dac/m
Best of all your not running through noisy, jitter causing DSP chips. A direct feed to the DAC. You won't need the NAD M50 anymore either. The HAPI can drive the amps direct as well. They have massive output like a beefy preamp.
Anyways this is going off topic, so if you have any questions feel free to PM me.
It can be. You can have a server in a office somewhere running the software. You get a multichannel DAC like the Merging HAPI (with the DA8P 8 channel DAC board)
http://www.merging.com/products/hapi
it has a Ravenna Ethernet input. So all you need to do is run an Ethernet cable to it through the wall (mount a receptacle behind equipment rack) or you can use a very small computer like a palm sized Intel NUC.
http://www.digitaltrends.com/desktop-computer-reviews/intel-nuc-core-i5-nuc5i5ryk-review/
And keep it beside the DAC. You just set it up once, and then you can use a mobile app ( like Jremote for Jriver) to run the whole system. Super simple clean setup. And way better sound than any DSP chip system regardless of cost. Way better DSP too. 64 bit floating point.
That Merging Hapi is an incredible DAC. It's the same internals as their $11500 NADAC DAC. Yet is only costs $3850 because it's for the pro market. The NADAC's being called one of the best DAC's under $15000. That's just used as a 2 channel DAC. The DAC's even in the best DEQX are nowhere near the same league.
Check out this review:
http://positive-feedback.com/audio-discourse/impressions-the-merging-technology-nadac-mc-8-dsd-dac/m
Best of all your not running through noisy, jitter causing DSP chips. A direct feed to the DAC. You won't need the NAD M50 anymore either. The HAPI can drive the amps direct as well. They have massive output like a beefy preamp.
Anyways this is going off topic, so if you have any questions feel free to PM me.
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Here are a couple of quotes from Burson in emails to me:-
"Yes, the treble will be more natural compared to IC based opamps.
The Red case is not detachable. It's part of the design to stabilise its temperature.
The detachable DIP socket makes no difference to sound. Leaving it on will protect the 8 softer pins inside, but if you need to reduce its height, or if you are planning to solder it onto the PCB then removing the socket is recommended."
"The V5 is better sounding and higher performance to the V4. It requires less power to run. 9V/7mA. and it is more stable. Furthermore, its has lower noise and less sensitive to interference."
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i guess this thread has jumped the shark in terms of staying on-topic, but...
I would love to hear their view on what actual physical properties provide "naturalness" (or lack of it).
I would love to hear their view on what actual physical properties provide "naturalness" (or lack of it).
That is why I am asking - "natural" is one of those tricky words. The greatest irony is how a lot of people describe the artificial colouring caused by the imperfections of tubes and vinyl "natural".
You will be horrified
Source is a squeezebox touch, driving a Hypex DLCP DSP unit through a no-brand optical cable. Connection from DLCP to power amps is cat6 shielded twisted pair ethernet cabling. The speaker cables are very short lengths of Van Damme Black Series Tour Grade 4 x 4.00mm multicore.
Edit: that is the main system. Most of my listening is actually on my desktop system - raspberry pi driving audioengine D1 through no-brand USB cable, and Genelec monitors connected using belden XLR studio cables. Then there is the upstairs 5.1 system, and the Rio Receivers running squeezebox emulation in the garage and workshop... Oh, and the assemblage tube amp driving BBC LS5/3A's, and the old Philips tube radio that has a raspberry pi and a small class D amp hidden inside...
You Cheapskate hehe!! (Joking) ;-)
Actually I am using the 2x2.5mm Van Damme Tour and Studio ...why the 4mm?
I had QED XT400 (Silver) but it did make things sound a bit to bright
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