Fully agree with Kuei Y. W.
I use plastic distancers (stand-offs) to place the clock PCB right on top of the holes previously occupied by xtal oscillator. The clock signal travels through no more then 20-30mm of wire. I use silver ribbons, annealed, for current transfer (power supplies), and solid core pure copper, twisted, for clock signal transfer. I always try to avoid litz cables. I get this stuff from a friend of mine who makes Hi-End cables / interconnects. It shouldn’t be difficult to obtain silver wire. Everyone should at least try playing with silver. You may like it!
Regarding Black Gates (see my previous reply above!), to me, they are the best capacitors available. Again, you can not expect just to put them wherever – take some time, try different combinations, listen and measure noise floors at each stage. Use ferrite beads to isolate stages from each other and stop rubbish reaching semiconductors through power supply lines. DIGITAL POWER SUPPLY IS IMPORTANT – do not neglect it.
Think of current runs in general, and charge / discharge current flows. Think about where you are going to connect your ground leads. Use your (analogue) CRO and measure noise levels and waveform shapes.
The implementation is everything.
Power supply is extremely important, analogue AND digital.
Avoid contact resistance whenever you can / remove connectors and solder those wires straight, HOPEFULLY at the end of modification process.
Use high quality components.
Replace cheap wiring. (With silver, if you can get it and if you are ready to pay for it).
Cheers
I use plastic distancers (stand-offs) to place the clock PCB right on top of the holes previously occupied by xtal oscillator. The clock signal travels through no more then 20-30mm of wire. I use silver ribbons, annealed, for current transfer (power supplies), and solid core pure copper, twisted, for clock signal transfer. I always try to avoid litz cables. I get this stuff from a friend of mine who makes Hi-End cables / interconnects. It shouldn’t be difficult to obtain silver wire. Everyone should at least try playing with silver. You may like it!
Regarding Black Gates (see my previous reply above!), to me, they are the best capacitors available. Again, you can not expect just to put them wherever – take some time, try different combinations, listen and measure noise floors at each stage. Use ferrite beads to isolate stages from each other and stop rubbish reaching semiconductors through power supply lines. DIGITAL POWER SUPPLY IS IMPORTANT – do not neglect it.
Think of current runs in general, and charge / discharge current flows. Think about where you are going to connect your ground leads. Use your (analogue) CRO and measure noise levels and waveform shapes.
The implementation is everything.
Power supply is extremely important, analogue AND digital.
Avoid contact resistance whenever you can / remove connectors and solder those wires straight, HOPEFULLY at the end of modification process.
Use high quality components.
Replace cheap wiring. (With silver, if you can get it and if you are ready to pay for it).
Cheers
You seem to know what you're talking about, so forgive my 'smartass' question: Why is a few mm of silver wire important, when surrounded by many dm of coppertrace and leads?
And a remark: 'Execution is everthing' might be a good explenation as well for a lot of the differences in the audible improvements that ppl get with different clocks.
And a remark: 'Execution is everthing' might be a good explenation as well for a lot of the differences in the audible improvements that ppl get with different clocks.
I've used silver for the last 6 years, not only in CD players. Silver ribbons sound the best to me. Pure copper ribbons are good as well. Silver is better for valves, copper for semiconductors' gear.
Some people hate silver - it removes harmonic richness from the sound - true if you are NOT CAREFUL.
Litz wires are the worst by far....
If you haven't tried silver, replace your hook-up wiring between inputs (RCA connectors) and input selector switch / volume pot, and tell me what you think... Make sure you replaced BOTH, signal (‘plus’) AND return ('negative') input signal wires of your amplifier!!!
Or, replace the feedback wire from the output of an amplifier to differential (feedback) transistor at the input of an amp. This is equally important as the input hook-up wiring.
A bit of silver does not make too much of a difference. However, I cut-out copper tracks on CD players' PCB, and I replace them with silver ribbons. Sometimes I use shielded ribbons, sometimes I don't. These mods are very expensive, but the results are excellent!
I can easily ‘hear’ 100 mm of silver ribbons substituted in place of cheap litz interconnect hook-up wire.
A bit of a good thing always helps in the world of cost-cutting / mass-production. Even if it's 10mm.
This is my approach and many people may not agree with me.
That's okay.
Regards
Some people hate silver - it removes harmonic richness from the sound - true if you are NOT CAREFUL.
Litz wires are the worst by far....
If you haven't tried silver, replace your hook-up wiring between inputs (RCA connectors) and input selector switch / volume pot, and tell me what you think... Make sure you replaced BOTH, signal (‘plus’) AND return ('negative') input signal wires of your amplifier!!!
Or, replace the feedback wire from the output of an amplifier to differential (feedback) transistor at the input of an amp. This is equally important as the input hook-up wiring.
A bit of silver does not make too much of a difference. However, I cut-out copper tracks on CD players' PCB, and I replace them with silver ribbons. Sometimes I use shielded ribbons, sometimes I don't. These mods are very expensive, but the results are excellent!
I can easily ‘hear’ 100 mm of silver ribbons substituted in place of cheap litz interconnect hook-up wire.
A bit of a good thing always helps in the world of cost-cutting / mass-production. Even if it's 10mm.
This is my approach and many people may not agree with me.
That's okay.
Regards
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