Re: S&B 102 Tx's
Friends of mine evaluated S&B, Silk, Audio Consulting Copper and Silver TVCs.
S&B was worst, Silk and Audio Consulting Copper were about the same, was a matter of taste, and the Silver Transformers played in another league.
I have an old Django with S&B as well, it is not the last word in resolution.
So why not buy Silk in Hongkong?
http://www.diyhifisupply.com/?q=catalog/87/avc_tvc_transformers
tubemooley said:
Friends of mine evaluated S&B, Silk, Audio Consulting Copper and Silver TVCs.
S&B was worst, Silk and Audio Consulting Copper were about the same, was a matter of taste, and the Silver Transformers played in another league.
I have an old Django with S&B as well, it is not the last word in resolution.
So why not buy Silk in Hongkong?
http://www.diyhifisupply.com/?q=catalog/87/avc_tvc_transformers
Re: Re: S&B 102 Tx's
Man. You're just messing up my business opportunities.
Just kidding! 
Some words about TVCs.
These TVCs are all not like a piece of wire as always mentioned. They slow down
dynamics and cutting of this and that. Though still better than a lot of active electronics and
for sure better than standard pots.
I am finally running a real piece of wire between amp and DAC. I control my volume digitally.
Once you've heard that you ask yourself, why they hell would somebody spend hundreds or for those products mentioned above even above 1000s $
, if it can be done
ways better with a 50ct piece of nice silver wire.
So folks make up you own mind. My advise: Don't burn your money.
Even if the dust will continue to keep settling on my trannies.
Cheers
rolls said:
Man. You're just messing up my business opportunities.
Just kidding! Some words about TVCs.
These TVCs are all not like a piece of wire as always mentioned. They slow down
dynamics and cutting of this and that. Though still better than a lot of active electronics and
for sure better than standard pots.
I am finally running a real piece of wire between amp and DAC. I control my volume digitally.
Once you've heard that you ask yourself, why they hell would somebody spend hundreds or for those products mentioned above even above 1000s $
, if it can be doneways better with a 50ct piece of nice silver wire.
So folks make up you own mind. My advise: Don't burn your money.
Even if the dust will continue to keep settling on my trannies.
Cheers
mikelm said:yeah - but I guess ur noise floor is closer to your digitally attenuated signal . . .
. . . Which is the exact opposite direction than I have been attempting for the last few years
Talking about noise floor. Did you ever have a chance to look at Sabre DAC specs?
Beside that I attenuate 12 db max. ( mainly due to different recoding levels) with brutefir on the PC. I adapted the gain of my entire chain that I get along with minimum attenuation.
This is a compromise, I am well aware of it. Though its IMO a great compromise.
Unless I'll find a better solution than passive TVCs or whatever preamp - it'll stay.
The only solution might be the shunt-to-ground volume control as prefered by the Lessloss guys, which for obvious reasons will have the lowest impact of all.
Cheers
soundcheck said:Talking about noise floor. Did you ever have a chance to look at Sabre DAC specs?
hehe - yeah and I've been taking measures to reduce power supply noise on the buffalo and every measure I have implemented was audibly noticable . . . so even though the figures are apparently excellent it seems to me that better figures would still be audibly significant.
I'm not assuming that my system has overall less noise than yours . . . my amp has a gain of about 23 when in fact I only really need a gain of about 3 or 4 . . . . so I still have room for improvement . . . .
I guess that raises this issue about different kinds of noise - haha - does your extra digital noise sound better or worse that my extra analogue noise - I have no Idea about that.
I do understand that ultimately it will come down to preference between different compromises . . . but so far for me, low noise is very high on my list of priorities - it make my ears happy.
cheers
mike
This whole area of attenuation is very interesting. Possibly the last truly unresolved area for many of us (esp with Buffalos and PCs...)
I have been using the Maggie TVC from DIYparadise for a couple of years and it works better than any passive resistive solution I've tried (and that's plenty). I have a very good active pre with fixed resistor attenuation and remote control and that does some things better and it gives me some additional gain.
I like running the Buffalo direct into my amps using the Volumite (I haven't got on with software volume controls, maybe not found the right one). This works great because I have just enough gain to satisfy my spl requirements, but no more.
I am thinking abut using the gain sections of my active pre in fixed gain mode and using the Volumite to attenuate. Even at "half" volume setting (not sure how many dbs dropped or bits lost at 24bits per sample) the sound is clean, lacking in nothing I can easily detect.
But the additional gain stages are not balanced, so that means I cannot maximise either the noise performance of the Buffalo or the balanced nature of my Hypex amps.
It is a conundrum that only a lot more listening and experimenting will resolve.
Mark
I have been using the Maggie TVC from DIYparadise for a couple of years and it works better than any passive resistive solution I've tried (and that's plenty). I have a very good active pre with fixed resistor attenuation and remote control and that does some things better and it gives me some additional gain.
I like running the Buffalo direct into my amps using the Volumite (I haven't got on with software volume controls, maybe not found the right one). This works great because I have just enough gain to satisfy my spl requirements, but no more.
I am thinking abut using the gain sections of my active pre in fixed gain mode and using the Volumite to attenuate. Even at "half" volume setting (not sure how many dbs dropped or bits lost at 24bits per sample) the sound is clean, lacking in nothing I can easily detect.
But the additional gain stages are not balanced, so that means I cannot maximise either the noise performance of the Buffalo or the balanced nature of my Hypex amps.
It is a conundrum that only a lot more listening and experimenting will resolve.
Mark
Had a look at the LessLoss site. Their conception of "the signal path" is naiive. ..... they seem to think that a shunt component (e.g. a resistor) is not in the signal path, therefore has no effect on the audio signal. Anyone familiar with basic electrical theory will tell you this is not so.
Their volume control might well sound very good, but I'd be extremely skeptical as to their claims that it is totally transparent. Without seeing their schematic, it's impossible to tell.
Their volume control might well sound very good, but I'd be extremely skeptical as to their claims that it is totally transparent. Without seeing their schematic, it's impossible to tell.
Joshua tree is basically a logarithmic series of 7 L-Pads, along with a mute relay which pulls the output to GND when selected. It is designed so that each LPAD sees the same impedance, and the output impedance is constant.
The input impedance varies from 2.4K to 10K but for most of the useful range is above 4K. It is a very easy load for the IVY and works very well.
I use JT with our COD DAC and IVY. This is a great combo.
Personally I am extremely happy with the Volumite for Buffalo. I really like the direct path to the amplifier, but JT does work well here too.
Cheers!
Russ
The input impedance varies from 2.4K to 10K but for most of the useful range is above 4K. It is a very easy load for the IVY and works very well.
I use JT with our COD DAC and IVY. This is a great combo.
Personally I am extremely happy with the Volumite for Buffalo. I really like the direct path to the amplifier, but JT does work well here too.
Cheers!
Russ
There is still some development work to do before the production counterpoint is ready.
Placid will likely also be at least a month away as we need to do another round of testing with it because of the design changes.
I have some of the prototype boards for counterpoint available, and people can get them if they want, they need some minor surgery to work well, and be warned the the turn-off/ turn-on thump is pretty severe.
Cheers!
Russ
Placid will likely also be at least a month away as we need to do another round of testing with it because of the design changes.
I have some of the prototype boards for counterpoint available, and people can get them if they want, they need some minor surgery to work well, and be warned the the turn-off/ turn-on thump is pretty severe.
Cheers!
Russ
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