Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Analog attenuation
NewBuyer;212984 Wrote: Ah, but I did not say impedance matched (as in equal source-output/load-input impedances), but impedance balanced - meaning equal positive and negative signal line impedances to ground. OK, I see what you're getting at. However, if you think about it, it is impossible for the impedances of the two sides of a balanced line to absolutely identical - there is bound to be some slight difference due to component tolerances. And at the same time, there is only one signal line in an unbalanced connection, so there is nothing for that to be out of balance with. I think the common (and incorrect) description of the ground connection being the return path in an unbalanced connection is clouding the issue. There is no return path. The signal seen by the receiving device (eg. the power amp) is the voltage difference between two wires. In the balanced case, it's the difference between the hot and cold signals; these are nominally symmetric and out of phase, and completely independent of the ground. In the unbalanced case, it's the difference between the signal and ground lines; the ground line in this case is nominally at 0V. As I said earlier, I wonder if it's the grounding arrangement that makes balanced a bit better. That nominally 0V ground line cannot be exactly 0V all the time. I wonder if noise on the ground line modulates the signal in the unbalanced case (not in the sense that it changes the signal line voltage, but that the difference between signal and ground is being affected). -- cliveb Transporter - ATC SCM100A cliveb's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=348 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=36550 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Odd Transporter experience - did I imagine it?
I was having a late night listening session (well early this morning actually) as I often do at weekends and I was having difficulty finding something I was in the mood for listening too. I stuck the Transporter on random mix and listened for about an hour, enjoying the odd track here and there, but nothing was really engaging me. Everything seemed a little lifeless, flat and pedestrian. I presumed it was my mood (as is sometimes the case). However a little later, when the Transporter moved to the next track, it stopped playing as if paused (the track came up on the display but didn't start to play). I had to press 'play' (a couple of times I think) to start it but when it did, everything was full of life, vitality and music. I thoroughly enjoyed the next hour as everything seemed to sound so much better. Coincidence, or is there some explanation for what happened? -- Fifer Fifer's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=639 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=36654 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Odd Transporter experience - did I imagine it?
You might want to ask Omega, he seems to be the resident expert on wierd TP phenomena :-) -- tomjtx tomjtx's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=7449 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=36654 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Claims that LAME mp3 encoding 'improves' the sound
I have noticed that sometimes an mp3 sounds more pleasing than the original wav file. It seems to sort of sand down the rough edges of some music. Less accuracy doesn't always mean less listenable. It's not that unusual. We've all heard stuff on a cheap car radio or table radio that somehow sounds right, when the same music played on an ultra-revealing high-end system might have problems that get in the way of enjoyment. -- Pale Blue Ego Pale Blue Ego's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=110 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=36638 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Should I replace my cables every 1000 hours
Oh god! does this mean i have to re-wire my house every couple or years so i can get optimum power out of my sockets?!?! ;) -- funkstar funkstar's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=2335 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=36658 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Design miss in SB3 digital output? or Slimserver problem ?
Have you tried turning the display brightness down to minimum? -- JulieL JulieL's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=1770 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=36503 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Should I replace my cables every 1000 hours
I guess you could argue the same for all components, not just cables. Even more so for those with moving parts:- speakers, CD transports. -- Ian_F Ian_F's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=8308 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=36658 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Design miss in SB3 digital output? or Slimserver problem ?
JulieL;213060 Wrote: Have you tried turning the display brightness down to minimum? I've noticed that even with an external DAC, shutting the display completely off on my stock SB3 has a noticable and positive effect on sound quality to me. For serious listening I usually do this. I would like a setting in slimserver to shut off display after 30 seconds or so...but to allow full brightness whenever browsing or navigating through the menus. But that is another topic. -- jt25741 SB3-AR Masters Coax - PS Audio DLIII - Cardas Golden Reference XLR - Sim Audio P-5 - Cardas Golden Reference XLR - Sim Audio W-5 - Cardas Golden Reference Hi-Mid,PS Audio Xstream Plus Low- Magnepan 3.6R jt25741's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=8645 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=36503 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Design miss in SB3 digital output? or Slimserver problem ?
jt25741;213062 Wrote: I would like a setting in slimserver to shut off display after 30 seconds or so...but to allow full brightness whenever browsing or navigating through the menus. Player Settings - Display - Brightness. Set brightness when on to 4 (brightest) and the others to 0 (dark). To adjust the time after which the display is switched off, go to Player Settings - Basic Settings - Screensaver and set screensaver delay time to the period you want. -- cliveb Transporter - ATC SCM100A cliveb's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=348 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=36503 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Should I replace my cables every 1000 hours
Start with changing your ears weekly... -- Havoc Havoc's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=5064 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=36658 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Should I replace my cables every 1000 hours
mswlogo;213047 Wrote: It seems the experts believe break in is neccessary for cables and components. This implies things are constantly changing and wearing. If thats the case why not recommend replacement after so many hours. I don't know of anything in the physical world that wears when in operation and knows to stop wearing past its peak. How does the device know to stop wearing and when? At one point in time, the experts thought the Earth was the center of the solar system, that the Earth was flat, and various and sundry other bits of absurdum. As a general rule, when the experts argue stridently to convince you they are correct, it is a pretty good indicator they are neither. -= Jim -- JimC JimC's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=9428 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=36658 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Design miss in SB3 digital output? or Slimserver problem ?
cliveb;213065 Wrote: Player Settings - Display - Brightness. Set brightness when on to 4 (brightest) and the others to 0 (dark). To adjust the time after which the display is switched off, go to Player Settings - Basic Settings - Screensaver and set screensaver delay time to the period you want. Thanks Clive...this is a great help. -- jt25741 SB3-AR Masters Coax - PS Audio DLIII - Cardas Golden Reference XLR - Sim Audio P-5 - Cardas Golden Reference XLR - Sim Audio W-5 - Cardas Golden Reference Hi-Mid,PS Audio Xstream Plus Low- Magnepan 3.6R jt25741's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=8645 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=36503 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Odd Transporter experience - did I imagine it?
I had the same issue but regarding the enjoyment factor I presume it was from the boost you personally got when it stopped playing. It woke you up or made you listen more carefully expecting the next failure. -- nuhi nuhi's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=10571 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=36654 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Should I replace my cables every 1000 hours
Well it is certainly true that electrolytic capacitors need to form when new...and then after a while (years) they start to die...just like rechargeable batteries... Not sure this applies to wires though - never seen one die except from corrosion caused by exposure to moisture. -- Phil Leigh You want to see the signal path BEFORE it gets onto a CD/vinyl...it ain't what you'd call minimal... ...SB3+TACT+Altmann+MF DACXV3/Linn tri-amped Aktiv 5.1 system and some very expensive cables ;o) Phil Leigh's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=85 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=36658 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Should I replace my cables every 1000 hours
funkstar;213056 Wrote: Oh god! does this mean i have to re-wire my house every couple or years so i can get optimum power out of my sockets?!?! ;) As a matter of fact, you do. Every 50-ish years. With the change in technology, power requirements change, as well as safety code. So it is a good idea to do. Oh, and BTW, those who decide to replace their cables after 1000 hrs, should know that there's very special procedure required to recycle them properly . Otherwise, they may explode and blow into your face. Also, that contributes a great deal to the global warming. However, luckily for you, no reason to worry, I'll do it for you for a small fee. K -- slimkid The sound stage will open up, bass will tighten and the imaging will improve. DVD performance will also increase substantially. slimkid's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=8881 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=36658 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Here is why no FF/RW
Thanks for the very clear explanation, Sean. And as this is the first I've replied to one of your posts, thanks so much for the Slimserver SB3. Best tech purchase since I don't know when. After a year, my extensive collection is almost all organized and tagged up. It's been a huge project, but so rewarding, I'm rediscovering my collection, music listening is way up and TV viewing is way down. I feel smarter already. WRT ff/rw, I have also been unsatisfied with the current implementation. I just installed SongScanner and SongLoop (I'm a musician, so the ability to loop a passage of music for study is very useful). Integration of these plugins might be the way to go, they do what I want, I don't usually need to hear what I'm ff or rw. The main problem with songscanner is the number of button presses required to get where you want, even though I've placed it in the top level of the player menus. I'd like: A clickable progress bar in the browser UI, that skips to the position in the track clicked on. In the remote control interface, if not separating the buttons for ff/rw from track skip, when ff/rw is held down, a progress bar appears on the SB# screen indicating the position, and then plays at that position when released. There could be a setting to choose whether the progress bar would appear, or as SongScanner does now, a time indicator, or an option for the way it works now for those who prefer or have grown used to this. Being able to play loops out of the box would be good too. Something like SongLoop now does, perhaps with a loop button in the browser UI that pops up a dialog to enter the start and end times with a cancel button. (Changes along these lines, and a default skin something like the tan Fishbone skin with the addition of drag and drop in playlists like in SlimFX, and I'll be a perfectly satisfied customer, instead of only 99.99% now) Thanks again for the fantastic and ever improving product (how many companies can say that?) Keep up the great work! Brad http://db.etree.org/bephillips -- bephillips More than 33159 songs on 3246 albums by 2029 artists. SlimServer Version: 6.5.3 - 12361 - Mac OS X 10.4.10 (8R218) - EN - utf8 Server IP address: 10.0.1.6 Perl Version: 5.8.6 darwin-thread-multi-2level MySQL Version: 5.0.22-standard On a 1.2GHz G4 Mac iBook with 768MB RAM bephillips's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=2588 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=36446 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Should I replace my cables every 1000 hours
Havoc;213069 Wrote: Start with changing your ears weekly... If I rotate them daily do you think i could stretch to two weeks? Of course I get the golden ears and they ain't cheap given they are in short supply as everyone seems to have that model. -- mswlogo Thinkpad XP SS Cat5 SB3 SPDIF-COAX Meridian 861V4 (Trifield, Room corrected, Upsampled) DSP5500 Mains, DSP5500HC Center, DSP33 Rears mswlogo's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=9090 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=36658 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Which Interconnect Cable??
Now that I finally own an SB3 which I am very impressed with, I am currently using the coax digital out. I am no longer sure which cable to use. I thought coax was the perferred choice but am now hearing glass toslink is superior. Has anyone made their own expensive comparisons between cables and care to share results. -- Nick77 Nick77's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=9105 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=36667 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Which Interconnect Cable??
Nick77 wrote: Now that I finally own an SB3 which I am very impressed with, I am currently using the coax digital out. I am no longer sure which cable to use. I thought coax was the perferred choice but am now hearing glass toslink is superior. Has anyone made their own expensive comparisons between cables and care to share results. Try it and decide for yourself. When I was using my Benchmark DAC-1 from my SqueezeBox, I did a fair amount of testing between the Toslink and coax cables, as the Benchmark had both and a nice switch to toggle. I heard no difference at all. For normal lengths, say a meter or so, I can't imagine any difference at all, even if you tried to use AES/EBU (altho I didn't try this). -- Pat http://www.pfarrell.com/music/slimserver/slimsoftware.html ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Which Interconnect Cable??
Any 75 ohm cable will do fine. If you want to spend more go ahead. If you buy some of the more expensive cables some have the grip of death and may break the connector on the squeeze box. Totol nonsense toslink is better or worse. Now if you work up a good sweat on hot day swapping cables yes it may sound different due to your heart rate and antipation. -- mswlogo Thinkpad XP SS Cat5 SB3 SPDIF-COAX Meridian 861V4 (Trifield, Room corrected, Upsampled) DSP5500 Mains, DSP5500HC Center, DSP33 Rears mswlogo's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=9090 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=36667 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Analog attenuation
cliveb;213024 Wrote: ...it is impossible for the impedances of the two sides of a balanced line to absolutely identical... there is only one signal line in an unbalanced connection, so there is nothing for that to be out of balance with... The signal seen by the receiving device (eg. the power amp) is the voltage difference between two wires... I wonder if it's the grounding arrangement that makes balanced a bit better... if noise on the ground line modulates the signal in the unbalanced case... Allow me to share my current understanding, and please correct me if I'm wrong, as I enjoy learning new things: Even though the impedances to ground of balanced signal lines will not be *absolutely* identical, their similar impedances to ground are the key element here - this is in fact precisely what enables the differential connection to cancel EMI picked up in the signal line interconnection. In contrast, in an unbalanced connection, this interference tends to be picked up in the interconnect ground (shield) line due to its lower impedance - thus correspondingly altering the voltage, and directly adding the interference noise to the signal (since this interference is not nulled at an unbalanced input). The separate chassis-ground line also critically helps isolate balanced signal lines from being modulated by inter-chassis ground currents and power line noise. Balanced connections are also easier on the component power supplies, level-out cable quality/length differences, and provide more secure connections. In other words, I believe it must be the reason you mention, and more, that account for balanced sound/performance differences. If I'm wrong though, I will greatly appreciate you (and anyone else who wants to chime in here) helping me to understand this all better. You sound like you know more about it than I do, certainly - and my experience with these things is fairly limited! -- NewBuyer NewBuyer's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=7862 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=36550 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Should I replace my cables every 1000 hours
Audiophile cables are usually marked with arrows to indicate directionality. According to the laws of physics, this means that all the electrons are flowing in one direction only. Therefore, sooner or later, the cables will run out of electrons and you'll need new ones. -- corbey My two-channel system: - SB-3 through a CIAudio VDA-2 DAC (and using Nokia N800 as a remote) - Sony SCD-1 CD/SACD player - WyeTech Labs Jade tubed preamp - Chord SPM 1200C power amp - Basis 2001 turntable w/ Graham Arm Lyra Helikon cartridge - Klyne phono stage - Proac 2.5 speakers corbey's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=11286 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=36658 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] NAD 3020 variants
swhite58;211713 Wrote: Funny you should say that - now I'm bidding for a 3140 A NAD C320BEE was also on ebay. My wife, uncharacteristically, suggested that I spend the extra money on a better amp, so I did :) -- swhite58 Clark Connect Linux file server-SB3-NAD C320BEE-Gale 3020/Sennheiser headphones swhite58's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=5038 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=36468 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/lists/listinfo/audiophiles
