Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Optimal player settings and setup
timequest;426230 Wrote: Using Duet with external DAC -flac files only; software is 7.33 Thanks Under Settings - Player - Audio do you have a Preamp Volume Control? - if so, set it to 63. -- 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 (wired) - TACT 2.2X (Linear PSU) + Good Vibrations S/W - MF Triplethreat(Audiocom full mods) - Linn 5103 - Aktiv 5.1 system (6x LK140's, ESPEK/TRIKAN/KATAN/SEIZMIK 10.5), Townsend Supertweeters, Blue Jeans Digital,Kimber Speaker Chord Interconnect cables Outdoors: Boom Phil Leigh's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=85 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=63689 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Nu Force amp and pre amp on the way
I have not tried to connect directly to the speakers and in hindsight probably should have held off on the pre amp unitl I tried it. I have not seen the Snaders amp before but in reading about it it sounds like a much updated version of the mid seventies GAS amps. Very high slew rate and lots of power. It looks like a quality build. I read on audiogon that the Nuforce amps were great with electrostatic speakers. Try posting a note on audiogon about the Sanders and see if you get some owners to comment and let me know what you end up with -- David C David C's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=9755 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=62326 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
[SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Anybody have experience with passive preamps?
I've been looking into passive preamps on the web. They sound interesting because they should ideally have no noise or distortion. The biggest issue is the input and output impedance, and how well it matches up with the source and power amp. Based on some of the articles, it seems they can be fussy. Some people are saying that they only sound good over a limited range of volume settings. Others are saying you need ultra-low capacitance cables. Does anybody have experience using one in their system? -- duke43j duke43j's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=15911 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=63739 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Optimal player settings and setup
Phil Leigh;426272 Wrote: Under Settings - Player - Audio do you have a Preamp Volume Control? - if so, set it to 63. Hi Phil, Would you explain this one a little more? When I look at the description for Preamp Volume Control is says it applies only to the analog outs. Like the OP, I am using an external DAC and FLAC files (but with a SB3) so I'm not sure I understand why something that affects only the analog outs is relevant. Thanks. -- audio53 Regards, Bob FLAC-SB3 (wired)-PS Audio DLIII DAC-Yamaha RX-595-Cambridge Soundworks Ensemble audio53's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=5576 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=63689 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Power supply DAC for my SB3 - recommendations?
I'm new to the SB, but the Dacmagic made a very nice improvement in the sound of my office Roku Soundbridge. Much more relaxed, better soundstage, and more natural sounding midrange. $400 in the US. So you guys think the Boulder Cable PSU or Channel Islands PSU's are wastes if you are using the analog outs on the SB? Thanks. -- ismarketing ismarketing's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=30585 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=63349 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] beginner audiophile setup?
Try and Trends 10.1 amp, a pair of Silverline Minuets (both used on Audiogon), Kimber Timbre cables, and anticable speaker cables. I have this in my bedroom and the sound is wonderful. A big step up on the amp is the new Virtue Audio One. Not much more money for much better,bigger sound. -- ismarketing ismarketing's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=30585 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=63242 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Help - distorted sounds!
Does it only happen on certain songs? I had a very bad distortion problem before and it turned out to have something to with the tags on replay gain. I turned Volume Adjustment/Replay Gain OFF and everything was OK. Not sure if this is the same problem, but worth a try I guess. -- agentsmith System 1: Transporter+Hi-Line RCA-DIN, Naim 202/200/Hicap+Powerline/NAPSC, Naim NAT03 tuner, Harbeth Monitor 30 System 2: SB2 or Airport Express connected via TOSLINK to a Meridian F80 Headphone: Naim Headline+NAPSC and ancient Senn HD580 agentsmith's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=1838 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=63669 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Anybody have experience with passive preamps?
duke43j;426351 Wrote: I've been looking into passive preamps on the web. They sound interesting because they should ideally have no noise or distortion. The biggest issue is the input and output impedance, and how well it matches up with the source and power amp. Based on some of the articles, it seems they can be fussy. Some people are saying that they only sound good over a limited range of volume settings. Others are saying you need ultra-low capacitance cables. Does anybody have experience using one in their system? Having built a few passives using very high quality parts, I would agree with everything you've written. Also, modern active devices have no noise and no distortion - well, they are so low as to be meaningless/undetectable. Passives can create a sat upon sound, lacking in life. Cables are extra important since they form a very obvious part of an LRC circuit in passives. YMMV. -- 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 (wired) - TACT 2.2X (Linear PSU) + Good Vibrations S/W - MF Triplethreat(Audiocom full mods) - Linn 5103 - Aktiv 5.1 system (6x LK140's, ESPEK/TRIKAN/KATAN/SEIZMIK 10.5), Townsend Supertweeters, Blue Jeans Digital,Kimber Speaker Chord Interconnect cables Outdoors: Boom Phil Leigh's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=85 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=63739 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Power supply DAC for my SB3 - recommendations?
ismarketing;426369 Wrote: I'm new to the SB, but the Dacmagic made a very nice improvement in the sound of my office Roku Soundbridge. Much more relaxed, better soundstage, and more natural sounding midrange. $400 in the US. So you guys think the Boulder Cable PSU or Channel Islands PSU's are wastes if you are using the analog outs on the SB? Thanks. No - external PSU's are a waste if using an external DAC. No difference at all. They might have a small benefit if using the inbuilt DAC. -- 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 (wired) - TACT 2.2X (Linear PSU) + Good Vibrations S/W - MF Triplethreat(Audiocom full mods) - Linn 5103 - Aktiv 5.1 system (6x LK140's, ESPEK/TRIKAN/KATAN/SEIZMIK 10.5), Townsend Supertweeters, Blue Jeans Digital,Kimber Speaker Chord Interconnect cables Outdoors: Boom Phil Leigh's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=85 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=63349 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] You can say, I told you so...
You should hear zero difference with Duet being powered by external linear PS. The Duet itself has additional switching PS inside based on the 9V DC input. I tried powering the Duet with AA batts. using a batt. holder via the DC input jack, there is no difference in sound at all. I've a TacT 2.2xp pre-amp processor, it makes a big improvement in sound once I changed the SMPS to a Linear PS :) timequest;423689 Wrote: That said (let me reiterate, the CI unit works just fine with the Duet), how does the addition of the aftermarket PS make the Duet sound? Cant tell. Without actually doing an immediate A/B comparison, my ears just arent that golden. Some people claim that they can hear an immediate improvement. For certain, the addition of the CI unit did not hinder the sound in any way it may have helped (I just cant say for certain). However, the new CI unit certainly looks impressive Im utilizing a nice Tara Labs PC and super-duper power umbilical .cool stuff, no doubt. And there is always the placebo factor- by golly, I think I actually do hear an improvement in the bass region. In reality, thats about as much as any audiophile can realistically expect from most tweaks Sorry for the false alarm! -- Kuro Kuro's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=16701 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=63374 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Anybody have experience with passive preamps?
Thanks Phil. That was pretty much the impression I was getting from reading through dozens of web pages. But the idea of a passive preamp sounded so good I was hoping that they were just nit picking. I got the idea of a passive pre when I connected my DAC directly to my power amp. The biggest difference was a slight change in tonality and significant reduction in noise compared with my tubed preamp. I was hoping to trade my tubed preamp in for a passive and maybe have money left over. But I certainly don't want to be constantly tinkering with cables and such just to save a few dollars when I have a perfectly good (albeit a bit noisy) preamp already. Thanks for the input. -- duke43j duke43j's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=15911 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=63739 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Optimal player settings and setup
ermm...may be worth a quick look? http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=37811 -- Deaf Cat Deaf Cat's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=515 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=63689 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Optimal player settings and setup
Phil Leigh;426272 Wrote: Under Settings - Player - Audio do you have a Preamp Volume Control? - if so, set it to 63. 63? Setting the player's Preamp Volume Control to 63 will mute the analog outputs? I'll try it, but why 63? -- timequest timequest's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=25640 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=63689 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Anybody have experience with passive preamps?
I have been using a Creek OBH-12 remote passive attenuator for over 10 years. This discontinued component has to be 1 of the cheaper passives at under $300 new. Before owning this I owned, auditioned, demoed, and borrowed many preamps. They all imposed themselves, in some fashion, on the resultant presentation. Besides the cautions you have already mentioned, the most important point to keep in mind is gain staging. I have had the lifeless sound described previously and it is rectified by having an amp with sufficient gain. While sheer power will drive your speakers to an acceptable level, unless the gain is adequate its akin to boosting a low level signal until one can hear the underlying noise, not taking advantage of the signal to noise ratio inherent in the component. Said another way, its like going 30mph in 5th gear. For 2 channel, I would never go back to an active preamp. -- konut konut's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=1596 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=63739 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Anybody have experience with passive preamps?
I have tried a variety of passive and active preamps (too dang many really), and if you can get it right, the passive approach provides the best result in my experience. Assuming you've already achieved a good match between speakers and power amp: Make sure the power amp has an input impedance that is -at least- ten times greater than the output impedance of the passive preamp (at all level settings), and use the absolute shortest possible interconnect cables between the passive and the power amp. Works and sounds outstanding with the Squeezebox Classic. :) -- NewBuyer NewBuyer's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=7862 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=63739 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Anybody have experience with passive preamps?
duke43j;426351 Wrote: I've been looking into passive preamps on the web. They sound interesting because they should ideally have no noise or distortion. The biggest issue is the input and output impedance, and how well it matches up with the source and power amp. Based on some of the articles, it seems they can be fussy. Some people are saying that they only sound good over a limited range of volume settings. Others are saying you need ultra-low capacitance cables. Does anybody have experience using one in their system? There are some very nice passive preamps (really a misnomer) available. The biggest issue in my opinion is what and why you would be using one. You haven't told us what you have in mind, what you would use it with, and why? I love my tube pre-amp and have had some very expensive passives in my system. The best in my opinion is to just not have any if one doesn't need to switch componets, just a Transporter and an amp. About as passive as it gets! -- iPhone *iPhone* Media Room: Transporter, VTL TL-6.5 Signature Pre-Amp, Ayre MX-R Mono's, Vandersteen Quatro, VeraStarr 6.4SE 6-channel Amp, VCC-5 Reference Center, four VSM-1 Signatures, Runco RS 900 CineWide AutoScope 2.35:1 Living Room: Duet, ADCOM GTP-870HD, Cinepro 3K6SE III Gold, Vandersteen Model 3A Signature, Two 2Wq subs, VCC-2, Two VSM-1 Kitchen: Squeezebox BOOM Bedroom: SB3, GFR-700HD, Thiel 2.3, Second Boom Home Office: SB3, NAD C370, two VSM-1 Home Gym: SB3, Parasound Vamp v.3, Thiel PowerPoint 1.2 House Portable: SB3, Audioengine A5 Thunderbird: Duet, Mac Mini Expedition: SB3, ToughBook iPhone's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=13622 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=63739 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Transporter Review in TAS
agentsmith;424273 Wrote: Actually, yes. There was an extremely biased and carelessly written review from audioenz.com, highlighting only on how operating the Transporter is as difficult as learning a new instrument, and that it sounds good, but a Airport express+DAC is just as good for less money. Both highly untrue of course as I used an Airport Express with Lavry and benchmark DAC before and none of them came close to the Transporter. Does an airport express decode at 96 kHz? If not then maybe it's just as good for CD, but that's it. -- wayne325 wayne325's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=29916 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=63161 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
Re: [SlimDevices: Audiophiles] Optimal player settings and setup
timequest;426474 Wrote: 63? Setting the player's Preamp Volume Control to 63 will mute the analog outputs? I'll try it, but why 63? It's the max attenuation you can set. The range for that setting is 0-63. Presumably it's an 8-bit variable. -- 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 (wired) - TACT 2.2X (Linear PSU) + Good Vibrations S/W - MF Triplethreat(Audiocom full mods) - Linn 5103 - Aktiv 5.1 system (6x LK140's, ESPEK/TRIKAN/KATAN/SEIZMIK 10.5), Townsend Supertweeters, Blue Jeans Digital,Kimber Speaker Chord Interconnect cables Outdoors: Boom Phil Leigh's Profile: http://forums.slimdevices.com/member.php?userid=85 View this thread: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=63689 ___ audiophiles mailing list audiophiles@lists.slimdevices.com http://lists.slimdevices.com/mailman/listinfo/audiophiles
