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Post by lizardonarock on Feb 10, 2024 10:23:52 GMT -5
They make three multibit a Bitfrost 2 and the Modi 3+ and full blown 2500 dollar Yggdrasil. All use the AKM chipset. The Bitfrost adds built in filters to lower noise interference from your source.
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Post by lizardonarock on Feb 15, 2024 17:55:13 GMT -5
Balanced cables for the Meze 99's.
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Post by urbino on Feb 15, 2024 18:29:11 GMT -5
Balanced cables for the Meze 99's. You just got some, or you're recommending them? (Or both?) |
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Post by Ronv69 on Feb 15, 2024 19:14:27 GMT -5
They make three multibit a Bitfrost 2 and the Modi 3+ and full blown 2500 dollar Yggdrasil. All use the AKM chipset. The Bitfrost adds built in filters to lower noise interference from your source. I think your auto correct is changing Bifrost to Bitfrost. I may be wrong. |
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Post by lizardonarock on Feb 15, 2024 21:25:07 GMT -5
I purchased the cable so we wait and see. Ron I don't know just a idex finger typing what it does.
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Post by urbino on Feb 17, 2024 5:27:53 GMT -5
I purchased the cable so we wait and see. Ron I don't know just a idex finger typing what it does. Meant to reply to this. I've found balanced cables -- if they are connecting balanced circuits -- can make a really big difference. The elimination of hum and other noise as well as the increase in signal voltage have both been big helps in my system. So much so, in fact, that I just about won't buy a component if it isn't fully balanced from input to output. |
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Post by lizardonarock on Feb 17, 2024 13:12:54 GMT -5
Hopefully the cables work out the amp is balanced as well as the DAC. I don't put much stock in cables other than shielded. I also like heavy speaker wire 14 gauge or better. Pretty funny for a guy who uses headphones and does not have a proper pair of speakers close at hand.
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Post by Ronv69 on Feb 17, 2024 22:43:41 GMT -5
I purchased the cable so we wait and see. Ron I don't know just a idex finger typing what it does. Meant to reply to this. I've found balanced cables -- if they are connecting balanced circuits -- can make a really big difference. The elimination of hum and other noise as well as the increase in signal voltage have both been big helps in my system. So much so, in fact, that I just about won't buy a component if it isn't fully balanced from input to output. Have you compared balanced cables to simple bi-wireing? I've only used balanced cables on church equipment, but I have bi-wired a couple of home systems. The current speakers are designed to be bi-wired, they even recommend it, but I just haven't gotten around to it. I'm not unhappy with the sound as is. I'm old enough to settle for good enough, at least until I run out of other projects. |
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Post by urbino on Feb 17, 2024 23:04:34 GMT -5
Meant to reply to this. I've found balanced cables -- if they are connecting balanced circuits -- can make a really big difference. The elimination of hum and other noise as well as the increase in signal voltage have both been big helps in my system. So much so, in fact, that I just about won't buy a component if it isn't fully balanced from input to output. Have you compared balanced cables to simple bi-wireing? I've only used balanced cables on church equipment, but I have bi-wired a couple of home systems. The current speakers are designed to be bi-wired, they even recommend it, but I just haven't gotten around to it. I'm not unhappy with the sound as is. I'm old enough to settle for good enough, at least until I run out of other projects. I've done biwiring. Couldn't tell a difference, to be honest. (The Tannoys even have an extra binding post for a ground wire, but good luck finding inexpensive cables for that!) Balanced cabling between components, though, pretty much eliminated hum and RF interference from my system. You need the circuits to be balanced, too, though. You also get a higher voltage signal into your power amp -- or, if you're using headphones with balanced cables, out of your power amp. Makes difficult to drive headphones usable with a lot more amps. |
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Post by Ronv69 on Feb 17, 2024 23:20:39 GMT -5
Have you compared balanced cables to simple bi-wireing? I've only used balanced cables on church equipment, but I have bi-wired a couple of home systems. The current speakers are designed to be bi-wired, they even recommend it, but I just haven't gotten around to it. I'm not unhappy with the sound as is. I'm old enough to settle for good enough, at least until I run out of other projects. I've done biwiring. Couldn't tell a difference, to be honest. (The Tannoys even have an extra binding post for a ground wire, but good luck finding inexpensive cables for that!) Balanced cabling between components, though, pretty much eliminated hum and RF interference from my system. You need the circuits to be balanced, too, though. You also get a higher voltage signal into your power amp -- or, if you're using headphones with balanced cables, out of your power amp. Makes difficult to drive headphones usable with a lot more amps. You can use any old wire for the ground. I had a system where everything was grounded. Good components pretty much all have a place you can connect a 20ga wire. On that system I had a terminal block for all the grounds. That was my next home system after the pros showed me when the installed the church system. I was using the Accustats at the time. Trying to remember what electronics. It'll come to me. Anyway, I couldn't tell a difference. The only connection that ever had hum that I could notice was the turntable, so I always ground that. |
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Post by urbino on Feb 20, 2024 19:14:33 GMT -5
Hmm, my Freya S+ preamp seems to have developed a channel imbalance. Soundstage has drifted decidedly toward the right speaker. It might be time for new tubes.
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Post by lizardonarock on Feb 20, 2024 22:45:52 GMT -5
Spendy if you replace all four 6SN7WGT but they come in lots of brands and flavors,
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Post by urbino on Feb 20, 2024 23:24:44 GMT -5
Spendy if you replace all four 6SN7WGT but they come in lots of brands and flavors, I've got a solid-state preamp I can use for a while, so it's not super pressing. I'll have to do a lot of research on replacement tubes. Or, I think Schiit might sell matched sets, iirc. Probably pricier that way. |
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Post by lizardonarock on Feb 25, 2024 22:01:39 GMT -5
Waiting on 2.5 headphone adapter so still have not got to test out the balanced cables yet.
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Post by lizardonarock on Feb 29, 2024 22:14:14 GMT -5
The adapter 2.5 TRRS showed up today and my verdict is to stick with 4 pin XLR balanced headphone leads.
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Post by urbino on Feb 29, 2024 23:09:22 GMT -5
The adapter 2.5 TRRS showed up today and my verdict is to stick with 4 pin XLR balanced headphone leads. Interesting. Just for the mechanical stability of the connector or for a performance reason? |
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Post by lizardonarock on Mar 1, 2024 12:44:31 GMT -5
The 2.5 is smaller than the cable going to the headphone speaker. On my amplifier the 4 pinXLR are balanced and they can push more power. The Meze uses a 2.5 but only two wires per side not 2.5 plug in side has to carry four wires. At the plug in side we go from 1/8 to 3.5 then one more adapter to neck down to 2.5 maybe a 1/8 to 2.5 would be better. As it sounds to my ears no perceptible improvement was heard. YMMV
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Post by lizardonarock on Mar 4, 2024 7:34:42 GMT -5
Ran optical from Schiit Modius DAC to the computer to the sound gains and stage noticeable over the RCA. Compter is Realtek ALC4080 lots of issues running USB. I see the latest greatest mother boards have gone back to ALC1220.
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Post by urbino on Mar 4, 2024 15:39:45 GMT -5
Ran optical from Schiit Modius DAC to the computer to the sound gains and stage noticeable over the RCA. Compter is Realtek ALC4080 lots of issues running USB. I see the latest greatest mother boards have gone back to ALC1220. But if you're running optical to the computer, isn't the computer doing the D-A conversion? Maybe I misunderstood. |
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Post by lizardonarock on Mar 4, 2024 17:07:45 GMT -5
All computers have some kind of DAC that is how you get sound the quality of that said DAC is highly questionable. If you have a nice desktop it might have a TOS connection. If it is a say a Dell or Lenovo highly doubt it will have one. If it is a MAC why even bother playing music unless you prefer sub MP3 quality. The computer is your source.
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Post by lizardonarock on Mar 21, 2024 20:21:53 GMT -5
More Schiit upgrades on the way for the desktop. Graphic 4 band equalizer Loki mini and a Modi multi bit DAC not to be confused with the regular Modi Dac.
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Post by urbino on Mar 21, 2024 20:25:33 GMT -5
More Schiit upgrades on the way for the desktop. Graphic 4 band equalizer Loki mini and a Modi multi bit DAC not to be confused with the regular Modi Dac. Nice! Looking forward to hearing how you like it. |
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Post by lizardonarock on Mar 26, 2024 22:41:03 GMT -5
The Schiit has landed be a day or two to get it all hooked up.
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Post by urbino on Mar 26, 2024 22:49:56 GMT -5
The Schiit has landed be a day or two to get it all hooked up. Boom! |
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Post by lizardonarock on Mar 27, 2024 12:06:00 GMT -5
Huge improvement bigger sound stage and finding some notes across the spectrum from the Modi Multibit. The Loki equalizer is the real deal just a click past center across the 4 knobs really woke things up. Yes you can by pass the Loki equalizer. The Modius DAC with AK4493 chip is in the system for balanced headphones and interconnects running XLR. The Loki and the Multibit were picked up second hand for 180. and then 35. for the firmware chip from Schiit. I think it is a fair deal for a big sound improvement for desktop set up dedicated to headphones.
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Post by urbino on Mar 27, 2024 14:55:24 GMT -5
Huge improvement bigger sound stage and finding some notes across the spectrum from the Modi Multibit. The Loki equalizer is the real deal just a click past center across the 4 knobs really woke things up. Yes you can by pass the Loki equalizer. The Modius DAC with AK4493 chip is in the system for balanced headphones and interconnects running XLR. The Loki and the Multibit were picked up second hand for 180. and then 35. for the firmware chip from Schiit. I think it is a fair deal for a big sound improvement for desktop set up dedicated to headphones. Nice! Always fun when you change something and it actually makes a difference. Now you get to go through your music again and see what you discover, which is the best part. I’ve never been able to keep up with all the DAC chip names. They all look alike to me. 🤓 |
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Post by lizardonarock on Mar 27, 2024 21:51:47 GMT -5
But you have a ladder resistor based DAC.
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Post by urbino on Mar 27, 2024 22:17:29 GMT -5
But you have a ladder resistor based DAC. I do (good memory), but that's a fairly recent development. Most of the DAC's I've owned, whether headphone DACs, DACs built into preamps or streamers, or whatever, have been chip-based DACs. I never could keep all the chips straight. |
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Post by lizardonarock on Mar 28, 2024 8:11:49 GMT -5
Enjoying the stack for the first morning volume on low so I can watch and hear Young Sheldon on the TV out of the corner of my eye.
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Post by lizardonarock on Apr 2, 2024 16:19:09 GMT -5
Trying out some Meze 11 neo ear buds 30bucks just for fun.
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