USB Nervosa Thread Decrapifiers, pro interfaces, and bears oh my

Discussion in 'Digital: DACs, USB converters, decrapifiers' started by zerodeefex, Sep 28, 2015.

  1. johnjen

    johnjen Doesn’t want to be here but keeps posting anyways

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    Ok so I found and disabled a background app that was sucking down 2-3GB of data and throwing it into the cache file.
    It was my antivirus sniffer sucking up resources, and it doesn't need to be THAT aggressive.

    And the improvements are still there after resetting everything.

    And I have been paying attention to the change in SQ as the cache file is dumped, while the music is playing.
    It sounds like a small to medium veil is lifted with greater inner detail and focus everywhere.

    I wish I had a 'reasonable' explanation but alas I can only make WAG's (Wild A** Guesses).

    JJ
     
    Last edited: Oct 12, 2016
  2. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    WIth anti-virus software that behaves like that, who needs viruses! o_O
     
  3. johnjen

    johnjen Doesn’t want to be here but keeps posting anyways

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    Most antivirus s/w these days are trying to be pro-active and will scan files in the background.
    But since I'm on a Mac the need for realtime scanning is WAY reduced and I have never seen an infected file show up in quarantine, ever.

    And of course the antivirus s/w is warning me I'm "Unprotected", yeah well…

    JJ
     
  4. bazelio

    bazelio Friend

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    No, if Anti-virus sw adversely affects SQ then of course it stands to reason that viruses improve SQ. It's really just common sense when you sit down and think about it.
     
  5. rott

    rott Secretly hates other millenials - Friend

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    Unfortunately, music sounds best when unfiltered without any protective barrier between it and your ears. That can lead to contracting a virus, especially when coming from an unfamiliar source.
     
  6. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    Well, errr.... yes! It's the thing where we catch trivial germs, stomach upsets and colds, when we go to another country.

    (and is this why speaker and headphone drivers have pieces of cloth over them? same reason that surgeons wear masks? Wow. Never knew!)
     
  7. rott

    rott Secretly hates other millenials - Friend

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    Actually that was a lame attempt at unsafe-sex STD humor. You know, no protection feels the best but has the highest risk...
     
  8. Thad E Ginathom

    Thad E Ginathom Friend

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    You mean, like, I should stop trying to listen to music with a wellington boot over my head? ;)
     
  9. Madaboutaudio

    Madaboutaudio Friend

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  10. Luckbad

    Luckbad Traded in a unicorn for a Corolla

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  11. Koth Ganesh

    Koth Ganesh Friend

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    Has anybody heard about the Solution DACs(560 & 760)? I met an audio company here that markets the Merging NADAC. This DAC accepts ethernet input (he had it connected to a Mac Mini which I use as well). The DAC uses the Sabre chip. Anyway, he also mentioned the Solution DACs which have ethernet inputs and I looked these things up. They use the Burr-Brown chips for the conversion.

    http://www.soulution-audio.com/en/serie5/560/index.php
     
  12. 3X0

    3X0 Friend

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    Isn't that thing $35k retail?

    I was curious, but absurd price points like that kill all interest for me.
     
  13. Koth Ganesh

    Koth Ganesh Friend

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    OMG...did not know that. The Merging NADAC was like 11-12k.
     
  14. sphinxvc

    sphinxvc Gear Master (retired)

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    I tested the Mutec 1.2, Singxer F-1 and SU-1 day before yesterday. This after obtaining a proper 75 ohm digital coax cable, unlike my previous test where I used vanilla RCAs. I think all of the units provide varying bumps to dynamics, microdetail, bass slam, reduction of stridency ("digititus"), resolution of space, and plankton. But, and there is a but, they all do it to such small and frankly irrelevant degrees when you compare to a solution like Lynx/AES (heard @thegunner100's unit this past weekend, the differences were readily apparent comparatively) or just using a better DAC.

    I know @zerodeefex stated as much in the new opening post, but I needed to hear it for myself.

    @ButtUglyJeff (since you were interested)
    @Skyline (in case you're thinking decrapification for the Bifrost Multibit)
     
  15. Koth Ganesh

    Koth Ganesh Friend

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    @sphinxvc, what DAC were you using? I use the 1.2 with the Yggdrasil (AES) and it is slightly better than the Yggdrasil(USB) with the Wyrd.
     
  16. sphinxvc

    sphinxvc Gear Master (retired)

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    I used Bifrost Multibit, and @thegunner100 (when we listened to AES output from the Lynx card) used Yggdrasil.
     
  17. mrflibble

    mrflibble Friend

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    Just thought I'd post an update about the latest changes to my chain.

    Firstly, I tried a 1m Fisual Holywood TOSLink cable in place of my IXOS XHD308. The Fisual is reportedly a glass cable and costs a ridiculously low £10 from visualonline in the UK. Compated to the plastic IXOS cable the sound was noticeably clearer, a definite improvement.

    Next, I purchased an Elfidelity AXF-8 sound card from China to compare to the Asus Xonar Essence STX II. I read some impressive specifications of the TCXO clocks on the Elfidelity AXF-8, annoyingly I can't find the page now (should have bookmarked it!). I compared the two cards, sometimes I think I can hear a difference but then I can't. So either the difference is incredibly small or it is in my imagination. Perhaps someone with a more critical ear could tell the difference or perhaps if I used some more sonically demanding music I could more easily tell a difference. When using the Essence with the Fisual Hollywood I had to use the mini-adapter widget, whereas the AXF-8 does not require the widget.

    I also purchased a 1.5m Belden 1694A coax cable to compare to the Fisual Holywood. The AXF-8 does not have a coax out, so the comparison was performed on the Essence. The Belden was not as clear as the Fisual Holywood. Fisual Holywood is a bargain :)

    When looking at pictures of the AXF-8 card the clocks are in two metal boxes, I assume there is one clock for 44.1Khz (and multiple frequencies) and another for 48Khz (and multiple frequencies). When looking at pictures of the Essence on the Asus website the clock is a single exposed chip. I wondered why the difference and what the significance is?

    A reminder of my chain: Elfidelity AXF-8->Fisual Hollywood TOSLink->Schiit Modi Multibit->Schiit Jotunheim->Balanced Sennheiser HD650

    EDIT: On closer inspection the chip on the Essence STX II isn't a chip but a very small metal box. But there is only one of them as opposed to two large boxes on the AXF-8.
     
    Last edited: Nov 9, 2016
  18. Madaboutaudio

    Madaboutaudio Friend

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    @johnjen
    Maybe there's more credibility behind the previous discussion we had about bit rot, memory leaks & powercycling dacs etc:

    http://www.head-fi.org/t/815368/hap...-introducing-modi-multibit/1380#post_12933242
     
  19. johnjen

    johnjen Doesn’t want to be here but keeps posting anyways

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    That wouldn't surprise me in the least.

    I mean we all tend to take the ac power environment for granted, not to mention that ground is supposed to be a 'given'.
    Except that there are constant variations in this entire arena and most are nearly invisible to us audiophools.
    I mean how do you measure voltage potentials, on ground, with any degree of accuracy and repeatability and which provide meaningful results?

    And to me the most telling indication is that power cycling not just the dac but the computer and even the DDC's etc., yield changes in the sonic presentation.
    This in one sense should be nonsensical, yet the changes are noticeable AND, in my way of determining such things, 'Better' as well.

    It is a puzzle, at least for me anyway.

    JJ
     
  20. Madaboutaudio

    Madaboutaudio Friend

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    This guy designs power supplies for a living, and here's his theory:
    http://www.smpstech.com/mtblog/trouble_shooting_electronics.html
    http://www.smpstech.com/mtblog/how_to_layout_a_power_supply.html

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_event_upset

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soft_error
    Maybe that's why Error Correcting Memory exist.
     
    Last edited: Nov 8, 2016

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