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

Does the Mutec 1.2 also clean up the spdif input? I have a Gungir 2 that is connected via usb for pc and spdif from the tv. Using the mutec does it spit out both signals at the same time or would I have to select the input on the mutec? Want to be able to select input on the dac and have the mutec clean up both inputs.

 

Nah...it's just not high enough on my priority list. I am very happy with the Bifrost 4490 + Regen setup. Honestly, I'm happy without the Regen, but for $125 used I'll bite.

If I was willing to spend significantly more on my DAC, then I'd jump up to the Gungnir Multibit before I start piling on to a Bifrost.

Then again, if I was willing to spend thousands, I'd probably buy the HE-K before ANY of this other stuff.

I've found a nice level of contentment with my setup, and it's a happy place to be.

 

I see a lot of people stacking two Mutecs together in their chain. I understand (I think) that a single Mutec cleans up jitter and noise from USB, converts to SPDIF, and reclocks. Can someone explain how two Mutecs inline could possibly improve the sound? I must be missing something.

 

I was wondering the same thing about the Wyrd>2xRegen. You said you don't listen this way, but did you hear any differences?

 

Starting to sound like Tm the Tool man Taylor's involved . MOARRRR!

 

Even though it looks like an iDSD in your photo, it made me look at my iDAC2 (which I run at the office) and realize that it also has S/PDIF out. So I'm bringing it home tonight and will stick one into the other and see what happens.

So you're saying if I have USB audio going into the iDSD with the power OFF (i.e. LED blue indicating charging), it will still output a S/PDIF signal? That's bizarre.

The iDAC2 doesn't have S/PDIF in, so I'll use it to feed the iDSD, but this quote from iFi's pre-launch spiel on HF makes me wonder if there will be any improvements over USB in:
This was by far, the most popular choice on this Crowd-Design thread and while we knew SPDIF output was popular, we did not really place much importance on SPDIF input.

 

Yeah, it sounds thin, so you hear the details but not the space around it, like a giant stepped on you and you end up being two dimensional, is lost. In addition, dynamic range compressed, so you hear more detail,from the loss of dynamics (loud things are softer, soft sounds are louder) and not because the background noise was reduced. The opposite of a lifelike sound is the net result. To be fair, I get the same thing to a lesser degree with one Regen, and I couldn't really tell if the Wyrd was in the chain or not. It becomes unenvolving, and I disengage.

I listened to this mostly through speakers, but I took the shot with the HD-800 headphones on a Bryston BHA-1 coming from a Gungnir Multibit, so it will already lean bright from the get go.

I read the expression this is like polishing a turd, which applies, in this setup for ME. If you have a slower or darker system, this might move you toward lightness and work.

 

Yeah, I thought it was weird too, but try it. Not sure how the Idac2 will behave, but as long as you had enough current via the USB jack it does work, lit at blue, with the micro iDSD.

Post what you find with the Idac2, it will be good to know if it does help.

 

Now take that setup, and throw in an Intona and things get much better. I started by adding the Intona to the Wyrd into an Yggdrasil, and really loved what it brought. I couldn't help but try out the Mutec USB after that. I finally feel that my source is back to the quality it used to be back when I used to spin cds on a speaker setup. Since getting the Mutec, I've taken out the Intona and noticed a drop in quality, so much so that I've had to tolerate keeping the Wyrd in the chain because the Intona wouldn't work without the Wyrd being in the chain (something to do with the degraded power since the Intona is mostly passive). I'm running AES to the Yggdrasil, and everything sings.

 

Digital is insane.

 

4v out on the intona. My dac on the OPPO HA1 won't register if I have my little IFI IPURIFIER 2 Post intona. Plugged into the intona is fine. Just waiting for the post that has 6 decrapifiers in line with the comment..
Oh I just need a DAC now....
Shame no one can do the whole menagerie of these little devices in a mix up test at a meet. They were meant to improve when you don't have an uber DAC...Now we need both...

All fun though...

 

Which Mutec do you have, 3+USB or the 1.2?

 

You ain't even in the game if you don't have USB-over-Ethernet with double regens on either side

I have a F-1 XU208 incoming which will be my first foray into DDC.

http://www.shenzhenaudio.com/f-1-xmos-usb-digital-interface-board-xu208-chip-high-end-u8-upgraded-version.html

 

I only have the iDSD and iDAC2 (got sucked into the HF/iFi hype vortex before I saw the light that is SBAF), and only the iDSD has S/PDIF in. So I compared the iDSD with USB from my PC vs. S/PDIF from the iDAC2 (and the iDSD on battery only, USB cable removed). I couldn't hear any difference. They both probably have the same (or very similar) USB-to-PCM implementation, so all I was probably doing was adding a coax cable into the chain. I guess inserting the iDAC2 could possibly stop USB crap from getting to the iDSD, but maybe this is no better than the "iPurifier technology" that is supposed to be built into the iDSD. Or I just can't hear the difference.

 

Thanks for trying, I was just curious. For me it does sound better USB->iDSD->Dac than USB->Dac, but that is with a Gungnir Multibit that is documented to sound better via SPDIF/BNC. If you hear this, then your downstream stuff is resolving changes enough.

 

You have to select the input. All outputs are active, but inputs are exclusive.

 

FWIW, I've tried a bunch of things in front of a Mutec MC-3+USB and never found improvement beyond the Mutec via USB alone.

Regen, Intona, MC-1.3, MC-3+USB, etc.

I have an ESI Juli@ XTe going into it right now.

But for no good reason.

 

Small update. I think I have achieved "peak de-crapification".

I added a regen to my chain (aka: MBP -> Intona Industrial (with the NF firmware) -> Regen -> Mutec USB3+ -> Yggdrasil AES) and found it made little difference over just having the Intona. I felt it was very slightly better but the improvement was within the realm of expectation bias.

Based on everything I have read so far, both subjective and objective, it seems your need for a USB de-crapifier is highly source dependent. Laptops and non purpose built computers are often crappy sources in terms of USB PHY noise/jitter. Mine most certainly is.

Anyhow, to sum up I am very satisfied with the sound I am getting now. It has everything you could ask for: extremely resolving without fatigue, great tonal balance, great transient attack and decay, great imaging and staging. This is it for me in digital land until Schiit or Mutec release significant upgrades.

 

Doesn't the Intona just do a small part of what the Mutec already does (i.e. isolation for USB)? If so, what does it add having it in the chain? Legitimately curious about this.

 

You would think it would work that way. The Mutec has a galvanically isolated USB input which should make it immune to PHY noise but in my setup it worked (sounded) better with the Intona in front of it.

Unfortunately, I don't have a good technical explanation of why.