Densen pre?
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Densen pre?
A new pre to replace the Topping yeah,Quote:
Originally Posted by Ali Tait
but the Holo Audio Serene KTE, to match the Dac.
Long lead time on it, but will be worth the wait.
It can be used as a headphone amp from one set of its balanced XLR outputs, and night time listening on cans is something I miss.
The old friend is Meze headphones,
had the 99 Classics which were great, but picked up their bigger brother the 109 Pros
Good looking things..
https://dougbradyhifi.com/cdn/shop/p...228&width=5000
Nice mate, should be worth the wait.
Update on the vinyl front?
Due to a "mishap" the record players been out of action for a while now, but decided to get it back up n running, and call it done.
Two things?
Getting Jony at Audio Origami to rewire my tonearm with some of his "secret sauce" and upgrading the stock cart that came with my Project X8 balanced turntable.
One of these incoming, a Hana ML Moving Coil cartridge.
https://www.hifigear.co.uk/media/cat.../1/1100776.jpg
From reviews and forum opinion, this seems to be (like how I try to plan most of my gear) the Sweet Spot diminishing returns wise, and for me nowadays I just need vinyl to be "good enough", so not a rabbit hole I need to go down again.
Been there done that?
The "Dream combo" Michell Gorbe/SME V with top end Dynavector cart didn't get me to where my digital is now, so not chasing the "Vinyl Dream" like you might read about.
Where I am vinyl wise is where Im staying.
Just wanted to stick a fork in it and call it done with making the most of the platform I've got.
A fully balanced turntable and phonostage, make the most of the great arm I've got with a rewire, and get a "call it done" cartridge.
More a digital guy nowadays but have a substantial bunch of records,
every single one of them I remember where I was when THAT track hit hard, or where and when I bought them...
And thats never a bad thing, the smiles you get when you remember makes it worth it!
Sometimes its not always about chasing absolute sound quality, theres other stuff too :)
So did my research as always and getting a "one and done" MC Cartridge and an arm rewire.
Happy days.
I wonder how many folk use night-time headphone listening as their main usage?
I bought my Ether2s from Ali,I recall, after years of Wharfedale planar-magnetics.
The Wharfedale are excellent even though over 60 years old, though you do have
To run them from speaker outlets to get a reasonable volume.i
Use a Peachtree iDecco amp which has a built-in iPod socket.
Like Ali, I have a 686 amp, but remember the CADBURY 286!
The only time I use headphones is when using the computer. Despite having two sets of Koss headphones (ESP6 electrostatics and a PRO4AA), I dislike listening to headphones for more than about a quarter of an hour
To me they are unnatural: with the sound appearing to be inside your head, and when you move your head the limited stereo image moves with it, unlike listening to speakers.
Good to hear you have found a tonearm/cartridge combination that you are happy with and one which will probably see you out. I rarely buy vinyl these days; and when I do it is used rather than new as in general I'm not impressed with the quality of new pressings.
For vinyl replay I have settled with using an Ikeda 'cantileverless' moving coil cartridge in a Ikeda-modified 12" Ortofon arm on a Thorens 124/II turntable, or a Breuer 4A arm with a Van Den Hul 'One' cartridge.
Hana cartridges are very well regarded, so I expect you will be delighted with yours. :)
I also hate headphones. On the odd occasion I do listen at night I use the much smaller speakers on the TV system at fairly low volume.
My budget-ish headphones (AKG K550) are falling apart, even though like Barry they get occasional use on the laptop. They do what they do quite well though.
Used to have some of these in the 70s, I remember them being quite good, though my Wharfedale Denton speakers weren't setting the bar very high.
https://www.radiomuseum.org/images/r...al_1834583.jpg
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazjam
I use the Hana ML in my vinyl system, on an Audiotechnica AT1503 mk3 arm fitted to a Denon DP-80. More than happy with it.
Always good to have Johnny at AO, work his magic.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazjam
The Hana was something I have looked at, along with changing my Pathos amp and ART speakers but cant make my mind up on what if any changes to make. To be honest happy with the sound I have , so might just spent the money on something else.
Good cans those, hope you're still enjoying them. I don't use cans much but I do have a Stax system now which sounds great. Done some work on the energiser and got some RCA Cleartops which are meant to be the best 6fq7 around.Quote:
Originally Posted by hornucopia
Which phono stage are you using with the Hana ML Gary?
Great cartridge by all accounts and look forward to your feedback once in situ.
Will update my thread here when it’s all set up.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimbo
Read it was a good ‘un, been on my radar for a while.
I use a Pro-Ject DS3B balanced phonostage Jim,
with a separate Pro-Ject RS2 linear Power supply feeding both the X8 Turntable and phonostage.
Sounds good although never heard Pro-ject gear. They do take vinyl very seriously and have plenty of resource so imaging the DS3B is a great bit of kit?Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazjam
Massive bang for buck, sounds terrific, especially with the optional matching linear PSU.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimbo
Makes for a really nice 2 box balanced solution.
https://i.imgur.com/Od0pt42.jpeg
Posties been...
Meze 109 Pro
https://i.imgur.com/6VJjXHA.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/nK9b3u7.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/w50hAs2.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/5cHlgIw.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/rtD5g54.jpeg
Need to wait till the Holo Preamp drops, and I sort out a balanced cable for them.
Just need to look good on the wall for now.
That's a pretty fancy set of 'phones!
Nipper approved!.:)Quote:
Originally Posted by Macca
Had some Meze phones a while back but cheaper version. They were nice. I believe their top gear is astronomical price and sound!
Yeah,Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimbo
I had the 99 Classics and really loved their sound.
The 109 Pro's should be a step up?
Can listen to stuff late at night from the AppleTV with the Sony bluetooth cans, but for watching bluray movies, listening to CDs or vinyl I couldn't.
Thought I wouldnt miss it when I sold the 99 Classics (to fund other stuff) but I did. :)
Nice to have that facility back again, cant wait for the Holo Pre to arrive, so I can plug em in!
Postie's bringing SOMETHING tommorow... either the Preamp or the Hana Cartridge.
The Cart will be going to Audio Origami to fit when Jony rewires the arm, so no unboxing tommorow for me if its that (Suspect it is)
Its like Christmas Day everyday at yours.:lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazjam
https://www.irishcentral.com/uploads...g?t=1671657491Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimbo
Your beard needs a bit more work Gary. Apart from that it is definitely a face that says Christmas is here :)
He's having to listen in mono, someone's nicked his other puffball speaker.
That's audiophiles for you, they'll nick anything that's not nailed down.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ali Tait
Steve,
Sorry...
How'd ya mean? :)
The pic mate, just the one pom pom. :-)
Oh I got that Ali...
"That's audiophiles for you, they'll nick anything that's not nailed down. "
Like my new Avatar? :D
:D
:lol: As they say Touché. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazjam
As it is now yesterday’s tomorrow, has the postie emptied his sack in your box?
Yeah...
As expected its the Hana ML cartridge.
Preamps probably still a couple of weeks away.
You sound excited about the new cartridge. ;)
:)Quote:
Originally Posted by CageyH
I am, but atm its just a piece of the vinyl puzzle still being put together.
Be a bit more buzzed when its fitted and Im spinning vinyl again!
The Serene KTE Pre is the biggie.
Oi! Get your thieving mitts off my bog roll! :D It'll serve you right when you find I've already used one side then rolled it back up :ner:
:lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by Pigmy Pony
Posties been,
Just a wee tweak nothing major.
:uhho:
With the new Holo Audio gear, I wanted to get the most out of it?
The sounds still all bit all over the place, but the "moving average" of sound quality is consistently getting better as the gear burns in.
When its on song its pretty wonderful. More to come I think.
Thought of stuff I had lying around to try to see if it would make any difference?
Had a bunch of isolation feet in my spares box.
All discarded as (as the time) not being the best sounding option.
The Herbies and IsoAcoustics stuff sounded better to me with the kit I tried at the time so everything else was discarded.
But as always one to experiment... :)
I tried a bunch of different isolation products I had kicking around.
Immediately obvious the best of the bunch was the old SDS constrained layer damping feet I had, particularly under the Holo Dac and its seperate power supply...
Always liked the Sound Damped Steel isolation feet, as they were based on sound engineering principles of MANAGING the vibrations (turning them to heat) through constrained layer damping,... and not some random "Audiophile" JuJu.
SDS's bread and butter is heavy industry scale vibration management, think power stations, fluid distribution systems and the like.
The hifi thing is a spin off.
(Great way to use waste material from industrial installs!)
:eek:
Oh boy, this is better. A lot better.
The feet on the Holo gear have obviously not been an afterthought,
but the Dac and power supply sounded WORSE with the IsoAcoustics feet... and that usually means the gear responds better to managing the vibrations, rather than damping them like the IsoAcoustics stuff does.
The SDS stuff is the best example of that I've tried, and the match with the Holo Audio gear seems pretty fantastic.
Bought my isolation feet from them years ago?
2mm thick.
Turns out they brought out an improved version a short time back, had no idea.
So I got curious, and ordered a bunch! :)
https://i.imgur.com/NBjmL2A.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/Mdbe0Wj.jpeg
https://i.imgur.com/GtgkFTh.jpeg
Smaller in DIA at 50mm, so will look less bulky under my gear, and twice as thick at 4mm.
Getting my Mechanical Engineering head on for a bit, obviously the resonant frequency has changed - so a different proposition from the old ones?
Good email back and forth with SDS, no problem sending them back for whatever reason.
They are staying, turns out they sound a lot better too.
Bought a bunch and tried them out under my Holo Audio May dac and Red DCC Streamer.
Tried them one bit of Gear at a time and the effect was cumulative.
My System sits on a glass shelf rack, and thats never ideal.
These Sound Damped Steel isolation feet are maybe the solution to that?
Stuck em under my CD Transport and Topping Preamp, too, and it's all an improvement.
Great stuff, another wee nudge in the right direction.
Expect the incoming Holo Audio Serene KTE preamp (having same case design as the Dac) will benefit from good isolation as well, so have a play with that too.
Still enjoying the Journey :)
Just goes to show how One size DOESNT fit all?
The CD Transport previously just had the IsoAcoustics feet below it (and other stuff)
Removing the Iso's and fitting just the SounDampedSteel feet robbed it of its magic.
Put them back and yeah, thats better.
Put the SDS feet UNDER the IsoAcoustics though... effectively isolating the glass shelf from it and taking away the bad effects of that... is a big improvement.
https://i.imgur.com/bSHeMcT.jpeg
Combined effort it seems?
If it matters to you... give different stuff a go?
Its important to try all this stuff with the different kit you have, seems it all responds differently to what you do to it?
As always,
Try this nonsense for yourself, with your own gear, cos you just never know.
Nice to see someone else bothered by all this sort of shenanigans still as it does start to go down a mysterious black hole with no absolute right or wrong other than what you can hear. I know acoustic isolation and vibration control is a controversial subject and very subjective. It is certainly a bespoke tweak as what works for one piece of kit does the opposite with another and as we all have very different systems operating in very different acoustic environments. one size does not fit all.
The whole area of vibration / acoustic control is now being taken seriously by a number of manufacturers who are incorporating it into their case designs and circuit topology and not simply bunging some rubber feet on the bottom of their kit!
I have found much improvement in the efforts I have made with all sorts of materials and not at all surprised you have found the products you have evaluated contribute to an uplift in SQ.
Great to see/hear your efforts in this area Gary.
You bet Jim. :)
Say to everyone,
if it’s something your curious about important to try it out in your own system.
Liking the new avatar Gary, the one on the left has a look of Karoline Leavitt with a different hairdo.
It’s funny that you mention SDS feet under IsoPucks. That is the exact configuration under my BB3, but this is on an IKEA chopping board shelf.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gazjam
I have just recently ordered some new IsoPuck minis to go under the KIN, which will leave me 4 spare, so I will try them under the rest of the components to see what gives the best benefit.
I just wish they sold them in packs of 4.
Your not wrong!Quote:
Originally Posted by Pigmy Pony
Pursed lips and little rabbit poo in the snow eyes, just missing the fake crucifix around her neck.
It’s a combo that works really well I think.Quote:
Originally Posted by CageyH
Have the flashier “hifi grade” shiny Oreas sitting under my Oppo 203, zero difference from them to the much cheaper picks I found.
They are a great bargain, but again, might not work on everything.
Incoming...
Reckon I have the "hardware" in place now?
Like the previous tweak with isolating the kit with Soundamped Steel plates, nowadays Im looking at bringing out the best of the gear I have.
Really enjoying my CDs again through the Shanling CD Transport over USB to the Holo Audio Red DCC, converting the CDs to i2s into the dac.
The Transport has an i2s output, but connected this way through the Holo Red sounds better.
Theres two cables in this setup?
Have a good USB cable hooking up the Transport to the Holo red, but hadn't paid much attention to the Hdmi cable I'd stuck between the Red and the May Dac.
I'd assumed as the May Dac "does its thing" here, cables wouldnt make that much of a difference so stuck with a generic one I had lying around.
Given the nature of the Dac with its internal clocking and all the other internal stuff it does, hadnt given it a thought?
But I hadnt tried it ... and turns out... that was a mistake.
Recently,
I've been playing around with different HDMI cables to connect the Holo Red to the May Dac.
Noticable difference between a "standard" Hdmi cable, a Wireworld Silver plated copper HDMI and a Bluejeans certified FE-Bonded Pair cable.
Interesting! :eek:
That showed me that it was worth maximising the quality of the connection between the Holo red and the May Dac, to eek out the best of what the gear can do?
That connection is a big part of what makes playing CDs from the Shanling (and digital files on HDD connected to it) able to sound its best after all?
One and done - So I concluded its worth paying some attention to get the best out of it.
So I did.
Did my research and one i2s cable kept coming up as a bit of a giant killing "Sleeper"?
My kinda solution - best bang for buck, a great "hifi story" and great subjective value.
Beating divorce causing priced Siltech, Nordost and top tier Audioquest cables at their own game, but at a fraction of the price.
(Though on paper for a half meter length of wire I'm off my head...)
One and done though, already been convinced (my ears my system) a better cable here can make a noticable difference. And want the best out of the kit I've already paid for.
So pulled the trigger on the "sleeper" i2s cable.
This is manufactured specifically for i2s audio, it uses HDMI connectors but its silver cores are designed specifically only to work for audio, so wont work as a normal HDMI cable.
Spoke with their Engineer over the phone: Cryo treated solid core silver conducters in teflon air dialectric and some stuff he said was "proprietary and couldn't talk about"
They know exactly what they are doing.
Gonna sting a bit but know it'll be worth it.
Tubulus Concentus i2s 0.5m cable currently winging it's way from the Netherlands, to hook up my Holo Red DCC to the May Dac.
https://www.tubulus.net/wp-content/u...s-Cable-1a.jpg
https://www.tubulus.net/product/tubu...tus-i2s-cable/
4 Week lead time due to them being under the cosh order wise, but it'll come in when it comes in.
Time to bed in as well, but doesnt matter as at some point it'll start doing its thing.
Happy days, and another box ticked.
Posties been…
https://i.imgur.com/ArRJB6w.jpeg
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You need to find an alternative to Imgur for your post to make any sense. ;)