Few upgrades Incoming...
I've been modding my PS Audio dac, big thread over on PS Audio forums on it?
Much success.
From my earlier post HERE:
https://theartofsound.net/forum/show...95#post1280795
Finally got around to getting these Dac upgrades done.
Dac booked into Loud and Clear Edinburgh to have stock transformers swapped out for better ones.
also,
I fitted a power controller board into my Dac, splitting the power rails between digital and analogue stages of the Dac, and allowing for use of an external linear power supply, to power the Analogue stage independently.
To power the analogue board, one of these is on its way.
Farad Super 3.
https://www.faradpowersupplies.com/#features
Initially thought about saving a bit of money here, but cleaner AC power (imo) is a major factor in final sound quality.
So decided...yeah. Go for it.
Super-capacitors apparently...
Like a battery setup, but without the downsides?
Decided "do it once do it right", maxed it out and added their optional upgrades: SR Purple Fuse, Furutech Rhodium IEC Inlet and their "level 2" silver DC cable.
Better speaker mounting on its way too?
Herbies Cone/spike decoupling gliders winging their way from the US:
.
Should all lead to a nice uptick in sound quality.
Cool.
Think that's me done?
Maxxed out the PS Audio gear, all cables done, AC power done...
Less than ideal Streamer setup tho,
PS Audio bringing out their own Q2 2023, will probably spring for that - replacing the Oppo 203, then take a deep dive building a better Roon Server at some point.
Groovy.
AC POWER
Hardwired 10kVA balanced mains powering entire system
AMPS
Meridian 557 power Amp (Modded) / PS Audio BHK Preamp (Modded)
SPEAKERS
Wharfedale Evo 4.4
DAC
PS Audio Directstream (Modded)
TURNTABLE
Pro-Ject X8 balanced output via XLR / Ortofon Quintet Blue cartridge
PHONOSTAGE
Pro-Ject DS3 B balanced Input (TT and Phonostage powered by Pro-Ject Power box RS2 linear psu)
DIGITAL
CD PLAYBACK - Shanling ET3 CD Transport over i2s to Dac + MOVIE PLAYBACK Oppo 203 (Modded: Linear PSU, i2s output to Dac)
Tweaked AP-Linux based Roon Server into Oppo 203 as Roon endpoint
Ipad Roon Remote.
Apple Music/ YouTube via AppleTV, fed to Shanling via Airplay 1 (losslessly) and onwards to Dac via Wireworld Silver Electra 7 i2s HDMI cable
SPEAKER CABLES
Biwired: Duelund DCA10GA (Bass) Duelund DCA16GA (mid & treble) Duelund 12DCA used as jumpers (On "Blackcat Cable" Chris Sommivigo's advice - Yup, it sounds better)
INTERCONNECTS
All Balanced: Ghost+ recording studio XLR cables
Cool Gary, very cool.. all looking great
Regards,
Grant .... ؠ ......Don't be such a big girl's blouse
I've said it before and I'll say it again: democracy simply-doesn't-work.... ..... ...... ...... ................... ..... ..... ..... ..... .....
FIIO K7 BT, M11 PLUS, BTR7, KA5 - OPPO BDP-103D - PANASONIC UB450 - PANASONIC 4K ULTRA HD TV - PIXEL 6 - AVANTREE LR BLUETOOTH - 2* X600 SOUNDCORE - HEADPHONES INCLUDE, FIIO, NURAPHONES', FOCAL, OPPO, BOSE, CAMBRIDGE, BOWER & WILKINS, DEVIALET, MARSHALL, SONY, MITCHELL & JOHNSTON - 2*ZBOOK'S- MERCURY BD ROM, ROON, QOBUZ, TIDAL, PLEX, CYBERLINK, JRIVER - MULTI HDD'S -
Oh my god! There's nothing wrong with the bidet is there?
“Nothing discloses real character like the use of power. It is easy for the weak to be gentle. Most people can bear adversity. But if you wish to know what a man really is, give him power. This is the supreme test. It is the glory of Lincoln that, having almost absolute power, he never abused it, except on the side of mercy".
“You see these dictators on their pedestals, surrounded by the bayonets of their soldiers and the truncheons of their police ... yet in their hearts there is unspoken fear. They are afraid of words and thoughts: words spoken abroad, thoughts stirring at home -- all the more powerful because forbidden -- terrify them. A little mouse of thought appears in the room, and even the mightiest potentates are thrown into panic.”
"You don't have free will. You have the appearance of free will.”
“There's a war out there, old friend. A world war. And it's not about who's got the most bullets. It's about who controls the information. What we see and hear, how we work, what we think... it's all about the information!”
***SMILE, BE HAPPY***
Yeah, need a board meeting mate.
“Music has always been a matter of energy to me, a question of fuel. Sentimental people call it inspiration, but what they really mean is fuel. I have always needed fuel. I am a serious consumer. On some nights I still believe that a car with the gas needle on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio”
Hunter S Thompson
Hi Ali, Absolutely love the avatar ! Some of Spocks most famous quotes !!
"The needs of the vinyl outweigh the needs of the tape, or the CD." "I have been and always shall be your vinyl friend." "Vinyl is the beginning of wisdom ... not the end." "Live long and DJ."
Wee update,
posted about this before but finally putting it in place.
More of a tweak than putting in a new bit of gear,
but happy knowing I'm eeking more out of my speakers.
Speaker Isolation Feet
Herbies cone/spike decoupling gliders.
Ordered these months ago from the States, finally came in today.
They will be replacing the stock spike hard floor protectors that came with my Wharfedales.
Basically flat aluminium discs with a 1mm(?) layer of rubber stuck on.
(Sitting on SDS isolating plates on carpet)
Rave reviews from American forums,
Titanium disk sitting on some kind of hard but compliant material with a plastic base,
isolates the speaker foot and allows for easy repositioning/ toeing in of the speaker.
Long day at work,
bit knacked so will fit them tomorrow and have a listen.
Think they look great, and add to the look of the speakers.
Hopefully do the business in the sound department too, by all accounts (and reviews) they really do.
Good stuff.
Last edited by Gazjam; 19-08-2022 at 20:12.
AC POWER
Hardwired 10kVA balanced mains powering entire system
AMPS
Meridian 557 power Amp (Modded) / PS Audio BHK Preamp (Modded)
SPEAKERS
Wharfedale Evo 4.4
DAC
PS Audio Directstream (Modded)
TURNTABLE
Pro-Ject X8 balanced output via XLR / Ortofon Quintet Blue cartridge
PHONOSTAGE
Pro-Ject DS3 B balanced Input (TT and Phonostage powered by Pro-Ject Power box RS2 linear psu)
DIGITAL
CD PLAYBACK - Shanling ET3 CD Transport over i2s to Dac + MOVIE PLAYBACK Oppo 203 (Modded: Linear PSU, i2s output to Dac)
Tweaked AP-Linux based Roon Server into Oppo 203 as Roon endpoint
Ipad Roon Remote.
Apple Music/ YouTube via AppleTV, fed to Shanling via Airplay 1 (losslessly) and onwards to Dac via Wireworld Silver Electra 7 i2s HDMI cable
SPEAKER CABLES
Biwired: Duelund DCA10GA (Bass) Duelund DCA16GA (mid & treble) Duelund 12DCA used as jumpers (On "Blackcat Cable" Chris Sommivigo's advice - Yup, it sounds better)
INTERCONNECTS
All Balanced: Ghost+ recording studio XLR cables
“Music has always been a matter of energy to me, a question of fuel. Sentimental people call it inspiration, but what they really mean is fuel. I have always needed fuel. I am a serious consumer. On some nights I still believe that a car with the gas needle on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio”
Hunter S Thompson
Posties been...
AC POWER
Hardwired 10kVA balanced mains powering entire system
AMPS
Meridian 557 power Amp (Modded) / PS Audio BHK Preamp (Modded)
SPEAKERS
Wharfedale Evo 4.4
DAC
PS Audio Directstream (Modded)
TURNTABLE
Pro-Ject X8 balanced output via XLR / Ortofon Quintet Blue cartridge
PHONOSTAGE
Pro-Ject DS3 B balanced Input (TT and Phonostage powered by Pro-Ject Power box RS2 linear psu)
DIGITAL
CD PLAYBACK - Shanling ET3 CD Transport over i2s to Dac + MOVIE PLAYBACK Oppo 203 (Modded: Linear PSU, i2s output to Dac)
Tweaked AP-Linux based Roon Server into Oppo 203 as Roon endpoint
Ipad Roon Remote.
Apple Music/ YouTube via AppleTV, fed to Shanling via Airplay 1 (losslessly) and onwards to Dac via Wireworld Silver Electra 7 i2s HDMI cable
SPEAKER CABLES
Biwired: Duelund DCA10GA (Bass) Duelund DCA16GA (mid & treble) Duelund 12DCA used as jumpers (On "Blackcat Cable" Chris Sommivigo's advice - Yup, it sounds better)
INTERCONNECTS
All Balanced: Ghost+ recording studio XLR cables
and your on beans again
much fun begins mate
Regards,
Grant .... ؠ ......Don't be such a big girl's blouse
I've said it before and I'll say it again: democracy simply-doesn't-work.... ..... ...... ...... ................... ..... ..... ..... ..... .....
FIIO K7 BT, M11 PLUS, BTR7, KA5 - OPPO BDP-103D - PANASONIC UB450 - PANASONIC 4K ULTRA HD TV - PIXEL 6 - AVANTREE LR BLUETOOTH - 2* X600 SOUNDCORE - HEADPHONES INCLUDE, FIIO, NURAPHONES', FOCAL, OPPO, BOSE, CAMBRIDGE, BOWER & WILKINS, DEVIALET, MARSHALL, SONY, MITCHELL & JOHNSTON - 2*ZBOOK'S- MERCURY BD ROM, ROON, QOBUZ, TIDAL, PLEX, CYBERLINK, JRIVER - MULTI HDD'S -
Oh my god! There's nothing wrong with the bidet is there?
“Nothing discloses real character like the use of power. It is easy for the weak to be gentle. Most people can bear adversity. But if you wish to know what a man really is, give him power. This is the supreme test. It is the glory of Lincoln that, having almost absolute power, he never abused it, except on the side of mercy".
“You see these dictators on their pedestals, surrounded by the bayonets of their soldiers and the truncheons of their police ... yet in their hearts there is unspoken fear. They are afraid of words and thoughts: words spoken abroad, thoughts stirring at home -- all the more powerful because forbidden -- terrify them. A little mouse of thought appears in the room, and even the mightiest potentates are thrown into panic.”
"You don't have free will. You have the appearance of free will.”
“There's a war out there, old friend. A world war. And it's not about who's got the most bullets. It's about who controls the information. What we see and hear, how we work, what we think... it's all about the information!”
***SMILE, BE HAPPY***
Great packaging.
Ordered it fitted with a Furutech IEC inlet, SR Purple fuse and solid silver DC cable.
might as well max it out, good saving on retail fuse price when supplied fitted with power supply.
Custom "level 2" silver DC cable, GX16 termination 4 at PSU end, 2 at Dac end.
Small but very heavy unit,
large Toroidal in there, built in house too.
Lots of clever stuff going on inside the supply.
Big ticket item are the Blue caps - Supercapacitors, which I know nothing about!
The Tech-Talk section on the Farad website explains the magic sauce inside.
https://www.faradpowersupplies.com/tech-talk/
Hooked it up to the Dac's power control board I fitted,
Idea being it separates the digital and analogue output stages of the dac, allowing them to be powered separately.
I know from my Music Server building days, the advantages of separating the power rails in audio equipment.
Said it before, I'll say it again: clean power is everything.
The Farad is powering the Analogue output board.
SR Purple fuse inside the Dac feeding only the Digital board now.
New PSU, new DC cable, new fuse...
a lot of new.
Leaving it on 24/7 and not thinking about burn in, it will take a long time before it all starts running to spec but will just play music and enjoy it.
Taking the Dac in end of the Month to get the Analogue output boards signal transformers upgraded, apparently the most significant upgrade for the Directstream.
With that, I'll have hit the end of the Journey with my "last" Dac, thing sounds great stock, to be able to improve it further with mods appeals to me.
Pic of the Farad in place,
looks good with the PS Audio gear I think.
Cool.
Last edited by Gazjam; 22-08-2022 at 20:15.
AC POWER
Hardwired 10kVA balanced mains powering entire system
AMPS
Meridian 557 power Amp (Modded) / PS Audio BHK Preamp (Modded)
SPEAKERS
Wharfedale Evo 4.4
DAC
PS Audio Directstream (Modded)
TURNTABLE
Pro-Ject X8 balanced output via XLR / Ortofon Quintet Blue cartridge
PHONOSTAGE
Pro-Ject DS3 B balanced Input (TT and Phonostage powered by Pro-Ject Power box RS2 linear psu)
DIGITAL
CD PLAYBACK - Shanling ET3 CD Transport over i2s to Dac + MOVIE PLAYBACK Oppo 203 (Modded: Linear PSU, i2s output to Dac)
Tweaked AP-Linux based Roon Server into Oppo 203 as Roon endpoint
Ipad Roon Remote.
Apple Music/ YouTube via AppleTV, fed to Shanling via Airplay 1 (losslessly) and onwards to Dac via Wireworld Silver Electra 7 i2s HDMI cable
SPEAKER CABLES
Biwired: Duelund DCA10GA (Bass) Duelund DCA16GA (mid & treble) Duelund 12DCA used as jumpers (On "Blackcat Cable" Chris Sommivigo's advice - Yup, it sounds better)
INTERCONNECTS
All Balanced: Ghost+ recording studio XLR cables