My 2019 Update Thread - My final system I think.

[Gazjam]

Very obviously better Alan,
Even 'fresh out the packet' its far more open with better realism and timbre.

Be interesting after 50 hours or so on it,
Noticing it opening up after 5 albums or so already.

Not overthinking it,
Vinyl sounds like it should again.

Happy Days.

[brian2957]

I really need to pay you a visit mate. Been a bit busy of late but things hopefully getting a bit quieter soon

[Jimbo]

That looks like a very special cartridge Gary and I expect installing it was a white knuckle ride!

[Gazjam]

I really need to pay you a visit mate. Been a bit busy of late but things hopefully getting a bit quieter soon

[Gazjam]

That looks like a very special cartridge Gary and I expect installing it was a white knuckle ride!

Yeah James,
Especially after bending the stylus on the old one!

Heard from Paul Darwin at Rega,
curious what the "rebuild" entailed?
All parts except the perspex body replaced with new and the cart rebuilt from the ground up.

Basically a new cartridge, For about a third of the cost of a new one.
Shout out to Rega Customer Service and Loud n Clear Glasgow for looking after me again.

Bricks and Mortar stores are worth supporting folks.

[Gazjam]

Another wee Dac electrical noise reduction tweak being worked on today,

Post some pics later.

[Gazjam]

A lot of mods I've done to my Dac have been in lowering electrical noise, better transformers, the Stillpoints RFI cloth etc, but could more be done?

Turns out there was.
I only use the i2s input in the dac, all other inputs are unused.
I'm not using them, but they are always "switched on", what about USB being a notoriously noisy bugger, anything be done there?

If Im not using it, why not switch it off.
The XMOS Usb chip in the dac isn't the quietest, turns out there's a mod to fix that too.

USB input on the Dac is USB type B, same squared off connector you get on a printer cable.
Looking at the Pinout diagram, can see that Pin1 is the Voltage.



Is there any way to short the USB input I'm not using, so that its electrical noise is thrown to ground?

Turns out, Yes there is.
By connecting pins 2,3 and 4, and leave the 5V+ line floating, the USB input is shorted - and any electrical noise it generated is gone.

So set about making a Shorting plug:
Sacrificing an old Printer cable I got to work.

Cut cable and removed outer jacket


Shield removed and 4 wires seperated


5V+ line isolated, two Data lines and ground stripped back ready to be twisted together.
Got the Multimeter out and did a continuity check between pin 1 on the plug and the red 5V+ wire, just to confirm cable pinout wired properly before I went any further.




And the Final Product, might heatshrink it later if I can be arsed, can't be seen so probably not.




So plugged it in and
Yup,
Guys on PS Audio forums came through again.

Sound improvement in soundstage width and solidity thru the midband.
Everything just sounds clearer and more "hear through", Dac sounds more relaxed but there's more detail there now.
What you'd expect from lowering internal noise I guess, less to detract from the original sound.

Vocals and strings in particular stand out as clearer and better articulated in the mix.

Interestingly,
the MkII version of the Dac has inputs which automatically switch off when unused to avoid the problem this fixed.
Stan Beresford had this idea years ago with his automatic switching inputs, which at the time I thought was very cool.

Good use of a half hour of a Sunday.
This, and getting my Apheta 3 cart back on my turntable has been a good wee Hifi upgrade weekend.

[Wakefield Turntables]

Gary, how would you describe the sonic signature of the Apheta 3?

[Gazjam]

Gary, how would you describe the sonic signature of the Apheta 3?

Hi Andrew,

I'd describe it as very detailed but musical.
Everything in the mix gells well together as a whole,
but if you want you can focus in on one particular thing that's playing its easy, as separation and realism is really great.

Sum it up by saying you get lost in the performance and the hifi stuff takes care of itself.

[Gazjam]

I need better Hobbies

i2s/ HDMI Shorting plug, similar to the USB one I made.
Direct from the Dac designer,
Short pins 1-12 and it switches off circuitry on the unused i2s port and reduces electrical noise again.

This was a big one,
Vocals and electric guitar far more "in the room".

Nice

Unlike my 'brute' force' soldering, But had to link those pins somehow?
(no, its not tinfoil)