My 2019 Update Thread - My final system I think.

[Gazjam]

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.



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.

[Jimbo]

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.

[Gazjam]

You bet Jim.

Say to everyone,
if it’s something your curious about important to try it out in your own system.

[Pigmy Pony]

Liking the new avatar Gary, the one on the left has a look of Karoline Leavitt with a different hairdo.

[CageyH]

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.



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.

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.

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.

[Gazjam]

Liking the new avatar Gary, the one on the left has a look of Karoline Leavitt with a different hairdo.

Your not wrong!
Pursed lips and little rabbit poo in the snow eyes, just missing the fake crucifix around her neck.

[Gazjam]

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.

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.

It’s a combo that works really well I think.
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.

[Gazjam]

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!

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/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.

[Gazjam]

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[Barry]

You need to find an alternative to Imgur for your post to make any sense.