Run across the same thing, figured out it was the evening bourbon influence...*laffs
Difference in sound between day and night. Help!
Hello Guys,I'm having a pretty big difference in sound quality in my system between day and night.
During day time the system sounds very very nice, but during night time it sounds superb, amazing, incredible, I dont have enough accolades.
I have the Audio-GD R8 DAC, the Audio-GD Master 1 preamp and a Nord Acoustics Class D Power Amp (wich is a hell of an amp) and I think the most sensitive to AC Power noise/problems is the R8. I also have the Wyred4Sound USB Reclocker, but as it has a dedicated Swagman Lab Linear Power Supply, so I don't think it is the problem.
I also have the Bada 5600 Power Filter, three PS Audio Noise Harvester, DH Labs Power Cables and good connectors (Wattgate) on all the different parts of the system, but it seems to be not enough to better completely the AC Power deficiencies.
As anyone experienced the same and corrected it? How?
I prefer to keep the budget under 1.500 USD, so most of the Power Regenerators offered on the market (PS Audio, etc) can't be considered. What about the Dussun X800 Pure Power Supply Regenerator? Has anyone tried it or tried any Dussun product? There are a few pretty decent reviews of Dussun products on Internet, but not much.
I cannot install a dedicated Power Line for my system, I can only use the shared AC circuit.
Thank you!
During day time the system sounds very very nice, but during night time it sounds superb, amazing, incredible, I dont have enough accolades.
I have the Audio-GD R8 DAC, the Audio-GD Master 1 preamp and a Nord Acoustics Class D Power Amp (wich is a hell of an amp) and I think the most sensitive to AC Power noise/problems is the R8. I also have the Wyred4Sound USB Reclocker, but as it has a dedicated Swagman Lab Linear Power Supply, so I don't think it is the problem.
I also have the Bada 5600 Power Filter, three PS Audio Noise Harvester, DH Labs Power Cables and good connectors (Wattgate) on all the different parts of the system, but it seems to be not enough to better completely the AC Power deficiencies.
As anyone experienced the same and corrected it? How?
I prefer to keep the budget under 1.500 USD, so most of the Power Regenerators offered on the market (PS Audio, etc) can't be considered. What about the Dussun X800 Pure Power Supply Regenerator? Has anyone tried it or tried any Dussun product? There are a few pretty decent reviews of Dussun products on Internet, but not much.
I cannot install a dedicated Power Line for my system, I can only use the shared AC circuit.
Thank you!
52 responses Add your response
You can pick up a used Elgar on eBay for anywhere from $100 - $500, and spend less than $1,000 (including r/t shipping) getting it worked over by Ralph & co. at Atma-sphere, and end up with a power conditioner that might be superior to just about any sold today. I've owned a few and love them, the only caveat being that they're too noisy to house in your rack. You want to put it in your basement by your panel, wired inline wired inline with your dedicated circuit, or right underneath your system would also work. Maybe Ralph will weigh in with his thoughts. I have one more (worked up by Atma-sphere) than I need right now, it'll end up listed for sale when I get around to it, but DM if you're interested. |
https://www.thecableco.com/adept-response-ar2p.html You may want to try one of these. It upped the performance of my system. Reasonably priced as well. |
plga- What you are hearing is perfectly normal, and there is not a thing you can do about it. For the simple fact that anything you do to make it better in the daytime will also make it even better at night. There really is no way around it. If you are really trying to recreate your night time experience in the day time, the closest you can get is to flip off all the breakers. Don't merely unplug appliances. That helps but leaves all the wire in the walls still gathering up RFI like the great big antennae that they are and feeding it all right into your system. Flipping breakers physically disconnects a lot of that, with the resulting lower noise floor closely resembling what naturally happens late at night. Or you could get the Synergistic Research FEQ. And only run it in the daytime. Never at night. Otherwise.... see 2nd sentence above. Congratulations btw on noticing. Lotta guys never do figure this one out. Plenty more won't believe it even when you tell them. Audiophiles! Ha! Since you do notice however one thing you better not ever try, waiting up till 2am, flipping off the breakers, running a demagnetizer through all your cables, spraying (ordinary laundry) anti-static spray, demagnetizing your record, and then listening. You think you got problems now? Just don't do it. |
PS - If it isn't your amps warming up, I highly recommend the Furman units with LiFT and SMP. Here's the "low end" version: https://amzn.to/2MHvWHt If you need something a little larger: https://amzn.to/2MGb0Aw |
I've always noticed that music sounds better at night. I've wondered about the reasons... is it due to less use of the electric grid, less visual sensory input, less outside noise, or that I'm more relaxed in the evening and able to focus more on the music? I don't know. I'm not sure it's anything that needs to be corrected. |
Its not electrical if it was would not very early mornings and holidays also be great times since lower grid use. No its not its your brain you are more relaxed at night since in a pre sleep state you may also have inbided in a substance or have recently had supper all cause relaxation. But I know audiophiles only want to hear that its OK to buy something so buy whatever your going to buy its the audiophile way. Logic facts they just get in the way of a purchase. |
Is it actually dark/dim in your room at night and light during the day? If so could be at least part of it is you are less distracted and more focused on listening at night. Also could be you are less stressed/more relaxed when listening at night so you respond more positively. Don’t assume none of it has to do with you the listener. |
| Post removed |
Don't knock it till you try it there johnk, you have no idea what your talking about. First Running Springs Audio (passive)conditioner I bought I told no one in the family. My wife came in the room first day( not at night) and asked what did you buy " that sounds really good" she could careless about 2 channel audio. Even my kids noticed without telling them, they listen to music off there phone. Explain that one johnk |
Hi Paul For me the differences are too obvious to believe they are generated in my mind. I feel them all the time and in different hours in the night and at different volume levels and many times I felt them with out any previous expectactions whatsoever. It was like getting a nice unexpected surprise. There is some technical explanation and there must be a technical solución, at least a partial one. |
I don't know where you are located, but my conversations with Pat at SMcAudio in CA, revealed that their power showed significant changes as the day progresses. Late Evening and Early Morning being the time when power provided the best sound. So, it would seem that overall usage was related to sound quality. Here on the East Coast, I have not experience such a difference, thankfully. B |
Yea, I notice a difference in sound quality after midnight with or without a conditioner. When I first installed a good conditioner in my system and the music stopped for a split second in the middle of a sound it was so quiet I thought my amp blew, scared the hell out of me and I jumped out of my chair to shut the system down. |
geoffkait13,855 posts01-31-2019 2:09pmLess sunspot activity, less traffic (cars, subways, trains, buses), less RF. +1 |
Hi boxer12, Yes, I've tried a budget Power Conditioner, the Bada LB5600, and it made an improvement on the system, as changing the Power Cables did. Now I will have to analize buying a more expensive Power Conditioner or drink wine during day time as other suggested :-) The thing is I cannot borrow a Power Conditioner because there's no dealer where I live, so I have to buy it blind and this is an expensive and uncertain way to upgrade my system. |
I have dedicated AC service to my 2- custom designed audiorooms all running hospital grade outlets or better all outlet dedicated runs. I have my own transformer off a new main AC line to my property. I use Supra AC strips. I mention the changes in brain waves pre sleep as the main reason systems booze sex movies books etc can all be preceived as more relaxing at night is because your brain is relaxing. Even my systems sound better at night and its not do to AC line noise.I have never mentioned anything at all about line conditioning not working. Just stated the fact that the human brain goes into a pre relaxed state at night and that humans tend to fall for confirmation bias. |
I’ve noticed the same thing, OP. Music sounds better at night. There are a few things that might cause this: 1) Less businesses operating which otherwise make for dirtier power lines. 2) Your perception physically changes. Afterall, it’s night time - you need to be able to hear the jaguar in the bush because you can’t see it. Your brain is most assuredly making different neurotransmitters at night. 3) A better ground. (I actually put a lot of faith in this one even though I don’t have measurements.) When the sun shines on Earth, it excites electrons in the ground (this is called circadian “charge” or something like that name.) The dark side of Earth doesn’t receive this charge. The charge flows from light side to dark side - these are called tellurian currents. They are measurable at dusk and dawn. Of all the places you can be (light side, dusk, dawn or dark side) the dark side will have the least electrical activity in the ground. 4) Some combination of the above. 5) None of the above. Instead of fighting it, I’ve come to embrace it: “Oh, it’s night time, I bet my audio system sounds great! Let’s go listen.” |
As others have commented, it may be alcohol consumption that, among other things, makes music sound so much better. Want a real boost in perceptive audio performance? Smoke some good weed just prior. you will quickly pick out nuances in your favorite tracks that you've never heretofore noticed. Promise. Oh....do not drive while doing this or after. |
I have always noticed this, and have always attributed it to the lower ambient noise both external and internal, perceptible in the listening space at night. I believe that I become acclimated to ambient noise to the point where I am not always consciously aware of it, but I can still notice the difference in my perception of the music when the ambient noise floor is lowered. |
I’ve never tried to evaluate my system on a day V night survey, but I had a problem with a tripping circuit breaker. Ran a dedicated 20 amp circuit just for the preamp & power amp, only expecting the breaker to stop tripping. The soundstage depth, width, height, imaging, and bass slam was not anything I had heard previously. If you can’t run a dedicated circuit, perhaps you could try removing anything that isn’t audio related and plug them elsewhere. |
What you say jibes very well with my unusual experience. It was on Christmas Eve when we had deep snow and 0 temps. My system sounded so good that I stayed up all night listening. Without a doubt it's "The power grid"; meaning the broader power grid had almost no traffic. I have moved a number of times, and no matter where, there is a day and night correlation if you listen carefully enough, and what makes it even more significant is that it's better after midnight, but that difference is so close that some attribute it to a psychological difference. |
So I’ve also noticed the difference in sound between day and night. I easily picked up on it early on in this hobby and had never had anyone tell me about it before I had noticed. I actually started a thread about it when I noticed it and asked what was going on. Whats interesting is that a noticed a two fold difference on snowy nights. I didn’t know if that had to do with less ambient noise or with the ground being a better ground... maybe someone else could chime in about that? |
