BTW, its not a magnetic charge, its static charge. The degausser evidently bleeds it off. I know that removing static charge helps, however you do it. Some people put the disk on a large solid piece of grounded metal.
Steve N.
Empirical Audio
Looking for Better Jitter Reduction in a DAC
I'm looking to improve the jitter control in my digital setup, which hopefully will create a more analogue presentation. I own a PS Audio PW Memory Transport, which sports a FPGA, and a Nuwave DSD DAC with a scaled-down version of the gate array.
I have owned a Chord which uses this technology and it was like listening to analogue recordings. I sold it only because it's soundstage was very forward, like sitting in the front row of a concert hall. My current PS Audio setup has wide and deep imaging, as does my Atma-Sphere preamp.
I have auditioned the Schiit Grundir and it was a bit too fast in the attack and transients, but had the dynamics and deep imaging that I like. So, I guess what I'm looking for is a unit with a laid-back, realistic musical presentation.
The Mytek Digital Stereo192 DSD and Blue Circle DAC are in my price range, but there is no way to audition them.
So any recommendation and advice is appreciated. DSD preferred, budget is about $1200 used.
I have owned a Chord which uses this technology and it was like listening to analogue recordings. I sold it only because it's soundstage was very forward, like sitting in the front row of a concert hall. My current PS Audio setup has wide and deep imaging, as does my Atma-Sphere preamp.
I have auditioned the Schiit Grundir and it was a bit too fast in the attack and transients, but had the dynamics and deep imaging that I like. So, I guess what I'm looking for is a unit with a laid-back, realistic musical presentation.
The Mytek Digital Stereo192 DSD and Blue Circle DAC are in my price range, but there is no way to audition them.
So any recommendation and advice is appreciated. DSD preferred, budget is about $1200 used.
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- 146 posts total
Steve, interesting stuff about some DAC designs. This problem I'm having makes me keep thinking about grounding issues due to the harsh sound. As far as outside the components, there are no grounding issues; I've tried different IC's (single-ended system), changed PC's, and checked for broken grounds and ground potential with a meter. What is very curious about all this is that the I2I signal doesn't sound any better than the other connections; the ground and data travel separately in I2I. The reason I purchased an optical cable was to test it against grounded connections. Now I'm wondering about the quality of the output from the transport. It is a refurbished unit with warranty and I did send it back to PS Audio for a transport upgrade and I have tried 2 different versions of firmware. Maybe borrowing a DAC is the only way for me to perform a proper test. |
Ground-loops don't generally cause harshness, only HF background noise. Some reclockers provide galvanic isolation, so eliminates ground-loop. Cables make a big difference and you should be using the best I2S or the best S/PDIF you can get, without breaking the bank. The problem with virtually ALL transports is that the S/PDIF output signal has a fairly long risetime. This makes it jitter-prone at the receiving DAC, and makes the requirement of at least a 1.5m long cable. Faster risetime from a computer converter or a reclocker will reduce added jitter, but requires a really good impedance match at driver and receiver and the cable. Steve N. Empirical Audio |
Try this... https://www.mutec-net.com/product_mc-12.php https://www.mutec-net.com/product_mc-3-plus-usb.php These unholy units interconnect anything to everything and have super clocking systems. I know you say USB is secondary, but these system's drivers ensure bit-for-bit transfer through Windows kernel. I have the 1.2 on order..... I am connecting an Accuphase DP55v CD player with digital ins to my computer (Foobar, bit-for-bit library from a home server). I contacted Accuphase a long time ago and they noted their unit does not re-clock the incoming signal so I need one of these. Long history.... I used an Audio Alchemy DTI Pro 32 for computer to DAC interface but these new Mutec units are far superior in their jitter is lower, connect more things, and pass more sampling rates. The unit has plenty of in/out options.... It looks like I can use it to A/B tons of grear as a side benefit. Peace Bruce in Philly |
- 146 posts total