Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Feb 25, 2022 12:41:24 GMT
Incoming…. (Might not be that appropriate after the events of yesterday). Ah, yes.....but still, did you get a Pre90? |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 25, 2022 13:01:36 GMT
I got a green light.
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Feb 25, 2022 13:11:38 GMT
Top stuff from Mrs Cagey. Looking forward to your thoughts on it. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 25, 2022 13:57:10 GMT
If it is really good, I am going to have to think long and hard about DIYing a pre.
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Post by antonio on Feb 25, 2022 15:28:23 GMT
Well done for biting the bullet.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 25, 2022 15:36:21 GMT
I got it for a good price, and the one I bought is only 4 months old.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2022 16:31:56 GMT
So the wee beastie arrived today.
I wasted no time in plugging it in. I think I now have a very neutral digital system. For about €400, this Pre90 is stupidly good.
My fears of it not sitting well in my system are over.
I still need to try the analogue through it though.
The annoying things:
The remote needs to be pounted accurately at the box.
The volume relay clicks are annoying.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2022 17:37:21 GMT
It has passed the vinyl test.
I am going to listen to it for a week or so, and then put the Kin back in, and make my mind up then.
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Feb 28, 2022 18:07:23 GMT
It has passed the vinyl test. I am going to listen to it for a week or so, and then put the Kin back in, and make my mind up then. This is excellent news. I am really pleased this is going so well! lol |
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Post by antonio on Mar 1, 2022 2:44:52 GMT
Great news.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2022 7:54:58 GMT
I have been looking at XLR cables.
Two have stood out for me.
Budget - Adam Hall Krystal cable. These are OCC copper, but with PVC insulation. Dirt cheap. Cheaper than making up an OCC cable myself. Probably about €10 a cable.
Zavfino Phono1877 Arcadia MkII - OCC copper cable, PTFE insulation and OCC contacts. €160 for a 1.5m pair.
Do I honestly think an OCC conductor is going to make a massive difference? No. However, when my bonus comes through, I may treat myself. Then I know I have the best cables available, for the price I am willing to pay.
I may try the Adam Hall Krystal cables though, as they are pretty cheap.
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Bigman80
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AA Founding Member & Bigbottle Audio Creator
Posts: 16,358
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Post by Bigman80 on Mar 2, 2022 10:00:21 GMT
I have been looking at XLR cables. Two have stood out for me. Budget - Adam Hall Krystal cable. These are OCC copper, but with PVC insulation. Dirt cheap. Cheaper than making up an OCC cable myself. Probably about €10 a cable. Zavfino Phono1877 Arcadia MkII - OCC copper cable, PTFE insulation and OCC contacts. €160 for a 1.5m pair. Do I honestly think an OCC conductor is going to make a massive difference? No. However, when my bonus comes through, I may treat myself. Then I know I have the best cables available, for the price I am willing to pay. I may try the Adam Hall Krystal cables though, as they are pretty cheap. Why not try a PC-TRIPLE C Cable, K? |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2022 12:35:36 GMT
How much is a balanced XLR version of it?
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Mar 2, 2022 12:40:20 GMT
How much is a balanced XLR version of it? Get the cheapest RCA one you can and then convert it to XLR. Should t be crazy money |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2022 12:44:12 GMT
Zen market?
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Bigman80
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AA Founding Member & Bigbottle Audio Creator
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Post by Bigman80 on Mar 2, 2022 13:25:35 GMT
Yeah, look for used pairs on Y Auctions and buy through Zenmarket |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 5, 2022 15:42:42 GMT
Continuing on the threads from elsewhere, I had a fiddle with cables again.
Mogami Neglex W2549 - €3/m of basic microphone cable vs Elecaudio SC-221 OCC, a dual shielded EMI/RFI protection, audiophile grade interconnect cable (or so it claims on the jacket) at €19/m. There is a difference. It is not huge. But neither is the price difference.
€20/m is acceptable, especially as I already had the cable.
I could probably run the Mogami quite happily, as it may get better (it is brand new), but I have never been 100% convinced that a cable “burns in”.
If it sounds bad when you plug it in, it won’t get any better. You just get used to it. That is my theory, and I am sticking to it. However, as I have the Elecaudio cable, it would be daft to leave a technically inferior cable in my system.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 5, 2022 18:23:59 GMT
Just swapped back to the Elecaudio. Unfortunately, it is noticeably different and noticeably better.
I am still not chasing the PC-CCC dragon though.
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Mar 5, 2022 18:35:43 GMT
Just swapped back to the Elecaudio. Unfortunately, it is noticeably different and noticeably better. I am still not chasing the PC-CCC dragon though. What you dont know, won't hurt you. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 5, 2022 18:50:03 GMT
If the cable was easily available at reasonable prices, I may have given it a try.
But spending a large amount of cash on a cable, and then having to chop the plugs off…
Well that is just:
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Bigman80
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AA Founding Member & Bigbottle Audio Creator
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Post by Bigman80 on Mar 5, 2022 19:26:59 GMT
If the cable was easily available at reasonable prices, I may have given it a try. But spending a large amount of cash on a cable, and then having to chop the plugs off… Well that is just: I've looked absolutely everywhere I can and haven't managed to find the bulk cable. If I ever do, I'll share it here. |
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Post by sq225917 on Mar 5, 2022 19:35:54 GMT
Good news on the pre90, mrdog has one. In a Paradise, smsl400, benchmark ahb, quad 989 dual dsp sub setup. It's not outclassed and that's the most resolving full range system I regularly listen to.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2022 20:13:23 GMT
As I failed my challenge after two months, I decided I may as well sort out an internal DC blocker for my 686. I bought one of these: sjostromaudio.com/pages/index.php/hifi-projects/187-dct03-the-dc-trap-high-end-style-heavy-dutyA Sjostrom Audio DCT-03, the recommended Vishal Diodes and six large capacitors. I built it up, tested it and fitted it inside the 686 case. The transformers no longer hum, and I have not noticed any difference in the sound quality. The next question is do I start playing with XLR plugs, USB cables or coax cables next. And then there is the tonearm cable box etc. We just can’t stop fiddling in this hobby. |
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Bigman80
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Posts: 16,358
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Post by Bigman80 on Mar 8, 2022 20:55:28 GMT
As I failed my challenge after two months, I decided I may as well sort out an internal DC blocker for my 686. I bought one of these: sjostromaudio.com/pages/index.php/hifi-projects/187-dct03-the-dc-trap-high-end-style-heavy-dutyA Sjostrom Audio DCT-03, the recommended Vishal Diodes and six large capacitors. I built it up, tested it and fitted it inside the 686 case. The transformers no longer hum, and I have not noticed any difference in the sound quality. The next question is do I start playing with XLR plugs, USB cables or coax cables next. And then there is the tonearm cable box etc. We just can’t stop fiddling in this hobby. The hobby does not allow for "stopping" |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 13, 2022 8:32:09 GMT
I am still running the Webro WF100 between my BB3 and Pre90.. Maybe I am deaf, but there is little difference between this and my OCC interconnect.
If anything, the coax is more musical, and less HiFi. They cost about £20 for a 60cm pair to build.
Plugs are gold plated brass (I assume) the same that will be used in the recording studio, soldered with normal solder.
The subject got me thinking recently, as surely a system is only as good as the weakest link. The weakest link is likely to be the soldered joint, and as a cable can add nothing that was not already there, what does an OCC or CCC cable give us when the component tails are not copper, the PCB tracks are gold plated copper, what difference will a bit of fancy copper between normal copper plugs make?
I am not convinced that the benefit is worth the cost.
I still need to play around with the OCC vs Coax a bit more before Indraw my final conclusion.
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Post by antonio on Mar 13, 2022 9:06:33 GMT
Often wondered about solder myself and how much of an influence it has on the sound.
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Post by firebottle on Mar 13, 2022 10:46:07 GMT
It's a question of removing sections/items bit by bit that have a detrimental effect on the signal transmission.
Even having OCC with brass connectors has at least removed a lot of the grain boundaries in the actual wire. Replacing the connectors just provides another step but a full system is a lot of steps to the 'stairway to heaven'.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Mar 13, 2022 11:16:25 GMT
But how much affect do less crystal boundaries really have on an audio signal?
It is not like each one is a diode. Sure, they may make a difference, but it will be very small in the grand scheme of things.
As for OCC and CCC, surely we should be crimping the connectors, properly, rather than soldering?
I also do not believe that cryo treatments have an affect, once the material has warmed back up to room temperature.
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Post by karma67 on Mar 13, 2022 11:40:22 GMT
It's a question of removing sections/items bit by bit that have a detrimental effect on the signal transmission. Even having OCC with brass connectors has at least removed a lot of the grain boundaries in the actual wire. Replacing the connectors just provides another step but a full system is a lot of steps to the 'stairway to heaven'. with that said,you would think any occ cable would better any ofc. in my experience thats not the case.so how do you explain that ?
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Bigman80
Grandmaster
AA Founding Member & Bigbottle Audio Creator
Posts: 16,358
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Post by Bigman80 on Mar 13, 2022 11:45:12 GMT
It's a question of removing sections/items bit by bit that have a detrimental effect on the signal transmission. Even having OCC with brass connectors has at least removed a lot of the grain boundaries in the actual wire. Replacing the connectors just provides another step but a full system is a lot of steps to the 'stairway to heaven'. with that said,you would think any occ cable would better any ofc. in my experience thats not the case.so how do you explain that ?
Not all OCC is equal. Like many things, there are other factors involved in making a great cable. I have some OCC here that sounds horrible. The crystal structure is only part of the story However, they all sound inferior compared to these CCC cables I'm using. In my system and in my opinion. The SL-5000 makes angels weep with joy, but unless you want to spend £600 for a 1m cable and pull the plugs off........... |
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