My cat tore up my Virtual Dynamics Power 3... - Page 42 - Head-Fi: Covering Headphones, Earphones and Portable Audio

IPodPJ · 02-09-2008, 03:02 AM

Originally Posted by Pars

Do a Google on "SPDIF sucks" or look at this to see why your digital cable might make a difference. And note that if the interface was done properly, that it shouldn't make one bit of difference.

Yep. Really great info on that site. The author is quite intelligent and explains everything very well. I've been saying for months now (in posts) how the clock signal is carried as analog. But then you just get the ignorant ones who don't bother doing any research on SPDIF and always say, "It makes no difference what cable you use. Digital is digital." But they too will eventually learn, just as we did.

Pars · 02-09-2008, 03:21 AM

Originally Posted by IPodPJ

Yep. Great info. I've been saying for months now (in posts) how the clock signal is carried as analog. But then you just get the ignorant ones who don't bother doing any research on SPDIF and always say, "It makes no difference what cable you use. Digital is digital."

That's just it... I wasn't validating changing the digital cable to "fix" the problem (well, other than a good 75 ohm cable with proper BNCs, and min. 1.5m in length). That is a band-aid...

You apparently missed (quite) a bit...

The Monkey · 02-09-2008, 03:24 AM

Originally Posted by IPodPJ

That's great reading and good advice. But something tells me that the response you might get would be, "Well we're a Canadian company."

Oh, Canada!

IPodPJ · 02-09-2008, 03:33 AM

Originally Posted by Pars

That's just it... I wasn't validating changing the digital cable to "fix" the problem (well, other than a good 75 ohm cable with proper BNCs, and min. 1.5m in length). That is a band-aid... You apparently missed (quite) a bit...

Well some of us can't afford $50,000 hi-fi systems.

The author's explanation really quantifies why a computer-based transport is so lousy, as it injects so much noise into the signal. What I can't seem to figure out yet is why my tinfoil mod has had the biggest impact on the sonics, moreso than the upgrade from an $80 digital cable to a boutique $2,000 digital cable. One member mentioned that it is essentially creating a Faraday cage around the cable, but it seems to be filtering out noise (and thus reducing jitter) from inside the computer itself.

I agree with you. S/PDIF is a lousy interface (compared to DSD) but it is still the industry standard so we have to make the best of it for now. The best solutions are the all-in-one-box transport (CD player)/DAC/high-end master clock units that are $10K and up. But unfortunately this is not convenient; media libraries have revolutionized the way we access our music. So it's a trade off.

IPodPJ · 02-09-2008, 03:35 AM

Originally Posted by The Monkey

Oh, Canada!

I'm so glad you have all of our best interests at heart.

The Monkey strikes again!

Ted Goldie · 02-09-2008, 03:46 AM

I like my Base Power cord which I bought for half price when VD was having the sale at Christmas. It is their cheapest model and I and my two sons feel just sounds better after several tests. This cord is very similar to the Power 3 cord, but about half the price. I know many here do not believe in power cords making a difference but I am a believer. I did some blind tests with my sons and they agreed with what I thought as well. I realize that it has sand blasting material in it, but it does sound better than the cord that came with my Darkvoice amp. Everything sounds more defined and the background for lack of a better word sounds blacker. Oh ya I do not have a cat so I hope the cable will last.

Pars · 02-09-2008, 03:49 AM

Originally Posted by IPodPJ

Well some of us can't afford $50,000 hi-fi systems. The author's explanation really quantifies why a computer-based transport is so lousy, as it injects so much noise into the signal. What I can't seem to figure out yet is why my tinfoil mod has had the biggest impact on the sonics, moreso than the upgrade from an $80 digital cable to a boutique $2,000 digital cable. One member mentioned that it is essentially creating a Faraday cage around the cable, but it seems to be filtering out noise (and thus reducing jitter) from inside the computer itself.

I agree with you. S/PDIF is a lousy interface (compared to DSD) but it is still the industry standard so we have to make the best of it for now. The best solutions are the all-in-one-box transport (CD player)/DAC/high-end master clock units that are $10K and up. But unfortunately this is not convenient; media libraries have revolutionized the way we access our music. So it's a trade off.

Good god... I didn't realize this thing was $2K...

I know I can't afford a $50K system (well, if I want to stay married). Let me just say that with a bit (OK, maybe quite a bit) of digging, there are alot more effective ways of solving your problem than plunking down $2K or whatever on a "special" cable. Only then to make a system change and find out the the "synergy" is not there anymore. And tinfoil...

Look at it objectively. Ask yourself, if you told a friend of yours (non-audio person), that you just spent $2K for a cable... would they look at you like you were crazy? Most people I know would if you told them you spent $2K for an entire "CD player"!

immtbiker · 02-09-2008, 03:51 AM

Last year, a bunch of us passed the word and bought a bunch of new Power 3's from Audiogon for $100.

dvw · 02-09-2008, 04:15 AM

Originally Posted by IPodPJ

Well some of us can't afford $50,000 hi-fi systems. The author's explanation really quantifies why a computer-based transport is so lousy, as it injects so much noise into the signal. What I can't seem to figure out yet is why my tinfoil mod has had the biggest impact on the sonics, moreso than the upgrade from an $80 digital cable to a boutique $2,000 digital cable. One member mentioned that it is essentially creating a Faraday cage around the cable, but it seems to be filtering out noise (and thus reducing jitter) from inside the computer itself.

I agree with you. S/PDIF is a lousy interface (compared to DSD) but it is still the industry standard so we have to make the best of it for now. The best solutions are the all-in-one-box transport (CD player)/DAC/high-end master clock units that are $10K and up. But unfortunately this is not convenient; media libraries have revolutionized the way we access our music. So it's a trade off.

No need to spend $50K or $2K for the cable. Here's the chip that will do the job.

http://www.cirrus.com/en/pubs/proDat.../CS4350_F1.pdf

IPodPJ · 02-09-2008, 07:25 AM

Originally Posted by Pars

Good god... I didn't realize this thing was $2K...

I know I can't afford a $50K system (well, if I want to stay married). Let me just say that with a bit (OK, maybe quite a bit) of digging, there are alot more effective ways of solving your problem than plunking down $2K or whatever on a "special" cable. Only then to make a system change and find out the the "synergy" is not there anymore. And tinfoil...

Look at it objectively. Ask yourself, if you told a friend of yours (non-audio person), that you just spent $2K for a cable... would they look at you like you were crazy? Most people I know would if you told them you spent $2K for an entire "CD player"!

If you read the thread, you'll see that I won it from a contest they had. I would never have that much to spend on a cable, even though they sell it for half of that price. But after spending a good amount of time so far listening with it, I would never want to be without it. This is one reason I can't upgrade to an Azure 840c player/DAC yet; the expense of the player plus interconnects plus power cord is way more than I will have any time soon. Luckily my recent mod has made my system sound so much better than I ever thought it capable of, so I'm perfectly content with it the way it is right now.