dCS Verdi Encore CD transport with DSD upsampling - I like my computer better!

[JSTpt1022]

That Sonic poster on the left is vintage! Brings back memories...

[Patrick82]

Originally Posted by Wmcmanus

The Salman Rushdie book is an interesting prop as well.

Patrick, I was also wondering if you've run low on your supply of ERS paper? Your system is starting to look positively normal. What gives with that?

I don't use ERS Paper for my transports anymore because I like the sound of transport jitter combined with neutrality from the rest of the system.

ERS Paper around the headphone cable and around the DAC's power cord gave the biggest improvements in dynamics I have ever heard. ERS Paper for the transport only gives higher resolution and more bass, but it makes it too grey and smooth. It doesn't sound like real life.

Tweaks that improve dynamics makes it blacker and whiter with more low-level detail and extended frequencies, it also sounds many dB louder, it's great! Wrapping the headphone cable with toilet paper rolls and ERS Paper did this, remember the ERS Paper needs to be separated at least 1cm from the cable, otherwise it sounds worse.

[Patrick82]

Originally Posted by Patrick82

The Quintet didn't fix the noise problem. I guess I need to live with it.

But I noticed that the sound quality of the Verdi Encore improved from plugging it into the Quintet. I heard a quieter and calmer background. Now the Verdi sounds better than the computer so that's a good thing.

I also found that the biggest improvement came from putting the Quintet between the wall and Premier Power Plant which is powering the Elgar Plus DAC. A new world of low-level detail opened up.
I also got an improvement when I put the Quintet on top of Magix, I was surprised!

With daisy chained power conditioners it sounds a little too warm, but the noise from the Verdi compensates for it to give synergy. When the Verdi is turned on, the thin transients sound whiter and more emphasized, but it sacrifices a little low-level detail to get it, however, since the daisy chained power conditioners give an overkill of low-level detail, this doesn't bother me. I can now keep the Verdi turned on!!

I don't like the Verdi Encore anymore. I'm hearing a huge improvement in low-level detail from switching it off. What's the point of having low jitter CD transports if they make the rest of the system worse? The digital cables are unplugged and the Verdi is plugged into a Quintet with Virtual Dynamics Genesis power cable. I don't know what is the reason for the edgy sound.

I guess I'm going to try to sell the Verdi and build a new computer transport with ST Glass output.

[Patrick82]

I added 3 Feet of Silence under the 4 Magix levitation feet, it didn't fix the problem of Verdi. I still got harshness in the sound whenever I turned the Verdi on.

Then I plugged in the digital cables between Verdi and Elgar. The brightness was horrible. The digital cables are about 75% of the brightness and the AC noise is about 25%.

Then I plugged in my Cary CD transport and connected it to Elgar with a cheap RCA cable. When I turned on the Cary I got little more brightness, but I was surprised that the Cary gives less noise than the Verdi.

Then I moved the Verdi from the Quintet into the Premier Power Plant which the Elgar DAC uses. I was surprised that the further increase in brightness wasn't as big as I thought. Normally when plugging in extra gear into the Premier it makes it horribly bright and fatiguing because of more distortion inside the Premier. But it wasn't too fatiguing. I also found that using the MultiWave for the Verdi gave a cool sound signature similar to Oyaide 037 connectors.

When turning the Verdi on it sounds harsh and fatiguing. But when putting the Verdi in standby it makes the computer sound very clean, smooth and white. There is whiteness all over the music and it comes from fat Valhalla power cord combined with jitter.
When listening to Verdi, it sounds more neutral but it doesn't really sound that good because of the noise problems. There is a lot of potential in sound quality in reference CD transports because of that reason. I don't know what the manufacturers are thinking when they design the components. Someone should make a proper functioning transport with optical connection.

The Verdi Encore + tweaks is $80k, and the computer just uses a modified Valhalla power cord and Magix levitation feet for $4k. Which of these transports is better overall I don't know yet, but I like the flavor of the computer better. People who say it's insane to plug a Valhalla power cord into the computer, think again. The Valhalla veils out the edginess to make it smooth and white, and with the Toslink connection, it makes it sound very clean.

[Patrick82]

I let the Verdi warm-up for a day and it helped a bit, but the difference wasn't as big as with computer warm-up.
I couldn't fall asleep because of the loud transformer humming. It sounded like a car engine. I had to put ear plugs on.


Toslink experiment

I unplugged the digital cables between Verdi and Elgar. Then I used a Toslink cable from the Verdi and listened to the Verdi, then I switched to Toslink with computer. Computer + Toslink sounded better than Verdi + Toslink. My Elgar DAC says 16/44.1 when using Toslink from Verdi and 24/44.1 when using Toslink from computer (EMU0404). That might have something to do with it.

Then I plugged the digital cables back in and listened to the Verdi. Even with the extra noise the Verdi + Firewire + word clock has more low-level detail than computer + Toslink. But the computer doesn't have as many tweaks as the Verdi has, and the computer has the fat Valhalla power cord which cuts off those low-level details, with the same power cord and tweaks they might have the same performance. So I'm going to sell the Verdi then.


RGC-24 Ground Conditioner

I was wondering why the Verdi sounds edgier than before, and why plugging in the digital cables made a bigger difference than ever before. Then I realized that I didn't have any RGC-24 Ground Conditioners plugged into the back of Verdi! I used to have 8 plugged into Elgar DAC and 2 into Verdi. Now I have 9 of them plugged into the Elgar DAC and none into Verdi, this way all the noise from Verdi go through the digital cables into the DAC!
I had an extra RGC-24 on my shelf (I have tweaks all over my room like candy of an obese man), so I plugged that into the rear of Verdi and got smoother sound!!!! The harshness was greatly reduced!! OMG what a tweak!

I unplugged it and got harsh sound. I plugged it back in and got smoother sound OMG!
Then I moved one RGC-24 from my Elgar DAC and plugged it to the Verdi. I got little harsher sound. Then I unplugged it from the Verdi and it got even harsher! Then I moved it back to the Elgar and got the smoothest sound!

Using 9 for Elgar and 1 for Verdi gave smoother sound than 8 for Elgar and 2 for Verdi. I was surprised how huge the difference was! The grounding noise paths need to be optimized in the system, otherwise the noise infects other gear through the cables. I wonder if this was the problem all along.

RGC-24 Ground Conditioner is so good that I'm not selling the Verdi!!!

[883dave]

Patrick,

Have you ever set up an osilliscope to check the power in your room?

I wonder if you have some sort of power problem or excessive noise?

[Patrick82]

Originally Posted by 883dave

Patrick,

Have you ever set up an osilliscope to check the power in your room?

I wonder if you have some sort of power problem or excessive noise?

No I haven't tried it, but I have PS Audio's Noise Harvesters which detect and reduce the noise.

I have moved into a new apartment with a dedicated line for my room. My Noise Harvesters used to blink every few seconds, but now they blink about once a minute. So the AC noise in my new apartment is greatly reduced.

I tried to turn off my computer and LCD but didn't hear a difference. But whenever I turned on the Verdi, I heard a difference. I found this thread: That night and day thing the cable skeptics fear...

[Patrick82]

Originally Posted by Patrick82

Which of these transports is better overall I don't know yet, but I like the flavor of the computer better.

After I warmed up the Verdi Encore for 5 days it's now better than the computer. Warm-up makes a huge difference, the bass is so heavy it sounds like my headphones are going to break! It's crazy!
I listened to Verdi first, then I switched to computer and it sounded incomplete, veiled, boomy and edgy. The low-level details were lost in the background.

The reason that the Verdi is better is because of the Virtual Dynamics Genesis power cable which increased both blackness and whiteness and gave more low-level detail. I don't think the Genesis is a good match for the computer because then it would become too bright and fatiguing. The Genesis works best for low jitter transports.

Verdi + stock power cable gave thin and grey sound. Verdi + Genesis power cable gives heavy and clear sound.

Like I did with Valhalla power cord, I have once again built my system around my power cables. With Valhalla the best match was Benchmark DAC1 and ICEpower amp because Valhalla added boominess which compensated for the edginess. With Genesis the best match is a dCS stack because they are very smooth.

[selfdivider]

LOL. Reading this thread was like reading a short story! Congrats, Patrick.

Randerson: you have some great audio toys!

[randerson3024]

Originally Posted by selfdivider

LOL. Reading this thread was like reading a short story! Congrats, Patrick.

Randerson: you have some great audio toys!

Nice system. I heard Leben here in Singapore. I am thinking of getting an integrated for my AKG 1000's.