Audio hobby complete - tweaks are great - Page 9

Length of Valhalla cables, longest for transport, shortest for the rest!

I cut holes into the walls and they forced me to move to another apartment. So I started disassembling my system. My DAC and amps are plugged to Premier Power Plant, my computer to another outlet with extension strips. My Cary CD transport was plugged into the Premier too but I found out it made it worse overall!






It sounded open and quiet with more whiteness and less low-level detail. The whiteness was emphasized and it was fatiguing. I didn't expect to hear a huge difference like this! It sounded almost as bright as my untweaked computer + fat Valhalla. The difference from books seems to be bigger than different power cord thicknesses.




The Cary doubles the wattage draw of the Premier Power Plant. I found that the Cary made everything worse overall even when it had less jitter than computer!
When I put the Cary in stand-by I got silkier sound. When I turned it back on it sounded bright and fatiguing, the resolution was cut in half. When I unplugged the Cary it sounded even silkier.

To use the Cary again I would need a dedicated Premier Power Plant for it. So I unplugged the Cary and boxed it up. Computer is my main transport now and I move all the tweaks to it.

Using extra boxes for the audio system hurt the sound more than improved it. High wattage sources are only good for loudspeaker systems because the speakers take hundreds of watts and the distortion masks everything anyway. But with headphone systems the difference between a 10 watt source and a 30+ watt source is huge!

18 months ago when I used high wattage power amp and CD player it sounded muddy and edgy. But when I downgraded to 1/10th wattage Benchmark DAC1 and ICEpower amp it sounded very clean and smooth with more details.





I let the ground noise travel through the whole system using a single point ground instead of my normal star ground, I did a few combinations and they were all bad compared to star grounding, they all made it grey, bright and dull, when putting the star ground back it sounded blacker, smoother and clearer!
The worst brightness came when the computer noise traveled through the DAC. Brightness normally gives an illusion of blackness, but it was so bright and cold that it was masking all that blackness, I was hearing the same icy sound signature as when you leave headphone drivers unused for a few hours in the winter. It didn't sound like the snowy Valhalla signature because the sound was harder and edgier like ice!






Bass was gone and the midrange emphasized. The synergy was gone and I had to stop listening.





It sounded brighter and the resolution was cut in half. Synergy was the same but it sounded very fatiguing. The difference from books on top of Premier seemed to be bigger though.





The synergy was back! The bass was back and everything sounded flat without any emphasis anywhere. I was more impressed of the books than from 20 sheets of ERS Paper.

It sounded very good but after half an hour the brightness gave me a headache. ERS Paper was still needed!





































1) Changed from 44cm Valhalla interconnect into 15cm.
2) Between Premier Power Plant and Toroid of DAC1, changed from 1m Valhalla power cord into 55cm.
3) Added 3rd step vibration isolation for amps.
4) Switched Rack of Silence and Feet of Silence between Premier Power Plant and DAC1.
5) Removed Cary CD transport.
6) Removed all grounding.
7) Removed 20 sheets of ERS Paper above system.
8) Changed Power Port in wall to stock outlet.
9) Added Schuko adapter to the wall.
10) Changed from 4 to 3 Magix for Premier Power Plant.
11) Suspension shelf doesn't have enough springs so it isn't working.

Step 1-5 made it better and step 6-11 made it worse.

Impressions: The shorter Valhallas made it sound heavier and stronger with more low-level detail and bass. But it sounded so warm that it was unbearable. The combination of extra low-level detail and warmth gave the illusion of noisy and dull sound. It sounded too brown.





Based on previous impressions the best combination is short power cords for amp and DAC and the longest for the transport. My computer was using 1 meter Valhalla power cable and I changed it to 4 meters.

Impressions: It sounded clean and the problem was solved! The reduction of detail and dynamics was very small.





Impressions: The transients were sandier, sharper and smoother. The bass was stronger (faster and heavier). There were greater dynamics, it sounded both blacker and whiter at the same time. There was more low-level detail, the vocals had more information in them and it sounded more realistic because they were fuller. ERS Paper is so good that if it didn't puncture my lungs I would eat it every day!



Improvement from old apartment: There was more low-level detail and they were also thicker than before. It sounded both quieter and louder at the same time. The dynamics made me sick and my brain got swollen from it. The reason for this was shorter Valhalla cables because they don't veil the sound as much.






After I burned in my system for 106 hours it sounded too warm again.
I needed to add brightness somewhere but I didn't want to mess with the DAC and amp because the overall improvement was as big as when I wrapped my headphone cable in ERS toilet paper rolls!

For my computer I'm using 2m 1x16awg, 1m 1x16awg, 1m 5x16awg. I have a JuiceBar with 3 Noise Harvesters between the thin and fat Valhalla.

1) Removed the fat Valhalla from the signal path. Plugged the JuiceBar + Harvesters with a stock cable into the same extension strip as Valhallas are plugged into.

Impressions: It sounded whiter and blacker with fake transparency and less bass. After a few minutes the brightness gave me a headache! The transients were emphasized and edgy. Removing the fat Valhalla didn't give as much detail as I had hoped because the brightness was masking it.


2) Changed the 1m thin Valhalla into the 1m fat Valhalla so the total length was still 3 meters.

Impressions: It still sounded too bright but the brightness was smoother. Everything sounded heavier from the fat Valhalla! It sounded both warm and edgy which made everything appear more distinct. But it didn't sound clean enough.


3) Put back all Valhalla cables to make it 4 meters. But the JuiceBar + Harvesters were still plugged in further away from the computer.

Impressions: Cleaner with sandier transients, but it sounded too smooth, warm and dull. There was less detail but it sounded cleaner.


4) Original setting = Noise Harvesters close to computer.

Impressions: It sounded heavier with the Noise Harvesters closer. I liked this configuration the best even when it sounded too warm, so I had to fix the problem elsewhere...

Vibration isolation for computer and new grounding tweak!

Computer didn't have any tweaks because I used them all for Cary CD transport. But after I removed the Cary, I'm able to tweak my computer!

1) Put a Magix levitation foot under PSU of computer.

Impressions: New low-level detail I never heard before, it sounded deeper and quieter with more transparency. I heard details further away that I didn't know were there! Everything was full of hairy transients that were clearer and louder.


2) Removed Magix.

Impressions: Brighter and greyer. I couldn't hear the new details anymore because they were hidden in the background of the music. I didn't want to listen anymore, I needed Magix for my whole computer!


3) 3 Feet of Silence -> wooden board -> 4 Magix -> computer case. The PSU is on top of the same wooden board on top of a Magix also.

Impressions: Everything was smoother without being greyer! There was more transparency and hairiness that was quieter than ever before! The lowest level details are less cut off than before, the decay keeps going until it is very quiet. But the quietness isn't dull, it is clear.

After doing all of this my computer sounds better than my Cary CD transport ever did. I believe it's because I was able to separate the power supply and soundcard from each other using Magix levitation feet.






















My system sounded better than ever, but nothing was grounded anywhere because this new apartment doesn't have a ground.

I was going to buy a graphics card but bought a RGC-24 Ground Conditioner with the money. One RGC-24 made almost as big difference as star grounding to the wall with Valhalla power cords!

1) Connected the DAC1 ground wire to RGC-24.

Impressions: Whiter, blacker, clearer, sharper, tighter bass. Bigger soundstage, more space, smoother and less fatiguing. More realistic.

The bass got pushed into the background because it was less boomy, the rest of the sounds became more detailed.

There were more transients than before and they were clearer, whiter, smoother and more distinct than before.


2) Disconnected RGC-24

Impressions: Something was covering up all the transients. The boomy bass was more emphasized than the whiteness. It sounded veiled.


3) Connected RGC-24

Impressions: The bass got pushed into the background again and everything was clearer. The bass was tighter and still more distinct than before even when other sounds were in front of it.


The transients with RGC-24 were the most amazing ever. With ERS Paper and Magix the transients become like fine sand, but they sacrifice blackness with greyness which makes it sound dull and dry. But with RGC-24 the greyness turns into blackness and the sand becomes even finer without becoming drier. It sounds like getting sprayed by liquid, but it isn't brown spray, it is clear spray.

RGC-24 makes more positive improvements than ERS Paper and Magix levitation feet, but it also gives the smallest value for the money. After a couple days I borrowed some money from the bank and ordered 10 more of these. I won't be able to buy anything else for many years... That's how good RGC-24 is, it's my new favorite tweak!










The suspension shelf under Magix and Premier Power Plant wasn't suspended so I added an extra spring to lift it up.

Impressions: Heavier and faster bass! The thickness is fatiguing. The improvement is similar to a Noise Harvester, it makes everything sound bigger. The improvement from proper suspension under Magix was bigger than one RGC-24.

Night and day warm-up in 5 days!

I have done a few more warm-up experiments and it further confirms my impressions.


November 17 2007, 14.00: Made solder joints for interconnects and power cords. Turned system on and off a few times in a day.


Warm-up cycle #1

November 18 2007, 16.36: Turned on system


December 1 2007: It sounded heavy, fast and loud.

Turned off system for 3 hours

Warm-up cycle #2

December 1 2007, 19.28: Turned on system: It sounded very weak, quiet, harsh, smooth and open. I thought something was broken in my system! Music sounded off-sync because the headphones were cold, it was quiet and jittery. It sounded like listening to mono recordings instead of stereo, the soundstage was very narrow but still open.


Over a week period it sounded different every day. After a week of warm-up the magic started happening.

December 9 2007, 02.20: Faster, heavier and sharper than ever before. Low-level bass transients were amazing.

December 9 2007, 02.30: Turned off system for 6 minutes

Warm-up cycle #3

December 9 2007, 02.36: Turned on system: Veiled, open, thin and smooth, everything was brighter than before but the veil was covering it up which made it appear harsh instead of bright. The blackness was gone and the low-level details were cut off. The lack of dynamics made everything sound flat and white. That whiteness was fatiguing after a few minutes.

The transients were emphasized because the bass was missing, but the transients sounded broken. Everything was less distinct than before. The deep layers of soundstage were gone, only the surface layers were audible.

Since the headphones were still warm, it sounded boomier than the last time the system was cold. It sounded horrible and I didn't want to listen to music anymore.


December 12 2007, 07.00: Still veiled but little whiter, blacker, smoother and with a bigger soundstage.


December 13 2007, 00.01: It sounded cleaner and smoother, similar to a gold plating sound signature. The harshness was starting to go away... I heard new sounds in the music but it was still boring.


December 14 2007, 01.40: There was way too much bass and warmth. It sounded darker but there was too much thickness and muddiness. It was fatiguing.


In a 5 day period it went from fatiguing brightness into fatiguing warmth, that's how big the difference from warm-up is! After a week warm-up it is hard to turn off the music because it sounds so good, but in the first 5 days I can't listen for more than half an hour because I get fatigued.

In the beginning of each cycle it sounded better than the beginning of the last cycle. This is because the solder joints are still burning in! I wonder if the system really needs 5+ weeks of warm-up or just 2 weeks. The last time I tried 5 weeks the improvements were huge in the first 2 weeks but were subtle the weeks after that. I believe it's the solder joints, I hope so...

Pre-amp of DAC1 vs Foobar volume control

The difference between the built in volume control inside Benchmark DAC1 and Foobar is very small. They are equally good, they only have different flavors.

DAC1: Boomy and veiled from top to bottom The soundstage should be bigger but something is covering it up.
Foobar: Edgier and cleaner, but some information is missing. The low-level details are cut off too early, but they aren't veiled.

The low-level detail was the same overall. DAC1 sounded heavy and veiled, while Foobar sounded thin and transparent.

Premier Power Plant settings

Between 5 and 6 days warm-up the muddiness was reduced and it started getting more transparent.


After almost a year I finally hear a difference from the CleanWave function. The difference between sinewave and MultiWave is bigger than before also, I no longer need to bend under the table to see what setting is used, because I can hear it! Also for the first time ever, I could hear a difference with the display on and off.


CleanWave 60 seconds: The whiteness and blackness transformed into smooth transparency, everything got deeper.

After 72 minutes I did the 60 second CleanWave again and the difference was huge. I could also hear something subtle after 20 minutes.



Sinewave: Muddy, dull, lifeless, grey. Bass and highs sound empty. It is smoother which should make the soundstage bigger, but the soundstage didn't improve.
MultiWave: Whiter, clearer and emphasized highs. More space and cleanliness in the midrange. Everything was more distinct.

Perhaps the MultiWave setting gives distortion and masks the dullness of the midrange, but I still like it more.



Display on: Brighter.
Display off: Smoother.

It sounds like the display uses around 1 watt when it's turned on. Because the difference was 30 times smaller than when I unplugged my Cary transport from the Premier.

RGC-24 Ground Conditioner

I wasn't expecting to get as big improvement as my first RGC-24, but I was surprised that I did.


From 1 to 4: Smoother and more transparent. Silkier highs but higher quality. Everything sounded a little thinner and leaner than before. I heard deeper into the recording. It was a similar improvement as when changing from Toslink into Nordost Valhalla AES/EBU, but smaller.


From 4 to 8: Smoother and more distinct. There was less whiteness of the transients which made them less emphasized. It sounded a little boring.


From 8 to 4: Whiter high frequency transients. It makes the background behind it appear emptier and blacker because of less low-level detail. I liked the sound of 4 more than 8, but I just needed to get used to the sound of 8...


From 4 to 8: Less whiteness in the highs. Less emphasis of transients. More depth. Everything is more distinct without anything being emphasized.


From 8 to 11: I didn't seem to hear a further improvement, but I didn't switch back and forth because it would have taken too long.


1 vs 11: It sounds very weird. It's both heavier and thinner, sharper and smoother, louder and quieter... I'm not hearing any sound signatures anymore.

• More bass information that is very quiet, but it isn't thin and veiled like from other tweaks, it's thick and detailed. There are more bass transients and they are heavy.
• High frequencies are thinner and they have more information in them.
• More separation and clarity of sandy transients, they aren't veiled and dull anymore.
• The ambient sounds are smoother than before, and the sounds in front are sharper than before.
• Everything is more distinct and none of the sounds appear to blend together anymore, there are multiple ambient sounds which I previously though was only one sound.
• More low-level detail everywhere, more resolution.
• Soundstage is deeper.
• Less boominess and fatigue. More transparency, neutrality and realism.

Conclusion: Connecting 11 RGC-24 into my Benchmark DAC1 made the most positive improvement out of any tweak I have ever done, but it also made the smallest differences.







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Yes, it's a virtual ground that is closer than the forest! A few years ago I dreamt of Valkyrja speaker cable running into the forest, but an animal had chewed it broken so I didn't like that grounding tweak.

Like with all tweaks, the more the better!

http://www.acoustic-revive.com/engli.../rgc24_01.html
It the noise becomes 83.3% after every RGC-24 that is added. Then adding 11 transforms 900V/m into 121V/m, whatever that means. But the number gets smaller with more tweaks!

I have all my RGC-24 connected to Benchmark DAC1 because I don't want to turn off my warmed up system. The next time I will solder them to my amps!

Warm-up is real! Bigger difference than phlegm!

My body got infected with a virus and I couldn't listen to music because there was too much phlegm all over the place. I didn't listen for 7 and half days! Now my ears are still blocked with phlegm but I'm hearing more low-level detail than ever before!! The difference between 10 days and 17 days warm-up of the system makes a bigger difference than ears blocked with phlegm!!

I didn't think the difference was this big before because I used to listen every day and I got used to the new low-level detail fast, so it felt like a small difference. But this time I didn't listen for over a week and I hear huge differences even when my ears are blocked with phlegm! It's amazing, I need to keep pausing the music to confirm if the new sounds come from the recording or from real life!

RGC-24 best tweak in audio!

Impressions2: The improvement in the bass is huge, I didn't hear differences like this when I experimented with grounding for the wall. With star grounding it got only smoother and clearer, but there was no difference in the bass, but with 11 RGC-24 the improvement in the bass was so big that it messed with the synergy in my system!

With 1 RGC-24 everything got clearer and more transparent but the bass got thinner. It was because the ground noise from the amps was drawn through the interconnects and went through the DAC1. I heard a similar bright sound signature when I experimented with grounding through the system.

With 11 RGC-24 the bass got huge. It sounds like they remove more ground noise than the system produces, so when the noise is drawn through the DAC1, it doesn't get brighter because the noise signal is very small. The longer the RGC-24 are connected, the smaller the noise signal becomes. After a burn-in period the bass becomes bigger.

Or perhaps the noise stream is smoother and more constant with multiple RGC-24, with only one of them you might get big waves of noise through the system because the system produces more noise than one RGC-24 can handle, so it keeps pulling more noise behind the stream and it produces a wave! With an overkill of RGC-24, no waves are produced, it's just a calm stream instead.
Having big waves of noise running through the system messes up the sound signal because the traces on the circuit boards are so close to each other, the bigger the ground signal the more brightness comes out from the speakers. It sounded like the resolution was cut in half. But with 11 RGC-24 plugged into the same component it is fine because the signal is smaller and more constant.

For the best effect the RGC-24 should be spread out all over the system and putting it where the noise builds up. There might be traffic jams or collisions of different signals which produces big waves, so the circuit board paths need to be kept clean by putting multiple RGC-24 for each noise producing component. But maybe if the noise is pulled in two different directions it creates resonance in the system. The noise signal gets confused and doesn't know which path to pick, and since the nervousness results in his body shaking, it infects the system with vibration! Perhaps a single smooth stream is the best because then there won't be traffic jams and waves all over the place, and there will be no confusion or resonance.

RGC-24 is the best tweak in audio because it gave greater differences than star grounding to the wall even when I lived one floor off the ground. With normal grounding the resistance is too high so big waves are built up behind the ground signal and not all noise from the system is removed. But with multiple RGC-24 the resistance is so low that there will be no waves to mess up the sound anymore. Instead of sounding bright and dull it sounds smooth and clear with more bass information.