Firestone BRAVO 24/96 USB transport w/o drivers + reclocker? - Page 3

DH is way too wet to my taste, VNP is hardly audible...it makes your brain happy yet is very very subtle

Ok so first I tried to DIY a cable w/ an Alcatel 75Ω dual shielded solid copper cable + 2x Real Cable RCA plugs...SQ was quite ugly tbh, the Monster sounded much better.

Then I hacked a multi-strand BNC/BNC professional video cable(75Ω 28AWG tinned-copper), still using those Real Cable RCA plugs, SQ is quite good tbh:

Until I get my Canare cable(Canare L-5CFB cable+RCAP-C5F  connectors), this will have to do

As you can see, I'm quite obsessed w/ ferrites cores coz my place is plagued by the neighbors wifi, I can easily catch +10 networks(also a reason why I like those Firestone discrete Faraday cages so much)

PS: after more listening, I still think that the best cable is the shortest...indeed: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/449885/usb-to-spdif-converters-shoot-out-emu-0404-usb-vs-musiland-monitor-01-usd-vs-teralink-x-vs-m2tech-hiface/195#post_6160539

strangely what was bothering me w/o crossfeed....was actually that 4ft THX Real Cable, I guess using a non-75Ω cable for S/PDIF is just a terrible idea

anyway, I should have the PSU tomorrow

very nice! yesterday I was reading how much of a poorly engineered interface S/PDIF is:

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/so-much-gear-so-little-time/172143-spdif-vs-word-clock-question.html

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/so-much-gear-so-little-time/471239-getting-bit-perfect-recording.html

but I've got no use for worldclock, and for that price you still don't get a proper PSU...and it still runs off proprietary drivers, and you still can't use the USB Isolator(which has been tested on that Tenor chipset).

ok, it's on:

I haven't listened to it yet...I think I'll only start doing some serious A/B comparisons when I get my USB Isolator, because it prolly only makes sense to use a clean PSU if you're blocking the dirty computer ground in the first place.

I'll also try this: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=370189785946

Hehe, I think the DPS on the Bravo gives the same SQ improvement as it did on the Spitfire...sound is far less harsh and much more dynamic, the SS is also much clearer. I'll do some serious DBT when I get the Isolator, but so far it sounds really really good

An SMPS is a nasty bottleneck for audio: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/410199/firestone-audio-supplier#post_5438537

PS: yes, the cd3k drivers just scale really really well....sky's the limit on those things

OK, got the dongle this morning:

The Bravo still works perfectly fine

And yesterday I was A/B'ing the wallwart against the DPS....I used an audiophile reference Focal-JMlab record, and the vocals were much thinner and edgy on the wallwart...no question about it. In movies, the SS is much clearer and I'm hearing tiny bits of audio I didn't even know existed....that's what a good PSU does for you, it doesn't blur tiny details...unlike an SMPS.

I haven't received my ebay USB adapters yet and there isn't enough room between the back of my computer and the wall so I'm forced to use an extension cable to use the USB Isolator atm..soon enough, it'll be plugged at the back of the Bravo w/ a short cable

I guess I should also mention that my computer is not grounded, and its ground is as dirty as can get.

Ah well, I've given up on the idea of the USB extension cable...I didn't like the sound

The Bravo is isochronous, so the shorter the better

I really like the sound of this cable, so I've simply added the dongle at the back of the computer: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250547392412

Once I get my A/B adapter and 5ft extension cord(same serie as the aforementioned link), I'll try that, as I think that I'd rather have the ground of the cable cleaned as well...interferences and all

Anyway, I'm listening to this...and the SQ is pretty darn amazing: http://www.amazon.com/Very-Best-MTV-Unplugged-2/dp/B00008J2IQ

I will A/B several times w/ or w/o the dongle, as the mfg has a 2 weeks return policy anyway...but so far it sounds like Seal, Bjork and Midnight Oil are standing in my computer room

I realize this dongle doesn't run on its own linear regulated PSU...that's what they told me about the built-in PSU:

well, my PSU has been measured to give 5mV of ripple on its 5V rail in idle: http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.canardpc.com%2Fdossier-36-450-Corsair_CX_400_Watts.html&sl=fr&tl=en&hl=&ie=UTF-8

I'm not sure a wallwart would do any better? Ideally I'd like to have it on a TREAD PSU, but I don't trust my DIY skills enough to start messing around w/ live 230V at this point

Having second thoughts: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/450632/diy-usb-cable/15#post_6312612

I might just put some tape on the VCC pin of the cable on the Bravo end...sounds like fun! I think GND is required for hotplug detection anyway.

Ideally, I'd have wanted to feed the USB Isolator w/ the 5V from the Bravo...but this is not a DIY device. Apparently you can do that on Oleg's USB Isolator.

EDIT: oops, the "Lock" LED on the Bravo doesn't light up if pin 1 is taped

Hehe, I fully agree w/ this statement: http://www.head-fi.org/forum/thread/492682/halide-design-bridge-async-usb-converter/15#post_6703350

I feel the exact same way, everything sounds so different! Even the wallwart/DPS also sound VERY different...so much for bit-perfectness hah 

And I really think that this USB Isolator has drastically increased the SQ indeed: http://www.circuitsathome.com/mcu/usb/usb-cable-of-my-dreams

But I'll be doing some serious A/B'ing over the week-end...yet, I've got a hard time putting the SQ improvement I'm currently hearing over voodoo magic

When that's done, I'll pop some AD797BR into my DAC for the full blown 3D SS experience