[Wynnytsky]

Lampi's don't have i2s inputs and only USB and I2S support high bandwidth. So the amber3 result wasn't a huge surprise. However I was feeding terminator i2s (asio) and the group immediately preferred my switch to USB (asio). That was more damning to me.

I should have taken the opportunity to try coax and the vodka hdmi, but I was too into listening and we started swapping power cords.

 

[Monsterzero]

Ha...power cables IMHO should be the first thing one upgrades after the main components are on hand.
I purchased 3 of the C-Marc Lessloss power cables and the improvement in SQ was startling to say the least.

 

[Thenewguy007]

Lampi's don't have i2s inputs and only USB and I2S support high bandwidth. So the amber3 result wasn't a huge surprise. However I was feeding terminator i2s (asio) and the group immediately preferred my switch to USB (asio). That was more damning to me.

I should have taken the opportunity to try coax and the vodka hdmi, but I was too into listening and we started swapping power cords.

How was the comparison between the 3?

 

[Zachik]

Lampi's don't have i2s inputs and only USB and I2S support high bandwidth. So the amber3 result wasn't a huge surprise.

The USB input is being internally converted to I2S by the Amber 3, before being fed into the DAC itself. I guess if I2S was an option - it would bypass this USB-->I2S stage...

 

[Wynnytsky]

The one on the right ($800 mad scientist) had the lightest touch, leaving things more intact, and that's a good thing if your conditions are ideal, but you could only know that by evaluating these cables. The Verastarr in the middle had more impact (ie: more filtering), and the $3k synergistic research [for digital] had greatest impact depending on which combination of capacitors you used. My friend said it's giving him amazing results on his LPS. It's asking price on the synergistic is $800.

What's not in my pic is the triode labs 7plus, which I'm really digging. @Monsterzero litz recommendation is higher end -- will add that to my hifishark search list.

 

[Zachik]

Ha...power cables IMHO should be the first thing one upgrades after the main components are on hand.
I purchased 3 of the C-Marc Lessloss power cables and the improvement in SQ was startling to say the least.

I will do some testing on my Amber 3 with the C-Marc vs. my MUCH MUCH cheaper power cable tomorrow......

 

[Monsterzero]

The Verastarr in the middle had more impact (ie: more filtering),

Mikey Powell of Verrastarr does some magic in his cables,adding a mix of crystals and stone pebbles into the plug cavity.
Ive yet to hear one of his creations,though I'd like to.

 

[Wynnytsky]

I will do some testing on my Amber 3 with the C-Marc

you've got that in your possession?

Ive yet to hear one of his creations,though I'd like to.

I can't wrap my head around the prices of these wires, but if one pops up @25% retail, and I can hear it in my system first, then it has my attention.
That's how it went with the triode labs on the di20he and the veratarr is carrying the r2r7 nicely.

 

[Zachik]

I will do some testing on my Amber 3 with the C-Marc

you've got that in your possession?

I got 1 C-Marc as a loaner. Going to ship it back very soon, but will experiment with it tomorrow on my Amber 3.

 

[rsbrsvp]

Has anyone tried the SOTM tx-USBultra before the D-20HE?
Is it an improvement or degradation or a lateral move???

Also- even if it is an improvement- what if you have an OXCO double oven clock attached to the DI-20HE; is the SOTM still an improvement?

I would appreciate any comments for those who have tried it..

 

[Zachik]

@Wynnytsky - I have spent couple hours today, swapping back-and-forth between my cheap-but-good-quality hospital-grade power cord ($11 from Amazon), and the C-Marc power cord.
The C-Marc is VERY impressive in terms of look and feel. No doubt about that!
In term of sound, when plugged to my Amber 3 DAC - I could hear a small improvement. I think the sound was a little smoother. Noise floor might have been a hair lower.

My conclusion:
Improvement is there, but it is small, and a very personal decision (as usual) whether or not that improvement is worth $1,000 or so.

 

[Wynnytsky]

a friend get's his Aries2 in March and hopefully there will be a round #2 with some of the same gear.

adding a mix of crystals and stone pebbles into the plug cavity

uh oh that sounds remarkable familiar.

if you never let a Swede take a dump on your DAC then you really can't knock it, can you?

Watching this guy was like watching the first reality show and not being certain if it was real or theater. The stuff Coconut Audio made was so funny but [in true comedic form] he never joked about it and had no shame even with the company's spectacular ending.

 

[ToddN]

Has anyone tried the SOTM tx-USBultra before the D-20HE?
Is it an improvement or degradation or a lateral move???

Also- even if it is an improvement- what if you have an OXCO double oven clock attached to the DI-20HE; is the SOTM still an improvement?

I would appreciate any comments for those who have tried it..

I continue to keep my fully optioned SOTM tx-USBultra before my D-20. Both are clocked by a Mutec Ref10 and feed my Chord M-Scaler/Dave combo with a DH Labs 110ohm AES with a 110 to 75ohm AES to BNC adapter at the M-Scaler end. It and the external clock still add additional resolution, mainly in micro details of the recording, giving a more precise view of the soundscape, improving width, depth, placement, density and decay.

I’m always stunned when there is still more information to be retrieved In an already extremely resolving system! This is through a 115db/W horn system in a 20’x 35’ sound room. I just can’t get over a soundstage that is so full and dense with no gaps in the 15’ width between the speakers! I could not be more pleased with the purchase of the D-20, which replaced a Gustard U16.(both out performed USB input of the M-Scaler) I opted to go with the D-20 and not the HE, since my system runs off the grid from a battery powered pure sine-wave inverter.

Hope that helps.

 

[rsbrsvp]

Is there anyone using the DI-20 who has tested an external clock and who prefers the built in clock over the external clock???

 

[BlakeT]

Lampi's don't have i2s inputs and only USB and I2S support high bandwidth. So the amber3 result wasn't a huge surprise. However I was feeding terminator i2s (asio) and the group immediately preferred my switch to USB (asio). That was more damning to me.

I should have taken the opportunity to try coax and the vodka hdmi, but I was too into listening and we started swapping power cords.

Hi Wynnytsky,

Just a quick point of clarification here.. .... you are saying your group preferred the sound of the Termi using its USB input over the sound of the Termi using the Termi's i2s input through the DI-20?

My wallet hopes that is what you are saying