[alpha421]

Has anybody here used a Schitt Wyrd or iFi iUSB with the Codex or something similar? Just want to determine if the Codex benefits from it or not.  Thanks in advance.

 

[yage]

  Has anybody here used a Schitt Wyrd or iFi iUSB with the Codex or something similar? Just want to determine if the Codex benefits from it or not.  Thanks in advance.

 
I tried an UpTone Audio USB REGEN and an AQ JitterBug on the Codex. No effect in either case.

 

[alpha421]

Thanks for that. Curious to know what USB and power chord you're using.

 

[cygnusx]

Thanks for that. Curious to know what USB and power chord you're using.

FYI...tried a few different power cords and usb cables...for me the one that came with the codex was good enough. I didn't hear much of a difference to care too much. I spoke to Alex over at Ayre about power cords, he also recommended staying with the standard cord. Remember, replacing the power cords could change the signature of the sound, but it may not be for the best. I notice that with a lot of power cables, the sound may sound good at first but then you realize that the sound is no longer neutral. I don't play around with power cables that much anymore. I did notice that a lot CD players benefit from a better power cable. Just wanted to share my observation.

 

[yage]

I used a power cord based on Chris VenHaus' designs (link here) - the flavor 1. USB cable was a no-name generic - Xinya is printed on the sheath. Interconnects were Analysis Plus Pro Oval Studio. The rest of the system is in my profile, if you're curious.

 

[KmanChu]

  Has anybody here used a Schitt Wyrd or iFi iUSB with the Codex or something similar? Just want to determine if the Codex benefits from it or not.  Thanks in advance.

The Uptone REGEN made a notable difference in my case. This might be because my computer is a totally non-optimized homebuild with no audiophile hardware tweaks. I am about to get a Sonore microRendu which may be a big improvement over the Regen.

 

[mink70]

I'm using a MacBook Pro with an SSD boot drive running the latest Audirvana + to send files to my Codex, and I found that both the Uptone Audio Regen and the AQ Jitterbug make huge differences to the sound. As does the choice of USB cables. Wish it weren't so, but it is. 

 

[alpha421]

Thanks.  I may pick up a Regen.  Already have  Jitterbug being used on my other system.

 

[cygnusx]

I will be giving these a try as well. Thx

 

[music_man]

alex said the same to me. use stock cables. so i use a aq diamond in front of a isub,ipurifier and jitterbug. i use a anaconda hx power cord that nearly pulls the codex off the shelf lol. i use crystal cable xlr and se.
 
the qx5 matters to me because of better clock, of course better sound i am sure, mainly two xlr,se and aes/ebu. i know the codex is budget for ayre but it is also too small to fit all that. the problem is i have no room for the qx5. i am not going to put it on the floor on it's side behind the door duh. i mean i could but that is plain stupid. i feel i built the finest system i could in a very limited amount of space and i do not really see what else i can do. i cannot put the qx5 right next to a loudspeaker either. i am not going to stack it on top of the 808 transport. not sure how i can fit it. i will certainly hear it at audio consultants but i will just feel bad then. it is odd to run out of space but not money. what a stinking predicament! j/k. well, if it is better than the msb diamond dac v i will get it for my main system. it will be very interesting if it is better. of course than i could be looking at media servers with nas storage with full oled displays and such. ahh ill figure it out i guess.
 
anyways, i feel cables and signal purification make a difference on any component. if it appeals to you is a different story.
 
edit: i just looked at the uptone. similar topology to the jitterbug for more money but i do not like that led on there. i mean known for noise. of course jitterbug does not claim to "generate a new signal" which is not exactly possible anyways and it seems i am looking at a very similar circuit layout. if you feel like bashing me it would be more helpful to point out if and why i am wrong about what i am looking at. of course i do not have a schematic but i have been around long enough to look at topology. also keep in mind the codex does not use +5v power. so you could stop at the jitterbug or ipurifier. i am only using the isub because i am running a very long cable. the isub 3.0 is something different but will not work with the codex due to connectivity.

 

[BlackstoneJD]

Good lord if you have an Ayre DAC slap a Transparent High Performance or Premium Powerlink on that puppy! I put the premium on my DAC and headphone amp it was a pretty significant improvement, although your mileage may vary. The power cord on the amp gave me better soundstage, while the power cord on the dac gave me more detail while also smoothing things out. In the end I got a deal on two cords and put one on each component and the combination was a big step up. One cord on the dac alone was not a huge improvement, but having good power cords on the entire chain had a synergistic effect. I have heard this happen before in other systems. It could all be in my head but I thought the difference was palpable. It takes some grain out but adds detail at the same time. Less noise, more music. Also adds a lot of punch. I do think if you are going to do power cords you have to do the whole system to really get the full benefit. The effect is cumulative.
 
I do think the QB-9 did not change as much as I had come to expect from other components, but it was still a pretty big change.
 
Of course it could all just be in my head, but the types of changes I hard you can "feel" as well as hear.

 

[yage]

  ... while the power cord on the dac gave me more detail while also smoothing things out.

 
That was my experience as well when using my DIY power cord (12 AWG tinned copper, foil/braid shield) with the Codex. On an Arcam CD33T, that same power cord really kicked up the bass.
 
Having said that, I'm slowly getting out of the cable game and moving back to stock power cords and Blue Jeans cabling. if anybody is interested in the Analysis Plus stuff in my profile, send me a PM.

 

[austinpop]

The whole "do cables improve the sound" debate tends to get people very excited and agitated. So I'm not going to make any broad claims one way or another, but just lay out my experience.
 
I found that going from stock cables to modest audio-grade power cables made an appreciable improvement to the sound. By modest, I mean Pangea AC-9 SE MkII and AC-14  SE MkII cables in the $50-200 range. I will echo the advice to upgrade all the cables in the chain, though, rather than piecemeal.
 
My Codex setup consists of the following:
 
Wall power outlet -- Pangea AC-9 SE Mk II --> PS Audio Dectet Power Center -- AC-14 SE Mk II --> Ayre Codex
                                                                                                                             |
                                                                                                                             |--  AC-14 SE Mk II --> Auralic Linear Power Supply -- stock Auralic DC cable --> Auralic Aries Mini 
 
When I placed the 3 Pangea cables in the system to replace the stock ones, I heard good things - a blacker background, improved bass, and an overall increase in "ease" and the music sounded more "relaxed."
 
For the modest outlay of 2-300 bucks, I felt the improvement was very worth it. Would I spend more for esoteric cables? No, but it is very possible that more expensive cables will yield even more improvement, although I suspect the law of diminishing returns will kick in. 
 
BTW - the other cables in my system are:

1. Cardas Clear USB cable from Mini to Codex
2. Moon Audio Black Dragon balanced headphone cable from Codex to HD800

 

[music_man]

blackstone, i assume you got those at audio consultants of course.

 

[BlackstoneJD]

  blackstone, i assume you got those at audio consultants of course.

Yes, of course. They happened to have a pair in stock and I had thinking about it for a while. I just did it no audition. I didn't think the high performance link that I had borrowed in the past contributed that much but the premium really blew me away. I didn't over analyze it. When you do power cords and treatments I find the system just consistently sounds great. At this point with my headphone rig it is less a question of fixing problems or remedying things I don't like than just taking things up a notch. I think the thing I am looking forward to the most with the QX is the remote volume control!