[doraymon]

OT: sorry but I can't find a Focal Utopia thread on HeadFi. Am I completely drunk? If someone could point me in the right direction...

 

[miketlse]

OT: sorry but I can't find a Focal Utopia thread on HeadFi. Am I completely drunk? If someone could point me in the right direction...

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/focal-utopia-general-discussion.811273/
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/foc...-preview-with-measurements-head-fi-tv.811270/

 

[doraymon]

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/focal-utopia-general-discussion.811273/
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/foc...-preview-with-measurements-head-fi-tv.811270/

Thanks, I saw that one but last post is dated June 2016 so I thought there must be another one.

EDIT: sorry, I am clearly not in a good shape. That's the one.

 

[jonstatt]

The thing about power conditioners with Dave is not so much the effect on Dave itself, but Dave affecting upstream components like the streamer (still much debate about the influence of switch mode power supplies). I don't currently have one but was thinking it might improve the overall set-up rather than Dave specifically.

 

[marcmccalmont]

Leakage current stock pwr cord into mains .54 mA
Leakage current after ps audio power plant and Pangea pwr cord .16 mA
Leakage current Pangea pwr cord and topnisus ferrites .05 mA
For whatever it’s worth!

 

[xxx1313]

I was not happy at all with the Pangea power cord (full of ferrite beads), as well as with some more expensive power cords. I can only recommend Shunyata power cables. Even the rather cheap Shunyata Venom brought better results than much more expensive cables, so I upgraded to the Shunyata Alpha HC, with which I am very satisfied now. I also tried a Shunyata Alpha Digital before with very good results, but this cable is optimized for digital (only) gear and so it limited dynamics of the Dave. I use this cable now for the tx-USBultra, which is probably overkill, but it also improved its performance considerably. Thanks to @romaz for his comments on the Shunyata Alpha HC!

 

[Triode User]

Leakage current stock pwr cord into mains .54 mA
Leakage current after ps audio power plant and Pangea pwr cord .16 mA
Leakage current Pangea pwr cord and topnisus ferrites .05 mA
For whatever it’s worth!

But I thought we were talking about EMI noise. That Reed tester is principally to detect mains frequency leakage although it can switch to a wide setting but that is only 40Hz - 1kHz. Did you flick between the two settings to see if there was a different reading at the different frequencies? As far as I am aware, the Pangea pwr cord is simply a screened cable similar to the Belden cable that I use.

Also, you omitted the screened cable straight out of the wall socket for comparison with the power plant.

 

[elviscaprice]

Anyone here making their own AC chords, DIY? I'm considering doing just that with the heaviest gauge wire I can find (8awg).

 

[Triode User]

Why would you use a AC chord for the tx-USBultra, which requires DC supply? What AC chord do you find best with DAVE? Anyone here making their own AC chords, DIY? I'm considering doing just that with the heaviest gauge wire I can find.

Well, here in the uk the installation wire in the walls is normally only 2.5mm2 unless a bespoke installation is done. I use 2.5mm2 for that reason.

 

[tunes]

Does the MSI LAPTOP play music files from solid state storage or an internal hard drive. The spinning drive without a solid state buffer will introduce noise won’t it?

Need a portable transport with 2 SD cards, optical out, user friendly UI showing album covers and songs without scrolling, favorites list capability, WiFi for down load and streaming from TIDAL, battery operation to avoid mains RFI and cost under $2K for both HUGO 2 and DAVE. Any suggestions??

 

[Jawed]

Leakage current stock pwr cord into mains .54 mA
Leakage current after ps audio power plant and Pangea pwr cord .16 mA
Leakage current Pangea pwr cord and topnisus ferrites .05 mA
For whatever it’s worth!

Fascinating! I don't understand what's going on here.

My concern is that the meter may be sensing AC, and in doing so might be looking for a current at a particular frequency. And the ferrites are filtering at that frequency and so the reading may be a "lie".

Also, I'm wondering if by placing the meter around the ferrite that the ferrite is affecting the reading. Is there a bit of bare cable after the final ferrite and before the plug to use instead?

Now playing: The Staves, yMusic - Hopeless

 

[Triode User]

Fascinating! I don't understand what's going on here.

My concern is that the meter may be sensing AC, and in doing so might be looking for a current at a particular frequency. And the ferrites are filtering at that frequency and so the reading may be a "lie".

Also, I'm wondering if by placing the meter around the ferrite that the ferrite is affecting the reading. Is there a bit of bare cable after the final ferrite and before the plug to use instead?

Now playing: The Staves, yMusic - Hopeless

That was my point. Essential it is an AC leakage sensing meter. So it is fundamentally sensing 50/60hz or harmonics of that if set to wide band but even then not above 1kHz.

I have used an RF sensing meter and there was definitely more RF coming out of a ps audio P10 powerplant that I used to own than there was plugged into my wall socket.

 

[marcmccalmont]

Fascinating! I don't understand what's going on here.

My concern is that the meter may be sensing AC, and in doing so might be looking for a current at a particular frequency. And the ferrites are filtering at that frequency and so the reading may be a "lie".

Also, I'm wondering if by placing the meter around the ferrite that the ferrite is affecting the reading. Is there a bit of bare cable after the final ferrite and before the plug to use instead?

Now playing: The Staves, yMusic - Hopeless

I see a reduction in leakage current with the Pangea over the stock cable in all positions and a drastic reduction in leakage current when measuring over the ferrites. I read somewhere that the ferrites force the outer shield to be a more effective faraday shield? Since Dave is the critical component I ordered a shorter cord and more topnisus ferrites to cover the entire cord. I do hear a smoother quieter presentation with the ferrites I now have on Dave’s cord.

 

[marcmccalmont]

But I thought we were talking about EMI noise. That Reed tester is principally to detect mains frequency leakage although it can switch to a wide setting but that is only 40Hz - 1kHz. Did you flick between the two settings to see if there was a different reading at the different frequencies? As far as I am aware, the Pangea pwr cord is simply a screened cable similar to the Belden cable that I use.

Also, you omitted the screened cable straight out of the wall socket for comparison with the power plant.

No difference in performance before or after the powerplant What test/equipment did you use to confirm an increase in emi/rfi after the powerplant? How did your coax experiment workout?

 

[SCBob]

The thing about power conditioners with Dave is not so much the effect on Dave itself, but Dave affecting upstream components like the streamer (still much debate about the influence of switch mode power supplies). I don't currently have one but was thinking it might improve the overall set-up rather than Dave specifically.

I have a DAVE on the way, with delivery scheduled for tomorrow. I will be using it with an iMac and USB connection, as the iMac does not have an optical out. I recently purchased an Audioquest Niagara 1000 Power Conditioner and Thunder Power Cord and have an ISO REGEN with UltraCap LPS-1.2 on order to use with a power isolated Curious Cable USB cable. I also have another power cable, the Danacable Source Clarifier for Source Components.
Since I will already be using the Niagara Power Conditioner with the Thunder Power Cord will using the Danacable Source Clarifier in place of either the standard DAVE power cable or the standard iMac power cable provide any additional sound quality? If so, with this setup which is the better place to use the Danacable, the DAVE or the iMac? Thank you.