[Triode User]

well that went really well. Sat in on the Chord demo (always a busy room, fantastic bunch of guys) of the Dave/M on the new ultimate stereo amps (stunning) on Harbeths (I think) and it was all there, without a shadow of a doubt, I swear I could tell when the DAVE/M combo is in any system, even blind folded. It’s like the whole recording has an air all around it, beautiful, addictive, once you’ve heard it, there’s going back that’s for sure. They even played some tunes from the 80’s which I’d heard played to death back in the day, and considering my ears are now 30ish years older, the track (Tanita Tikaram‘s twist in my sobriety) never sounded so bloody good! You could hear the grain in her voice, absolutely incredible! No doubt whatsoever about this combo being nothing short of outstanding.

I then popped into Rega ( again another packed room/s, enthusiastic guys who believe in their products, great chats and very informative ) , and was again blown away by the new Planar turntables (and I’m not a turntable guy) I do have a lot of vinyl, but never play it due to time, and that’s what got me thinking, I need to make more time for music, more importantly make more time for myself to de stress, vinyl is most definitely the perfect excuse. Which is why I pulled the trigger on the new P10. The Dave will still be mine, oh yes, it will most definitely be mine, but as I dont have any way of playing my vinyl it made more sense to fill that void!

I was also mega impressed with Hegel, awesome kit, nice chaps as well, the sound of their kit certainly works for me, another player now on my radar for sure.

Oh, someone had fun!!

 

[tunes]

Equalizing in the analogue domain is a bad idea – you'd add a bunch of electronics components to the signal path, and each of them has a detrimental impact. Use your software player for equalizing in the digital domain, it is perfectly suitable for this task. I once had a well-respected semi-professional analogue equalizer and couldn't use it for listening to music due to the massive loss of transparency it caused, so it just served for crossover-network tuning during my speaker-building phase.

Sub-bass enhancement is easy, but not the only function it can fulfill. BTW, the mentioned loss of transparency with digital equalizers is an unfounded myth. I'm into equalizing since a few years now and never detected such a thing, quite the opposite: Removing peaks and dips in fact enhances transparency, as respective masking effects are eliminated. Also consider that the music you listen to has been DSPed more than once during the recording process, so it's absurd to think that it's the final DSP during playback that does the harm.

If that is the case then why is there even a product like the LOKI? So I use a DAP, either the iBasso 220 or the Questyle QPR1 via optical out to send flac files over to DAVE/HMS. So there is an equalizer built into the DAP’s software and is that what I should use to boost bass response? Will it be as effective as the LOKI between the DAVE and headphone amplifier?

 

[JaZZ]

If that is the case then why is there even a product like the LOKI?

That is the question. In my book it is a needless product for 98% of the music listeners – those with a digital source.

So I use a DAP, either the iBasso 220 or the Questyle QPR1, via optical out to send flac files over to DAVE/HMS. So there is an equalizer built into the DAP’s software and is that what I should use to boost bass response? Will it be as effective as the LOKI between the DAVE and headphone amplifier?

Yes, absolutely! Of course it depends on the available frequency bands; 20 Hz is better than 31 Hz as the lowest frequency band, but the latter will still work. It's what my FiiO players offer (which I just use for IEMs these days – with only decreasing adjustments as far as possible).

 

[PhenixS1970]

I added a few tweaks to my DAVE & M-Scaler combi:

1. I put both on IsoAcoustics Orea Graphite feet (raises the gear 3cm up on the shelf and it looks nice, lol)
2. Placed a “Furutech Signal Booster L” under the dual BNC out on the M-Scaler (possible due to 1). I’m currently using Requisite Audio dual BNC cables and despite that these give an amazing soundstage they are a bit brighter than neutral (see Audiobacon review). Harshness in the chain is exposed and amplified. Well....this one Booster virtually eliminated the present harshness. Maybe something to try as an alternative to messing around with ferrites ? (that word again lol).

Coming Monday I’ll receive my (new) Cleareraudio silver reference Optimus dual BNC cables. Let’s see how that works out.

 

[Christer]

I find it strange that one can have too much filtering on a 50/60hz cable. My Alpha NR (and all other power cords) are connected to an Audience TSSOX power conditioner, and there was no loss in dynamics/energy when replacing my (mostly unfiltered) Clearer Audio cord with the heavily filtered NR. Maybe because the Audience uses a different (capacitor-based) filter design to Shunyata's, so the two designs appear to be complimentary rather than destructive.

My hifi rack's location prevents me from trying the NR directly connected to wall socket, but in a previous situation (without the NR), removing the Audience conditioner was a bad move, so everything now just goes into it without further thought.

@Triode User, Rob is justifiably proud of his designs, as are all good designers. But we mess around with these things because we can demonstrate, at least to ourselves, that further improvements are possible. Rob also doesn't think that fancy BNC cables are necessary, and look where that's got us!

But you are aware that Rob also uses fancy BNC cables at home, aren't you.
He said so here recently.

And as someone who left his fancy for this short budget flight trip "too heavy," BNC cables back home while travelling to Thailand for a month, I can firmly say that I DO miss mine.

I don't know what source or sources of RFI are the culprits. But I know that where I am I can choose between 20-30 different WIFI channels beaming all the time when I open WIFI on my mbp laptop. And I would not be surprised if those and/or the fridge and the telly or other beaming sources are what's making my HMS/Qutest/Mbp here is not as clean and realistic as I am used to hearing it with fancy BNC cables at home.

The supplied BNCs are NOT as good as my fancy BNCs and I can hear the difference quite easily both at home and even more so,here in Thailand although I am in a separate house with a great sea and jungle view and with no really very close neighbours.
I can run both my mbp and Qutest on battery. But I have to run my HMS on Thai electricity which in itself could be part of the less than stellar SQ I now have.

Cheers CC

 

[iDesign]

But you are aware that Rob also uses fancy BNC cables at home, aren't you.
He said so here recently.

And as someone who left his fancy for this short budget flight trip "too heavy," BNC cables back home while travelling to Thailand for a month, I can firmly say that I DO miss mine.

I don't know what source or sources of RFI are the culprits. But I know that where I am I can choose between 20-30 different WIFI channels beaming all the time when I open WIFI on my mbp laptop. And I would not be surprised if those and/or the fridge and the telly or other beaming sources are what's making my HMS/Qutest/Mbp here is not as clean and realistic as I am used to hearing it with fancy BNC cables at home.

The supplied BNCs are NOT as good as my fancy BNCs and I can hear the difference quite easily both at home and even more so,here in Thailand although I am in a separate house with a great sea and jungle view and with no really very close neighbours.
I can run both my mbp and Qutest on battery. But I have to run my HMS on Thai electricity which in itself could be part of the less than stellar SQ I now have.

Cheers CC

Rob Watts has used the Pro Signal RG59 2m cables that are $3.88 combined with clip on Wurth ferrites with the Dave and Blu Mk2. More recently he has tested homemade cables with solid core ferrites with the Hugo M Scaler. Either route is anything but fancy.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hug...official-thread.885042/page-642#post-15330117

 

[hmartin]

As I mentioned previously I wondered if Dave is sensitive to DC on mains, so I got a pair of Supra DC-blockers to test and see if it makes a difference with Dave. In conclusion the difference, if any, is too small to be relevant.

I am still using it and will see what happens when I remove it but currently I cannot say there is any significant difference. I also tried the blockers with my amps and there the difference was clear, but to the worse. the sound became harder, more treble grain and less depth. But this is probably dependent on the amount of DC etc etc so you might get different results than me.

 

[tunes]

But you are aware that Rob also uses fancy BNC cables at home, aren't you.
He said so here recently.


And as someone who left his fancy for this short budget flight trip "too heavy," BNC cables back home while travelling to Thailand for a month, I can firmly say that I DO miss mine.

I don't know what source or sources of RFI are the culprits. But I know that where I am I can choose between 20-30 different WIFI channels beaming all the time when I open WIFI on my mbp laptop. And I would not be surprised if those and/or the fridge and the telly or other beaming sources are what's making my HMS/Qutest/Mbp here is not as clean and realistic as I am used to hearing it with fancy BNC cables at home.

The supplied BNCs are NOT as good as my fancy BNCs and I can hear the difference quite easily both at home and even more so,here in Thailand although I am in a separate house with a great sea and jungle view and with no really very close neighbours.
I can run both my mbp and Qutest on battery. But I have to run my HMS on Thai electricity which in itself could be part of the less than stellar SQ I now have.

Cheers CC

Can someone tell us exactly which BNC cables Bob Watts prefers for his home gear?

 

[DaveRedRef-III]

I don’t know if any of you guys have been tempted to change your fuses for better ones but last year I tried the Synergistic Research Blue fuses and was blown away by them (sorry for the pun). Anyway, this year I tried a single Orange fuse in my Innuos Statement and incredibly even before Burn-in it improved dynamics, warmth, weight and solidity of percussive instruments, resolution, imaging placement and layering, timbral balance and .......more than anything - Noise Floor. (Maybe it was already run-in) This latter improvement was imo akin to adding a new power conditioning unit it was so clean. All this from a single fuse in my Innuos Statement. Crazy I know.

I subsequently replaced 5 plug fuses (that were previously SR Blue) for the new Orange fuses and I haven’t looked back post burn-in. Even my wife noticed the difference tonight listening from another part of the house. It is that obvious.

What this experience has shown me is that sometimes simple tweaks can achieve more than replacing very expensive components. I am convinced now that ordinary fuses skew timbral balance, add noise and haze, blur bass and general focus, add edginess and generally relegate the overall SQ of a system. Yes in this case I spent almost £1k on fuses yikes! ......and yes I could return them within 30 days but that isn’t going to happen. It’s an absolute no-brainier upgrade imo for anybody looking to lower their noise floor.

hope you didn’t mind me sharing my experience on the thread.

Note: SR fuses are directional. So make sure you know the right direction to get the desired result if you try them.

 

[Thenewguy007]

My opinion on the SR Blue fuse mirrored bazelio test.

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/audiophile-fuses.453/page-31#post-511944

When I tried it, it gave a darker, warmer tone, didn't like it over the stock fuses.

 

[miketlse]

I don’t know if any of you guys have been tempted to change your fuses for better ones but last year I tried the Synergistic Research Blue fuses and was blown away by them (sorry for the pun). Anyway, this year I tried a single Orange fuse in my Innuos Statement and incredibly even before Burn-in it improved dynamics, warmth, weight and solidity of percussive instruments, resolution, imaging placement and layering, timbral balance and .......more than anything - Noise Floor. (Maybe it was already run-in) This latter improvement was imo akin to adding a new power conditioning unit it was so clean. All this from a single fuse in my Innuos Statement. Crazy I know.

I subsequently replaced 5 plug fuses (that were previously SR Blue) for the new Orange fuses and I haven’t looked back post burn-in. Even my wife noticed the difference tonight listening from another part of the house. It is that obvious.

What this experience has shown me is that sometimes simple tweaks can achieve more than replacing very expensive components. I am convinced now that ordinary fuses skew timbral balance, add noise and haze, blur bass and general focus, add edginess and generally relegate the overall SQ of a system. Yes in this case I spent almost £1k on fuses yikes! ......and yes I could return them within 30 days but that isn’t going to happen. It’s an absolute no-brainier upgrade imo for anybody looking to lower their noise floor.

hope you didn’t mind me sharing my experience on the thread.

Note: SR fuses are directional. So make sure you know the right direction to get the desired result if you try them.

I am not disputing that you hear a difference.
However I think you need to explain how a fuse placed in the alternating current side of the power supply, can be directional.

 

[Clive101]

I don’t know if any of you guys have been tempted to change your fuses for better ones but last year I tried the Synergistic Research Blue fuses and was blown away by them (sorry for the pun). Anyway, this year I tried a single Orange fuse in my Innuos Statement and incredibly even before Burn-in it improved dynamics, warmth, weight and solidity of percussive instruments, resolution, imaging placement and layering, timbral balance and .......more than anything - Noise Floor. (Maybe it was already run-in) This latter improvement was imo akin to adding a new power conditioning unit it was so clean. All this from a single fuse in my Innuos Statement. Crazy I know.

I subsequently replaced 5 plug fuses (that were previously SR Blue) for the new Orange fuses and I haven’t looked back post burn-in. Even my wife noticed the difference tonight listening from another part of the house. It is that obvious.

What this experience has shown me is that sometimes simple tweaks can achieve more than replacing very expensive components. I am convinced now that ordinary fuses skew timbral balance, add noise and haze, blur bass and general focus, add edginess and generally relegate the overall SQ of a system. Yes in this case I spent almost £1k on fuses yikes! ......and yes I could return them within 30 days but that isn’t going to happen. It’s an absolute no-brainier upgrade imo for anybody looking to lower their noise floor.

hope you didn’t mind me sharing my experience on the thread.

Note: SR fuses are directional. So make sure you know the right direction to get the desired result if you try them.

I have had the blue for one year I found them to be bright but very clear tried the orange seemed to suck the midrange.
I am trying the orange again but make no doubt, fuses make a difference, personal choice YMMV.

 

[DaveRedRef-III]

I have just tried the fuses the other way round (which was a tedious exercise) and the explanations given for not liking them I would pretty much describe as the sound when they are the wrong way round in my system. When the fuses are fitted in the correct direction they are warm, musical, not edgy, full in the mid, very dynamic and everything else I described in my earlier post. Of course I realise different systems can sound different but that is my experience in my system.

 

[STR-1]

I have just tried the fuses the other way round (which was a tedious exercise) and the explanations given for not liking them I would pretty much describe as the sound when they are the wrong way round in my system. When the fuses are fitted in the correct direction they are warm, musical, not edgy, full in the mid, very dynamic and everything else I described in my earlier post. Of course I realise different systems can sound different but that is my experience in my system.

Did the fuse, when reinserted correctly, immediately revert back to the sound signature you liked? The reason I am asking is interest in whether the benefits of burn-in depend on the exact same points of contact on the end caps again coming into contact with the fuse holder. Is the burn-in area confined only to those points of contact, does it spread a little beyond those points, or does it encompass the whole surface area of the end caps? Just wondering how much of a lottery comparing fuses of not too different character can be.

 

[DaveRedRef-III]

I think I understand what you are saying. I always pay particular attention to line up the metal contacts of the plug with the metal on each end of the fuse. I did notice a slight difference difference once when they were not very aligned (my fault) on the plug which provided power to my Power amplifier. (Hope we are not talking at cross purposes.)