Just dropping in to announce my Summer Project is complete and final. I likely won't be back until Hugo3. I don't have energy for this hobby, only if I allocate energy for Summer Projects. I was really worried that this project would not work as it deals with passive power supplies in which there is no precedence. If you search this thread for "Ground Loop", you will understand more the leak in which I'm trying to plug. At the same time, my USB optical cable has a similar issue. It's optical so it isolates USB DATA, but for USB PWR the only way to power was via Mains USB port. WTH. So I was able to isolate USB PWR at the same time off Mains. This is important because both the USB optical and the Toslink optical are both plugged into the Hugo2 at the same time. USB DATA can leak (Ground Loop) from the Gaming PC via Mains, but not with optical. USB PWR can leak (Ground Loop) from the charging via Mains, but not with charging via Super Capacitors. Any USB leak can impact the Toslink side internally within the Hugo2 like a Trojan Horse even though the Toslink is isolated. So it's a bit of a surprise this project is an success as so many things could go wrong.
I'm running 3000 Farads of Super Capacitor power which should last 20 years @24/7 since they are Industrial Strength. These are the same Super Capacitors used at Heathrow International Airport to keep the Computers running, not recent Computer Technical Software issues, and keep the lights on so very Industrial. My final test was to see if the Hugo2 hiccups at all over 3 weeks. Fortunately, it always remained in Intelligent Desktop Mode. Yay.
So I built a custom Solid Core USB Cable to plug into the Hugo2. Solid Core is not vulnerable to EMI/EFI because it's Solid. So I'm making sure no leaks anywhere.
The other outlets I can use for USB optical, etc.
I built a few. Besides 5V, other one is for Clocking.
I'll post a diagram of my chain, but I need to give a summary to get a better understanding of the chain.
There's no precendence for my chain as it's a variation of dCS and Chord philosophy chain. dCS combines precision clocks for accuracy to pair with their FPGA DAC. I do the same but use State Of The Art (SOTA) clocks for accuracy to pair with Chord FPGA DAC because I like to stay within the CIEM realm only. It's too easy to go crazy as those dCS users spend 6 digits on their chain. Speaker users are even worse. I'm fortunate to stay within a 'Goldilocks Zone' with performance on par with the best headphone and speaker chains but at a decent value due to experience in this hobby. I don't like the variance of headphones and speakers so those would never interest so I'm quite ecstatic with my chain.
^^ As you can see dCS DACs have master clocks already, but still can be improved upon with the source.
^^^ I easilly get the lifelike and 3D sound, it's euphoric. External clocking.
Here's some recent post from dCS Bartok. I get the following qualities too as dCS clock + dac users. I never thought about my chain more electro-stat-like, but that describes it pretty well:
Listening through TOSLINK, and comparing it to my vanilla ethernet connection from my home router has been pretty fun, so far.
TOSLINK sounds cleaner, more "ordered", and has a dryer, "just the facts" kind of character. Background is blacker. Makes the Susvara sounds more electro-stat-like.
The quality of the treble and bass are perceptibly different. Treble is smoother, and bass sounds "truer" and runs deeper.
It also sounds leaner, without question (and which is most pronounced with my speaker setup).
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/dcs-bartok.901647/post-17593731
Clocks can get quite expensive. "External clocking makes a big difference in music presentation on dCS gear" or in my case Chord gear. No dCS DAC user can run a DAC alone, 95% buy a dCS clock along with their dCS DAC.
So you used a 24.500€ Vivaldi clock with the non Apex Bartok?
Was the benefit worth it over the Lina or Rossini clocks?
It’s a less common configuration, but yes. With great results. I never auditioned Rossini, so I can not say whether Rossini and clock would have been much better. One dCS community member heard a comparison with Bartók + Vivaldi clock vs. Rossini and said the Rossini only pulled ahead with the Rossini clock, not alone.
I purchased both DAC and clock at the same time and have not tried Rossini or Lina clock (which didn’t exist at the time). I came from Naim ND555 and was looking for an upgrade somewhat above that price point. External clocking makes a big difference in music presentation on dCS gear. Hence the choice of Vivaldi clock. I wanted to enter at the lower end of the DACs, because I could not know how much I will like the experience over time. How different the clocks sound? Unfortunately no idea. I can only tell you that plugging in the Black Cat Trøn clock cables for Vivaldi dropped my jaw, the power cord makes a difference and resonance control. Another dCS owner subsequently bought the Mini Trøn for his Rossini and his jaw dropped as well. So I would assume, that clock precision and surrounding components inside the box are quite noticeable too.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/dcs-bartok.901647/post-17593731
Closing Remarks (for now)
Moving from the mDAVE to the Rossini APEX + Clock has changed how my system sounds more than I expected.
The sound is more majestic and muscular, the amount of information I am retrieving from my recordings is increased, the space where I am projected into is notably bigger and more structured. The rhythmic drive of the mDAVE is still paramount, and I still somewhat miss its crossfeed presentation.
I am enjoying vocal tracks and strings better than ever, both solo and large scale. I have never been a big fan of opera, but the Rossini (nomen omen) makes the experience so enthralling.
Color saturation is another definite improved area, most evidently with brass instruments. Listening to Miles Davis while typing these final notes in sheer awe.
As I keep rediscovering my library, it will take another few enjoyable weeks to reach full burn-in for both the electronics and my brain. I will post here again with some more long-term impressions when the time comes
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/dcs-bartok.901647/post-17451855
Just wanted to give some background on clock+dac before presenting my chain to give a better understanding of what is going on:
I'm running arguably the world's best Toslink chain independent of DAC / Transducers / Etc. I am running the World's Best Passive Power Supply for Audio. No Mains.
So it is as close to a dCS chain as possible in 2023 that you can get with CIEMs without spending six digits. It certainly sounds like six digits because I'm going crazy procuring the expensive CD media and moving on from fiddling with Audio gear.
