[theveterans]

DACs make a more subtle difference than amps. IME, you won't hear a definitive difference unless you've accustomed yourself to the sound of both in a variety genres for at least a week. A quick A/B won't make a difference unless you have golden ears or have a worse confirmation bias than me. Amps though makes a more noticeable difference.

 

[Tuneslover]

I decided to dust and clean up my headphone setup yesterday. I have my Mimby and headphone amp plugged into a surge protector but I unplugged these components so that I could properly clean the dust on the floor and in between the power cables. After I finished I reinserted the power cables back into the surge protector and turned on the equipment to have a listen.

After the Mimby finished cycling, the music began. Immediately I noticed a very muddy sound lacking in clarity and soundstage. I thought What happened? I toggled through a few songs and they all sounded crappy. I restarted the Mimby but noticed no improvement in sound. Then it occurred to me that perhaps when I plugged the Mimby wallwart back into the surge protector that I put it in the wrong way around and have the polarity reversed. So I shut off the Mimby, unplugged the wallwart and flipped it around and re-inserted it into the surge protector. I then restarted the Mimby, waited until it was finished cycling and then the tunes came back on. Bingo! There was that familiar terrific sound that I was familiar with.

I'm not sure if I actually have the polarity correct or not but to me it definitely does sound different when inserted one way versus the other way. I selected the position that gave me the sound that I preferred and am familiar with. This was an interesting discovery and I throw this out there for fellow Mimby owners to check out.

 

[jnak00]

I decided to dust and clean up my headphone setup yesterday. I have my Mimby and headphone amp plugged into a surge protector but I unplugged these components so that I could properly clean the dust on the floor and in between the power cables. After I finished I reinserted the power cables back into the surge protector and turned on the equipment to have a listen.

After the Mimby finished cycling, the music began. Immediately I noticed a very muddy sound lacking in clarity and soundstage. I thought What happened? I toggled through a few songs and they all sounded crappy. I restarted the Mimby but noticed no improvement in sound. Then it occurred to me that perhaps when I plugged the Mimby wallwart back into the surge protector that I put it in the wrong way around and have the polarity reversed. So I shut off the Mimby, unplugged the wallwart and flipped it around and re-inserted it into the surge protector. I then restarted the Mimby, waited until it was finished cycling and then the tunes came back on. Bingo! There was that familiar terrific sound that I was familiar with.

I'm not sure if I actually have the polarity correct or not but to me it definitely does sound different when inserted one way versus the other way. I selected the position that gave me the sound that I preferred and am familiar with. This was an interesting discovery and I throw this out there for fellow Mimby owners to check out.

Seems more likely to me that the Mimby cooled down while you were cleaning, and then took a little while to warm back up, which coincided with you flipping the plug. The direction of the plug shouldn't matter since you're getting AC from the wall.

 

[alpovs]

I decided to dust and clean up my headphone setup yesterday. I have my Mimby and headphone amp plugged into a surge protector but I unplugged these components so that I could properly clean the dust on the floor and in between the power cables. After I finished I reinserted the power cables back into the surge protector and turned on the equipment to have a listen.

After the Mimby finished cycling, the music began. Immediately I noticed a very muddy sound lacking in clarity and soundstage. I thought What happened? I toggled through a few songs and they all sounded crappy. I restarted the Mimby but noticed no improvement in sound. Then it occurred to me that perhaps when I plugged the Mimby wallwart back into the surge protector that I put it in the wrong way around and have the polarity reversed. So I shut off the Mimby, unplugged the wallwart and flipped it around and re-inserted it into the surge protector. I then restarted the Mimby, waited until it was finished cycling and then the tunes came back on. Bingo! There was that familiar terrific sound that I was familiar with.

I'm not sure if I actually have the polarity correct or not but to me it definitely does sound different when inserted one way versus the other way. I selected the position that gave me the sound that I preferred and am familiar with. This was an interesting discovery and I throw this out there for fellow Mimby owners to check out.

Seems more likely to me that the Mimby cooled down while you were cleaning, and then took a little while to warm back up, which coincided with you flipping the plug. The direction of the plug shouldn't matter since you're getting AC from the wall.

Or Mimby's DSP developed a glitch upon the first boot and the reboot cleared it. There is no polarity in AC current source, actually it reverses the polarity 60 times per second (or 50 times depending on country).

 

[Tuneslover]

Or Mimby's DSP developed a glitch upon the first boot and the reboot cleared it. There is no polarity in AC current source, actually it reverses the polarity 60 times per second (or 50 times depending on country).

The Mimby was unplugged for less than a minute while I cleaned up the dust around the surge protector and power cables. I can't imagine that it cooled down that much in such a short period of time. Although the Mimby reboot may potentially have had something to do with it.

I assume that you own a Mimby, if so please do me a favour. Have a listen to 1 song that you are very familiar with on your system that includes your Mimby. Actually listen to it 2 or 3 times back to back. Immediately thereafter, turn off your Mimby and flip the Mimby wall wart plug around the other way and then power up your Mimby. As soon as your system is ready, replay that same song a couple of times. I would be interested in hearing your assessment before and after the wall wart flip. Thanks!

 

[jnak00]

The Mimby was unplugged for less than a minute while I cleaned up the dust around the surge protector and power cables. I can't imagine that it cooled down that much in such a short period of time. Although the Mimby reboot may potentially have had something to do with it.

I assume that you own a Mimby, if so please do me a favour. Have a listen to 1 song that you are very familiar with on your system that includes your Mimby. Actually listen to it 2 or 3 times back to back. Immediately thereafter, turn off your Mimby and flip the Mimby wall wart plug around the other way and then power up your Mimby. As soon as your system is ready, replay that same song a couple of times. I would be interested in hearing your assessment before and after the wall wart flip. Thanks!

Yeah, you're right, I don't think 1 minute of downtime would be enough to cool the Mimby down enough to affect the sound. Have you tried flipping the plug again to see if the sound changes again?

 

[Tuneslover]

Yeah, you're right, I don't think 1 minute of downtime would be enough to cool the Mimby down enough to affect the sound. Have you tried flipping the plug again to see if the sound changes again?

I have not but I'll give it a try tonight.

 

[ColtMrFire]

I am a but stumped about this problem and don't think it's inherent to the Mimby, but I thought I'd ask here.

Occasionally my music will start to sound slightly veiled. It is hard to describe, just a lack of definition and a smoothed over sound...it's nothing major, very subtle, but noticeable. When I reset my CD player (which is feeding Mimby via Coax) or the Mimby itself, the music snaps back into focus and the veil is gone. I don't have a clue what is going on with this phenomena. I have gotten into the habit of just resetting my CD player and Mimby before a listening session just to be sure, but sometimes I forget.

Has anyone experienced this?

 

[Tuneslover]

I am a but stumped about this problem and don't think it's inherent to the Mimby, but I thought I'd ask here.

Occasionally my music will start to sound slightly veiled. It is hard to describe, just a lack of definition and a smoothed over sound...it's nothing major, very subtle, but noticeable. When I reset my CD player (which is feeding Mimby via Coax) or the Mimby itself, the music snaps back into focus and the veil is gone. I don't have a clue what is going on with this phenomena. I have gotten into the habit of just resetting my CD player and Mimby before a listening session just to be sure, but sometimes I forget.

Has anyone experienced this?

Yes I have. I've commented about this on this thread about a year ago. The feedback was largely dismissive and chalked up largely as to how I might be feeling (very tired, stressed out, super relaxed etc etc). I generally don't reboot my Mimby and it does sound extremely good for the majority of the time but every now and then it sounds as you described it above. Then unexpectedly after a week or more it goes back to the very good sounding way. Go figure.

Update: I asked Schiit about the wall wart insertion into an electrical receptacle and Nick T just responded as I was writing this thread post. His response was "No difference either way". Go figure.

 

[ColtMrFire]

Yes I have. I've commented about this on this thread about a year ago. The feedback was largely dismissive and chalked up largely as to how I might be feeling (very tired, stressed out, super relaxed etc etc). I generally don't reboot my Mimby and it does sound extremely good for the majority of the time but every now and then it sounds as you described it above. Then unexpectedly after a week or more it goes back to the very good sounding way. Go figure.

Update: I asked Schiit about the wall wart insertion into an electrical receptacle and Nick T just responded as I was writing this thread post. His response was "No difference either way". Go figure.

This happens whether I'm feeling rested or tired... the feeling has nothing to do with it (and resetting is instantaneous, so I am not suddenly feeling better). I am hearing a definite slight veil descend after they have been on for a while, which completely goes away when I reset either the CD player or the Mimby, so I am not sure which is the culprit, or if is them both interacting or what. I have just emailed schiit about it. I am wanting to get to the bottom of this because it is weird and consistent.

 

[Tuneslover]

This happens whether I'm feeling rested or tired... the feeling has nothing to do with it (and resetting is instantaneous, so I am not suddenly feeling better). I am hearing a definite slight veil descend after they have been on for a while, which completely goes away when I reset either the CD player or the Mimby, so I am not sure which is the culprit, or if is them both interacting or what. I have just emailed schiit about it. I am wanting to get to the bottom of this because it is weird and consistent.

That was the feedback I received from fellow headfiers as a possible reason for what I was experiencing. I respected their opinions but respectfully don't agree with them. I guess they don't experience the same periodic situations with their Mimby's that you and I do...lucky people. More than likely, we have finely honed and more sensitive hearing.

I leave my Mimby (and Bimby and Bifrost 4490) on all the time, as recommended by Schiit. I have only noticed this situation with my Mimby though.

 

[ColtMrFire]

That was the feedback I received from fellow headfiers as a possible reason for what I was experiencing. I respected their opinions but respectfully don't agree with them. I guess they don't experience the same periodic situations with their Mimby's that you and I do...lucky people. More than likely, we have finely honed and more sensitive hearing.

When you have a highly resolving system (which I do), you can hear the subtlest of changes upstream. You don't need super hearing. Other people's experiences aren't really my concern, since not everyone has the same equipment (including cables, power conditioners, etc), and people can be hearing different things because of that, and placebo can work in both directions. All I care about is what I'm hearing in my particular setup. I am 99% happy, but I'd like that 1% dealt with, or at least to know what's causing it. I don't mind resetting.

How long does it take for it to go back to normal for you? I don't wait, I immediately do a reset as soon as I hear "the veil" descend.

 

[Tuneslover]

When you have a highly resolving system (which I do), you can hear the subtlest of changes upstream. You don't need super hearing. Other people's experiences aren't really my concern, since not everyone has the same equipment (including cables, power conditioners, etc), and people can be hearing different things because of that, and placebo can work in both directions. All I care about is what I'm hearing in my particular setup. I am 99% happy, but I'd like that 1% dealt with, or at least to know what's causing it. I don't mind resetting.

How long does it take for it to go back to normal for you? I don't wait, I immediately do a reset as soon as I hear "the veil" descend.

Sometimes the next day, sometimes several days. Other times it goes on for a couple of weeks. Then just randomly it snaps back into that wonderful holographic sonic picture and all is good again. And, that's without doing a Mimby reboot.

 

[Tuneslover]

I have noticed that it does sound consistently better when it's on the warm side (not hot, but close to hot). In the winter it's more finicky and I generally place my Vali2 or my SYS on top of it. I've even put a paperback novel on top of it. Doing so seems to keep the sound consistent. Those are simply my experiences. Ya gotta do what you gotta do.

 

[ColtMrFire]

Sometimes the next day, sometimes several days. Other times it goes on for a couple of weeks. Then just randomly it snaps back into that wonderful holographic sonic picture and all is good again. And, that's without doing a Mimby reboot.

Next time, try resetting one thing at a time to try and pinpoint the issue. If you let it fix itself, you can never find out what the problem might be. Could be anything.