[ZappaMan]

anyone have any ideas why I am getting distortion while experimenting with these cables: https://www.flashbacksales.co.uk/ac...ts-4-x-4mm-in-line-sockets-cable-set-372.html

running directly into my KEF R7s. the main speaker cables are fine, as they are my normal cables. TT2 is in AMP mode, HI-G.

if anyone has had luck with these XLR adapters so far, would love to know!

I use them - then very cheap banana terminations - I can’t hear any distortion

 

[Rob Watts]

Very keen on getting the TT2.

@Rob Watts, can you please answer my questions?

1. Do you know how many charges do these super caps can go through without showing degradation?
2. If I use a BNC/RCA adaptor for digital coax input, will that degrade sound quality?
3. Can the unit be left on all the time? Does extended use of device put stress on it in anyway? (i.e. 24 hours of playing non stop)
4. Lot of audiophiles, including some high end audio manufactures claim that using a really good separate preamp enhances sound, what is your take on using a separate preamp with TT2?
5. Will I gain any benefit from using after market linear power supply?
6. Will there be any difference XLR vs RCA out?
7. What would be the biggest sonic improvement will I hear over Hugo 2?

Thank you.

Ok here goes:
1. No super caps don't wear out like batteries on charge/discharge cycles, but they do lose capacitance with time and temperature and applied voltage. But with the normal operating temp of 35 deg C and normal PSU voltage (I actually run them at a lower rated voltage) data from the suppliers indicate 100,000 hours of constant usage. Then the capacitance will drop by 30%; but 100,000 hours is 11 years constant use; for a 50% reduction you would be looking at 30 to 100 years (30 years at 45 deg C). Then there is the issue of whether a 30F capacitor becoming a 20F cap actually would make any SQ difference at all... I doubt it would. So don't worry about life of the supercaps.
2. I doubt it, the reflections would be tiny and inconsequential.
3. Yes it can be left on all the time, but standby is easy to use (and that shuts down power to the supercaps too). Warm up time is fast (from un-powered it's about 10 minutes from a SQ POV.
4. Yes some people like the softer sound a pre-amp adds. You will always degrade transparency by adding a pre-amp; but of course some still use vinyl, in which case a pre-amp is a must.
5. No a linear supply at best will sound the same, at worst a brighter and harder sound and less musical. TT2 PSU is not the brick that comes with it, it's the arrangement of filters and supercaps built into the unit. The supercap/large input inductor means the PSU brick only supplies DC current. Moreover, the PSU brick has been very carefully selected for extremely low leakage currents into ground; replacing it with a battery produces no change at all in measured performance using a 96 kHz bandwidth. A linear PSU will add comparatively large levels of hum and RF noise, with orders of magnitude higher coupling capacitance to the mains.
6. That depends upon the equipment connected to the OP. But phono or single ended is to be preferred in principal as its more direct - but some amps work better with balanced, and some loudspeakers would need the extra power (note it will actually only add 3.8dB more volume by using balanced).
7. It's darker and fuller sounding and has more transparency over Hugo 2.

Question: Would I be crazy to try to connect up headphones (Audeze) to the rear balanced outs? Or, totally not worth it?

Yes crazy. Unless you want your hair to catch fire, or you want to go deaf very quickly. An TT2 with LCD-x is capable of 4W from TT2 single ended; that would give 139dB SPL, greater than the HP are capable of achieving. Balanced you would be looking at about 15W or 144 dB SPL!

 

[Amberlamps]

Ok here goes:
1. No super caps don't wear out like batteries on charge/discharge cycles, but they do lose capacitance with time and temperature and applied voltage. But with the normal operating temp of 35 deg C and normal PSU voltage (I actually run them at a lower rated voltage) data from the suppliers indicate 100,000 hours of constant usage. Then the capacitance will drop by 30%; but 100,000 hours is 11 years constant use; for a 50% reduction you would be looking at 30 to 100 years (30 years at 45 deg C). Then there is the issue of whether a 30F capacitor becoming a 20F cap actually would make any SQ difference at all... I doubt it would. So don't worry about life of the supercaps.
2. I doubt it, the reflections would be tiny and inconsequential.
3. Yes it can be left on all the time, but standby is easy to use (and that shuts down power to the supercaps too). Warm up time is fast (from un-powered it's about 10 minutes from a SQ POV.
4. Yes some people like the softer sound a pre-amp adds. You will always degrade transparency by adding a pre-amp; but of course some still use vinyl, in which case a pre-amp is a must.
5. No a linear supply at best will sound the same, at worst a brighter and harder sound and less musical. TT2 PSU is not the brick that comes with it, it's the arrangement of filters and supercaps built into the unit. The supercap/large input inductor means the PSU brick only supplies DC current. Moreover, the PSU brick has been very carefully selected for extremely low leakage currents into ground; replacing it with a battery produces no change at all in measured performance using a 96 kHz bandwidth. A linear PSU will add comparatively large levels of hum and RF noise, with orders of magnitude higher coupling capacitance to the mains.
6. That depends upon the equipment connected to the OP. But phono or single ended is to be preferred in principal as its more direct - but some amps work better with balanced, and some loudspeakers would need the extra power (note it will actually only add 3.8dB more volume by using balanced).
7. It's darker and fuller sounding and has more transparency over Hugo 2.



Yes crazy. Unless you want your hair to catch fire, or you want to go deaf very quickly. An TT2 with LCD-x is capable of 4W from TT2 single ended; that would give 139dB SPL, greater than the HP are capable of achieving. Balanced you would be looking at about 15W or 144 dB SPL!

Them battery things you use, something pilot pro, I seen them on amazon earlier but, “if” I bought two, could I keep tt2 and mscaler powered by the battery full time, say for 24 hours non stop.

If I got them, can they run tt2 and hms constantly so long as the batteries are plugged into the mains ?

 

[GreenBow]

U

yes to both .
Make sure your stereo is down between switching . I made that mistake . It does seem to reset the volume for the headphone out so that’s cool .

What does this mean?

Are you saying you have to turn down amplification before, either plugging in headphones or unplugging them?

 

[aut0maticdan]

anyone have any ideas why I am getting distortion while experimenting with these cables: https://www.flashbacksales.co.uk/ac...ts-4-x-4mm-in-line-sockets-cable-set-372.html

running directly into my KEF R7s. the main speaker cables are fine, as they are my normal cables. TT2 is in AMP mode, HI-G.

if anyone has had luck with these XLR adapters so far, would love to know!

Hope you figure it out. Small sample size so far, but not a great track record running balanced into loud speakers.

Question: Would I be crazy to try to connect up headphones (Audeze) to the rear balanced outs? Or, totally not worth it?

I think you’d be crazy not to try exploring every nook and cranny of the TT2.

Edit: Rob says you are crazy. Sorry!

 

[Whazzzup]

I really like TT, don't worry about LPS for TT, i use mine for safety as well as smp filter, however it really has no discernible effect.

 

[NoTimeFor]

Ok here goes:
7. It's darker and fuller sounding and has more transparency over Hugo 2.

@Rob Watts, thank you for answering the questions. I am sure you been asked these sorts of questions many times. This may be a silly question, but before you created TT 2, did you know what kind of sound you wanted to get out it? So was the darker, fuller sounding, transparency were the main focuses for developing the TT 2 in terms of achieving sonic quality goal?

 

[ZappaMan]

@Rob Watts, thank you for answering the questions. I am sure you been asked these sorts of questions many times. This may be a silly question, but before you created TT 2, did you know what kind of sound you wanted to get out it? So was the darker, fuller sounding, transparency were the main focuses for developing the TT 2 in terms of achieving sonic quality goal?

Rob had said earlier....

No it was not engineered that way in the sense I was trying to create a warm sound, or adjust it technically by using aberrations or distortions; but I was expecting it to be warmer than Dave, since Dave always was going to be more transparent - and to be more refined and transparent than Hugo 2, because of bigger FPGA (better noise shapers giving more detail and depth) and better reference and internal PSU (reference is from Dave). The surprise is that these relatively small technical differences can give such a profound change in SQ.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hug...official-thread.879425/page-229#post-14660041

 

[musicday]

Not that will make a difference in sound but how many use 3.5 mm or 6.3 mm jack with their TT2? Also what's is the optimal length for the cable for your headphone, 1.5 m, 2 m ? And do you always use high gain or low if the headphones don't need that much power.
Last night we got some snow in England so hopefully that will not affect anyone's TT2 that they pre-order.

 

[wdh777]

I have always used my set up for headphones only but I’m considering adding a pair of speakers. If I use the RCA outs to a integrated amp used to drive speakers is the TT2’s volume control disabled so I just use the volume on the amp or are they both enabled and both will change the volume? Thanks

 

[seedubchris]

Dac mode disabled the volume . It no longer glows or adjusts volume . Which makes sense that way the bit stream is not decimated . I use a Grace M920 as my volume controller then balanced into Barefoot Audio MM27’s.

 

[Sound Eq]

can i ask is there a comparison between tt v1 and ttv2 in regards to sound quality and signature

 

[ZappaMan]

can i ask is there a comparison between tt v1 and ttv2 in regards to sound quality and signature

Someone did, recently, i went back 5 pages on a personal quest to fulfil your need. Alas, I’m called away. But start on page 280 and work back - I’d say to maximum of 10 pages.

Or maybe, you, the reader, you’re that person, then you can relink to it.

I think impression posts should be tagged so people can find them quicker.

 

[wdh777]

Dac mode disabled the volume . It no longer glows or adjusts volume . Which makes sense that way the bit stream is not decimated . I use a Grace M920 as my volume controller then balanced into Barefoot Audio MM27’s.

So if I leave it in dac mode as a default for speakers and an amp and then plug in headphones will it detect the headphones and allow me to adjust the volume and then when I unplug the headphones it automatically goes back to dac mode? Or do I need to toggle from dac mode to headphone mode each time? Thanks

 

[ZappaMan]

So if I leave it in dac mode as a default for speakers and an amp and then plug in headphones will it detect the headphones and allow me to adjust the volume and then when I unplug the headphones it automatically goes back to dac mode? Or do I need to toggle from dac mode to headphone mode each time? Thanks

It switches based on detection of a plug in any of the 3 headphone sockets on the front.