[rkt31]

I use 25ah ups maintenance free lead acid batteries one each for HMS and tt2. These don't have any circuit in built so are as clean as it can get. I use pcocc speaker cable as power cord from battery to tt2 and HMS with one ifi dc purifier which although is not required with batteries but still found it did not degrade sound but did improve the sound slightly. Two ifi dc purifier in series did degrade the sound. For feeding HMS I use old sony laptop with one ifi idefender + and three ifi isilencer+ in series. Ifi idefender cuts the laptop 5v power which I replace by 4xNimh batteries. All power cords to laptop and to ifi idefender+ i use plenty of small ferrites throughout the length. Usb cable is oyaide neo A class with 7 ferrites at HMS end(adding more degraded the sound). I would say the sound is like the noise is completely sucked out of the system. It beats even my earlier reference that is xduoo x10t v1 optical out. Imo using ferrite throughout the length on laptop power cord and to ifi idefender+ usb c power cable does not degrade the sound but on usb cable using too many ferrite throughout the length degrades the sound. Since ifi idefender cuts the noisy usb power line which you can replace by 5v = 4xNimh, it makes virtually every laptop an audiophile transport. The remaining noise in data line can be completely removed by ifi isilencer+. I use 3 ifi isilencer+ in series which are even better than earlier non + version. Effect is evident even through mobile phone and uapp player.

 

[aut0maticdan]

I use 25ah ups maintenance free lead acid batteries one each for HMS and tt2. These don't have any circuit in built so are as clean as it can get. I use pcocc speaker cable as power cord from battery to tt2 and HMS with one ifi dc purifier which although is not required with batteries but still found it did not degrade sound but did improve the sound slightly. Two ifi dc purifier in series did degrade the sound. For feeding HMS I use old sony laptop with one ifi idefender + and three ifi isilencer+ in series. Ifi idefender cuts the laptop 5v power which I replace by 4xNimh batteries. All power cords to laptop and to ifi idefender+ i use plenty of small ferrites throughout the length. Usb cable is oyaide neo A class with 7 ferrites at HMS end(adding more degraded the sound). I would say the sound is like the noise is completely sucked out of the system. It beats even my earlier reference that is xduoo x10t v1 optical out. Imo using ferrite throughout the length on laptop power cord and to ifi idefender+ usb c power cable does not degrade the sound but on usb cable using too many ferrite throughout the length degrades the sound. Since ifi idefender cuts the noisy usb power line which you can replace by 5v = 4xNimh, it makes virtually every laptop an audiophile transport. The remaining noise in data line can be completely removed by ifi isilencer+. I use 3 ifi isilencer+ in series which are even better than earlier non + version. Effect is evident even through mobile phone and uapp player.

Holy ferrets!

Really interesting what you did with the batteries. Did you use any old DC connectors on the end of your speaker cable to wire that up to the TT2? 12v batteries, I assume? The larger battery in use around here, does have a lot of circuitry, though it is tough to tell if/when it is active. For example it has a fan which only seems to kick on when charging (from my use). It also has an inverter to supply a few AC outlets, but I expect that is only active when enabled via a physical switch.

 

[rkt31]

Holy ferrets!



Really interesting what you did with the batteries. Did you use any old DC connectors on the end of your speaker cable to wire that up to the TT2? 12v batteries, I assume? The larger battery in use around here, does have a lot of circuitry, though it is tough to tell if/when it is active. For example it has a fan which only seems to kick on when charging (from my use). It also has an inverter to supply a few AC outlets, but I expect that is only active when enabled via a physical switch.

Yes dc connector was used at the end of speaker cable. + end of cable permanently fixed to battery terminal to avoid accidental reversal of polarity.

 

[Ragnar-BY]

Not sure if you disconnected the USB power rails input in the TT2, when another input is selected.

That’s really interesting question.

 

[DJJEZ]

Yes, please get a decent glass optical cable, it really does make a difference in the case of optical. QED Reference is highly recommended around here but there are even cheaper options that are still glass. Just stay away from Audioquest toslink cables.

And yes, disconnect usb if using optical!

I got a lifatec optical recently and its fantastic

 

[ra990]

That’s really interesting question.

Disconnect it, its just another avenue for noise to enter into the TT2 from the PC. The whole point of optical is to avoid any electrical connection.

 

[Spawn300Z]

What do you use for Jitter when using optical.

 

[ra990]

What do you use for Jitter when using optical.

Chord DACs are virtually immune to source jitter. It's simply not a concern, especially with a good quality glass cable.

 

[Gadget67]

Yes, please get a decent glass optical cable, it really does make a difference in the case of optical. QED Reference is highly recommended around here but there are even cheaper options that are still glass. Just stay away from Audioquest toslink cables.

And yes, disconnect usb if using optical!

I got a lifatec optical recently and its fantastic

I was going to buy the QED reference (an excellent cable) but it was out of stock so I researched further and purchased a Lifatec. Very happy with that choice!

 

[DJJEZ]

I was going to buy the QED reference (an excellent cable) but it was out of stock so I researched further and purchased a Lifatec. Very happy with that choice!

Me too..was gonna buy the QED reference initially. Glad I didn't lol

 

[538110]

Nice, Lifatec and Batteries. You guys made my year.

I was so engrossed in my own project, I forgot to mention there's soldering involved thus risk of human error in implementation of the battery supply. If I was in TT2 or mScaler shoes and didn't want the hassle of soldering, there's another solution which I have never tested.

If you want something more simple without human error risk, but similar robust battery type you can go for something like this:



On the DC female end, just attach the recommended DC charger (like a laptop charger, but specific for this battery type) to a surge protector with a ON/OFF switch to mains. There's different amps of DC chargers, so you can charge faster if needed if you buy the more expensive charger. These are not typical batteries, they are industrial strength and robust, so charging should be much quicker. Mine takes less than a hour to fully charge. I know it's hard to get over the mindset that all batteries are the same, but there are different battery types out there. You wouldn't want to run a Tesla on your iPhone battery charger. Different use cases. The discharge rate is also pretty constant throughout losing like maybe 1-2% if low on charge. So just switch OFF when you listen and you should avoid any mains feedback and run completely off battery. Of course, just switch ON your surge protector to charge. If your OCD, just unplug from mains altogether but that can get tiresome. Just don't charge and listen at the same time, it defeats the purpose off getting off mains and can make your battery run hot.



Then on the other end, just use a Anderson adapter to DC. This one is 2.1mm, but 2.5mm is also available. I forget what TT2/mScaler uses or if Ghent Audio offers Anderson at this time.

Both wires can be permanent so no hassle in plugging and unplugging frequently.



Clients:



I believe these batteries are used in civilian and military air travel and maybe nuclear facilities so should be safe, but unconfirmed at this time. It's been a while...

Of course please be cautious with batteries as YMMV. Don't leave out in sunlight, expose to water/liquids, reverse polarity, etc... Although DC and Anderson is pretty dummy-proof, alligator clips are not.

For the extreme user, you can use alligator clips to DC 2.5mm with alligator clips charger to mains. You will have to manually disconnect and connect, but maybe only once a month if you get the big bertha. I doubt Ghent Audio has alligator clips, but if you request bare wires you can roll your own with a nice Ghent DC cable. Bare wires you can also just manually tighten on the terminals instead of alligator clips for your DC cables.





Important NOTE: I don't know if your Chord devices turn off, so it may be better to unplug your Chord device before charging the battery for both Anderson and Alligator solutions. If using alligator clips you have to be extremely careful you don't inadvertently charge your Chord device. You will need to always double-check your Chord device is disconnected before slapping on the Alligator clips for charging.

Also, if you search their social media you can find coupon codes for 10% off. Last time I checked, the holiday coupon codes were still working.

 

[CaptainFantastic]

Me too..was gonna buy the QED reference initially. Glad I didn't lol

Whereas I did end up buying QED reference last year and I am happy with it. But why "Glad I didn't lol", has something negative been posted about it somewhere?

 

[GreenBow]

Yes, please get a decent glass optical cable, it really does make a difference in the case of optical. QED Reference is highly recommended around here but there are even cheaper options that are still glass. Just stay away from Audioquest toslink cables.

And yes, disconnect usb if using optical!

I think the optical cable that I bought was a £5 one from ebay. I have two that I paid £5 for. A 3m one and a 0.5m one.

I have wondered about buying a quality optical cable. However I don't want to get one that doesn't work with 192KHz. People have discussed them on the Chord threads so if I search I will be OK and find something. Either way though, I would not pay a fortune for one. Not when my £5 ebay cable sounds excellent.

Like right now I have my 3m cable playing Norah Jones - Not Too Late album which is 192KHz. (Presumably 24 bit.) Plays flawlessly. (Dreamy blue light in the DAC window.)

Some time ago I posted about what might explain optical quality cable effects. Basically a DAB radio signal still plays until the signal quality is down to about 70%. Maybe cheap optical cables still work to a point like that. Whereas better quality cables transmit better quality signals. .. I also read a HiFi Choice article a long time ago that explained why optical cable quality matters. They said that cheaper cables can cause reflections inside the cable. Not sure what the implictions of that are exactly, but it would be unwanted.

 

[RCC HD Sound]

https://www.futureshop.co.uk/wireworld-supernova-7-optical-audio-cable

 

[538110]

IMO, you can't go wrong with any of the top glass optical cables. Just preferences >$100. Lifatec just has the best price/performance ratio along with highest number of glass strands. I enjoy reading this old review from time to time. I could definately not live without a glass optical cable + off the grid batteries in my chain. I'm constantly keeping an eye out for the Audioquest Optilink Diamond for any discounts, but have not seen any thus far. But I don't know if it will perform better than Lifatec, just a preference.

Thanks for the battery talk, it helped me re-focus as now I'm going for an embedded-Ryzen build instead of a NUC build. I was so focused on powering with 13.2V batteries (Intel) that I forgot I can do a 12V (AMD Ryzen) Bioenno Power battery build.

I'll check back after the summer if I get the parts. The desktop build may get delayed until EOY if Mojo2 is released in the summer since my focus is usually portable systems. Desktop is such a rabbit hole. Don't know how you guys keep up, there's so many variables in the chain whereas portable you can keep it simple.