[Soundsgoodtome]

That looks like a great test rig! It'll be interesting to see what you find with the DDC coming in next week and see how it compares to the USB Regen. While the Audio-GD DI-U8 costs close to $400 shipped, a Gustard U12 can be had for half that and perform very similarly (despite what the tweaker crowd says with upgrades etc). The interesting thing about the non-oversampling dacs are them not relying as much on uber crystal clocks like an oversampling dac would.
 

  This is how I've been testing out tubes, cables, and other assorted potential snake oil items that I feel make a difference.
 
Headphones: Sennheiser HD650
Amplifier: Garage1217 Project Sunrise III with 6H6P-I tube
DAC #1: MHDT Atlantis
DAC #2: MHDT Atlantis
Switcher: Schiit Sys
Software: JRiver with two zones outputting simultaneously in a bitperfect direct connection via linked zones
Cables: Stock, AudioQuest power cables (two variants), AudioQuest Cinnamon USB, AudioQuest Cinnamon RCA, Schiit Pyst, Blue Jeans RCA, Kabeldirekt RCA
Other: USB DAC-UP ports on my computer, UpTone Regen
 
Using a matched pair of GE 5-Star White tubes to test the non-tubes.
 
Cables make a very small difference. I can hear a slight increase in clarity and separation using AudioQuest cables for most of the chain (Blue Jeans for the RCA though, as the AudioQuest RCA is coming from the Schiit Sys to my amp) versus the stock USB and power cables. It's audible, but only just. Only the USB or the power cable versus a 14AWG Monoprice power cable and I can't really hear a change.
 
Blue Jeans makes about as much difference versus Kabeldirekt. Like, 1-2% blacker background.
 
The Regen makes a slightly bigger change than cables. Cleaner with a blacker background. This is the only change I can definitively verify every time (~90% of the time) when I shuffle the RCA cables and try to decide which one has the better gear on it. USB + Power cable + RCA and I can tell almost every time (~75%). Change only one of three cables and I'm guessing.
 
Stack all of the cables + an UpTone Regen and I'm getting a cleaner, blacker background with a slightly less soft sound when compared to all stock. Improvement on the order of ~5%.
 
Just as interesting to me is tube testing. I still have a crapload of tubes. Right now, I'm checking out the Sylvania JAN 5670 against the GE 5 Star. The GE has a more tube-like sound with more bottom end. The Sylvania gives more treble and less bottom end with a slightly leaner sound.
 
Tube differences are pretty obvious here to me, which is quite nice.
 

 

 

[Luckbad]

Pretty cool feature that used to be spelled out in the manuals is that you can switch between firmware quite easily if you contact Jiun and have him send it to you.
 
You have these three firmware options, each offering very slightly different sound that might be best for the input you use:
 
xxxxx_L1.hex -- Left Justifed format speaker out
xxxxx_S1.hex -- I2S format speaker out
xxxxx_SP.hex -- SPDIF format SPDIF out
 
L1 is the stock firmware. It only takes about 30 seconds (after you read the instructions) to switch the firmware.
 
The changes are so subtle that you would be unlikely to notice a difference if you don't have a very easy way to A/B test them.
 
My rig posted previously allows me to test them very easily. I scramble my RCA cables so I don't know which DAC each is coming from into the Schiit Sys, then I can press the button to swap instantly and decide which I prefer.
 
I have only done a head-to-head with L1 and SP so far, and I can say that the SP slightly increases the soundstage width on my Atlantis over USB. Blindly swapping between them on three tracks, I decided I preferred what turned out to be the "SP" mode over the stock "L1" firmware. It also creates a marginally more engaging signature.
 

 
Time to switch the other to I2S and scramble the cables again.
 
Note: I checked and all three are asynchronous (the original Stockholm had synchronous vs. asynchronous firmware).

 

[Luckbad]

The S1 and SP are much harder to tell apart. I didn't really have a preference either way between them. SP might be marginally thicker in sound.
 
I don't think you can use ASIO in SP mode though (but can still use WASAPI). I guess because it reads it as an S/PDIF device on the computer, ASIO doesn't work? Not sure exactly.
 
I swapped one back to L1 (stock) and left the other S1 (I2S).
 
Time to bring in the wife. I scrambled the cables so I didn't know which was which, and neither did she.
 
Between S1 and L1, she clearly preferred S1.
 
Between S1 and SP, she indicated that their sound was much closer than the first comparison.
 
Sweet, corroboration! I'm not on something.
 
She thinks she slightly prefers SP over S1. I think I agree here, but it's almost too close to call.
 
The real question is, do I favor ASIO enough over WASAPI that I care? I dunno, I kinda like that is shows up as an S/PDIF for whatever reason.
 
I'll leave one on S1 and the other on SP.
 
The only thing that is clear is that the stock (L1) is slightly inferior to my ears (and my wife's) when compared to either of the other options.

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

Hmm, this may be similar effect to driver - rolling. A lot of people do this on DDCs that share the same input usb chip (like xmos 8). You're just getting a ton of info from Jiun, man!

Would be interesting to see the differences with a DDC. Specially L1 vs SP.

 

[Luckbad]

I just bought a pricey tube amplifier (Amps & Sound Mogwai).
 
If anyone is interested in picking up both 5670/2C51/396A tube bundles from my sig, or just the Western Electrics, or all of the tubes other than the Western Electrics, send me a reasonable offer and I'll accept it.
 
Four figures on a tube amp = deals for everyone!

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

I just purchased these isolation footing, I'll need to try them on headphones but it seems to help substantially with speaker use and the Pagoda. The mids seems to have better clarity and bass tighter..

This is a part of audio that I don't understand... it seems to be some kind of voodoo trick.

 

[s1rrah]

I just purchased these isolation footing, I'll need to try them on headphones but it seems to help substantially with speaker use and the Pagoda. The mids seems to have better clarity and bass tighter..

This is a part of audio that I don't understand... it seems to be some kind of voodoo trick.

 
I've tried all sorts of isolation footers ... glass ones, rubber ones, metal spikes ... and either I don't have the brain/ear for it or it just doesn't make any difference as I've never heard any change in the sound...
 
I'm not a total skeptic in regards to such voodoo, though ... as I certainly have found various cables to make a noticeable difference but I've just never connected with the whole footer thing ...

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

Trust me, if anyone was skeptical about the whole footing thing it would be me (which I've always thought was backwards thinking to turntable days). I'm hearing quite a difference, I hope I'm not losing it..

If you read into tube vibrations I suppose it makes a lot of sense. I believe this is also the reason MHDT created the pencil tube variants of their DACs, those tubes are used in high vibration applications. And I think people who use speakers should be able to hear this, resolving speakers even more so. I don't understand how headphone use can produce stand/table vibrations, unless you're moving about next to your rig. Also you'd think the stand you're using, the flooring and how a house was built would play factors as well, without having to say ymmv applies.

I plan on buying a bunch of these EVA (extreme vibration absorption) footings for people to try, I was able to source them and can sell for $1.5 per foot plus shipping. Good thing these aren't audio based footing otherwise they'd be $20-$200/ea lol

 

[KrissBill]

Hello everyone! I have my MHDT Stockholm 2 for a month and have few interesting information (I hope)
 
It definitely *needs* a break-in period of about a month. You might be disappointed when it is brand new.
 
A good power chord is a nice plus: I use a Wireworld Electra 7 Copper cable
 
I ordered PCM56K that I received yesterday. I luckily ordered 5 pcs (amazon) - JAPAN made
I also have a JW WE396
 
I replaced the original PCM56J and the JAN-5670W. Result is more refined, the treeble is much better, musicality is improved: I love it. I left the MHDT running for ten hours then started a serious listening session to discover an unbearable sizzle on the left channel.
 
I started my tests by swapping the right and left CFM56K. This time the sizzle was on the right channel: bingo, one dead new PCM56K, so I replaced it with one of the remaining new ones. Much better, but a very light sizzle, again, on the right channel. I replaced it with my PCM56K number 4 and this time, it was ok: black backgroud
 
This made me think that I HAD already this very light sizzle with the original PCM56J
 
Conclusion: if you also have a light sizzle, something that sounds like a digital background only when there is a signal (without signal, there is no noise at all), then it certainly comes from the DAC chips... you can hear it before the music starts.
 
 
I have ordered two AD1856K to test (be careful, the threads mention AD1865: wrong! this one is a 24pin 20bit DAC. I ordered two 1865 before that I now keep in a drawer: wasted money)
 
- chris

 

[s1rrah]

  I ordered PCM56K that I received yesterday. I luckily ordered 5 pcs (amazon) - JAPAN made
I also have a JW WE396
 
 

 
I am not the expert on this but I've read around quite a bit and am acquainted with a couple people who do happen to know a lot about these PCM56P DAC chips ... and I wouldn't trust any PCM56P-K's to be genuine unless buying direct from some place like Mouser Electronics (who describe the K grade PCM56P's as "unavailable" )...
 
Ebay sellers and even more so Amazon sellers are most likely selling counterfeit chips which in the end will most likely be worse than the J grade and otherwise that are still easily found from Mouser and Digikey (or other reputable dealers) ...
 
I happened to find a pair of vintage PCM56P-K chips that were desoldered from an old Techniqs CD player ... but I certainly wouldn't trust randomly purchasing from Ebay or Amazon ...
 
Again, not an expert but something to be aware of ...
 
Best,
joel

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

Someone said the AD1856 chips are 'better' (subj) than the PCM56P-K, you might as well try those. Although I believe it will be less of a refinement change and more of a signature change. +1 on sourcing PCM56P-K chips, I'd be weary where you get em. Where did you get them exactly?

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

Boom, bought a box of them. I should have em in a week if anyone wants to try them. LINK PLUGS

Also this guy seems to like em as well: http://thesoundapprentice.blogspot.com/2013/10/cheap-tweaks-diversitech-eva-anti.html
*check out anonymous at the bottom in the comments section plugging the audiophile version of these

Quote:

I just purchased these isolation footing, I'll need to try them on headphones but it seems to help substantially with speaker use and the Pagoda. The mids seems to have better clarity and bass tighter..

This is a part of audio that I don't understand... it seems to be some kind of voodoo trick.

 

   
I've tried all sorts of isolation footers ... glass ones, rubber ones, metal spikes ... and either I don't have the brain/ear for it or it just doesn't make any difference as I've never heard any change in the sound...
 
I'm not a total skeptic in regards to such voodoo, though ... as I certainly have found various cables to make a noticeable difference but I've just never connected with the whole footer thing ...

 

[ericr]

Hey, seems like a no brainer at that price. By breaking open the piggy bank I can even get a couple of quads (8 total)! You can ship them or just hang on to them until the next meet or mini-meet.

Thanks!

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

Will do Eric!

 

[KrissBill]

Joel, I do not think they are fake, the factory seems to be the same as the original PCM56J I received with my MHDT. See photo.
 
Also, the technology needed to do a "fake" chip would be the same as doing right ones. And for the price it is sold and the number you can expect to deliver, it really would not be a good business. My purpose was just to help identify a problem some MHDT owners might have and showing that there is a number of defective PCM56, even the "japan" made.
 
About isolation footing: if you put your hand (or the back of your hand, more sensitive) on the MHDT without isolation footing, you will find there is a very light vibration: normal, it is the toroidal transformer. This vibration blurs the sound in the components sensitive to vibration, mostly the tube, but not only. The idea is to evacuate those vibration to the ground, not isolating your DAC from the ground. The best way to do this is with conic feets, tip down, like on the pictures. I did the conic feets myself for a big amplifier, hence the size.
The result is mostly a better definition when under the DAC. Also, no need to put more than three and one of them must be under the toroidal transformer.
 
- chris