[Jon L]

@Jon L The only native 5V battery supply you will find is 4x NiMh

I've been hoping to avoid this pain. NiMH 1.2 V 1900 mAH Eneloop battery means I need to double them ( 4 batteries x2) to get decent play time. And then I need to have 8 additional batteries charged ready to go when the first 8 runs out, manually changing them out every time.

I'll take one for the team since I have lots of Eneloop batteries already from photography

AAcase by drjlo2, on Flickr

0828202047 by drjlo2, on Flickr

 

[DecentLevi]

BREAKTHROUGH ALERT​

Introducing the ferrite bead improvement! These are nothing new, but new to me and I have found a few good uses for it, always making a positive difference and in slightly different ways on different components. So I have these 8 beads sitting around I got for like $6 five years ago to quell buzzing sound on an external anode wire for tubes. The incoming BNC cable from Wave High Fidelity that uses ferrite beads / chokes got me to thinking how these may be of use elsewhere.

Initially I tried these on my 6V AC cable leading to the Schiit Wyrd which is a USB purifier that goes between my PC and DDC / audio interface before feeding a super pure digital stream into the Qutest DAC. Here are my results with it after meticulous testing in different positions and A/B'ing with & without over two days:

• Ferrite beads on Schiit Wyrd cable
  Instant transformation: treble is smoother and more detailed without added fatigue, overall more natural / organic sound, improved instrument separation with a more holographic soundstage to boot! Bass is faster and especially now drums hit harder!
  After trying all 8, 4 then 3 I actually settled with just 3. All 8 to me resulted in a somewhat overbaked job akin to clinical sonic reproduction, but the 3 combined with the 4 mentioned below were 'just the ticket' for me. I've found them to perhaps sound best when spaced approx. 6-8" (inches) from the source on either side, and 1 in the middle.

-

• Ferrite beads on aftermarket silver HD-600 cable
  While hearing more similar improvements on a headphone cable with generally improved resolution all around, this way is especially effecting the 'vividness' of the recording as well as harder hitting drums AKA dynamics. I heard decent improvement with two beads, but settled on four and I'm hooked for life!
  The combination of ferrite chokes on USB purifier and headphone cable resulted in a total metamorphosis of sound, almost leaving me to question whether the same song is still playing, and hearing a new detail I've yet to hear on a same trusty test song I've heard 100's of times over the years. Numerous comparisons yielded unwavering and repeatable night / day improvements, making my system sound fairly 'smeared' and dull without, as if sounds are more in one blob not separated as well and with softer drums - oh yes this system can perform better with the chokes!

• Ferrite beads on the Qutest stock PSU cable
  Although I already have a spectacular LPS, I thought I'd do this comparison 'for the team'. On this one, the sound was affected quite different than above. I did another comparison of the Qutest stock DC wall-wart (PSU cable) to my LPS with thick aftermarket DC cable (both without any ferrite beads) and noticed a much more vivid sound, with robust dynamics, smoother treble & more detail with the LPS. Next attaching all 8 ferrite beads to the Qutest stock PSU cable, I was actually pleasantly taken aback. It's a very coherent sound with some improvements: bass definition improved a bit, things seems more forward and I'm hearing a bit more details.
  
  A few A/B's however made me realize the ferrite beads are no match for a good LPS, maybe sounding 1/3rd as good - yet still better than 'stock'. The stereo image seemed to suffer from a bit of 'congestion' and instrument placements seemed a bit 'smeared'. I do suppose however if one were to get a large pack of these beads / chokes... say 20 on the Qutest cable and 4-8 more for your headphone cable and any other components as desired, you just may have the 'smoking gun' for a dirt cheap hack that doesn't involve a LPS replacement. For me though having only 8 I was unable to test beads on all 3 cables simultaneously.

Ferrite beads on both the USB purifier cable and headphones for me were PURE magic dust, with a heightened sense of realism unlike I've experienced before at home, with substantial improvement on transient response (drums / dynamics) etc. and is what finally put a smile on my face. Not everybody's results will be identical but I encourage you to experiment to your liking, and these are cheap too.

On my system in particular something that made a huge difference was the Kenwood VR-406 A/V receiver I came across for free - a semi-vintage 5.1 channel solid-state speaker amp that happens to have a m-a-r-v-e-l-o-u-s headphone output to boot (in "source direct" mode), for me comparing very well with the Rangarok v1.

For my LPS, it's a custom prototype that is similar to one which compared favorably to the Allo Shanti by some. For anyone with that LPS, I recommend trying the beads on its' thin cable and see how much things may improve. Though it also helps on other parts of the system perhaps even more.

 

[Zzt231gr]

Metamorphosis comes from the Greek word "Μεταμορφωση" , which means transformation!

I trully believe you,dear friend!Ferrites do work and I think Wave cables realize this concept to the max!

Cheers!!

 

[HumanMedia]

BREAKTHROUGH ALERT​

Introducing the ferrite bead improvement! These are nothing new, but new to me and I have found a few good uses for it, always making a positive difference and in slightly different ways on different components. So I have these 8 beads sitting around I got for like $6 five years ago to quell buzzing sound on an external anode wire for tubes. The incoming BNC cable from Wave High Fidelity that uses ferrite beads / chokes got me to thinking how these may be of use elsewhere.

Get some of these into your system as well, the one you have pictured are most likely in the low hundreds of megahertz range, these ones peak at 1GHz and extend up to 2.5GHz, which helps with that dreaded wifi saturation.
https://au.rs-online.com/web/p/ferrite-sleeves/6688864/

I use solid core versions for my BNC cables but put these Clip ons everywhere else. The external AC cords for my power supplies, ethernet cables, router cables, computer power cables even though they are far away from the AV System. The ones linked have an internal diameter of 8mm, but there are others with 13mm and higher.

Edit: if you do get some, make sure to order the extra plastic key that you will need to open them back up to try in different places. They are not fingernail openable like other ferrites

 

[Jon L]

Get some of these into your system as well, the one you have pictured are most likely in the low hundreds of megahertz range, these ones peak at 1GHz and extend up to 2.5GHz, which helps with that dreaded wifi saturation.
https://au.rs-online.com/web/p/ferrite-sleeves/6688864/

Interesting product. Mouser and Digikey carry it in U.S. for those interested.
As with all things in audio, I don't think one can predict which type/size of ferrite will subjectively "sound better" in specific situation, even in different parts of the same system depending on different RFI/EMI profile, AC vs DC application, etc. For those interested, please perform the obligatory "ferrite rolling" and report back

https://resources.altium.com/p/how-do-ferrite-beads-work-and-how-do-you-choose-right-one
"Ferrite beads do not act like a wideband low-pass filter as they can only help attenuate a specific range of frequencies. You must choose a ferrite bead selection and choke where your undesired frequencies are in its resistive band. If you go a little too low or a little too high the bead will not have the desired effect."

 

[The Jester]

Lots of effort on your part with some interesting results ..
I’m guessing with the headphone cables they were affected by RFI from somewhere, twisted pair cables can offer some rejection and it looks like the ferrite improved on that ...
There’s always been two camps on analogue interconnects ... full braid and foil shield vs twisted pair but after reading Rob’s comments on claims of “more air and space” with some high end cables I’m guessing it’s down to a false impression due to RFI ... you may have just proved that ..
Be interesting to see what effect the wave cables make when they arrive ...

 

[Jon L]

Upgraded the DC cable on Allo Shanti with VH Audio 18 AWG Unicrystal OCC copper wire in Airlok + Schurter DC plug.

0910200751 by drjlo2, on Flickr

0910200950 by drjlo2, on Flickr

Then I made a native 5V battery supply using rechargeable NiMH AA batteries, 2 groups of four in parallel. Fun times ahead...

0910200831 by drjlo2, on Flickr

 

[Jon L]

What I have feared has come true. I truly did not want the AA batteries to sound best because who wants to change out 8 batteries manually every few hours?
Unfortunately, the native NiMH AA batteries sound significantly better than the Bakoon Li battery supply with internal regulation. That slight bit of warmth and pleasant richness has been burnt away, along with cloying sense of sameness. What is left is ultra clean background with crisp, fresh, resolute clarity and body. Nothing is blurry or murky, and although poor recordings are even easier to identify, their brittle, harsh, thin recording quality is communicated clearly while not exaggerated.

The good news is that Allo Shanti LPS, when upgraded with shorter, better-quality DC cable and fed from a good power cord from a good power regenerator, turns a few sonic corners toward the sonic signature of native batteries. The stock DC cable is found to darken and smooth out the sound a bit at the expense of clarity, but this signature actually improves tolerability of some brittle and thin rock/metal music. Future experimentation with different wires are planned, and I may end up installing a DC jack for easy cable swapping.

No rest for the wicked.. (as I change eight AA batteries and two 18650 batteries for the system).

 

[Zzt231gr]

What I have feared has come true. I truly did not want the AA batteries to sound best because who wants to change out 8 batteries manually every few hours?
Unfortunately, the native NiMH AA batteries sound significantly better than the Bakoon Li battery supply with internal regulation. That slight bit of warmth and pleasant richness has been burnt away, along with cloying sense of sameness. What is left is ultra clean background with crisp, fresh, resolute clarity and body. Nothing is blurry or murky, and although poor recordings are even easier to identify, their brittle, harsh, thin recording quality is communicated clearly while not exaggerated.

The good news is that Allo Shanti LPS, when upgraded with shorter, better-quality DC cable and fed from a good power cord from a good power regenerator, turns a few sonic corners toward the sonic signature of native batteries. The stock DC cable is found to darken and smooth out the sound a bit at the expense of clarity, but this signature actually improves tolerability of some brittle and thin rock/metal music. Future experimentation with different wires are planned, and I may end up installing a DC jack for easy cable swapping.

No rest for the wicked.. (as I change eight AA batteries and two 18650 batteries for the system).

Thank you for your valuable info!

Is the sound of the battery psu far away from Allo Shanti?

 

[uzi2]

What I have feared has come true. I truly did not want the AA batteries to sound best because who wants to change out 8 batteries manually every few hours?
Unfortunately, the native NiMH AA batteries sound significantly better than the Bakoon Li battery supply with internal regulation. That slight bit of warmth and pleasant richness has been burnt away, along with cloying sense of sameness. What is left is ultra clean background with crisp, fresh, resolute clarity and body. Nothing is blurry or murky, and although poor recordings are even easier to identify, their brittle, harsh, thin recording quality is communicated clearly while not exaggerated.

The good news is that Allo Shanti LPS, when upgraded with shorter, better-quality DC cable and fed from a good power cord from a good power regenerator, turns a few sonic corners toward the sonic signature of native batteries. The stock DC cable is found to darken and smooth out the sound a bit at the expense of clarity, but this signature actually improves tolerability of some brittle and thin rock/metal music. Future experimentation with different wires are planned, and I may end up installing a DC jack for easy cable swapping.

No rest for the wicked.. (as I change eight AA batteries and two 18650 batteries for the system).

As expected really as all contact with potentially noisy mains supply is eliminated and no potentially noisy current switching, just a clean simple source. Not the most convenient, but there are higher capacity NiMh batteries available. AAs at around 3000mAh and Ds around 10000mAh.
Your cable rolling on the Shanti may produce a better long term solution with the pure battery power showing a result to aim for. Good luck

 

[Triode User]

Upgraded the DC cable on Allo Shanti with VH Audio 18 AWG Unicrystal OCC copper wire in Airlok + Schurter DC plug.

I have just been round to a friends house to listen to his newly acquired Allo Shanti (as well as Sbooster, Farad3, a Sean Jacobs DC2 and also a DIY Supercap PSU). I was pretty sure I could hear a difference between the 3A and 1A outputs on the Allo Shanti. Have you listened to both?

 

[Jon L]

I have just been round to a friends house to listen to his newly acquired Allo Shanti (as well as Sbooster, Farad3, a Sean Jacobs DC2 and also a DIY Supercap PSU). I was pretty sure I could hear a difference between the 3A and 1A outputs on the Allo Shanti. Have you listened to both?

I have listened to both, but I suspect the differences will reveal themselves more depending on how much current (continuous and peak) each component draws.

Not the most convenient, but there are higher capacity NiMh batteries available. AAs at around 3000mAh and Ds around 10000mAh.
Your cable rolling on the Shanti may produce a better long term solution with the pure battery power showing a result to aim for. Good luck

My experience is that Eneloops are the only NiMH rechargeables I have used that hold their charge well. Several other brands I have tried seem to leak charge like a sieve just standing there.
Do you know of any good rechargeable D's?
Eneloop/Eneloop Pro and Energizer "Recharge" have been measured to store their charge well from tests, but Eneloop D is their AA in D spacer case..

 

[Jon L]

I had put aside this battery for my music server due to the hassle involved. Little did I know what true hassle was...
Time to go off-grid.

0911201626 by drjlo2, on Flickr

 

[dac64]

What I have feared has come true. I truly did not want the AA batteries to sound best because who wants to change out 8 batteries manually every few hours?

Very true! Comparing to poweradd as if horn to conventional speakers.

Batteries just direct and pure!

 

[uzi2]

I have listened to both, but I suspect the differences will reveal themselves more depending on how much current (continuous and peak) each component draws.




My experience is that Eneloops are the only NiMH rechargeables I have used that hold their charge well. Several other brands I have tried seem to leak charge like a sieve just standing there.
Do you know of any good rechargeable D's?
Eneloop/Eneloop Pro and Energizer "Recharge" have been measured to store their charge well from tests, but Eneloop D is their AA in D spacer case..

I've never used Ds and am not currently using any NiMh batteries. My understaning is that there are two types of NiMh, the early ones that did not hold charge and a newer variety that does. It is easy to spot which is which as the latter are sold as Ready to use, or have stay charged on the packaging.