[EMINENT]

Hullo.

A quick video of Trifield EM100 test.

 

[ejk1]

Hullo.

A quick video of Trifield EM100 test.

Is it me? Doesnt look different due to the numbers moving too fast

 

[m-i-c-k-e-y]

It was 24-27 before and went to 240-260 after...10x difference...

 

[ChJL]

OCD Mikey's video is what sold me

too.

So I ordered one within the first week of Oktober. After distributer, retailer messing things up in an alternating fashion I was informed of "in delivery" for today... finally...
but the delivery guy did not "leave it at the front door" like set up in my post account would require him too. Funny that he arrived within those 20 minutes in which I went to the post office to send some other things back.

Now I finally got it later today after it was dropped off at the post office.

Got an unfiltered "Wilbrand acoustics Netzleiste STERN Alu GF6 silver II" also in which a GM City and PSM156 are plugged in.

All 6 devices of my HP system into the PSM156 and my first impression is that I actually cannot believe the positive changes.
I will say those helpful words:
"you have to hear it for yourself, to believe it".
Seriously you've noticed I used changes... plural, right?

No hard feelings loosing some hard earned money in trading in my old power strip and filter.
Will a RM improve things further?

For everyone in EU primarily there is this man:
https://www.ebay.de/usr/vip-exklusiv
auctioning PSM156s on ebay. First sold for €1.098,- second for €1.521, - and a third offer ends on Sunday 20:15.

 

[incredulousity]

too.

So I ordered one within the first week of Oktober. After distributer, retailer messing things up in an alternating fashion I was informed of "in delivery" for today... finally...
but the delivery guy did not "leave it at the front door" like set up in my post account would require him too. Funny that he arrived within those 20 minutes in which I went to the post office to send some other things back.

Now I finally got it later today after it was dropped off at the post office.

Got an unfiltered "Wilbrand acoustics Netzleiste STERN Alu GF6 silver II" also in which a GM City and PSM156 are plugged in.

All 6 devices of my HP system into the PSM156 and my first impression is that I actually cannot believe the positive changes.
I will say those helpful words:
"you have to hear it for yourself, to believe it".
Seriously you've noticed I used changes... plural, right?

No hard feelings loosing some hard earned money in trading in my old power strip and filter.
Will a RM improve things further?

For everyone in EU primarily there is this man:
https://www.ebay.de/usr/vip-exklusiv
auctioning PSM156s on ebay. First sold for €1.098,- second for €1.521, - and a third offer ends on Sunday 20:15.

And it will improve over the first 1-200 hours as well.

 

[gammi]

Got my PSM156 all hooked up. Not 100% sure of the sound difference because it's hard to AB test this but I can say for sure noise has been reduced in things that were previously noisy. Overall it just feels good to know dirty power isn't something I have to worry about affecting the sound.

Strangely my Van Alstine RCA to balanced XLR converter box died within 24 hours of plugging it into the PSM. I'm sure that's just coincidence though.
EDIT: False alarm, it turns out I somehow physically damaged the outlet of the adapter I plugged the converter into. Replacing with a non-damaged adapter fixed it.

 

[Jake2]

Hi chaps, thought I'd share a very cheap but so far very promising and effective shielding/RFI absorption tweak I've been experimenting with some success in a range places in my system in recent weeks - graphite 'foil'. I've shared some findings on other threads but finally this evening got around to trying it on and around my PSM156 hence this post.

Graphite foil is comprised of graphite crystals 'calendered' (rolled flat) into multiple thin layers which are squished together. You can get a ten pack of 20x25cm 0.5mm or 1mm sheets from AliX for not much cost at all.

I did a bit of research before trying graphite foil. Graphite is a potent RFI shield used in industry and in military stealth coatings because its ratio of absorption to reflection is much better than conductive metals, up to the low GHz range after which reflection the absorption % for metals rises to converge at a similar level to dominates for graphite. There's RFI blocking paints and some commercially available cable sheaths that employee graphite and/or other carbon for this reason.

As you can see I fashioned some very basic shields between the cables and plugs as they enter the Puritan. The foil is very light with consistency like particularly brittle cardboard... easy to create corners by bending which results in tearing of the layers, but if done gently it stays together in one piece. (The 0.5mm is easier to neatly bend than the 1mm which needs scoring to avoid ragged corners) The foil is very delicate and it will separate completely at the corner fold with just a one or two bends in opposite directions.

Just done some prelim AB'ing but so far seems very potent and positive.

The positives (which were obvious in their absence as I went along the line removing and replacing them one at a time) include purer and grain free midrange with less glare on vocals. This purity extended into the treble with xylophone hits sounding more delicately crystalline and realistic. Also better overall separation on the soundstage with a quieter background, and more bass weight and transient attack. I don't think it thinned the sound per se but the greater attack and precision was quite intense on some songs... Some tuning to be done methinks.

The above was 'just' with the 0.5mm thick sheets as the more potent - and in my experience more balanced and denser/full sounding - 1mm thick ones were already all deployed elsewhere in my system.

So just now I nicked one of those 1mm thick sheets, halved it and placed it inside the existing 0.5mm foil shield for my clock cable (the silver helix one) and sure enough midrange palpabilty went up a notch.

To be continued...

 

[gammi]

Hi chaps, thought I'd share a very cheap but so far very promising and effective shielding/RFI absorption tweak I've been experimenting with some success in a range places in my system in recent weeks - graphite 'foil'. I've shared some findings on other threads but finally this evening got around to trying it on and around my PSM156 hence this post.

Graphite foil is comprised of graphite crystals 'calendered' (rolled flat) into multiple thin layers which are squished together. You can get a ten pack of 20x25cm 0.5mm or 1mm sheets from AliX for not much cost at all.

I did a bit of research before trying graphite foil. Graphite is a potent RFI shield used in industry and in military stealth coatings because its ratio of absorption to reflection is much better than conductive metals, up to the low GHz range after which reflection dominates for graphite too. There's RFI blocking paints and some commercially available cable sheaths that employee graphite and/or other carbon for this reason.

As you can see I fashioned some very basic shields between the cables and plugs as they enter the Puritan. The foil is very light with consistency like particularly brittle cardboard... easy to create corners by bending which results in tearing of the layers, but if done gently it stays together in one piece. (The 0.5mm is easier to neatly bend than the 1mm which needs scoring to avoid ragged corners) The foil is very delicate and it will separate completely at the corner fold with just a one or two bends in opposite directions.

Just done some prelim AB'ing but so far seems very potent and positive.

The positives (which were obvious in their absence as I went along the line removing and replacing them one at a time) include purer and grain free midrange with less glare on vocals. This purity extended into the treble with xylophone hits sounding more delicately crystalline and realistic. Also better overall separation on the soundstage with a quieter background, and more bass weight and transient attack. I don't think it thinned the sound per se but the greater attack and precision was quite intense on some songs... Some tuning to be done methinks.

The above was 'just' with the 0.5mm thick sheets as the more potent - and in my experience more balanced and denser/full sounding - 1mm thick ones were already all deployed elsewhere in my system.

So just now I nicked one of those 1mm thick sheets, halved it and placed it inside the existing 0.5mm foil shield for my clock cable (the silver helix one) and sure enough midrange palpabilty went up a notch.

To be continued...

Wrap your R26 in that too!

 

[ArkNerevar]

Well I applaud you for the initiative of such a thing, one thing I found when increasing the shielding of cables was that it generally gave more damping of the sound as well, would you say your hearing anything like that with your experiment?

 

[Jake2]

Wrap your R26 in that too!

The R26 already has more than its share of 1mm sheets! (still in testing mode, but so far.. the more the better in lieu of the normal aluminium lid)

 

[Jake2]

Well I applaud you for the initiative of such a thing, one thing I found when increasing the shielding of cables was that it generally gave more damping of the sound as well, would you say your hearing anything like that with your experiment?

Cheers. And yes I would say it is damping HF or rather HF glare, in a positive direction approaching a balanced, more natural sound, without giving up resolution - if anything the opposite in terms of more texture and micro details. I have some glare in my system I am trying to reduce - it was quite noticeable returning to the Focals with their beryllium tweeters which are sensitive to glare or digitus in the upper midrange especially, after a month or so going back to the more forgiving and rolled off KEFs LS50w's while the main system was dissasembled. Last night my separate's system midrange was as organic and textured as I can recall. Though a bunch of damping tweaks to my external clock and switch OCXOs (stacked tungsten cubes, fo.Q and graphite foil squares anyone?) and couple of quality APAs no doubt also helped.

I suspect there may be a difference in effect on sonics of a close proximity shield as built into a cable vs here where the shields are loose, open and only cover a small section of the cable including the plug. I'll see if I can test this theory with further experientation of closer and more extensive graphite shielding. I found there's often also a difference in the sound of copper sheet vs graphite sheet from my testing not yet involving the Puritan (eg. on ground boxes).. copper leans to to sounding more thin and bright on some components.. why this is I can only speculate, perhaps in part the greater reflectivity of copper. Not sure what you used in your cable shielding, whether this might be a factor.

I've also been experimenting with wrapping 3mm thick >98% graphite felt around 5-10cm of the end sections my analogue interconnect and speaker cables where it also seems very beneficial, but I only have a single sheet of it so none spare to try on or around power cables.

I see a few more AliX purchases in my future.

Some related links for anyone who is interested in exploring this further:
- background from a US supplier https://www.ceramaterials.com/graphite-foil/
- my graphite vs copper sheet observations https://www.head-fi.org/threads/diy-ground-box-thread.968372/post-17820929
- a cursory decidedly non-expert review of the science on RFI shielding behaviour of graphite vs copper and aluminium https://www.head-fi.org/threads/diy-ground-box-thread.968372/post-17837250
- AliX graphite felt I got
https://a.aliexpress.com/_m0EcUkg
- alt AliX source of graphite foil (my vendor is out) I'll probably try next as they go up to 2mm thickness https://a.aliexpress.com/_mtW7DTS

Apologies getting a little off-topic. OT Ends /

 

[ArkNerevar]

I see, thanks thats helpful in showing me that I dont even have to consider replicating your experiments though I do find them interesting (I really dont like what the damping does to the sound).

 

[Jake2]

I see, thanks thats helpful in showing me that I dont even have to consider replicating your experiments though I do find them interesting (I really dont like what the damping does to the sound).

I guess my reply was a long winded way of saying there's damping (RFI noise reduction), and then there's damping. I can only speak to the beneficial effect so far in my system naturally.

 

[phoneslave86]

I meant to post this a while ago. If you have a PSM136 or PSM156 and you have serious problems with extreme noise or unstable power and it's not cutting it try plugging it into a $200 CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD UPS. This thing was nothing short of like a miracle for me combined with the ultimate cable and the PSM136. I've been able to reference a perfect clean power sound late at night and I had to watch my audio get better and worse during the day and consistently go to crap during peak hours for a couple months which is what lead me to get my PSM136. Unfortunately the PSM136 was never able to stop all the noise. Like a 20 percent improvement only when it was at it's worse which was near unbearably bad. I had also tried plugging it into my $600 1500W "sinewave" APC UPS and it had no helpful effect. I think the CyberPower UPS has some kind of mechanism that stabilizes the fluctuating power that was exactly what the PSM needed. I had to immediately turn the volume down about 1/4 it was so much louder and more dynamic. It also cut out some noise and of course eliminated the brunt of the flat/brittle sound that happens from bad power right away. I did have to get more LPS and nicer cables to get it pretty much all the way to perfect 24/7 but there is no way it would be possible without the UPS. So yea give the UPS a shot if your having some serious power problems.

 

[ejk1]

I meant to post this a while ago. If you have a PSM136 or PSM156 and you have serious problems with extreme noise or unstable power and it's not cutting it try plugging it into a $200 CyberPower CP1500PFCLCD UPS. This thing was nothing short of like a miracle for me combined with the ultimate cable and the PSM136. I've been able to reference a perfect clean power sound late at night and I had to watch my audio get better and worse during the day and consistently go to crap during peak hours for a couple months which is what lead me to get my PSM136. Unfortunately the PSM136 was never able to stop all the noise. Like a 20 percent improvement only when it was at it's worse which was near unbearably bad. I had also tried plugging it into my $600 1500W "sinewave" APC UPS and it had no helpful effect. I think the CyberPower UPS has some kind of mechanism that stabilizes the fluctuating power that was exactly what the PSM needed. I had to immediately turn the volume down about 1/4 it was so much louder and more dynamic. It also cut out some noise and of course eliminated the brunt of the flat/brittle sound that happens from bad power right away. I did have to get more LPS and nicer cables to get it pretty much all the way to perfect 24/7 but there is no way it would be possible without the UPS. So yea give the UPS a shot if your having some serious power problems.

So you can have 6 things plugged into the 136 and then plug the 136 into one of battery outlets? Can one outlet handle this?