Singxer SU-1 Owners
Mar 22, 2017 at 9:09 AM Post #106 of 869
  I have done testing with and without the SU-1 in my system and I recently compared the I2S and AES inputs on the Spring HERE
I found the I2S to have an edge over AES in terms of fine detail.  
Adding the SU-1 to your system and using the I2S input will really make a difference.  I feel like it's a worthwhile upgrade to the Holo.  


Great!
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Once my GS-X arrives, I'll get a SU1.
Then we would have the same upstream equipment
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Mar 23, 2017 at 12:13 AM Post #108 of 869
  Congrats! I think you'll be pleasantly surprised! (I was 
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).


Thanks, Peter.
I had the SU1 and didn't really care for it, but I may have jumper to my conclusion, so I decide to revisit it again. When I had seen Tim was doing a "KTE" I figured I'd try it. This time I'll be spending much more time with the SU1 before coming to any conclusions. I also recently received the microRendu/Uptone LPS-1 (which I'm loving) so I'll be switching between both and using both together as well.
 
Mar 23, 2017 at 12:37 AM Post #109 of 869
 
I had the SU1 and didn't really care for it, but I may have jumper to my conclusion, so I decide to revisit it again. When I had seen Tim was doing a "KTE" I figured I'd try it. 

This going to be interesting!  I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the tweaked version of the SU-1 and if it really does make a difference.
 
Mar 23, 2017 at 6:25 AM Post #110 of 869
Tim must have been busy, I got my shipping notice for my KTE SU-1 too!  will be here saturday.  Going to use it with my new ps audio gain cell dac, it will let me switch from usb to i2s hdmi input!  
 
Mar 23, 2017 at 7:14 AM Post #111 of 869
I just bought 2 different styles of 0.1m HDMI cables to see how they compare to the 0.5m Emotiva HDMI cable. They are generic brand so the wire is probably lower tier but if length is a significant factor this is about as short as you can get them. Will let you guys know what I hear. The downside is that since they were so cheap, I didn't pay for expedited shipping so one of the sets won't be here for a month.
 
Mar 23, 2017 at 8:05 AM Post #112 of 869
I'll be comparing a 1.5 foot monoprice ultra slim hdmi vs 1 foot bluejeanscable hdmi.  I planned to use the bluejeanscable as the cable but got the monoprice just in case 1 foot is too short
 
Mar 23, 2017 at 9:30 AM Post #113 of 869
  This going to be interesting!  I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the tweaked version of the SU-1 and if it really does make a difference.


Remember, I'm only going by memory of my first SU1. The thing was I thought I heard more detail/separation and a wider sound-stage without it in my chain, so we'll see.
 
Mar 23, 2017 at 6:42 PM Post #114 of 869
I just bought 2 different styles of 0.1m HDMI cables to see how they compare to the 0.5m Emotiva HDMI cable. They are generic brand so the wire is probably lower tier but if length is a significant factor this is about as short as you can get them. Will let you guys know what I hear. The downside is that since they were so cheap, I didn't pay for expedited shipping so one of the sets won't be here for a month.


Does your setup support a 0.1M connection?

That's incredible. I had a 0.5FT cable at some point (now T Bone owns it), but it required my Singxer SU-1 to sit right on top of the HDMI input on the Spring. Now the shortest I can go is 0.5M, but luckily no sound difference I can tell of so far.

I wouldn't recommend conventional HDMI cable designs as it suffers more from bandwidth limitations, jitter, signal attenuation, crosstalk, and external EMI. A flat design cable would be best. This is why WireWorld is so popular. However, for a length shorter than 1M, the improvements in cable design might not even be audible to some people (or some setups).

I've had:
Sewell Silverback S6 0.5FT
WireWorld Silver Starlight 7 0.5M
WireWorld Starlight 7 0.5M
WireWorld Ultraviolet 0.3M
Monoprice Commercial 1FT
Kordz LUX & EVX

I sold the cheaper cables for peace of mind and ended up having only the Ultraviolet & Starlight. I did a comparison between the two and found them to perform very similar in i2S transmission.

Funny thing was, I wanted to save money and stick with the Ultraviolet cable. I figured silver plating will help with electron flow and keep the cable lasting longer. The Ultraviolet I had at the time was only 0.3M in length, but I needed 0.5M. The more expensive options I had was 0.5M, but it didn't give me any improvements so I felt it wasn't smart to keep them.

Right before buying a Ultraviolet in 0.5M, i noticed a brand that had a similar flat design, PE insulation, silver plated wires, and double shielding. It was called the Apollo AV Lightning V2. For $15 I took a lunge and now I can happily say I'm keeping this cable. It performs on the same level of every cable I own, even the $250 Kord LUX reference! Probably the best bang for the buck cable I've ever bought.

I highly recommend it.
http://www.apolloa-v.com/50-off-sale-apollo-av-lightning-v2-hdmi-5-silver-plated-ofc-v1-4-high-speed-with-ethernet/

Can be had for cheaper on Amazon & eBay.

I asked Dave over at Apollo AV for a cross section of the cable's internal design to see if it's configured well for i2S and was pleasantly surprised. He cut one in half and showed it to me. Now that's great customer service! The core DATA, WCLK, SCLK, and MCLK signals are all well separated from another. The dirty signals (power) is isolated and shielded. No wonder it performs so well.




Just trying to save everyone some money. :)
 
Mar 23, 2017 at 7:41 PM Post #115 of 869
Does your setup support a 0.1M connection?

That's incredible. I had a 0.5FT cable at some point (now T Bone owns it), but it required my Singxer SU-1 to sit right on top of the HDMI input on the Spring. Now the shortest I can go is 0.5M, but luckily no sound difference I can tell of so far.

I wouldn't recommend conventional HDMI cable designs as it suffers more from bandwidth limitations, jitter, signal attenuation, crosstalk, and external EMI. A flat design cable would be best. This is why WireWorld is so popular. However, for a length shorter than 1M, the improvements in cable design might not even be audible to some people (or some setups).


I'll have to line up the hdmi ports as well to make 0.1m happen but if it improves sound quality great! If not the total experiment is only cost less than $30 so I haven't lost much. I bought the following off of eBay.




The ribbon cable is pretty thin gauge and doesn't look to be shielded but it won't require and adapter and all of the plugs are oriented the correct way. As you pointed out all the conductors being the same length should help. The other cable looks like it may have shielding but I could find an all-in-one solution with the correct orientation which is why I ordered the adapter.
 
Mar 23, 2017 at 7:51 PM Post #116 of 869
I'll have to line up the hdmi ports as well to make 0.1m happen but if it improves sound quality great! If not the total experiment is only cost less than $30 so I haven't lost much. I bought the following off of eBay.

The ribbon cable is pretty thin gauge and doesn't look to be shielded but it won't require and adapter and all of the plugs are oriented the correct way. As you pointed out all the conductors being the same length should help. The other cable looks like it may have shielding but I could find an all-in-one solution with the correct orientation which is why I ordered the adapter.


Is there no room in the back for a longer shielded cable? Is bending not a possibility which is why you opt to using a 90 degree angle adapter?

The 0.1M ribbon cable seems like a really great solution. I'm just not sure how well it can perform as a cable when it's outside of the chassis like this. EMI will become a big issue, but if you're not hearing any degrade in sound quality compared to other cables I don't see why not.

It's just weird because HDMI is suppose to be a differential balanced design and having no shields on it pretty much makes it a single ended. It's like having a balanced amplifier but tying the grounds together to get less power. You're not getting the full benefits.

Do your best to keep other cables (especially power cables) away from it and it should be fine.
 
Mar 23, 2017 at 8:30 PM Post #117 of 869
Is there no room in the back for a longer shielded cable? Is bending not a possibility which is why you opt to using a 90 degree angle adapter?

The 0.1M ribbon cable seems like a really great solution. I'm just not sure how well it can perform as a cable when it's outside of the chassis like this. EMI will become a big issue, but if you're not hearing any degrade in sound quality compared to other cables I don't see why not.

It's just weird because HDMI is suppose to be a differential balanced design and having no shields on it pretty much makes it a single ended. It's like having a balanced amplifier but tying the grounds together to get less power. You're not getting the full benefits.

Do your best to keep other cables (especially power cables) away from it and it should be fine.


I do have room for a longer shielded cable I was just curious what going to the extremes or shortening the length would do.

With lengths that short I am afraid of bends putting extra stress on the connections so the 90 connectors makes the most direct route and buts no additional stress on the ports. The cable is meant for quadcopters and the like so it should do reasonably well next to RF transmitters so we'll see. I can also add aluminum or copper foil (or tape) to see if that can counter any ill EMI effects. If either option doesn't perform well they'll go in the trash bin with out much sleep. I think it will be a fun way to occupy my time.
 
Mar 23, 2017 at 9:36 PM Post #118 of 869
 
Remember, I'm only going by memory of my first SU1. The thing was I thought I heard more detail/separation and a wider sound-stage without it in my chain, so we'll see.

 
If you think the KTE SU-1 is worth the addition, then you have a very good reference point next to the SU-1 methinks.
 
Mar 23, 2017 at 10:45 PM Post #119 of 869
 
Thanks, Peter.
I had the SU1 and didn't really care for it, but I may have jumper to my conclusion, so I decide to revisit it again. When I had seen Tim was doing a "KTE" I figured I'd try it. This time I'll be spending much more time with the SU1 before coming to any conclusions. I also recently received the microRendu/Uptone LPS-1 (which I'm loving) so I'll be switching between both and using both together as well.

I will be performing the same experiment soon!
 
I have an SU-1 on hand from Tim (base model - not KTE). I have a lot of problems with the USB output for audio from my PC and the SU-1 has helped greatly, but not completely eliminated them. It has significantly improved sound quality though! I am using it with a Schiit Gungnir D-S DAC and an iFi iCAN Pro amp.
 
I recently got a good deal on a used microRendu and UpTone LPS-1 PSU. As I use Roon and Tidal pretty much exclusively to play all my music I am also going to implement a dedicated RoonServer with PC parts I have on hand to work with the microRendu. Will be comparing it on the Gungnir via USB vs the SU-1 BNC SPDIF output. The winner will stay.
 
I am not sure if there would be much benefit from inserting the SU-1 into the signal chain in between the microRendu output and the DAC? This would only really be needed if I ever upgrade to the Holo Spring DAC and wanted to use the I2S output from the SU-1. Who knows maybe it will improve on the microRendu sonics?
 
Anyway we should compare notes!
 
Mar 23, 2017 at 11:58 PM Post #120 of 869
  If you think the KTE SU-1 is worth the addition, then you have a very good reference point next to the SU-1 methinks.

Who knows?
I might feel the same exact way as I did like my first time around the SU-1.
 
 
  I will be performing the same experiment soon!
 
I have an SU-1 on hand from Tim (base model - not KTE). I have a lot of problems with the USB output for audio from my PC and the SU-1 has helped greatly, but not completely eliminated them. It has significantly improved sound quality though! I am using it with a Schiit Gungnir D-S DAC and an iFi iCAN Pro amp.
 
I recently got a good deal on a used microRendu and UpTone LPS-1 PSU. As I use Roon and Tidal pretty much exclusively to play all my music I am also going to implement a dedicated RoonServer with PC parts I have on hand to work with the microRendu. Will be comparing it on the Gungnir via USB vs the SU-1 BNC SPDIF output. The winner will stay.
 
I am not sure if there would be much benefit from inserting the SU-1 into the signal chain in between the microRendu output and the DAC? This would only really be needed if I ever upgrade to the Holo Spring DAC and wanted to use the I2S output from the SU-1. Who knows maybe it will improve on the microRendu sonics?
 
Anyway we should compare notes!

Good to know you're going to be doing similar tests, I'm looking forward to your impressions. Although I'm sure our systems aren't identical, we can get some idea of what we're both hearing.
 
Another thing was, I wasn't  having any noise issues during playback with my MBP using USB which is why I didn't mind this connection. The only issues I had was clicking/popping noises while switching between sample rates (which you might have read). Also, once (maybe twice) a night I would get a drop out for about 1 second using USB
 
As far as benefitting with both in my chain I'm not too sure either. The one good thing is I have the Spring DAC and I'm going to be using i2s. I'll have my SU-1 Saturday.
 
One thing that's for sure is the mR/LPS-1 is simply a beautiful piece of equipment. I've had no issue whatsoever after getting it up and running. If both play well together in my chain then great! If not I'll just be keeping whichever I prefer more in my chain. 
 

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