[IPodPJ]

With the stock supply the sound is much brighter and more shrill. At first I actually preferred this, back when I seemed to enjoy more treble and was going to return the CIAudio VDC•9.0. But when I started changing my tastes towards neutral sound, I appreciated the difference that the CIAudio power supply provided. I also had custom cables made to connect it to the Squeezebox Duet. I had two of them, and they made quite a surprising difference, each one yielded different sound. Had I not tried that I never would have known. In addition, putting different power cords on the power supply had just as much an impact.

 

[melomaniac]

turned my two squeezeboxes into one transporter - there again the power cord deserved to be swapped. thanks to the two head-fi buyers of my SB3s, although I now still don't know whether to keep the two CIA VDA2-VAC1 sets I used for the digital out of the squeezeboxes. I also upgraded my apple mini 09 to a mini server 10 for more space (went from 80GB plus externals to 1TB - and more quiet - the external HDs were getting noisy). I'm happy with the transporter, also as DAC for my Oppo spinner. no idea why they phased out that product...

 

[IPodPJ]

If you're not using the CIA stuff you might as well sell it to someone who can enjoy it.

 

[OutdoorXplorer]

I have $OLD my SB3 and Touch is in the mail across the Atlantic ocean now...  

 

[dura]

After some getting used to I'm quite happy with the Touch now. I started to use it with an USB powered HD and thar sounded somehow unpleasant. But streaming files from my PC it sounds very good and is clearly cleaner, more dynamic and more detailed then my Classic (which I also sold).
However, in my set the classic gave a nice mellow musical tubelike sound; no doubt coming from euphonic distortions caused by jitter and/or RFI, but it sounded nice.
But again, now I prefer the Touch; if you use in with the Havana, which is already quite mellow by itself, no doubt you'll love the touch. Just forget about the build in tiny server.
Weird how noticable the difference was in my system; both players were used as a digital transport only and my DAC is supposed to be relatively insensitive to jitter.

 

[OutdoorXplorer]

Quote:

After some getting used to I'm quite happy with the Touch now. I started to use it with an USB powered HD and thar sounded somehow unpleasant. But streaming files from my PC it sounds very good and is clearly cleaner, more dynamic and more detailed then my Classic (which I also sold).
However, in my set the classic gave a nice mellow musical tubelike sound; no doubt coming from euphonic distortions caused by jitter and/or RFI, but it sounded nice.
But again, now I prefer the Touch; if you use in with the Havana, which is already quite mellow by itself, no doubt you'll love the touch. Just forget about the build in tiny server.
Weird how noticable the difference was in my system; both players were used as a digital transport only and my DAC is supposed to be relatively insensitive to jitter.

Wait till I listen it with my modded Havana+V-Cap output capacitors.

 

[dura]

Quote:

Wait till I listen it with my modded Havana+V-Cap output capacitors.

I think that combination might have real synergy and sound great, let us know, will you?

 

[OutdoorXplorer]

Thanks, I shall report my impression as soon as possible.. Stil waiting for the package to arrive.

 

[melomaniac]

Quote:

If you're not using the CIA stuff you might as well sell it to someone who can enjoy it.

they're both now doing full-time headphone amp duty.
 
but I'm curious about users of the Slim Devices / Logitech software: are you getting the impression of continuing support for the Squeezebox Server?

 

[mcgsxr]

I am using my SB3 still, getting on 5 years or so now.  I had mine fully modded by Wayne at Bolder Cables.  I use it via the analogue outputs, but have done the digital mods too, in the event I want to use an external DAC in the future.  But, for all this time I have been using it straight into my amp.
 
Recently, as my interest in Head-Fi rekindled, I used the SB3 as my source for my headphone rig.  Then eclein posted about how iPeng now supports streaming, so I can use my iTouch to stream FLAC to my Millet Max Hybrid.
 
Awesome!
 
A step down in absolute sound quality, but way up in convenience, as I can leave my SB3 in my main system now, and just use my iPeng streaming iTouch as my source for headphones.
 
Well worth looking into.

 

[melomaniac]

yes, iPeng makes a real difference over the stock remote. and with my Bolder PSU the SB3 was okay, but nowhere near where I wanted to be SQ-wise...
 
Quote:

I am using my SB3 still, getting on 5 years or so now.  I had mine fully modded by Wayne at Bolder Cables.  I use it via the analogue outputs, but have done the digital mods too, in the event I want to use an external DAC in the future.  But, for all this time I have been using it straight into my amp.
 
Recently, as my interest in Head-Fi rekindled, I used the SB3 as my source for my headphone rig.  Then eclein posted about how iPeng now supports streaming, so I can use my iTouch to stream FLAC to my Millet Max Hybrid.
 
Awesome!
 
A step down in absolute sound quality, but way up in convenience, as I can leave my SB3 in my main system now, and just use my iPeng streaming iTouch as my source for headphones.
 
Well worth looking into.

 

 

[mcgsxr]

Different strokes I guess - was your SB3 modded or were you just using a PS?

 

[melomaniac]

Quote:

Different strokes I guess - was your SB3 modded or were you just using a PS?

my two SB3s (I like to double down) had two different aftermarket PSUs (Bolder, CIA) and one had experimental digital mods, no analog mods. as I (then) understood the potential, in terms of diminishing returns the PSU was the first step to take, then analog mods, and then digital mods to go all-out. if I recall this incorrectly, then I apologize. anyway I stopped short of that upgrade path and went with a Transporter instead. I'm listening to it right now and it's working awesomely well for my purposes.

 

[IPodPJ]

Quote:

my two SB3s (I like to double down) had two different aftermarket PSUs (Bolder, CIA) and one had experimental digital mods, no analog mods. as I (then) understood the potential, in terms of diminishing returns the PSU was the first step to take, then analog mods, and then digital mods to go all-out. if I recall this incorrectly, then I apologize. anyway I stopped short of that upgrade path and went with a Transporter instead. I'm listening to it right now and it's working awesomely well for my purposes.

 
Mod your Transporter too.  It will make a really big difference.  I traveled a very similar road.
 
Go to ASI Teknologies and they can give you a really dynamite mod for a really good price if you use a low noise power supply from Audio-gd and two of their clocks, plus an R-core trafo and some upgraded caps.  www.asi-tek.com
 
I'm only using the Transporter for the digital output, so we disabled everything else to make the signal as clean as can possibly be: no analog outputs, no DAC.
 
 

 

[mcgsxr]

I have nothing but respect for what I have heard about the Transporter, but by the time those came out, I was already significantly invested in the modded SB3.  Has kept me happy for a while now.
 
The advent of the ability to receive FLAC via my iTouch makes whole home audio easier - I can just plug the iTouch via my LOD into my HT or my headphone setup, and get access to the music on my main music PC.
 
I am also considering the DAC Destroyer usb dac, as I bet it would sound better than the iTouch, for use in my headphone setup.