[hadowight]

  I am listening to the Album "Easy Living" and discovered something odd.  When I have it on regular stereo with my single ended Audeze LCD 2.2 Cans the soloist, Paul Desmond, sounds like he is in the back hall while Jim Hall is still on stage.  Switching to Old Lucid mode, Desmond returns to the stage.  I wouldn't have thought anything of this but I was listening to a remastered CD of Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue" yesterday where Canonball Adderly sounded like he was in the hall until I turned on old Lucid mode.  I vaguely remember reading something about the floating Ground that may have something to do with it.  Anyone have any ideas?  Mark

With single ended the Old Lucid Mode must be always on. With balanced I keep both lucid modes off.

 

[jazzgas]

Hadowight, No harm done but your post is a question I had and the answer Neugra gave from August of last year.  Why have you reposted them?  
 
As an update...shortly after that question and answer, I ordered a Balanced Silver Widow cable for my Audeze headphones from Toxic Cables which arrived the day before Christmas.  Sounds glorious.  Mark.

 

[longbowbbs]

  Hadowight, No harm done but your post is a question I had and the answer Neugra gave from August of last year.  Why have you reposted them?  
 
As an update...shortly after that question and answer, I ordered a Balanced Silver Widow cable for my Audeze headphones from Toxic Cables which arrived the day before Christmas.  Sounds glorious.  Mark.

Guys, When I went to Decware and visited Steve we discussed both Lucid modes. Neither of them is always best. You will find some music is best with OR without one or the other mode. The point is that they are there to try and see what works best for you. Sometimes you will perfer no lucid mode and just go with the straight amp. No absolutes here. Those modes are another adjustment like tube rolling. See what you like and apply as needed.

 

[funch]

I have a Taboo II and have been 'under the hood' to make a few parts upgrades, so I've been able to see exactly what lucid mode really is/does.
By looking at the partial schematic on Decware's Taboo III page, it seems that Lucid Mode 1 is the same.
 
The negative speaker outputs are each connected to the headphone jack ground through a 4.7 ohm wirewound resistor. The lucid mode switch
effectively switches the left channel ground in or out of the circuit. 'Lucid Mode Off' runs only the right channel ground to the 'phone jack.
'Lucid Mode On' therefore runs the ground from both channels to the 'phone jack. So, 'Lucid Mode On' is simply normal stereo, giving a full width
stereo image. 'Lucid Mode Off' gives an almost mono signal, since it is only running the negative out from the right channel. Sort of a version
of crossfeed.
 
I've completely removed the lucid mode switch from my amp, and run upgraded resistors directly from the negative speaker terminals to the
headphone jack ground. Even with the change, the sound from the 'phone jack is not nearly as good as running an external adapter to connect
my 'phones (LCD 2's) directly to the speaker terminals. This is probably why Decware redesigned the Taboo to connect the XLR jacks directly
to the speaker out's.
 
So, if you have a Taboo II and are only using the 'phone jack, you are not hearing the full potential of the amp.

 

[WNBC]

Very interesting info though a bit over my head.  I've tried the new MKIII from the speaker taps and I did not find the sound better vs balanced HP outs so maybe you're onto something about the re-design.  This was just a quick test because I wasn't sure whether it was safe to run a balanced headphone to the MKIII's speaker outputs.  I'm assuming it is safe because people use headphones with other power amps but assumptions without know-how is an easy way to blow up headphones.  
 
 
Quote:

 
This is probably why Decware redesigned the Taboo to connect the XLR jacks directly to the speaker out's.
 
So, if you have a Taboo II and are only using the 'phone jack, you are not hearing the full potential of the amp.

 

[Francoy]

 
(...) So, if you have a Taboo II and are only using the 'phone jack, you are not hearing the full potential of the amp.

 
Interesting, what would you suggest?
 
(very interested in you thoughts on a solution, because I tried to connect my phones directly to the speaker binding post, but it was really loud)

 

[funch]

Do you have a Taboo II or III? Do you use a preamp, or connect your source directly to the Taboo?

 

[dan.gheorghe]

I have purchased a bunch of resistors Steve recommended . I was wondering . If I put these in series with the existing ones, wouldn't it increase the output impedance by 150 ohms? I know there is a 1/8 headphone impedance rule. 

 

[Argo Duck]

Dan the 1:8 doesn't apply with resistive loads., i.e. Audez'e, Hifiman etc. The 1:8 is to do with maintaining optimal power transfer without compromising FR at different parts of the (often erratic) impedance curve of dynamic phones. But when the load is simple and flat and doesn't have electrical 'backwash' to worry about, the rules are different.

I'm no expert btw. But you can find stuff about this from EEs here and there on head-fi and elsewhere.

Btw this is why you'll often read the amount of current an amp (unintentional pun :rolleyes can deliver is more important for magnar-planar phones.

 

[Francoy]

  Do you have a Taboo II or III? Do you use a preamp, or connect your source directly to the Taboo?

 
I use a Mac > DAC > Taboo II (with headphone jack) and control volume with the Taboo’s pot

 

[dan.gheorghe]

Dan the 1:8 doesn't apply with resistive loads., i.e. Audez'e, Hifiman etc. The 1:8 is to do with maintaining optimal power transfer without compromising FR at different parts of the (often erratic) impedance curve of dynamic phones. But when the load is simple and flat and doesn't have electrical 'backwash' to worry about, the rules are different.

I'm no expert btw. But you can find stuff about this from EEs here and there on head-fi and elsewhere.

Btw this is why you'll often read the amount of current an amp (unintentional pun

) can deliver is more important for magnar-planar phones.

Thank you very much for the response.
 
Steve answered me as well.
 

Dan,

The 150 ohm resistor doesn't effect the output impedance of the Taboo but rather raises the impedance of the headphones.  The proceedure is to lift one leg of the existing 150ohm resistor and solder the new 150 ohm resistor in series with the old one giving you a total of 300 ohms.  The resistors are located on the XLR jacks.

 

[funch]

   
I use a Mac > DAC > Taboo II (with headphone jack) and control volume with the Taboo’s pot

 
You should be able to run straight from the speaker terminals to your 'phones.

 

[Argo Duck]

^ Speaking of running straight from speaker terminals of Taboo II (wrong thread I know!), finally got round to soldering up an adapter.

Early listening is promising. Main changes: Lucid off I hear stereo not mono; lucid on there's I think a much better sound stage than phone-jack 'lucid', pronounced with some tracks, subtle with others. Very like what I get with speakers.

I thought there may've been tonal changes too. Not sure - I was very tired when I listened. Whatever, the lucid/stereo change was worth the effort.

Btw Francoy - my configuration is similar: Mac > DAC > T II. My driver is a 12AT7 equivalent = moderate gain. No problem running straight from the speaker terminals. My DAC has a preamp function so controlled volume using the DAC to the direct inputs, which (SE) gives about 2.25Vrms at max.

I just set the DAC to the standard 2.0V and changed inputs so the Taboo controls volume. No problems with it getting too loud too fast...

 

[longbowbbs]

Andre, I think it is so interesting the different perceptions around Lucid mode. Generally, I preferred New Lucid on with my HD800's in Single Ended. I found effect really fun as it accentuated the HD800's already huge soundstage. The Taboo MK III is a great amp.

 

[Argo Duck]

It certainly is interesting stuff Eric

Just now doing that quick set up for Francoy, I briefly compared phone jack with speaker terminals. Phone jack definitely has a more closed in SS - the typical intimate LCD2 presentation. From the terminals, the SS definitely expands the LCD2! It also sounds more lively and tonally different., e.g. more weight and body to Jimmy Page's guitar. I'm wondering if the tonal change is in my case a psychoacoustic effect of hearing instruments separated better in space...?

Actually, the liveliness sounds a little untidy too I think I need to take time to adjust and decide whether I like it long term