[johnjen]

System Settling and Akiko Stick (canister) stage 1 report.

So last night I pulled the canister out of the system.
And
The changes were slight.
So I plugged it back in while listening the whole time.
Again the changes were slight.

Then I did it a few more times with a longer time spent in both states.

IOW the differences are in the ToP (Threshold of Perceptibility) which is to say ≈10-15%.

Yes things were a slight bit better with the canister (even in proximity of the ac power cables) but it was very slight, to the point that I suspect if you don't have a 'tweaked' system AND have a really good ground already, there is a good chance no difference might ever be noticed.

But if you are running on an ungrounded system or one with a 'dirty' ground, the changes would (or could) be much more noticeable.

But the thing is it's the nature of the changes that is intriguing and for some, these specific traits are highly sought after.

So what do I mean…

During this triple tweaker period (I'm in the 300hr range of settling in for the ac power cable) and I figure that the Vibration Management mod has settled in, and the Akiko canister doing its thing,
I have been hearing tube like euphonics out of the system.
Not heavy, not full blown syrupy, drippingly luscious, overblown, better than life, sorta midrange harmonics.
No it's more of a extra degree of polish on sibilants, more inner detail in cymbals and plosives (P's, T's and S'sss) where ultra fine inner detail can all to easily be obscured.

One way to perceive it would be to say the noise floor has become much calmer, or less intrusive, even though the noise floor itself is below or outside of audibility.
It can also be liked to a slew rate increase, or where not only is the focus tighter, but there is more there, there to tighten upon.

Getting any increase in these traits from a SS power amp and dac, well, it's All Gud…:atsmile:

But these traits are emerging despite the Akiko Canister.
What it does seem to be doing is 'helping' these traits emerge, not enabling them in the first place.

And the ac power cable has yet to reach it's peak of performance as well.
Last night for instance I noted a lack of inner detail and bass, increased tLFF, a mini toilet dump of sorts.
Today is a bit better, but tomorrow after I hit 325+hrs I'm hoping the SQ begins another climb in SQ.

So what's going on with these piezo sticks?
Here's my supposition at this point.

My dedicated power branch circuit, it would seem is fairly 'quiet' so there doesn't seem like much for the canister to 'bite into'.
Stage 2 of my experiment is to use 1 or 2 of the 2 wire piezo sticks and connect them to the chassis/main electrical ground for the dac and amp.
Singularly and as a pair.
And with and without the Triple canister.

I suspect that a more direct connection at the actual circuit ground for these 2 noise sources, just might be more 'effective', thus yield a greater change between being plugged in, or not.

I also want to try the usb stick while stuck in an unused usb port on my Mac.

I figure getting a noise sponge closer to the source of the noise will yield 'Better' results than being further away.
But then again perhaps not.

That's the point of these experiments, to help figure out what results can be obtained in a variety of situations and conditions, and to see if these magic piezo crystal resonators really do help and by how much.

Thus far its only been a subtle change, but a change for the better none the less.

JJ

 

[johnjen]

I found this review of Akiko sticks useful:
http://www.positive-feedback.com/Issue71/akiko_audio.htm

BTW, does Akiko sticks have anything in common with Audioquest's Jitterbug? I recall Jitterbug salesmen were getting a lot of slack for recommending plugging this power filter in multiple USB slots, in your modem, router, etc., etc., but I see that Akiko sticks seem to be coming with similar instructions.

Not as far as I can tell.

These are pieces of piezo-electric material, there is no 'active' circuitry and they only connect to the ground of the circuit they are plugged into, using just one 'input' wire per section.
Which means they aren't a 'normal' load (hot/neutral, input/output) 2 wire system.

All of the Jitterbugs, Wyrds, usb isolation/reclockers/DDC data manipulation devices, etc. are active devices.
Which means at least 2 wires (usually more) are being used.


In fact they even have a stick with no wires, it is just placed (velcro'd) to a cable and operates thru proximity and resonance.
I don't know how effective it is but some report better results from it than using a wired stick.
And I did notice, again slightly, but a change none the less when I moved the canister into closer proximity to both of the ac power cables or moved it away.

It was sort of curious as the 'effects' seemed to wear off gradually and take a little while to come back into full focus.

IOW it wasn't like a light switch, as in on/off.
More like a resonant circuit loosing its coupling to the external source of energy, and then re-synchronizing to it again.

Go figure…

JJ

 

[johnjen]

What and how do we know what IS ‘Better’?
or
It’s all in our heads, or is it?

Part 14 Break In and Thermal Equilibrium


Break In
Some people swear they hear changes to equipment as it ‘power ages’, while others probably swear under their breath…

The Schiit Jggy is the most demonstrable and perhaps the most extreme example of ‘Break In’ I have heard of.
Some folks hear such a dramatic and drastic change when it ‘comes into full focus’ that many are simply unprepared for this degree of improvement, even though they have read the reports and are aware of this ‘phenomenon’.
Others know of this due to previous experience with other gear changing due to Break In.

This trait of changing the sonic signature of any piece of gear as it accumulates operating hours is sometimes denied by some, appreciated and welcomed by others, and until it IS experienced many just sort of wonder what all the fuss is about.

But there do seem to be changes in the musical presentation by our playback system(s) as they Break In.
Can they cop an attitude?
Get all dark and moody all by themselves?  
Sort of throw a hissy fit, just because?

For myself, it wasn’t just psycho-acoustical influences that lead to my ‘toilet-dump’ experience that lasted for 60hrs of playing time.
That was the equipment itself going ‘out of focus’ and rather quickly (over a 12-20 hr period), and sounding almost as bad as an am radio.
The SQ returned, slowly, and did so to an even tighter focus than before the ‘big swirl’ experience.

And it wasn’t just a FR or a single simple sonic aspect that was degraded.
Rather it was the more subtle inner details that evaporated into thin air, along with a lack of bass and bass impact, and the sound being ‘pinched’ into a 2d presentation, all of which sounded like crap.
It was like listening thru a small piece of paper, instead of hearing the ‘real’ world that surrounds us in all 3 dimensions.

This happened during an experiment where a cable was Breaking In, and the SQ swirled down and out.
It was quite dramatic and had me wonder What was going on.

Thermal Equilibrium
And I have come to understand that there is more to this Break In than simply merely reaching Thermal Equilbrium alone.
Because the Jgggy or any piece of gear will certainly thermally stabilize in 24hrs or less after powering up.
My 800’s took ≈ 100+ hrs of operating before they fully ‘opened up’.
During our last mini meet the brand new 800S opened up to a noticeable amount just in the few hours we were playing with it.
And I’m sure many of you can recite examples of your own with gear you have tried in your own systems.

So I was thinking about thermal ‘migration’ patterns and the flow of heat as it shifts ‘directions’ during warm up and how that would affect caps in particular, but also how it effects all of the circuitry in our gear.

As can be shown there can be ‘large’ changes to the amount of capacitance as a capacitor warms up. But while in the circuit and until a degree of equilibrium has been reached portions of the cap will be at variance with other portions. And as these areas are either being directly heated or are being warmed up by an adjoining area, these thermal effects will cause shifts in the amount of capacitance that will tend to dynamically change.
Which means the ‘steady state’ capacitance that the cap presents to the circuit, won’t happen until thermal equilibrium has been reached.

Convection, radiation, conduction, these 3 types of thermal propagation methods each have unique properties of heat flow and transfer heat differently due to the proximity and the position of the heat source with respect to the location and proximity of the cap itself.
IOW different portions of the cap will heat up at different rates while then conducting that heat to the lower temp areas of the cap, until the cap has reached a degree of internal thermal homogeneity and then stabilizes.

The lead in wires, the outer case of any cap, each will conduct heat at different rates while acting at first as a ‘collector’ of heat to be absorbed into the internal structure of the cap. Not to mention the heat of the air that surrounds the cap, which in itself can contribute more heat as the cap continues to warm up. This changes the internal thermal flow pattern of the cap as its local environment shifts. And then when the cap begins to radiate heat away from itself into it’s local environment, which is a reversal of absorbing thermal energy during its earlier warm up stages, is yet another thermal flow pattern change.

And different types of caps will absorb thermal energy at different rates and in each of the three different ways, and so it goes.

And now apply this to resistors, transformers, inductors, active devices, even to an extent the ‘passive’ components like the circuit boards, the case, the wires, switches etc.

So to me it’s no wonder that we hear differences in the sonic signature as each unit warms up and approaches thermal stability. And why it can be ‘obvious’ when we do reach the optimal thermal equilibrium, since the entire circuit greatly reduces it’s thermal fluctuations in operation, just due to heat migration pattern changes during warmup.

And just recently a whole new aspect of Break In / Thermal Equilibrium / reaching the optimal SQ that our system is capable of has surfaced.

Namely our headphones.

In short I have noticed, as have others, that it takes about 1/2 hr of continual listening to your headphones before they come into tighter focus and the entire acoustic presentation takes a mother may I step up.
I have also noticed another increase in SQ step up also manifesting in the 1-1.5 hr time window as well.

Now the first 1/2 hr SQ jump up could very well be a result of a psycho acoustic or acclimation response, or at least it could be a contributing factor of this overall change.
And it could even apply to the second SQ step up during the 1-1.5hr window.

BUT!
I suspect that along with reaching Thermal Equilibrium, Humidity is also at play and combined these make for a ‘better’ match in explaining why these 1/2 and 1-1.5hr times are so consistent.

My supposition runs like this…
Until the headphones have been run for a while, the (small amount of) heat generated by the voice coil, which also warms up the rest of the driver assembly along with the rest of the mass of the support structure, has not reached Thermal Equilibrium.
BUT lets not forget the increase in the Humidity inside the ear cup as well.
Most are probably not aware of this factor, since I’ve not seen it mentioned much, if at all.
In effect as the density of the captured air inside the ear cups increases due to the increase in humidity, the coupling between the driver and our tympanic membrane also increases.

What does this mean?
Well, as the density of the air increases, the ability of the driver to efficiently and accurately transfer the acoustic waveform it generates also ‘tightens up’.
Think of this trapper air as a piston and as the piston becomes more ‘solid’ (more dense, less compressible) the actual transfer of acoustic pressure is ‘controlled’ and delivered more effectively.
In effect the driver and our tympanic membrane are more closely and tightly coupled.
This results in ‘Better’ SQ.

This is what I think is happening at these repeatable time windows, as the acoustic waveform is ‘aided’ by our head as it helps warm up the entire ear cup structure AND as moisture from our head is infused into the trapped air pocket.

This increase in moisture can be a ‘problem’ especially in closed back headphones.
Anyone else remember the Koss PRO-4AA’s and how the moisture would build up inside and you’d have to wipe away the excess drops of water?
I do…


JJ

End Part 14

Next up THE Subjectivist vs the Objectivist ‘duality’

 

[Torq]

Not as far as I can tell.

These are pieces of piezo-electric material, there is no 'active' circuitry and they only connect to the ground of the circuit they are plugged into, using just one 'input' wire per section.
Which means they aren't a 'normal' load (hot/neutral, input/output) 2 wire system.

All of the Jitterbugs, Wyrds, usb isolation/reclockers/DDC data manipulation devices, etc. are active devices.
Which means at least 2 wires (usually more) are being used.


In fact they even have a stick with no wires, it is just placed (velcro'd) to a cable and operates thru proximity and resonance.
I don't know how effective it is but some report better results from it than using a wired stick.
And I did notice, again slightly, but a change none the less when I moved the canister into closer proximity to both of the ac power cables or moved it away.

It was sort of curious as the 'effects' seemed to wear off gradually and take a little while to come back into full focus.

IOW it wasn't like a light switch, as in on/off.
More like a resonant circuit loosing its coupling to the external source of energy, and then re-synchronizing to it again.

Go figure…

JJ

 
A few months ago I would have completely scoffed at devices like this (I'd even have put the word "device" inverted commas); I was almost as skeptical about power cables making an audible difference.  But, since hearing a difference after switching my stock el-cheapo IEC cables for the Maze Audio ones - when I wasn't actually paying attention or looking for a difference, I've tried to be a bit more open minded about such things.
 
At our little TOTL heaphone thing last week I got to see, or rather hear, the changes brought on by a simple headphone cable change.  I'd been more open to that sort of thing previously, but was surprised at the degree of change - so that was kind of new for me as well.
 
So, with a newly "opened" mind (my brain hasn't fallen out yet ... week isn't over yet though ...) or relaxed attitude to this sort of thing, and as we have a local dealer in Bellevue, WA for the Akiko products, and as they're easy to use and comparatively inexpensive, I picked up one of their new MK2 AC Tuning sticks.  Fascinated to see if I can tell a difference - though I'm not going to fiddle with it until after I'm done with my listening on the Stockholm v2 tour.
 
The new MK2 unit has two wires coming from it.  I'll have to open the plug up to see what they're connected too ... though from what I've read I'd assume they both go to ground.
 
Fascinating stuff.

 

[johnjen]

Yeah it is a bit of a head scratcher to be sure.

And yeah both (or all 3) wires only attach to the ground.

Right now I'm playing with a one wire (usb stick), a 2 wire stick (rca to ground) and a 3 wire cannister (ac power plug).

The results are subtle but at least in my system, noticeable.
And as I posted, the changes are what most would call desirable as SQ improvements.

I'm in the middle of trying to figure out which of these 3 are the 'most' beneficial, but it might just be that they are cumulative in their effects.
Which tends to sell lots of these devices for those with the coin, but I'm working on a theory and want to find out if it has much if any merit.

But one thing does seem clear enough, at least thus far, and that is if the ground connection is relatively 'noise free' then these piezo sticks have less effect, where as in an ungrounded or 'noisy' electrical environment they seem much more readily beneficial.
Which in and of itself lends credence to the whole notion of employing a piezo electric effect to 'clean up' the electrical noise on the ground plane.

JJ

 

[bimmer100]

I am curious to try the akiko sticks on my balanced ac regen setup. I don't really expect to hear any difference as the noise floor likely won't get any lower but I still love to try new tweaks and will report what I find out. I'm inquiring about the ac stick, maybe the triple one or whatever.

I've got a similar product from msa called magic tubes. I believe it's the same stuff. And black discus. I didn't hear any improvements, but they are not as large as the akiko.

 

[johnjen]

As I mentioned previously, the Akiko sticks take a while to fully engage and to fully disengage.

Which means it takes a while for the SQ to fully change.
This makes it more difficult to notice changes as using ones short term memory is defeated due to the time delay(s).

So ones point of focus needs to shift to using other methods of discerning changes, be they desirable or not.

JJ

 

[hekeli]

So Forza made me 4-pin XLR polarity inverter for right channel. Using Foobar2000 & Simple Polarity Inverter, stuff in my sig. Quick testing my fav bass tracks, definitely no night and day difference here. But there seems to be a subtle enhancement (or bias, hello), more listening due tonite for sure.
 
If I manage to purchase Quantasylum QA401 soon, will be interesting to see if there's any actual measurable difference.

 

[Torq]

As I mentioned previously, the Akiko sticks take a while to fully engage and to fully disengage.

Which means it takes a while for the SQ to fully change.
This makes it more difficult to notice changes as using ones short term memory is defeated due to the time delay(s).

So ones point of focus needs to shift to using other methods of discerning changes, be they desirable or not.

JJ

My first couple of listens with the Akiko AC stick in place haven't  yielded any difference I can discern.  Leaving it in place for two days didn't change that.  Nor did removing it.  That's on my Mojo/WA6 setup.  I'm not taking that to mean very much though, since that system is currently hooked up via a surge-suppressor and some very nasty stock power cables.
 
I'm waiting for a plain-jane (no lights, protection, filtering or anything else) power distribution block so I can run the stick on my main system with no other filtering effects present and see what happens there.  Should have that in Monday or Tuesday, and I'll try it again on my main system.

 

[johnjen]

That's good to hear!

One of the things I've noticed about these Akiko sticks is if the system isn't tweaked or if the system already has a solid and quiet ground they may not contribute much if any changes/improvements.

However they also seem to have a cumulative effect, in that when well placed, and used in multiple places, the changes become not just more noticeable but 'Better' as well.

I'm in the final stages of a write up on my latest experiments using several of them in various combinations and placements.
What I noticed was an improvement in that the micro-phonics not only increased but came into much better focus as well.
These improvements sound like tube euphonics in that the micro-phonics are harmonically linked to their source 'voice' which makes them all the more 'real'.

And just because, I had a mini toilet dump, as my amps power cable is still settling in and passed thru the dreaded 400+ hr time window where the SQ goes sideways and then recovers (think moiré pattern ala, phase ∆ reduction experiment).
So I'm almost set for round 2 of experiments.

I figure I'll post my wirteup here later today.

JJ

 

[johnjen]

So Forza made me 4-pin XLR polarity inverter for right channel. Using Foobar2000 & Simple Polarity Inverter, stuff in my sig. Quick testing my fav bass tracks, definitely no night and day difference here. But there seems to be a subtle enhancement (or bias, hello), more listening due tonite for sure.

If I manage to purchase Quantasylum QA401 soon, will be interesting to see if there's any actual measurable difference.

Excellent!

I look forward to seeing what you come up with. :thumb

JJ

 

[bimmer100]

System Settling and Akiko Stick (canister) stage 1 report.

So last night I pulled the canister out of the system.
And
The changes were slight.
So I plugged it back in while listening the whole time.
Again the changes were slight.

Then I did it a few more times with a longer time spent in both states.

IOW the differences are in the ToP (Threshold of Perceptibility) which is to say ≈10-15%.

Yes things were a slight bit better with the canister (even in proximity of the ac power cables) but it was very slight, to the point that I suspect if you don't have a 'tweaked' system AND have a really good ground already, there is a good chance no difference might ever be noticed.

But if you are running on an ungrounded system or one with a 'dirty' ground, the changes would (or could) be much more noticeable.

But the thing is it's the nature of the changes that is intriguing and for some, these specific traits are highly sought after.

So what do I mean…

During this triple tweaker period (I'm in the 300hr range of settling in for the ac power cable) and I figure that the Vibration Management mod has settled in, and the Akiko canister doing its thing,
I have been hearing tube like euphonics out of the system.
Not heavy, not full blown syrupy, drippingly luscious, overblown, better than life, sorta midrange harmonics.
No it's more of a extra degree of polish on sibilants, more inner detail in cymbals and plosives (P's, T's and S'sss) where ultra fine inner detail can all to easily be obscured.

One way to perceive it would be to say the noise floor has become much calmer, or less intrusive, even though the noise floor itself is below or outside of audibility.
It can also be liked to a slew rate increase, or where not only is the focus tighter, but there is more there, there to tighten upon.

Getting any increase in these traits from a SS power amp and dac, well, it's All Gud…:atsmile:

But these traits are emerging despite the Akiko Canister.
What it does seem to be doing is 'helping' these traits emerge, not enabling them in the first place.

And the ac power cable has yet to reach it's peak of performance as well.
Last night for instance I noted a lack of inner detail and bass, increased tLFF, a mini toilet dump of sorts.
Today is a bit better, but tomorrow after I hit 325+hrs I'm hoping the SQ begins another climb in SQ.

So what's going on with these piezo sticks?
Here's my supposition at this point.

My dedicated power branch circuit, it would seem is fairly 'quiet' so there doesn't seem like much for the canister to 'bite into'.
Stage 2 of my experiment is to use 1 or 2 of the 2 wire piezo sticks and connect them to the chassis/main electrical ground for the dac and amp.
Singularly and as a pair.
And with and without the Triple canister.

I suspect that a more direct connection at the actual circuit ground for these 2 noise sources, just might be more 'effective', thus yield a greater change between being plugged in, or not.

I also want to try the usb stick while stuck in an unused usb port on my Mac.

I figure getting a noise sponge closer to the source of the noise will yield 'Better' results than being further away.
But then again perhaps not.

That's the point of these experiments, to help figure out what results can be obtained in a variety of situations and conditions, and to see if these magic piezo crystal resonators really do help and by how much.

Thus far its only been a subtle change, but a change for the better none the less.

JJ

I am picking up a triple ac akiko stick on Monday directly from the owner in Bellevue and also should be getting another interesting device from less loss called the firewall with an oyaide connectors. Also preordered a firewall USB key as well.
Will be fun to try.
I plan to pull the emi/rf filter from my p300 and use an akiko stick and less loss firewall in its place. Hopefully this will fully open up the dynamics with no bottleneck.
It actually sounds spectacular already... But I have the contagious tweaking bug that everyone else seems to have In this thread.

I'm also sending my m11 back to kingwa to have all the internal wiring replaced with norne silvergarde S with shielding, as well as all xlr and RCA connectors on front and rear panel with eizz tellerium copper and gold or rhodium plating. Tweaking a little at a time.
Next step I'll be looking into upgrading components in the m11 with ultra low noise belleson regulators.

I should have some ifi DC ipurifier and ifi USB Ipurifier2 to play with too. But I'm still sold on the intona as being one of the best upgrades for USB I've ever tried. I believe HI-phi got his a week ago and has been blown away from what it has done with his setup.

 

[BIG POPPA]

In my rig, the Akiko sticks make a huge difference. Wired with 2 plug outlets in my place. Old house. Do have a Granite Audio Ground Zero coming tomorrow. So have been fiercely on a rampage tweaking my rig for the better. To me it has never been about the spec's of the gear, more so the synergy. Enjoy the strengths of your rig and fix the weaknesses. it will always be an ongoing process.

 

[johnjen]

Results from round 1 tests of using Akiko sticks

As I posted previously the results from just using the triple canister while plugged into my duplex receptacles was for the most part, subtle, but desirable none the less.

Then Big Poppa loaned my his 2 sticks, a USB terminated stick and a double wired signal stick which we re-terminated with a spade lug so it could be used on the TRS plug for his headphones.
He also lent me one of his Wyrds along with 3 of his usb cables for me to cook.
So it’s ALL his fault!

Thanks man, this is the kind of experiment where the rubber meets the road… :atsmile:

So to start I plugged the USB stick into the back of my Mac in an adjacent usb port.
I noticed a slight improvement, much along the lines of just using the triple canister.

Then I decided to go all out.
By then I had finished cooking his USB cables so I used 2 of his now cooked cables and inserted the 2nd Wyrd into my data path and along with adding his double wire piezo stick to my Dac.

This was a more significant improvement.
What I noticed was better transient response especially in the highs.
‘Voices’ such as hi-hats, cymbals, plucks on stringed instruments, and distinguishing each singer in duets were all improved.
Using my re-tasked terminology C3, Holo, Intelligibilty, all were improved and not just in the subtle way as before.

Then I got a wild hair and figured I’d test my speculation to see if moving these piezo sticks closer to the noise sources would make much if any difference…

Um, er, well, it’s like this, see…

First I just moved the triple canister to The Rok, from being plugged into the duplex receptacles used to power The Rok and Dac, and left the double stick on the Dac.
Nice jump up in SQ, as in it’s not so subtle any more.
All of the improvements noted above took a mother may I step up, again.

But wait there’s moar…
Next I swapped the triple and the double’s position, so now the triple is connected to the Dac’s ground and the double is wired to The Rok.
I figured the Dac is WAY noisier than The Rok…

Yeah baby THAT’s what I’m talk’n about!

No longer are the SQ changes subtle, and now the soundstage has joined the list of ‘Better’ along with a significant improvement in inner detail along with a significant boost in tube like euphonic harmonic enhancements.
IOW not only is there moar there, there, but it is more focused and tightly coupled with and to each parents ‘voice’.
And the acoustic space is also ‘Better’ in that it too is moar tightly coupled to each of the ‘voices’, individually and en masse.

This is especially noticeable, as before, in the top end where nuances of cymbals and stringed instruments have an increased degree of intonation or timbre.
It’s like being able to hear the finger nails as they pluck the strings or hearing where and how the drum stick hits the hi-hat or other percussive ‘voices’, like wood blocks, or chimes, or strings of bells etc.

Listening has become even more compelling, the SuperGlue stronger, the I HEARD more inclusive and expansive at the same time.

I think I’m gunna be REALLY bleary eyed tomorrow…

So what I’m hearing is, not just that a veil has been dropped, but it’s where each ‘voice’ is, as Big Poppa put it, ‘clearer’.
I’m hearing more of the full harmonic structure of each ‘voice’, to the extent that each ‘voice’ has a greater degree of ‘realness’.

Which also increases the perception of the interplay of each ‘voice’ as each ‘plays off’ each other.
As one ‘voice’ makes a musical ‘statement’ and another ‘answers’ back and adds it’s own statement on top, only to be answered again, and so on.
These relationships become more ‘obvious’, as in the continuity of the music becomes easier to follow as each of the’ voice’s’ contribution blends ‘Better’ with the others.
IOW the music itself is ‘easier’ to follow along with (T3 and HB&W), and get sucked into, as each ‘voice’ contributes its part in the piece and they each give and take to make up the whole of the musical piece, the seamlessness of the whole is ‘Better’ and more tightly focused.

It seems that the noise floor has dropped with a resultant increase in micro detail and ability to focus down fully into this newly presented micro detail.
And this micro detail is being added to the entire audible spectrum.

This change in the location of the sticks tends to support my supposition that the closer the piezo electric noise sponges are to the source(s) of noise, the better.
IOW reducing the dissipation of noise and the lowering of the grounds noise floor in the actual gear that generates it, seems to make significant improvements.

And it seems that using several of these sticks results in a cumulative gain.
This then raises the question of how much is enough, and at this point I have no definitive answer, and each person’s system, being different, also throws a major variable into this answer.
But it seems as though using multiple piezo sticks as close as possible to the actual sources of noise has significant benefits.

And let me add that some might think that detail at this level makes the acoustical presentation too analytical.
And for some it might but, what I am noticing is a level of realness which even further reduces my sense of disbelief that what is being experienced is real.
IOW my sense of ‘knowing’ that what I’m hearing is artificial, is reduced, to new levels, yet again.


And then I had to give it all back…
Oh, the horror…

Now I’m ‘just’ listening to my ‘naked’ system devoid the micro detail I now know it is capable of.
Oh, the horror… :atsmile:

This is one of those times where auditioning new stuff, stuff where there is no budget, can be an instigator of withdrawal like symptoms…

JJ
ps. Also near the end of my time with the sticks, my system entered into a mini toilet dump period. This threw a bit of a question in my mind as to what was going on, until I looked at the accumulated hours since I finished cooking my power cable. And at this time the SQ is returning to the levels before the mini swirl.
And as I finish this write up the SQ is continuing to morph and is approaching the levels of SQ I was experiencing during the peak of the experiment.

 

[Torq]

I finally got to do a quick-and-dirty test with the single Akiko AC Tuning Stick I have.  Just plugging it in/removing it as I worked through a not-really-very-varied playlist showed no immediately discernible differences.  Not that surprised - both based on @johnjen's experience and the fact I think my power is already pretty clean.
 
So now it'll get to sit in the system for a few days, I'll listen as normal and we'll see what happens.  And after that I'll pull the thing out and see if I notice any change with it removed (immediately or over the course of a day or two).