[Sarnia]

The sound was cutting out for a fraction of a second intermittently on music streamed from my PC via Qobuz over USB, so bought a pretty cheap WireWorld Chroma USB cable and an Isotek EVO3 Intium power cable, which is their budget one. The cutting out's gone now, so one of them seems to have done the job.
 
I'm not sure I can hear a difference in the sound quality, but by the time i've swapped them for the original cables that came with my amp it's hard to tell to be honest.

 

[Leviticus]

   
You can improve the TA-ZH1ES with audioquests' NRG-X2 cable and that's not even too expensive. I noticed immediately that it's better with it. 

 
Already have the X4. But I was too lazy to make a comparison. That cable is stiff as screw.

 

 

[Whitigir]

Already have the X4. But I was too lazy to make a comparison. That cable is stiff as screw.  

You don't know stiffness yet....until you go there

Silver-gold USB cables and Solid-Copper conductor of heavy weight champions with each individually shielded strand......yeah, it look like a nightmare, but it sounds like heaven ...I am not much into Looks, but rather sound quality

Not sure if you're serious or taking the mick but it was noticeable to me 

Has anyone noticed how ancient the headphones in the emoticons are ? I think we need a new set with focal utopia, HD800, Z1R, et al 

No, I am totally serious as in really really serious . I have and can make all kind of upgrade cables that I want, depends on the gears signatures and the flavor I want to aim for. Therefore, I know a lot about upgraded cables and stuff. I will be making a Pure Silver Powercord for my Other Amp, which...never hurt for me to try it out on the TA either. I will let you know how it turn out lol....

 

[Whitigir]

Just my ranting here:

I think with the technology on the TA amp, the headphones out as a preamp will be excellent. I will confirm it once I have all my stuff ready. But why do I think so ?

Class D is very sensitive to EMI/RFI, but Sony had mastered it in the S-Master technology, and then now even as a headphones high-end amp. So we can say that EMI/RFI is a non-issue for the TA.

Class D weakness had always been the clicking from all the Mosfets....etc...etc...oscillator mechanism. Now Sony had implanted a hybrid Analog amplification into the circuitry and genuinely eliminated these clicking as well.

Both of the above reasons made me think that the TA must be an excellent preamp out of headphones out

 

[SmileClick]

Although I personally don't know whether I should laugh or cry when people insist on aftermarket cables, I do admit that they look damn good, and it's not my money so why should I care . Using a grounded 3-conductor cable would be no problem at all. The third wire is just an extension of the many feet of ground wire already running inside your walls, which again are star-grounded near your circuit breakers and from there terminated at an earth rod somewhere near the building.

I'm not sure why Sony opted for floating ground, but I think it is in order to minimize the risk of ground loops. Since the only analog inputs/outputs are single ended, a ground loop can potentially be created if both the connected equipment and the ZH1 were chassis grounded. I probably wouldn't plug/unplug the RCAs when the ZH1 was on, though.

You are right if you were to look from electrical engineering standpoints.

But not on the audio final output. If the powercord materials is not properly sheild and/or different types of materials, materials structures or its wires gauge or length of the cable have influence when they process with different types of pcba circuitry design components, there is some sort of atomic changes on pcba circuitry.
It is difficult to measure atomic changes and its not essential for us as the most simplest way is to hear the end results built with best optimum materials.

There are many examples, take for 1 example e.g. Cable Annealing.

What twisting the audio cable during playback, you will realize that it will some disruption on the speakers sound.
When you heat up the audio cables in the oven to a certain temperature and let it cool naturally.
The newly processed audio cables when twisted, it does not cause disruption on the speakers sound during playback.

Belive that you are beginning to step into the audiophile area .
There is a lot of chance to gain more experience when playing with all these stuffs,then you will know the truth of your comment.

In this forum, you will find alot of nice peoples sharing their interests and perhaps it might be of some interest to you.

 

[Daroid]

I didn't respond to the other post citing my reply. Not that I didn't like you guys or anything, but because I think that discussion of DBT used to be forbidden on Head-fi and properly still is, and I would have touched this subject too much. So I'm now hoping to write a reply which doesn't get me banned.

 
I am an electrical engineer myself (doing embedded software, but for RF hardware products). Everything from L-band to K-band in frequency. These are frequencies where cable lengths and twists actually matter for losses and reflections and can be easily measured.
 
A power cable is a cable carrying a 50/60 Hz signal at approx 110 to 240V. They are not coaxial cables, i.e. they are (luckily) not designed nor required to have any characteristic impedance with all the trade-offs this has at higher frequencies. It is as simplistic as it ever gets - no inductance/capacitance to harm the 50/60 Hz sine, although it would be impossible to harm such low frequency (near DC) frequencies. The higher the AWG, the less resistance, the less voltage drop.
Say there was a difference, how about all the wire leading to the socket outlet? What about the dozen miles or wire running to your local electrical substation?
 
To be honest I would be more worried about the fact that Sony placed the power supply in the same housing as the rest of the amplifier.

 
Look, I don't mind other people spending their time or money on anything they enjoy and which makes a difference to them - whether it is for looks or for sound. One might argue that we only live once.

 
 
It was my fault when expressing my thoughts on it, and am sorry if someone took offense of it. I think it is better the thread gets back to the topic. You're always welcome to send a PM, not that I think there is anything further to discuss - it's a subject with a lot of subjectivity.

 

 

[Whitigir]

I didn't respond to the other post citing my reply. Not that I didn't like you guys or anything, but because I think that discussion of DBT used to be forbidden on Head-fi and properly still is, and I would have touched this subject too much. So I'm now hoping to write a reply which doesn't get me banned.

I am an electrical engineer myself (doing embedded software, but for RF hardware products). Everything from L-band to K-band in frequency. These are frequencies where cable lengths and twists actually matter for losses and reflections and can be easily measured.

A power cable is a cable carrying a 50/60 Hz signal at approx 110 to 240V. They are not coaxial cables, i.e. they are (luckily) not designed nor required to have any characteristic impedance with all the trade-offs this has at higher frequencies. It is as simplistic as it ever gets - no inductance/capacitance to harm the 50/60 Hz sine, although it would be impossible to harm such low frequency (near DC) frequencies. The higher the AWG, the less resistance, the less voltage drop.
Say there was a difference, how about all the wire leading to the socket outlet? What about the dozen miles or wire running to your local electrical substation?

To be honest I would be more worried about the fact that Sony placed the power supply in the same housing as the rest of the amplifier.

Look, I don't mind other people spending their time or money on anything they enjoy and which makes a difference to them - whether it is for looks or for sound. One might argue that we only live once.  

It was my fault when expressing my thoughts on it, and am sorry if someone took offense of it. I think it is better the thread gets back to the topic. You're always welcome to send a PM, not that I think there is anything further to discuss - it's a subject with a lot of subjectivity.  

Unfortunately, what the device is seeing is the voltage drop from your cables to the wall socket, and not the miles and thousands miles of the electricity itself. Unless you are talking about the sizes of some single digit conductor per wires, then sure, the cable power is meaningless. Beside that, cables has inducted capacitance as well. Try it, and you will hear it. What us, human, have discovered, is merely the size of an "atom" of knowledge in the universe. Period.

Why such small voltage drop is critical ? Think of diode and transistor

The best gift that god granted us human, is the ability to observe, study, and discover this universe. Learning from the book is not an observation.....experiences new things and pay attentions is "an observation"

Have fun

 

[WNBC]

Debate is very healthy.  I am not one to do a lot of A/B'ing.  Just not enough time in the day.  I have friends that do take power cords and cables very serious.  They take a lot of notes while listening.  Even that is faulty and subjective.  But, some of these friends are studio engineers and program editors.  Their job is to critically listen.  They have found differences in cables, with a preference for some over others.  Then I have my electrical engineering friends who make fun of these aftermarket cables.  However, they would not dare listen to them.  Issue is dead in the water for them.  I think I have heard a difference, but I have not really done the homework to make bold statements.  For now they look pretty cool and hopefully are not doing any harm.  
 
 
Quote:

  I didn't respond to the other post citing my reply. Not that I didn't like you guys or anything, but because I think that discussion of DBT used to be forbidden on Head-fi and properly still is, and I would have touched this subject too much. So I'm now hoping to write a reply which doesn't get me banned.

 
I am an electrical engineer myself (doing embedded software, but for RF hardware products). Everything from L-band to K-band in frequency. These are frequencies where cable lengths and twists actually matter for losses and reflections and can be easily measured.
 
A power cable is a cable carrying a 50/60 Hz signal at approx 110 to 240V. They are not coaxial cables, i.e. they are (luckily) not designed nor required to have any characteristic impedance with all the trade-offs this has at higher frequencies. It is as simplistic as it ever gets - no inductance/capacitance to harm the 50/60 Hz sine, although it would be impossible to harm such low frequency (near DC) frequencies. The higher the AWG, the less resistance, the less voltage drop.
Say there was a difference, how about all the wire leading to the socket outlet? What about the dozen miles or wire running to your local electrical substation?
 
To be honest I would be more worried about the fact that Sony placed the power supply in the same housing as the rest of the amplifier.

 
Look, I don't mind other people spending their time or money on anything they enjoy and which makes a difference to them - whether it is for looks or for sound. One might argue that we only live once.

 
 
It was my fault when expressing my thoughts on it, and am sorry if someone took offense of it. I think it is better the thread gets back to the topic. You're always welcome to send a PM, not that I think there is anything further to discuss - it's a subject with a lot of subjectivity.

 

 

[Whitigir]

Yes, the best ways to tell the differences between cables are to critical listen to it in a short sessions. Notes down the differences. Once you hear it and observed it...there is no going back...lol...that is me

 

[purk]

Yes, the best ways to tell the differences between cables are to critical listen to it in a short sessions. Notes down the differences. Once you hear it and observed it...there is no going back...lol...that is me

To start, you will have to be open minded that there could be a difference.  A more transparent system will also make those improvements more audible.

 

[Hooster]

Unfortunately, what the device is seeing is the voltage drop from your cables to the wall socket,

 
Seriously? Audiophile cables have measurably less voltage drop? Even if this voltage drop was real, what difference would it make?
 
Compared to variations in the power supplied to your house this "voltage drop" is negligible. 
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_power_quality
 
The topic of power cables may be worth discussing, but if we do, then let's keep it real and sensible.

 

[Hooster]

Sony TA ZH1ES have many custom IC and Looking at the complexity of their design... It is worth more than the current market prices.

 
So, how much is it worth then?

 

[Whitigir]

Seriously? Audiophile cables have measurably less voltage drop? Even if this voltage drop was real, what difference would it make?

Compared to variations in the power supplied to your house this "voltage drop" is negligible. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electric_power_quality

The topic of power cables may be worth discussing, but if we do, then let's keep it real and sensible.

Again, we are talking about the "additional voltage drops". It isn't real enough to you ? What does a resistor in series do ?

 

[Hooster]

Again, we are talking about the "additional voltage drops". It isn't real enough to you ? What does a resistor in series do ?

 
Ok, keeping it real, how much is this additional voltage drop, in absolute terms and as a percentage of the normal variation in voltage supplied to your house?

 

[Whitigir]

Ok, keeping it real, how much is this additional voltage drop, in absolute terms and as a percentage of the normal variation in voltage supplied to your house?

The matter is not howmuch, but the matter is "the additional". Hence you are hearing and observing Very fine and subtles changes, and not 30% improvements....no... the problem is that these variations do affect sound performances. End of story. Whether you go for it, spend money on it, or you don't....that is your decision

Again, ask those who have TA and upgraded powercables, they will tell you how it effect the sounds. Further debates into science is supposed to be in science forum