Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Nov 10, 2021 12:32:18 GMT
Just weighing up my options, so I am ready when the right DAC comes along at the right price. If I understand correctly, a 2nd hand Soekris 1321 would also be good, as I can add a linear PSU easily, where the 1421, or above, would mean playing with a soldering iron. One thing I am going to try is a Graham Slee Majestic. This I will substitute in for my KIN and RME ADI-2, feed the 686 with the balanced connection and see what that does. Kevin, my 1321 sounds absolutely stunning, I added an LPS too. 1321 Pre amp bypassed, just using DAC. Gary The 1321 is a fine DAC, but it was a distance behind the 1421 with external power supply. By no means a bad DAC at all, in fact it is excellent, but there is a clear upgrade path for you Gary.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2021 17:44:19 GMT
Was that compared to a 1321 with a linear PSU?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2021 17:54:56 GMT
Anyway, my “ELFIDELITY AXF-100 PRO III Internal USB Power Filter for PC” arrived today, and to be honest I was not expecting much for €40. I know 1s and 0s are 1s and 0s, but I swear that this little card has made a difference to the sound in my system. It is almost like I have changed the DAC as there is a wider, more open sound stage. Pretty chuffed with that. And no, I have not done an ABX test to find out if it really does anything.
My ears tell me enough.
Makes me wonder if a quality reclocker will also improve things.
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Post by stryder5 on Nov 10, 2021 18:43:35 GMT
Kevin, my 1321 sounds absolutely stunning, I added an LPS too. 1321 Pre amp bypassed, just using DAC. Gary The 1321 is a fine DAC, but it was a distance behind the 1421 with external power supply. By no means a bad DAC at all, in fact it is excellent, but there is a clear upgrade path for you Gary. Nope, I’m good Looking at Frugal Horn speakers at mo, any comments guys?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2021 18:47:38 GMT
I have a set of rather lovely ElectricBeach FH3. They are great for what they are, but a single driver speaker is always going to struggle with complex music.
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Post by stryder5 on Nov 10, 2021 19:17:24 GMT
I have a set of rather lovely ElectricBeach FH3. They are great for what they are, but a single driver speaker is always going to struggle with complex music. Just had a look, they do look fabulous! Good and bad bits? Gary
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2021 19:38:21 GMT
They need space to breathe. They don’t need high power. They look fantastic. They can lack a bit of bottom end, but are tunable - to an extent.
They really are quite good, plenty of reviews on the net for them. I enjoyed my time with them.
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Post by rexton on Nov 10, 2021 19:45:50 GMT
Great thread so far guys!
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Post by lurch on Nov 10, 2021 21:13:05 GMT
No, it's crap. Tried one twice and twice it made things worse. Not the same level of device. It almost prevented me trying a Mutec. Any experience with the Audio GD 2014? I'd imagine the Mutec is superior but alternatives are always interesting. Got mine delivered today and plumbed in + commented on my thread about it. Basically, it's a wicked bit of kit, I love what it's done for my pimped Node2/pimped Jolida streaming chain.
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optical
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Post by optical on Nov 10, 2021 22:12:53 GMT
Any experience with the Audio GD 2014? I'd imagine the Mutec is superior but alternatives are always interesting. Got mine delivered today and plumbed in + commented on my thread about it. Basically, it's a wicked bit of kit, I love what it's done for my pimped Node2/pimped Jolida streaming chain. Well done for taking the punt there. Sounds like it's paying off already. Be interesting to hear what you think after a couple of weeks but sounds all positive so far. I wasn't taking any chances so followed the Mutec crowd, unashamedly so, sounds really REALLY good so far I must say....
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Post by macca on Nov 11, 2021 8:04:06 GMT
The 1321 is a fine DAC, but it was a distance behind the 1421 with external power supply. By no means a bad DAC at all, in fact it is excellent, but there is a clear upgrade path for you Gary. Nope, I’m good Looking at Frugal Horn speakers at mo, any comments guys? avoid like the plague.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2021 11:41:05 GMT
Nope, I’m good Looking at Frugal Horn speakers at mo, any comments guys? avoid like the plague. There are many happy owners of them, and again, it is down to personal taste.
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Post by macca on Nov 11, 2021 12:28:20 GMT
There are many happy owners of them, and again, it is down to personal taste. sure it is but was asked for my opinion so gave it.
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Post by antonio on Nov 11, 2021 14:34:00 GMT
"Avoid like the plague" - get a dislike button on here quick Oli, oh and don't forget the popcorn emoji
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Nov 11, 2021 15:03:12 GMT
There may be many happy owners of them, but that doesn't mean a thing
I've had a pair....they were Sh#t.
Absolutely no LF extension at all and that was in my room with the trampoline floor.
Avoid.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2021 15:47:58 GMT
Never had a problem with LF extension on mine. I won’t forget when they were given a runout at Gordon’s place in France, with Alan in attendance. Despite being miles from the rear wall in a big room, they put on a good display.
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Nov 11, 2021 16:32:36 GMT
Never had a problem with LF extension on mine. I won’t forget when they were given a runout at Gordon’s place in France, with Alan in attendance. Despite being miles from the rear wall in a big room, they put on a good display. Really? There was like.....no bass at all
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Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2021 16:34:03 GMT
Never had a problem with LF extension on mine. I won’t forget when they were given a runout at Gordon’s place in France, with Alan in attendance. Despite being miles from the rear wall in a big room, they put on a good display. Really? There was like.....no bass at all Something wrong there then.
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Nov 11, 2021 16:42:14 GMT
Really? There was like.....no bass at all Something wrong there then. Yeah, the speakers 🤣 On the end of a Krell KSA100.....Trust me...it didn't lack bass. Edit.... Firebottle Monoblock with Slagle Pre. Nothing wrong with that Combo.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2021 17:18:19 GMT
We’re they the paper driver model? They could have been over/under stuffed as you can tune the bass/treble by adjusting the stuffing levels. Mine were slightly modified from standard as Steve from ElectricBeach made a few modifications to improve them.
I did find that running a small sub helped a little, but it was on very low, just for the real deep bass, that you don’t expect a 4” driver to create.
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Post by stryder5 on Nov 11, 2021 17:25:22 GMT
Never had a problem with LF extension on mine. I won’t forget when they were given a runout at Gordon’s place in France, with Alan in attendance. Despite being miles from the rear wall in a big room, they put on a good display. Really? There was like.....no bass at all If we ignore the bass issue, I can use a sub, what other attributes or otherwise can anyone share? Gary
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Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2021 17:34:01 GMT
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Post by stryder5 on Nov 11, 2021 17:38:27 GMT
I assume you have read the reviews on the internet? Yes I have thanks, looking for further comments. Gary
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Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2021 18:12:53 GMT
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Nov 11, 2021 21:35:05 GMT
We’re they the paper driver model? They could have been over/under stuffed as you can tune the bass/treble by adjusting the stuffing levels. Mine were slightly modified from standard as Steve from ElectricBeach made a few modifications to improve them. I did find that running a small sub helped a little, but it was on very low, just for the real deep bass, that you don’t expect a 4” driver to create. I think they could have been, but it was so long ago, I could say for sure.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 19, 2021 10:17:49 GMT
So back to the title of this thread....
I have changed most of the fans in the PC to PWM fans so they don't spin up, unless it starts to get over 55 degrees C in there.
As PWM fans can be noisy, I have added in some Elfidelity fan filters. I now have three fitted. I have a PWM fan arriving for the passive CPU cooler, for which I have ordered another fan filter.
The next thing I am wondering is if the PCIe filter and DDR4 filters will add anything to the sound quality?
I was enjoying the digital side of mybsystem last night. It was sounding pretty good to my ears.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2021 21:34:17 GMT
I think the USB card is settling in now. I am back to enjoying the digital side of my system, rather than worrying about upgrading the DAC. Although, to listen to digital music, I have to power up 6 devices…. Crazy….
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