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Post by macca on Nov 9, 2022 19:21:53 GMT
No although I do have one lying about. Just can't be arsed to much about hooking it up as it isn't plug and play and I'm worried about getting it wrong and burning out the DAC.
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Nov 9, 2022 19:39:36 GMT
No although I do have one lying about. Just can't be arsed to much about hooking it up as it isn't plug and play and I'm worried about getting it wrong and burning out the DAC. Whats the required voltage? |
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optical
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Post by optical on Nov 9, 2022 19:44:11 GMT
5v from memory....
Enjoyed my E30 (with ifi power supply too) but Soncoz sounds better to my ears....
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Post by Bigman80 on Nov 9, 2022 19:45:51 GMT
5v from memory.... Enjoyed my E30 (with ifi power supply too) but Soncoz sounds better to my ears.... Just check the voltage of the LPSU? Cant really get it wrong other than that? |
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Post by macca on Nov 9, 2022 20:40:19 GMT
5v from memory.... Enjoyed my E30 (with ifi power supply too) but Soncoz sounds better to my ears.... I can't tell you how many times I have swapped between them and there's just nothing in it for me. But you have better speaker system and younger ears. |
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Post by firebottle on Nov 9, 2022 20:41:51 GMT
Must be the correct polarity, although inner of plug is usually positive it isn't 100% of the time.
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Post by electronumpty on Nov 9, 2022 22:20:21 GMT
Goodies have arrived  What are these for ? |
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Post by Bigman80 on Nov 9, 2022 22:36:10 GMT
Goodies have arrived What are these for ? They are going into my speakers. There is one Polypropylene cap left in each speaker. All the others are Film and Foil Alumen-Z, so as part of my "Max them out" upgrade picks, I got these. Unfortunately, I had to buy 5 of each value as a minimum order, so I've got 3 of each value I need to sell on, but it only cost marginally more for the ten, than if I'd bought four from HiFi Collective. Mad isn't it. BTW, I'm told that the position of the metalized PP "matters less" due to them being in series. I'm not doing it for anything other than the peace of mind it will bring to me. I also have to get a Electrolytic cap out of the LF XO, but the size means Film & Foil would be around £400 per speaker.....even that's a bit far for me 😂 |
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Post by electronumpty on Nov 9, 2022 22:53:35 GMT
Woh, some serious sized caps in there! The largest in my tannoys is 6.8uf .
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optical
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Post by optical on Nov 9, 2022 23:44:28 GMT
5v from memory.... Enjoyed my E30 (with ifi power supply too) but Soncoz sounds better to my ears.... I can't tell you how many times I have swapped between them and there's just nothing in it for me. But you have better speaker system and younger ears. Fair points Macca, but I would say the main difference was in bass textures (and I have two subs to help expose those frequencies too) either way the E30 punches well above its weight power supply or not. |
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Post by Bigman80 on Nov 10, 2022 0:35:43 GMT
Woh, some serious sized caps in there! The largest in my tannoys is 6.8uf . Well, if you need some posh caps, let me know! Lol |
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Post by bencat on Nov 10, 2022 10:44:18 GMT
With regard to the Topping E30 DAC I have no doubts that you hear it as being an excellent sounding DAC and for you in your system with your ears and music you will be spot on . Many others have issues with that DAC and others in the Topping range . Some find the sound shut in and that there is a background hash which I would attribute (rightly or wrongly) to the SMPS power supply . As I said I am not saying that there is no such thing as good sounding SMPS I am positive they do exist but those that use them tend to be very expensive and not basic . I very much doubt that any wall wart SMPS or internal equivalent is designed and considered for it quietness and great sounding qualities more likely it is designed for easy of production low cost components and abiltiy to be used with any current .
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Post by Arke on Nov 10, 2022 10:51:19 GMT
"BTW, I'm told that the position of the metalized PP "matters less" due to them being in series. I'm not doing it for anything other than the peace of mind it will bring to me." I also have to get a Electrolytic cap out of the LF XO, but the size means Film & Foil would be around £400 per speaker.....even that's a bit far for me 😂 The metalized PP are in parallel to the drive unit. Most speaker designers think the parallel xo caps matter less than the series caps. This is something I'd like to investigate further, as I want to understand why/if the parallel caps are less critical than the series caps, and if so how much. |
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Post by firebottle on Nov 10, 2022 12:49:31 GMT
This resonates with the thinking behind passive attenuators.
A number of people think the quality of the series resistor has a greater benefit to the overall sound than the shunt or parallel resistors.
Thus you can find a shunt type passive attenuator with the series resistor specified as a naked foil and the shunt resistors as something of lesser quality.
I don't hold with this thinking as the parallel resistors are just as much a part of the circuit as the series resistor(s).
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Post by Arke on Nov 10, 2022 13:16:42 GMT
This resonates with the thinking behind passive attenuators. A number of people think the quality of the series resistor has a greater benefit to the overall sound than the shunt or parallel resistors. Thus you can find a shunt type passive attenuator with the series resistor specified as a naked foil and the shunt resistors as something of lesser quality. I don't hold with this thinking as the parallel resistors are just as much a part of the circuit as the series resistor(s). I am still trying to learn what is going on at a deep, fundamental level and definitely haven't reached any conclusions yet. I understand the general practice/theories and would like to understand why, really why. I think it comes down to performance vs cost in the end. It's generally only feasible for a certain speaker to be produced to a target price. Take Ektas mkIIs for example - let's say the target price is £5k. How do we make the Ektas perform as well as possible to meet that price point - yes people could upgrade further, that's their choice - I would do the same! I see the challenge (from a design perspective) is to optimise as much as possible within a certain budget. If you were to build the Ektas with the 'best' caps/inductors/resistors possible they may then cost £10k. At that point would it have been better to spend £10k on a different design with different drivers? I believe everything (within reason) makes a difference. However, IF (still an IF) a series cap is maybe twice or three times as important as the parallel in a speaker XO, I'd rather skew the spending in that direction. For example if you have £400 to spend on mid range caps, do you spend £200 on series and £200 parallel? Or does it sound better to spend £300 on series and £100 and parallel? Some would say, spend MAX on everything, but then I would counter and say £5k on an Ekta XO may be a waste. Is it better (for me) to then tell a client to buy a £10k Troels speaker instead? For example, will a MAXed out Ekta mkII out perform the Ellipticor 3s (a Troels speaker) in 'standard' spec (say they cost the same after Ekta upgrades)? I doubt it - my money would be on the Ellipticor 3s. Therefore, from my perspective I want to learn more and try to optimise a speaker best within it's target price. |
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Post by firebottle on Nov 10, 2022 14:21:28 GMT
Your're absolutely right when you say it comes down to performance vs cost.
I'm spending something in the region of 4% on better components for the Xover, so well within what could be considered reasonable.
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Post by Arke on Nov 10, 2022 14:33:25 GMT
With your knowledge you can make informed decisions on where upgrade costs are well spent too.
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Post by electronumpty on Nov 10, 2022 16:20:13 GMT
With your knowledge you can make informed decisions on where upgrade costs are well spent too. True, there is still something quite satisfying about an uninformed punt that comes off though. 😀 Depends on your risk aversion levels vs cost though. |
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Post by Bigman80 on Nov 10, 2022 17:29:36 GMT
With your knowledge you can make informed decisions on where upgrade costs are well spent too. True, there is still something quite satisfying about an uninformed punt that comes off though. 😀 Depends on your risk aversion levels vs cost though. Exactly this! I love a punt, and you know, even if it doesnt always work out i tend to find there is a gain from the experience. |
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Post by jandl100 on Nov 10, 2022 17:33:08 GMT
Having a punt is what box swapping is all about.
Great fun.
.... although a bit annoying when I get pricing wrong or the kit goes phut.
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Post by bencat on Nov 10, 2022 18:05:20 GMT
Always useful when you have the knowledge to make well educated decisions , sadly most of us do not have knowledge to make that choice sensible .
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Post by macca on Nov 10, 2022 18:49:41 GMT
Almost everything I have bought has been a punt. I've only ever had one proper dealer demo in my life. I bought the item, decided a few months later I could not live with it. So that worked out well.
Almost everything in my main system was bought on measurements, the only exception is the pre-amp which I bought because I like the look of it. Plus I already had the matching power amp and wanted the set.
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Post by Bigman80 on Nov 10, 2022 19:05:06 GMT
I did find that I git a thrill out of listening to new gear. The possibility of unearthing a gem, or the missing piece of the puzzle was always exciting.
Now, I am less likely. I mean, there's a Tribute pre on another forum. I know it's not technically as proficient as the preamp I have, but there is still something inside of me that wants to have a listen to it.
Just for the experience.
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Post by macca on Nov 10, 2022 19:17:48 GMT
I did find that I git a thrill out of listening to new gear. The possibility of unearthing a gem, or the missing piece of the puzzle was always exciting. Now, I am less likely. I mean, there's a Tribute pre on another forum. I know it's not technically as proficient as the preamp I have, but there is still something inside of me that wants to have a listen to it. Just for the experience. There are still a few things I want to get just because I wanted them back in the day but had no money. JBL L100, Yamaha NS1000M, TEAC VRDS T1. I know they are not better than what I already have but that's irrelevant. Can't beat the thrill of getting a new bit of kit. |
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Bigman80
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Post by Bigman80 on Nov 10, 2022 20:12:41 GMT
I did find that I git a thrill out of listening to new gear. The possibility of unearthing a gem, or the missing piece of the puzzle was always exciting. Now, I am less likely. I mean, there's a Tribute pre on another forum. I know it's not technically as proficient as the preamp I have, but there is still something inside of me that wants to have a listen to it. Just for the experience. There are still a few things I want to get just because I wanted them back in the day but had no money. JBL L100, Yamaha NS1000M, TEAC VRDS T1. I know they are not better than what I already have but that's irrelevant. Can't beat the thrill of getting a new bit of kit. Mad aren't we, audiophiles |
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Post by bencat on Nov 10, 2022 20:13:03 GMT
I am thinking there will always be kit we want but never had for home auction . For me a Lentek integrated , Meridian 105 monos and a Futterman OTL .
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Post by Bigman80 on Nov 10, 2022 20:44:16 GMT
I am thinking there will always be kit we want but never had for home auction . For me a Lentek integrated , Meridian 105 monos and a Futterman OTL . I'd never heard of Futterman.....good lord! They are monsters!!!! |
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Post by bencat on Nov 10, 2022 20:49:46 GMT
So are the prices but the lack of any sound other than music has to be heard to be believed . My intro to them was via owning a Croft OTL 3 which Glenn freely admired was based on Futterman design .
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Post by Bigman80 on Nov 10, 2022 20:53:36 GMT
So are the prices but the lack of any sound other than music has to be heard to be believed . My intro to them was via owning a Croft OTL 3 which Glenn freely admired was based on Futterman design . Wow....I must research!!! |
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Post by brian2957 on Nov 10, 2022 21:14:13 GMT
Yup, love buying new gear, but my main focus for the last 30 years has been buying and trying new cables and connectors. My mate was over yesterday and took a look at the baskets under my system ( which only holds some of my cable collection) and said there must be hundreds of pounds under there! TBH I couldn't disagree with him  |
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