Hi Chris,

I´ve found more difference in between interconnection or speaker cables than with power cords but of course it is system dependent. I had some NBS cables (interconnection) and found them a little aggressive, so I sold them but this was some years ago. I have used very expensive cables like Shunyata Anaconda or Stealth, in addition to those NBS and perhaps others that I don´t remember now (Cardas too) but over time I realized I can get better cables to a much more lower price. The secret is if they work well in your system not in the ads of the strongest brands.

Best regards



Hey Mani

What do you have in mind?. I need also another computer for working reasons but I could use it also for ripping directly the music in the hdd where I have it or maybe to compare it with the one I have now. Btw, what parts would you change in my computer to build such a monster?. I believe, however, that my configuration is still valid and it works fabulously well:  http://www.phasure.com/index.php?topic=1673.0

Best regards,
Juan

Hi Ivo,

As you can see in my profile I use two partitions in the hdd (WD Velociraptor) where XXHighEnd resides. In one partition (C:) I only have the OS W7 Ultimate 64bits SP1 (no updates) and XXHighEnd. In the other partition (D:) I have again the OS W7 Ultimate 64bits SP1 (no updates) plus the ripping programs: dbpweramp and EAC. I use this (D:) partition to connect to internet via cable to use AccurateRip. When I´m listening music I even disconnect the internet cable. I don´t use antivirus at all because I don´t use this computer to navigate in Internet. I always think on this computer as it is just a transport to be connected to the Phasure NOS1 USB dac, not as a computer to be used in other things.

Maybe it is a purist approach but if we are trying to get the best possible sound we should take care with the minimal details.
In your case if you also make two partitions in your hdd you could avoid the use of an antivirus in one of those partitions and could have only the OS and XXHE in it.

Best regards,
Juan

Hi Peter,


Sorry, I understood the opposite. Does it means that having the computer in other different circuit than the sound system but with the same earth is ok?

Regards, Juan

Well, if you live in a home with your own garden etc maybe you can have two different earth pins but I live in downtown Madrid in a community building and there is no way (as far as I know) to put another new earth pin only for me.
What I can say is that even with the same earth pin but having a different circuit coming from different circuit breakers the sound is not only different (maybe) but for sure better, better for my taste, which of course is subjective because I can´t measure it.

Regards, Juan

Hi Andy,

I can think on two ways to improve your sound:

- Changing the cable to a better one with or without filter, that depends on the power supply specifications of your computer

- Plug in the computer to a diferent circuit than the one where the sound system is. To do that you need to have a specific circuit for your sound system different than the one of the home. This is the best solution imho, even if that´s the only thing you do, you are going to get better sound for sure.

Please put the details of your system configuration in your profile so we can help you in a better way.

Regards, Juan

Hi Chris,

I´ve been taking a look to Entreq and their cables have some interesting parts like, as you said, earthing. I don´t understand well why would be useful the earthing with the USB cable if the current is not passing to the dac. Unless your dac has some problem as you mentioned and/or, as Gordon Ranking says in an interesting post: It would be nice if you could switch the VBUS signal on the computer side from VBUS to Ground if your device doesn't use it..

Does it apply to the USB cable between the computer and the Phasure NOS1 USB?.

Mani, there is also an opinion about the length of the USB cable in that post.

Please, take a look to the post: http://www.audioasylum.com/forums/pcaudio/messages/2/28679.html

About other cables like interconnection or speaker cables of course I agree with you, there are differences in between cables but you are talking about cables that carry current. 

Regards, Juan

Hi Chris,

Seems a bit risky to say this without having tested before other cables. I would add, however, that I welcome and appreciate your efforts to show the differences between different USB cables.


May I ask you why have you chosen this specific cable?.

Regards, Juan

Hi Peter,

Ok, I understand, it seems complicated to have everything in phase, I´ll try to measure it to see if I can do it correctly.

Thanks, Juan

The Siberian cold wave sweeping across Europe finally came also to Madrid, a day specially suitable for stay at home listening music.
Lately I´m playing around with the issue of cleaning up the electricity to see how it affects mainly the NOS1 USB. Until yesterday I had connected both the dac and the computer to a filter with two 500Va transformers inside isolated from each other, this filter was connected to an electrical circuit separated from the general of the house, it has also independent circuit breakers.
Yesterday I changed the computer out of that circuit, I was surprised to discover that I had another extra circuit of a previous installation that I forgot I had, this circuit has its proper cables although the circuit breakers are the same that use the home, anyway, that´s better than nothing. The sound improved somewhat. Today, I decided to go a step further and I removed all the line filters I had, the one with the two transformer plus a PS Duo that I also had. I plugged the NOS1 directly to one circuit and the computer to the other one, as I say no filters at all except the ones in the Foundation Research LS2 power cords I use. Result: The best sound I´ve achieved so far, more dynamic, with more detail and depth, similar smoothness. It´s amazing that you can always improve something. The technical conclusion, at least for me, is that the transformers rest some kind of dynamics or freshness to the sound, some detail too. I heard about it before but today I can corroborate it in my present system. We also know that Sundays always sound better than the rest of the week but I listened both ways today.
At the end, a Sunday with a fantastic sound, cold outside but with another little miracle inside.

Juan

Thanks Eric, that Stand by me is not the one sung by Granpa Elliott I was looking for, I don´t think that it is recorded. Anyway, "Playing for change" is a great discovery, I don´t know about the SQ but it is great music for sure.

Thanks again, Juan

Hi Peter,

Could you tell  me please where is placed the hot pin in the IEC in the NOS1 USB?.

Thanks, Juan

Eric, or someone else...

Do you know if this song is recorded in some of the cds Playing For Change have for sale? (I mean not just Stand by me, but the exact performance seen in the video) : http://playingforchange.com/episodes/55/Stand_By_Me_Japan

Juan

Thank you Eric for sharing it with us.

Juan

Thank you Clay, what´s your opinion about the W3NQN-7 filter?. Have you compared it to other filters or power conditioners?.

Best regards, Juan

Hi Mani, great job testing your system with the "noise sniffer". I don´t have such a sniffer so I don´t know if the mains are polluted by the computer or not. Anyway just for precaution I use a power conditioner built with two isolated big 500va transformers with some other filters inside, this power conditioner is connected to the mains with a Foundation Research LS2 cable that also has a kind of filter. I connect both the dac and the computer to this filter but each of them to a different transformer that as I say are isolated from eachother. The PC is connected to the conditioner also with another Foundation Research power cable, for the dac I use a Grover Huffman power cord with no filter at all.
I think that probably is enough filtering, maybe too much, I don´t know... Besides the system uses a dedicated power circuit different than the one for domestic uses.
Some time in the next days I´ll try, just to see if I notice some improvement, to put the computer completely outside from the dedicated circuit where the system resides.

Here there is some kind of sceptic information about different conditioners, filters and cables: http://www.epanorama.net/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=133293

Juan