-Which Dread Zeppelin album(s) do you have in mind?

Some of the members have studio background. They might know a thing or two about recording technique. Interesting bio here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dread_Zeppelin

I saw them around 1990, but all I can remember was Tortelvis having an assistant handing him white towels throughout the whole concert.

PS: Not disputing what you hear, but bass instruments usually ARE placed to the right. (Of course there are many exceptions, depending also on the genre). 

Because of all the positive feedback from so many users, including Peter himself, I gotta buy and try this soundcard too. At only €25.- the cost is pocket money anyway.

But which version to choose:
SilverStone SST-EC04-E USB 3.0 PCie (1x SATA Power) or
SilverStone SST-EC04-P USB 3.0 PCie (1x 4pin Molex).

-My PC takes both.

Thanks in advance!

Paul,

Same here. My balanced DIY i/c of silver and cotton was a major upgrade of SQ, compared with mass produced copper/Polyethylene of same conductor size. NOTE: The silver/cotton is unshielded.

However, my experiences tells me that the improvement is because of the cotton dielectric. The Polyethylene (or even worse - PVC) smears the presence region.

I guess high grade copper or silver doesn't differ much SQ-wise, but silver is better suited, since copper corrodes when exposed to air in a typical DIY cotton construction.

TRUE STORY
A tear ran down his cheek. Yesterday, a visitor heard my system for the first time. The first track I played was Johnny Cash, First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (American 4). He was so overwhelmed that he could not control his emotions.

I was moved too. Turning up the volume to about 100dB there was an all-time high “presence” and closeness to the music. We were glued to the sofa for 3 hours. Then a quick meal and another 3 hours of music. It was like being drugged. I couldn’t stop listening, I had to pull out another song and another song, and another…

Shortly put, the new Q5=1 settings are by far the best sounding version. It elevates my system to a higher level.

When evaluating Hi-Fi we rank what we hear relatively to our references. Today, with the SQ of the Q5=1 settings under my skin, my impression of previous Q5=5 settings (see signature) must be modified. The Q5=5 now sounds like a “one-trick pony”. The bass is truly awesome and forceful, but the rest is too anonymous.

The Q5=1 settings is a game changer. It removes a layer of noise from all frequencies, revealing a new layer of recorded details previously hidden beneath the dirt. It makes 16bit CD sound like 24bit. I hear more recorded space (acoustics). Sound is more fluid, more analogue, more natural. Micro dynamics are better. Macro dynamics are impressive too, if you crank up the level some dB’s.
Eva Cassidy’s albums are very well recorded, but always had a slight hard edge when she push her voice in the loud passages. This is removed (resolved) now. I can play these songs +5dB without any annoyance. Same with Eric Clapton, Old Love (Unplugged). A previous layer of “haze” is removed from his voice.

Moving from Q5=5 to Q5=1 settings are like having sex without condom. No latex between the fleshes!

We really had a thrill yesterday listening to old favorites:
Elvis stepped down from the skies, performing Crying In The Chapel (2496) in front of us.   
Hans Theessink, Build For Comfort (Live with The Blue Grooves) was simply amazing. The tuba rattled my room. Maybe the most realistic blues recording I have heard. (I have played it regularly since I saw him in concert in the 90s, but never realized the potential SQ which now is heard as reference quality).
Miles Davis, You’re My Everything (Relaxin 2496) was a time machine. The muted trumpet incredible present.

The new settings make for treasure hunting among old music. Taming hard edges and resolving new levels of recorded details makes even poor recordings sound surprisingly good.

(Reducing upsampling to x8 helps, but still there are a few dropouts. Looking forward to the update).

------------------

The Q5=1 settings is the final nail in my vinyl coffin. The last few years I have planned setting up a turntable. I even purchased an expensive RIAA. But after last night’s session there is no going back. Digital playback is my new absolute reference, thanks to XX/NOS1 DAC. The new settings remove the final layer of digital/electronic signature. From now on the SQ is limited to each and everyone’s system.   

Peter, THIS IS IT! If you ever thought about moving out of Beta-mode and into v1.0 this must be the moment.

 

Yes, PSU in a separate cabinet is highly desirable, both for heat issue and (probably) sound betters, too.

I am keen to buy this combo when the linear PSU issue is solved.

A screened cord with an added ferrite snapped on at the PC-end avoids any pick-up of radiated noise. This I know as a fact, from a very serious manufacturer of high end DAC and amplifiers.
Contrary, putting the PSU inside a cramped cabinet might create more radiation problems, due to the magnetic fields of the coils.

Hi guys,
I just did a short listening with these new settings.

But first:My previous settings (see signature) is the best SQ until now. The bass is so forceful and "solid" that it makes my linesource speakers sound like a big horn system. This comes through as something positive on all kinds of music. The "downside" is a slightly anonymous treble. But the treble doesn't annoy me at all.

However when trying Q5=1 settings, the treble blossoms and becomes more interesting and musically satisfying. Unfortunately the bass loses some of its power and rhythmic. Turning up a couple dBs helps.

Still I feel that my signature settings better communicate the fundamentals of the music. I don't know if I am willing to sacrifice this...

It's almost like choosing between a horn system and electrostatic loudspeakers.

Anyway, this was just initial impression after 1 hour listening. :-)

Anthony, I do read it carefully but I don't have much to add about the tech talk which is above my capability.
I do, however, intend to purchase both the XXPC and your PSU when it becomes available.

Keep up the spirit and many thanks for the research you provide here!

:-)

Following Peters advice, I have adopted all his settings, with success.

First of all my PC works much better with the lower SFS. It's faster in operation and doesn't run out of memory anymore.

But second - and more important - Oh, that authority in the bass is sooo addictive!

But first let me explain my set-up: It is 3-way active, so there is constantly the itch/temptation to adjust, readjust and readjust again. This, in combination with me inching the loudspeakers and sofa a few centimetres back or forward, it makes for a never ending tweaking route. (Sounds familiar to you, I guess?). Throw into the mix some new interconnects, loudspeakers grills on/off and you get an infinite numbers of variables.     

But (there is always a "but") with the new SFS4 settings, it made it much easier to dial in the best combinations of the above parameters. After a couple of years with hit and miss, now I rather easily dialled in the optimal settings.

Here is what I have done recently:
First I reduced both the treble (>800Hz) and bass (<80Hz) 1 dB, giving a more natural overall tonal balance. Never too boomy in the bass, never too "hot" treble. -Great tolerance against the big variations in mastering of my favourite music.

After getting the tonal balance right, I moved the tweeter towers 15 mm backwards. Voila! my soundstage  clicked in, with greater depth and more believable 3D soundscape.

Then I decided to keep the grills of midrange tower in place, while removing the grills covering the ribbon tweeter. This gave a slightly brighter/less dark tonal balance, probably half a dB, (which I cannot achieve electronically since my active XO works in steps of 1 dB).

Finally I moved my sofa 40cm further into the room, towards the loudspeakers.

And here I am sitting right now, with absolutely the best SQ I ever had. And it took me a fairly short time to tweak it all. I guess there is a "rightness" to SFS4 which made it easier to hear and decide the tweaks which followed.

Just listened through Joni Mitchell/Don Juan Reckless Daughter (HDtracks 192/24). Jaco's bass shakes the room like thunder, and the acoustic guitar is still slightly hot in the treble, but still it is tonally balanced and very listenable, even at high levels.

Now playing is Aretha Franklin/Amazing Grace (HDtracks 192/24). This recording is slight on the dark side, but the "thereness" is so great, that you don't mind the slightly dullness. The microphones recorded enough acoustic information to bring the album alive. (Favourite track: Wholly Holy).

Something else: I can play louder than ever, BUT it also sounds very good on low ("normal") levels.

Great work, Peter! 

Another wife-buster is this one:
Misha Alperin, Night (ECM)
-A jazz album recorded live at Vossa Jazz Festival, Norway.

Track "Heavy Hour": Here you will hear subsonic bass on a completely new level. The whole stage is resonating through wooden floor and everything. Certainly demo-gallery stuff! (But lock in the children first - this is terrifying music!).

Peter,

Last time, did you get this title: Jøkleba LIVE. Its free jazz With awesome SQ. Note some old fashion synth generated looow frequency notes.

Reducing RF from a noisy component: One trick is to take a regular kind of Schaffner filter and REVERSE the direction of the plugs. Then it will filter whatever your PC leaks back to the AC connection.

This trick can be done even on noisy refrigerators etc . But don't tell anybody you have a net filter on your refrigerator, they think you are crazy!

Anthony,

As a layman I consider these measurements to be of significant value, because they *prove* (partly) why different PCs sounds different.

Different motherboard, soundcard, OS, etc, taxes the power supply completely in different patterns.  Knowing that the PSU is a weak link in common PCs, it is clear that this behaviours influences noise and sound quality.
-PSU being the heart of all electrical Hi-Fi equipment.

As Peter points out, all your measurements are perhaps not perfectly carried out yet, there are still areas to improve/discover. However the basic conclusion is clear.

These kind of measurements also "proves" why (partly) XX highend performs better than other music player software, because functions as "minimize OS, etc" allows a more even and lesser taxing of the PSU.

(This should be a wake up call for ignorants who believes that anything beyond "Foobar on an ordinary PC" is a waste of money).

Keep up the good work! 

Wow, Anthony, this is a GREAT project by you. And I think your efforts will be rewarded. Power supply is "everything" in Hi-Fi and the general consensus is that cheap switching PSUs are bad in most (any?) stereo component.

I will follow this thread with great interest!