Hi Coen,

I'm not an electrician and - yes, we are I'm kidding, because I'm now on "cloud 9" with an amazing SQ!!!

For the test with the adapter I took a spare BNC cable, which was designed for a 50Ohm connection between the Dartzeel pre- and poweramp. This cable is double shielded and had a positive audible impact compared to the RCA connection between those two amps.

The NOS1 output impedance is acc. to the datasheet 33Ohm. Edit: The volume setting of XXH is the same as with the former RCA cable for my prefered SPL. Setting is/was -33 to - 31,5.

My advice is, buy this double shielded BNC cable  + adapter (cost appr. €300,00) install it and listen. You will not believe it, what you hear.

I daresay, if you want to improve the SQ with the same beneficial effect to your present audio chain, you have to invest in one of your components additional > € 5000,00 on top, at least!!!

kind reagrds

Joachim

Hi Peter,

ok, my wife heard the improvement of the SQ after her return from London immediately.

Joachim

Thank you Mani,
but I think Peter was annoyed (frustrated) only, that he had no such cable in his garage/storage on a SUNDAY.

we Germans are "special" with jokes, and are not understanding these pretentious jokes with the fine nuances from the English people. I like their humor.

I see translated (synchronized) films of Inspector Barnaby very often, and their dialogues are for us Germans that "upper-crust". Great!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midsomer_Murders


Joachim

Ha, ha

as an audiophile freak I'm used to "Rock Around The Clock" seven days a week. By the way, it's Tuesday and did you order?

This cable/connector combination produces a right/left separation as heard in the beginning with W8 and the optimal listening position is the sweet spot (edit: as always) now. Prior to the installation of that cable it was possible to listen with a satisfying result in "off axis" positions.

Joachim

Hi Mani,

that's a very good price. (no snake oil)

Joachim


EDIT I: This is a high temperature coax cable with a double screen - design strand-7, see
http://literature.hubersuhner.com/Technologies/Radiofrequency/RFCablesEN/?page=48

Edit II: The only explanation for the big difference of the SQ is, that there are more HF emissions (mobiles, wifi etc.) around us than as we are anticipating.

EDIT III: For Arguments of the improvement of the SQ see Reply #5 from Paul too!!!

Hi Paul,

Phonosophie performed listening tests with the same type of cable (not that type I grabbed by accident), one cable with RCA connectors and then the other one with BNC + adapter, which was superior.

See the picture of the upper cable on that link.  http://www.phonosophie.de/International/everbindung3.html

The difference of  the "characteristic wave impedance"  of the cable and the RCA/BNC adapter shall be nearly identical due to possible "energy turbulences" at that connection. "So their weak explanation."

I used this same cable with the RCA/BNC adapter with a WEISS DAC a couple of years ago (preNOS1 times) and the improvement of the SQ was audible, but not that dramatic as it is now.

Joachim

Hi,
attached a photo of the BNC cable (everybody knows this type)
Make: Huber + Suhner – http://www.hubersuhner.com/en-CH/Home
Type: K08852 K_02232 T; item no. 521 165 - from the year 2006  (type + item no. has been changed)

EDIT: This is a high temperature coax cable with a double screen - design strand-7, colour=brown, see
http://literature.hubersuhner.com/Technologies/Radiofrequency/RFCablesEN/?page=48

The cable was assembled by Dartzeel and is quite expensive. In 2005 the price of a 5m stereo run was around € 2000,00.  It will be much cheaper to buy it in a special shop elsewhere and to assemble it on our own.

The losses within this cable are over a distance of more than 500m insignificant.

Joachim

P.S. I went to bed at 6.30AM this morning, the music was that engaging. (my wife is in London for a visit with friends)

Hi Coen,

rca-Bnc * 50 ohm cable *Bnc-rca

= correct

The adapter has a resistance of 50Ohms too.

Joachim

Edit: When I'm reading the first sentences here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coaxial_cable#Choice_of_impedance
everything should be ok.

I had to increase due to the 50Ohms the XXH volume from -31,5 to -28,5 for the same SPL.

Edit II: Note to Mani - this BNC cable, details and photo later today, might help to place the NOS1 + PC outside of the listening room without a degeneration of the SQ.

Hi Peter,
another homepage  “stumbled” across my eyes in the internet.

For information the link for us „Krauts“ in this forum
http://www.audiophil-online.de/themen/bnc-stecker.html
and
the homepage of the German manuf.  Phonosophie ( a reputated name  in the HiFi scene) http://www.phonosophie.de/International/everbindung3.html

In general  Phonosophie recommends to attach BNC adapters  to the  RCA connectors  for a better SQ.

So I rummage around my surplus for a 50Ohm BNC cable and appropriate 50Ohm RCA/BNC adapters bought 3 years ago.

After the exchange of the cables (between the NOS1 and the power amp)  I was quite shocked. My brain tells me (hearing an old Herbie Hancock record) there are a hell of distortions. Changing to one of my test records the same impression but with much more details in the beginning, and after a while it dawned to me, there are overtones never heard before.

To make long stories short:

1)   This cable with the BNC connector is “merciless” to your whole setup, and will reveal a wrong setup of the speakers (placement of the speaker in the room).
2)   Cymbals are more detailed
3)   Bass is amazing without any distortions down to the low frequencies. I hear the Stanley Clarkes bass on the record “Romantic Warrior” as I remember it from a  “Return To Forever” concert in 2010. ( http://www.amazon.co.uk/Returns-Chick-Corea-Return-Forever/dp/B001HPGRSQ/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&qid=1410041716&sr=8-12&keywords=return+to+forever%2C+live )
4)   More air between the instruments
5)   Less distortions over all frequencies.
6)   I had to "readjust" my speakers. (to turn them more to the sweet spot/listening place)

I heard the “seagull” record new. ( this tune is one of the best recordings with an amazing 3D image)

I do believe that this cable is something for our English tweak freaks. ( I used an ordinary Dartzeel 50 Ohm BNC cable (coaxial) for computer connections - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coaxial_cable )

Regards

Joachim

Hi Peter,

this recording is a good sample for arguments.

The acoustic bass generates a SPL between 70 and 94dB (see the table above), and in real life the SPL in the recording studio was not higher than appr. 90dB.

At the Ron Carter concert in Helsinki he was playing his bass with a bow string too, and we hear the resin sound and the very deep notes. The sound was pleasing without any distortions.

My assumption is, that the SPL of our "music listening" is too high.

At present I'm playing a bass recording from Brian Bromberg

http://www.amazon.com/Wood-Brian-Bromberg/dp/B000FQJPBO/ref=sr_1_3?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1409568335&sr=1-3&keywords=brian+bromberg

for my ears very loud, and the SPL at my listening place is around 65dBA (SPL level for a longer relaxing listening period), and the bass replay is perfect.

Joachim

Edit: typical SPL's in concert halls are 80 - 85dBA

Hi Peter,

the SQ of the bass in Pauls rooms must be different to the bass in your room, that is pure logic. (see Manis "holes" in the LF curve, which are not present in your room)

The sound in your room is very good (to my astonishment) with  the glas walls all around. The diffractions due to the shelfs, sofa, table, carpets and kitchen area are/may creating "wonders".

Joachim

Edit:

As far as I can rememeber all walls are not rectangular to the other??? (90° angle)

I do have this problem (stopping after 10. min) when moving the "Playback Drive" to a RAMdisc.

Joachim

In all live concerts (>50) , except one at a  "Return To Forever" performance (with a very high volume of appr. > 100dBA) , I had problems to hear the bass very clear. Other instruments, trumpets, saxes, guitars, cymbals were covering (overlapping) the bass.

IMO we are overestimating the proportion (weight) of a bass in most of the songs.

Joachim

There is no chance to "outfox"/bend elementary physics!!!!

Joachim

Edit:

Another excerpt out of an article
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/theroom/8.html

Start reading at para 4, please

-Quote-
Many self-professed audiophiles—including until recently myself—really do not possess a full understanding of what goes on inside their listening rooms. Every room including yours has resonance modes. "A bass note that matches one of the room’s resonance node frequencies will have a very boomy and long decaying sound. When the bass note matches a non-resonant room frequency you end up with a very rapid decay note followed by the resurgence of the sound to within 10dB of the original level." Amazingly—and this is really important—the actual frequency of the reflected sound is changed resulting in a dramatic coloration with a profound impact on listening. As we all go to extraordinary lengths to tweak our systems via seeming insanities like special cables, risers, magic dots and countless dollars in equipment, without acoustic treatment the sound is wrong.  It might be enjoyable and somewhat pleasant but it's not accurate and it's not what's on the recording. 
-Unquote-

Hi,

Keyword: nodes Modes

this article explains something.

http://www.audioholics.com/room-acoustics/listening-room-acoustics-1

Joachim