Has anyone tried a USB3.0 cable instead of a USB2.0?

Juan

NOS1 was v close to my PC to allow connection of the 25cm USB  cable and was not moved when longer USB cables were tried.


...otherwise known as "when the window is opened further". And that's what I did last night. It was so hot that I opened the windows which was great because lots of cool air came in - but along with the cool air came some flies - I guess that just about sums it up with this hobby!

By the way when I listened to different lengths of USB cable it was via the USB link with Dexa's at each end so maybe that could explain why Mani is getting different results as my link probably has much less noise.

Paul

Thanks Peter. I'll try this when I'm back in the UK next week.

Mani.

In my case, everything stayed in the same position - only the USB cables were changed.

Having said this, my NOS1a is now back in my little 'isolated studio' in my basement and I'm using my 10m ICs. I'm using the 5m USB cable to the PC (also in the basement, but not in the 'studio'). And the sound is very, very nice indeed. The studio cuts out a lot of RF as I had a semi-Faraday cage built around it - my mobile phone signal goes to zero as soon as I enter. I'm not sure if this shielding is contributing at all.

Mani.

I suppose that each time (as you have proven Peter) a layer of noise that is removed allows lesser noise to be heard...

Even if the image is not really pertinent to all situations, I see something like "russian dolls" as a comparison...

Alain

Anthony, highly likely (but for other reasons you might think of). Btw, I wasn't hinting at that at all, but that does not matter.

I now need to measure a few things plus I need som "reference situation" I must think of, but I can't say I really have the time for that ...

Thanks,
Peter

Ok, I see your reasoning here...noise IS being blocked from the front door (the USB port of the dac) but some of it is coming through the back door (via the mains power).  Peter, how likely do you think it is that some noise is getting in through the window (or airborne)?  Guys, when you tested the longer cables did you place the NOS1a further away or was it in the same position when you did your listening tests?

Cheers,

Anthony

Mani, but others too, allow me to repeat what I said several months ago :

When some kind of instrument allows a pure sine the in regions where normally distortion will easily occur (and depending on the loudness of the instrument), with this speaker you will here that sine. So if that would ba e 32Hz organ pipe doing it, all organs will now sound the same. Of course this is disregarding the churches they are in, but still.
If this would be a synth sine (from those how can really do that like FM-modulated ones I think) then whether it be 26, 28, 31 whatever LF Hz, they will sound 100% the same.

Back then I told about this in the context of my idea of the speaker exhibiting coloration, until it got to me what was going on. But of course this is the same as all not sounding "exhiting" so to speak. So remember, if distortion is exhibiting, the level of it already brings great variation in the now square sound and this goes unnoticed. Good example could be a Hammond which can do sines, but which often is used for "rock sound" (it would be literally named a "rock Hammond sound"). So play that in sine form, but when the level is high enough to cause distortion and it will sound "rock" and you wouldn't even notice it (because it is known for being able to produce that sound).

Mani, what you could do, is trying to find that 32Hz organ pipe music preferably in solitude, listen to it through headphones and compare with through the speakers.
I wonder what will come from that comparison, but if I am right through headphones it should sound "raw" / bombastic of which of course many organ(setting)s exist. So without comparison you would accept that also.
Try to play both at equally loud perceived level which means that for the speaker you should have set the output to close to the reference level of 88dBSPL (if that is not too loud for you) and do the same (perceived) with the headphones after that.
If the headphones show an as nice sine that it's not that what bugs you.
If the headphones don't show the 32Hz organ at all or at way lower level in relation to the rest of the music, then what to say (but you know).

Eh, have fun ?
regards,
Peter

Sorry, it was not intentional, for sure  . Good to know that i'm in the list.

Best regards,

Nick.

Hey,

I hope I speak for many more, but personally I love to see discussion going on, which seemed doomed to be out forever. I mean, not being able to even theoretically apply changes/tweaks in the end does not look to be appealing to my myself. Just put on some album and listen to it like yesterday ... bweh.

But apparantly it is not so easy;
As it looks "we" dedicate the perceived differences to a pair of maybe super high resolution speakers, but to me this looks a too easy explanation. But, can be.
With now my $1 cable in there for the thrid day yesterday, I *again* want to listen everything all over. But also this :

With the sound as it is now with this cable I seem to perceive a whole plethora of detail information in, say, the percussion area. Just think of something "stupid" like Echos (PF) and how instead of a 20 minute fairly dead track this turned into a hard working drummer with the smallest of variations on drum kit elements which I never heard before. Let's say this is the ultimate of accuracy. However :
This seems to go along with all my "ambient" super sh*t now being dead. There's no room left for variances which synthesizers now NOT seem to be able to. And :
Since the NOS1a this already was more of the case. Now though my appetite of playing such "music" has almost dropped to zero.

Self thought explanation (based on "my logic") :

If synths play the game and they do that with very low jitter, hence inifinitely more low than a normal drummer or "base line maker etc." would ever be able to, then the playback jitter of our system can compensate for that. And when that is out you hear ... synthesizers. I mean, no matter you may not be able to recongize it is synths at all (because sampled sounds).
So they become dead.

If this is true for a reaon, then it should mean that my 1$ cable (which you all received just the same) is (somehow) able to bring jitter more down than it already was, but that this is also still audible easily.

At this moment I don't know yet how to measure this effect which should enter via the backdoor (via mains I mean), but I think I will be able to close that door. And if then the cable doesn't make a difference any more, we'll at least know what the next steps can be.


Meanwhile all (skip the synths) is sounding so good now that I again entered an explicit phase of "ok, this improvement will never stop I guess";
We just have no clue how a next improvement will sound. Well, me not.

Peter