Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Jan 23, 2015 20:25:38 GMT
Is the ODAC giving out airborne noise?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2015 22:40:15 GMT
are you saying the cables are faulty? i have always struggled to notice any difference in sound , due to changing cables. No, not faulty. I've always believed in cable differences and I know that's controversial but there it is. I've now contradicted my earlier advice and gone ahead and played with things. The sound is a bit more focused with the Linn cable than it was with the PYST.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2015 22:42:29 GMT
Is the ODAC giving out airborne noise? Good question! It can't be that though because it seems to work fine with the O2. Mind you, I've never listened to it any other way.
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Jan 23, 2015 23:08:20 GMT
O2 is covered and inside a case. Ember doesn't stand a chance. As a quick experiment. Try wrapping tin foil around the amp and see if that improves it.
If it does, it's needing a longer lead and more space between them!!
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oldson
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Post by oldson on Jan 23, 2015 23:15:24 GMT
are you saying the cables are faulty? i have always struggled to notice any difference in sound , due to changing cables. No, not faulty. I've always believed in cable differences and I know that's controversial but there it is. I've now contradicted my earlier advice and gone ahead and played with things. The sound is a bit more focused with the Linn cable than it was with the PYST. we will have to agree to differ on that. i would like to give an example of why i think like i do regarding cables........... a couple of years ago i had a home trial of an m2tech young dac and compared it to my Meier Stagedac. on head-fi i posted on a thread that i "could not tell them apart" soundwise. i was criticized by some members because i only tested using redbook cd rips. they said "what differences did you expect to hear?" so i think to myself...... if changing dacs makes little difference then how on earth can changing cables make a difference? so unless someone can come up with proof that cables can make that difference (and as far as i know they have not) i will not change my view. i believe that once you get to a certain quality of cable, where interference is eliminated, thats it, no more improvement. this , of course, is just my opinion based on what i hear.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2015 1:07:08 GMT
Well yes, I take your point. But then why not just buy and be happy with an O2? It must all affect the final sound. Whether we can hear it or not is the salient point.
I wish I had someone else here to try it. It's actually not subtle. I've got other cables I can try but they're earning their keep elsewhere so I'll need to wait until tomorrow.
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solderdude
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Post by solderdude on Jan 24, 2015 12:30:51 GMT
i am just curious to hear the Polaris. The Polaris is on tour and is currently in Denmark. At this moment the last in the list has it. I can have it sent to UK if needed. The Polaris is inbetween Ember and O2. leaning a bit more to O2 (sound signature wise) but MUCH more powerful and has the versatility and looks of the Ember but NO tube rolling of course and not portable like the O2.
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oldson
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Post by oldson on Jan 24, 2015 19:33:24 GMT
i am just curious to hear the Polaris. The Polaris is on tour and is currently in Denmark. At this moment the last in the list has it. I can have it sent to UK if needed. The Polaris is inbetween Ember and O2. leaning a bit more to O2 (sound signature wise) but MUCH more powerful and has the versatility and looks of the Ember but NO tube rolling of course and not portable like the O2. that sounds like a good idea to me
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Crispy
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Madrigal music is playing - Voices can faintly be heard, "Please leave this patient undisturbed."
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Post by Crispy on Jan 24, 2015 20:26:50 GMT
No, not faulty. I've always believed in cable differences and I know that's controversial but there it is. I've now contradicted my earlier advice and gone ahead and played with things. The sound is a bit more focused with the Linn cable than it was with the PYST. we will have to agree to differ on that. i would like to give an example of why i think like i do regarding cables........... a couple of years ago i had a home trial of an m2tech young dac and compared it to my Meier Stagedac. on head-fi i posted on a thread that i "could not tell them apart" soundwise. i was criticized by some members because i only tested using redbook cd rips. they said "what differences did you expect to hear?" so i think to myself...... if changing dacs makes little difference then how on earth can changing cables make a difference? so unless someone can come up with proof that cables can make that difference (and as far as i know they have not) i will not change my view. i believe that once you get to a certain quality of cable, where interference is eliminated, thats it, no more improvement. this , of course, is just my opinion based on what i hear. I mistakingly used to believe that cables etc made a big difference until very recently. I think most audiophiles would benefit from, A: Reading Fran's explanation about cables sounding different and diyaudioheaven.wordpress.com/tutorials/cables/B: Read Roger Sanders white paper explanations about cables and testing equipment. sanderssoundsystems.com/technical-white-papers/54-cables-white-papersanderssoundsystems.com/technical-white-papers/162-audio-equipment-testing-white-paper
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Jan 24, 2015 20:56:30 GMT
I love Fran's cable demo story. It is funny, but has also made me never trust a dealer again!!!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2015 2:04:01 GMT
I think you're all mad However... My issues yesterday weren't down to the cables. Hands up who said it could be the DAC. If I hold the DAC in my hand and move it away from the amp whilst listening the sound clears up. It's definitely not subtle. It's now sitting nearly 1m away and clear as a bell! So what's causing this to happen? Is it the DAC or the amp? I'm inclined to think it's the amp because of how it's built, i.e. open sides. Frans, have you ever heard of this before? I didn't think about it when I first started listening tonight. I had pretty much convinced myself I was being paranoid and imagining things but then I remembered someone mentioning the proximity of the DAC as a possible culprit and lo and behold. I asked my wife if she could confirm it but she couldn't. Val's happy with a tranny in the kitchen locked onto Radio 4 I think by now I have a pretty good grip of how this amp performs. Can anyone say in what way the Amperex 6DJ8 - ECC88 differs in quality as compared to the stock valve driving the HD 650? Gordon. edit - When I say "tranny" I mean transistor radio. Obviously.
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Post by ronzo56 on Jan 25, 2015 8:40:35 GMT
The reason why the pots aren't in RGB 'order' has to do with the pinning of the led and wire routing. The line-out level gain is slightly above unity gain so no problems with any amps. I have my LED set to orange, the same color as the heaters. So do I Frans! Makes it more tubey. Enjoying the Ember very much. Was wondering about tube section tolerances. How sensitive is the Ember to these variations within sections?
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Jan 25, 2015 9:00:22 GMT
I think you're all mad My issues yesterday weren't down to the cables. Hands up who said it could be the DAC. edit - When I say "tranny" I mean transistor radio. Obviously. Yay. Do I get a prize? ( I know the sound you mean.) it's one of the problems of an open frame I'm afraid. I had serious noise with an early Sunrise that changed in amounts when I moved it. It turned out to be a combination of airborn noise and a dirty mains. I got it in the end though. Don't go mad over valves. We had one guy on here who had spent as much as the amp on valves. He kind of got obsessed. Biggest differences will come from a change of headphone. Basically, make sure there is minimal hiss and maybe one that rings less. Even better if you get one that resists external interference like you got with your DAC.
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Post by ronzo56 on Jan 25, 2015 10:04:22 GMT
That has been my experience with values as well. I have a quad of NOS Siemens E188CC's the dealer threw in when I bought a tube pre-amp 8 or so years ago. I liked the stock tubes better. Guessing the designers knew what tubes that worked well with the circuit. Just saw them yesterday on a tube website for $399 a pair! . I pulled one out and it's in the Ember right now. Sounds great, but just different from the tube it replaced, not mind blowing.
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Rabbit
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Post by Rabbit on Jan 25, 2015 10:33:01 GMT
I think the thing with valves is that you always tend to think another valve has to be better because it's more expensive or whatever. I went through quite a few but was very privileged in that I didn't have to buy them. There were slight differences but you have to be very attentive to pick it up.
Valve reliability and noise is one thing to look out for, but tbh, I wouldn't spend a lot of money on them. The one that Jeremy supplies isn't bad at all. After all, it's in his interests to show the Ember performing well. Sensible price is the thing to look for rather than this sound or that sound.
If you take a look on the RG site, not the forum, Mike has some very sensible options listed there. He does have a 'nose' for valves and the ones he has there, I've heard and sound very good. His descriptions are pretty much correct as well. They are also tough ones with low noise. those are good ones to go for if you want to change yours and they're not huge money, but as you'll see, you've soon spent £40 for what? Then if you change again, £80 and so the bill rises for minimal gain.
Just saying in an attempt to save you a bit of money, but curiosity is a difficult thing to resist, I know.
If you want a different sound, then change the headphone. Much bigger difference.
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