Thought some background on the "Shorted RCAs" might be helpful. I still use an old Naim preamp as a phono stage and, just over a year ago compared it with one of the latest state of the art models (Price approx £1100-£1200). My preamp had been lying in storage for 2 weeks while I tried this item out. Then finally when it came to returning it to the dealer, I hooked up my old one and ran it from cold. The sound was like a dream. Where the new model was grainy with a distinctly "hifi" sound to it, my old phono stage was incredibly sweet, pure and noise free with no nasty edge to it - more lifelike and natural. Easily preferable to the new one (which was from a different manufacturer BTW.)
Admittedly the Naim input card was specifically tailored for that cartridge but I didn't have to do any shorting on the new one as there was only 1 in and 1 out
The "RCA bungs" may have helped a bit here - obviously I'd been using these for some time. I even created some DIN versions with the inputs shorted. Regardless of how much or how little effect these may have had the sound was amazing - and I made the mistake of thinking the old phono stage was destined for the Knacker's Yard! I'll never be able to get rid of it now!
(..and indeed I could have pulled the input cards on this pre-amp, but the darn thing sounds so good I'm not sure I could handle another improvement )
The reason i asked about the RF caps is that i have CD/Amp- CD Recorder -Surround Amp - Karaoke CDG + speakers all around the same place - Although i cant hear any crossover RF interference through my speakers i just wondered if they were worth trying out - I have got old cheap RCA plugs that i can use - do i just cross from nutral to live on plug or would this short out amp???!!! Cheers ..Carl.?
Hi, Pluto, Thanks for your generous offer of about a week ago. I thought I would take a week out, considering how addictive forums can be. I'm not sure how I can take you up on the offer, as am a bit loath to sending a precious DAT through the mail and don't have the facility to duplicate it. Bought the Tascams as a newby to digital recording and were what I could afford at the time. Did also try an HHb CD recorder, but found the results similar.
I must concede that the data on a CD is, as you say, correct and, after reading Katz's article, jitter seems to be the culprit. The graph he used I found very illuminating. However, his article isn't as logically tight as it should be. For example, he was saying " It is likely that during playback, you will hear far less jitter (better low level resolution, clearer highs) because there is only one PLL in the digital chain, between the playback deck and the D to A". So, I went back and tried out my recorded CDs again, and both my wife and myself could still hear the difference. Indeed, he seems to contradict this later with his blind listening tests, as presumably the same listening equipment and conditions were used and yet his listeners could tell the difference between the CDs that were glass mastered and those recorded on a CD recorder. The data is the same, so why the difference, especially if the only jitter is due to the D/A converter in the listening chain? He also makes the statement that "a 4X-speed SCSI-based CDR copy sounds inferior to a double-speed copy and yet again inferior to a 1X speed copy".
However, I must say that with commercial CDs I am getting quite extraordinary results with them, some of them even giving me a real sense of hearing an orchestra live. But, as I will only buy one copy of a CD, I can't say that they might not be audible differences between copies. As I said, the one time I did have that opportunity, we could hear differences, but they weren't as problematic as with my own recordings. So, they can be copied well, given the right equipment, which you clearly have!
Also, thanks electrohead, for the suggested Monarchy jitter reducer. Problem is that I've been recording CDs to send to friends. Also, as far as my main listening is concerned, as you can see from the above, I don't generally seem to have a problem. Also, I would have hoped that the Musical Fidelity 3.24 DAC was doing a great job!?
For Carl: Last week I decided not to use the daily warm up track on the Isotek disc for a couple of days. Then played a track at the beginning of a listening session afterwards, then put on the Isotek disc and replayed the track. Again, both my wife and I noticed the difference, with cleaner sound, more space and greater presence on the second hearing!
However, with another accessory I had a different story. I have my speakers, old Spendor BC1s, on RDC cones on Atacama stands. I've had the Spendors for some 30 years now and I hadn't realised what splendid speakers they were until I set them up like this a couple of years ago! As we have a varnished floor in the room, I also got Atacama spike shoes, which are supposed to help isolate further the speakers; I think they had inside some sort of rubber washer. Instead, they made the sound muddier, so I had to remove them!
As I said in a previous post, you just have to try these things and see for yourself if it improves matters.
Just the unused input (analogue) phonos on the back panel of your HC receiver, which has inputs for everything under the Sun e.g. unused auxilliary inputs etc.
(Not the output phonos though you should avoid shorting these....)
Inside the RCA there is a core and a screen. There is a simpler way - if you take your old "bootlace liquorice" RCA cable, when you chop off the connectors, don't cut the wire flush with the connector but leave 1/2" of cable sticking out. Then use a craft knife or clippers to open and remove the insulation. Then just twine the bare core and the outer screen wires together. This should hold up long enough to try them out - and obviate the need for a soldering iron.
This is a task best done well away from electricals in case fragments of copper drop into any vents or exposed circuitry?
(Back in the 90s I watched a Sky installation Engineer do this very thing when trimming a coax and blew the power supply on my VCR ! (It was vented slightly on the top) Oops !!).
"However, with another accessory I had a different story. I have my speakers, old Spendor BC1s, on RDC cones on Atacama stands. I've had the Spendors for some 30 years now and I hadn't realised what splendid speakers they were until I set them up like this a couple of years ago! As we have a varnished floor in the room, I also got Atacama spike shoes, which are supposed to help isolate further the speakers; I think they had inside some sort of rubber washer. Instead, they made the sound muddier, so I had to remove them!"
Coins (2p pieces) work very efficiently and have no rubber attached.
I totally agree with you proof is in the testing if you don't try you will never know ? - Isotek recommend using warm up track once you turn on hifi but i think this is too much - every month or two will show you more benefits sound wise unless you are using recorder, Spendor speakers - have had many in past but the s5e are totally the deal for my ears.. Have you tried putting carpet tiles under speaker stands. Cheers ...Carl
Due to all the members of this forum popping in to keep up with the latest chat - - You have all pushed the viewing figures over the 30,000 mark, well done all - is this a record !!!
Bill i see you wont be buying coasters for a long long time -lol?
I've noticed that one of the reasons we enjoy free discussion on the AVR is not only thanks to Dave Oliver, but also the kind generosity of certain Cable Companies whose advertising revenue is instrumental.
(Is this tantamount to drug dealers financing Neighbourhood Watch ?)
I was wondering, if the advertisers paid by how many hits the site has, or how many times they get hits from links off this site, - Perhaps we should all click on their links, every 15 Min's and see if Dave retires a wealthy man, in two months, - sorry Dave just kidding lol - but hay, if I'm right it would be good for you.!!!!
Bill are we talking about the placebo drug ?????? Cheers ...Carl.
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