rickcr42
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Rest in peace my good friend.
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Post by rickcr42 on Jun 6, 2009 16:30:36 GMT
 hell yes! I love it ! Proper top "mass".........now go the store and get yourself a "proper" maple cutting board and "spike" the transports/drives to the maple then isolatethe maple with whatever "squishy" balls/thingies you have (such as your current carpet gripper  ) until you can wrangle some cork and rubber Iso-Blocks for under the maple  |
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Post by jeffc on Jun 6, 2009 21:41:53 GMT
clint, Good tips. I'm also using Supra Linc 4 shielded cables for power with my NAD amp and CDP, RG design PSU for my modded MF X10v3 buffer, and a Charlize T-amp. Markedly improved the NAD system that I new very well before the upgrade.  Jaycar in Australia used to stock it but unfortunately not any more.  www.jenving.se/And I know some folk here stay well clear of power conditioners but for safety I have my lounge system plugged into a very nicely made power board with 3 separately filtered lines out that provide at least some scope for isolating the CDP, amp and buffer. To my ears it also provided an instant small lift in overall SQ of the system. www.thortechnologies.com.au/default.asp?V_DOC_ID=796duke, I’m using the USB connections from both the LG-BR writer and the HDD to my laptop. However, I thought it a good idea to get cases with eSATA connections and cables as my ultimate plan is to have these connected to a PC-based music server where I’d use eSATA in preference to USB. rickr42, Great ideas and based on what Alex and I have been hearing, who knows what might improve .wav file playback.  Playing with isolation/damping has been something mates and I have been delving into for years. Pretty much because I stayed clear of the electrical side of things until a few years back when I decided to buy a decent soldering iron and DMM and dabble in DIY audio gear. And I completely agree, damping and isolation is an art as much as a science in eliminating unwanted vibrations/resonances or enhancing resonances sympathetic to the tonal structure of a system. I’ve spent many an audio night at friends playing with various upmarket audio feet, spikes, mass loading etc to get a blend that works. I’m also a convert to using “wood” for potential resonance benefits and some of my recent DIY projects will be going into these boxes, $25AUS ea from one of those Asian bric-a-brac shops, can’t go wrong.  However, doesn’t give my Greenpeace membership much credibility and call me a Sheila if you like, but IMHO my cheapo DAC housed in this will look and sound a lot better than one stuffed in one of those crappy-looking plastic boxes. ;D   Cheers.. jeffc |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2009 8:26:39 GMT
That's a tidy box Jeff, just make sure Mrs J doesn't pop her jewelery on the circuits  |
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rickcr42
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Rest in peace my good friend.
Posts: 4,514
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Post by rickcr42 on Jun 7, 2009 11:36:36 GMT
and you have been doomed since,trust me,I know  been a convert to "woodies" for years and it was once my habit to do a three side "wrap" (hardwood top and side panels) of every digital transport as soon as I got my paws on it as MOD #1 (MOD#2 was always inside top panel damping sheets creating a sampmping sheet/metal/wood layering and #3 footers) At first I was doing it because wood pleases me and remeber,I come from a time when wood cabinets were a given in any audio device until the "high tech" (read cists savings  ) look took hold.That it came to me that not only did the new electronics LOOK stark in comparison to what went before but even SOUNDED different by comparison was an ear opener and I never looked back which the good part being the rest of the planet caught up to my "weird" notions www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/box_clever_e.htmlI pretty much experiemnted blindly going from solids to soft,high to low mass,squishy to unsquishy,then I started to read more and more industrial site tech notes,lab site notes and in some fringe audio sites more and more about using "constrained layers" and "dissapation" rather than ELIMINATION which as previously mentioned usually means spending $5K up for total eradicatoin which led me back to "if you can't TOTALLY eliminate it then make it at least non instrusive" which in turn led me to a path that strangely enough was fully realized on the commercial side by the Mapleshade System which is: Quick 'N Dirty-lose ALL rubber feet and replace them with wood footers.This keeps the surface the device is mounted on part of the equation but moves the "tone" to a more pleasing to humans plane Al Out-Three Point Spikes on the device as footers TO "COUPLE" to the next stage which is a very heavy solid maple platofrm which in turn is "decoupled" from whatever surface the "system" is mounted on via cork-and-rubber isolation blocks (used extensively in the lab/commercial field as anti-vibration devices) throw in some top mass to keep everything planted and stable PLUS eliminating device generated vibration an is has held up over time without my need for more of my "mad scientist" experiments.If a thing works don't question it or look for "better" or I would try and re-invent the wheel,or fire,or female anatomy................OK maybe that last one Back to wood-these days it is not always a wood case or a wood "wrap" but sometimes "WOOD INSIDE" (a play on "Intel Inside  ).I may brace up the side,the panels or even make the entire bottom of the chassis a wood sub-chassis to which I mount all the actual parts using controls and terminal strips as the tie points gaining the dual benefit of a superior "hard wired" construction method (ALL pcbs add inductance) and the nice "tone" of the wood itself.Taken further,the wood is then lacquered which again increases the "tone" to a more pleasing place. Is this "euphonic" rather than accurate ? Nopw.Because if it were then it could be measured so the truth is we humans are made from organic materials not hard edged metal so we respond to the natural by instinct..............at least that is mt theory and I'm sticking to it Rick out |
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clint
<100
"Some thoughts...have a certain sound..."
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Post by clint on Jun 7, 2009 14:49:56 GMT
Talking about wood cases, here's my "Eastwood Special" i'd made last year:  A Nichicon psu taken from an old Sony Laser Disc and now working great with my Super T Amp. |
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rickcr42
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Rest in peace my good friend.
Posts: 4,514
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Post by rickcr42 on Jun 7, 2009 17:01:08 GMT
tool cool for humans dude,better hide that sucker before someone steals it from ya |
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clint
<100
"Some thoughts...have a certain sound..."
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Post by clint on Jun 7, 2009 18:20:52 GMT
tool cool for humans dude,better hide that sucker before someone steals it from ya Nobody can steal the Eastwood from Clint. |
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Post by jeffc on Jun 7, 2009 21:15:14 GMT
rickcr42, All fascinating stuff and I've visited websites like the "mapleshade" where maple rules and the "mother of tone" where 'spruce' rules for the virtues of 'organic tone' with PCBs at MOT screwed directly into the wood, flat, no spacers used. My NAD CDP sits on 3 Gabon ebony balls cradled in Herbie's mushy stuff holders which doesn't work too bad in this application. Again the ebony was used for sympathetic reasons and before 3M tape damping of the case bottom, from the inside, the bass was organic and would seem to travel through the floor. 3M tape killed this off to some extent though. On humble cork, mates bought expensive Stillpoints feet thinking these would be the holy grail of resonance control. audioinhttp://www.enjoythemusic.com/Magazine/equipment/1103/stillpointsers.htm What was found in the end, however, was that one of the Stillpoints feet used in conjunction with 2 wine bottle corks trimmed to height gave a much more pleasing sound structure than all Stillpoints. Didn't pay enough attention in my physics classes to try and figure why but it will be along the lines you've described. But they were wrapped as 3 Stillpoints feet then did 3 components, mass loaded with sand bags of course. Have plans for the jewellery box, but best leave these until its packed with stuff directing those electrons to all pull together as a team. ;D cheers.. jeffc |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2009 22:38:03 GMT
Talking about wood cases, here's my "Eastwood Special" i'd made last year: A Nichicon psu taken from an old Sony Laser Disc and now working great with my Super T Amp. clint The case certainly looks the part. An Eastwood special wouldn't have the same kind of appeal here though, as Eastwood is a Sydney suburb. I didn't save the PSU from my old Sony Laser Disc player, because it was the damn transformer that failed ! SandyK |
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clint
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"Some thoughts...have a certain sound..."
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Post by clint on Jun 8, 2009 12:45:13 GMT
That's to bad because japanese vintage or almost vintage stuff always carried very good electronics inside of them. I know you are from Australia, and one of my all time fav punk bands are from Australia : The Saints, with the great Chris Bailey on vocals and the awesome Ed Kupper on guitars. Remember them?  |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2009 21:45:24 GMT
UPDATE.
Yesterday I received enough 3M tape from JeffC to dampen my "G" drive, which is where I store all my ripped audio. I was hoping for a further very minor improvement in the SQ of ripped .wav files. I haven't tried ripping any more yet, but what I got, quite unexpectedly,
was a further quite noticeable improvement in the playback SQ of previously ripped files.The music was simply more relaxing to listen to. At the same time , I had also placed a couple of pieces of Vinyl backed sound absorbing material (Jaycar) under the P.C.s feet, so I am not sure whether it also contributed to the improvement.
Alex
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Post by Deleted on Jun 14, 2009 6:32:43 GMT
UPDATE.
I have now found that previously downloaded 24/96 .flac files from Linn Records and HD Tracks, are capable of a further marked improvement in SQ after the front end of the PC where the Optical drives and HDDs are located, is dampened by the adhesive felt or other suitable dampening material , in combination with 3M strips being fitted to the HDD where the files are stored. Not only do the original files that were decoded to .wav files sound better when played back, but if the original .flac files are converted to .wav files again, they sound markedly better than the originally decoded files. This is the same kind of improvement as noted with files ripped to the HDD using EAC, after dampening was added to the front area of the P.C. and the writer being used for the ripping.
Alex
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Post by PinkFloyd on Jun 14, 2009 10:29:23 GMT
The music was late 70's Disco! Nowt wrong with a bit of DISCO Miguel Strut your funky tailfeather baby |
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clint
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"Some thoughts...have a certain sound..."
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Post by clint on Jun 20, 2009 13:00:10 GMT
Talking about vibrations...Does anybody use any kind of mate on a cd/dvd rom or transport?
I tried it with an old 5.25" floppy disk in my dvd rom and i found out that it actually add more detail in the top end a bit.
Any thoughts?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2009 13:14:04 GMT
Clint
Are you saying that you sat something on top of the disc in the tray ?
I am not sure what you mean.
BTW, that specialised 3M material is supposed to convert vibration to heat.
Alex
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clint
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Post by clint on Jun 20, 2009 14:42:37 GMT
What i have done was cutting the floppy disk with the same diameter of a cd disk, then glued it in the dvd rom drawer – with a soft glue - and with a scissor or a sharp knife cut it exactly like the drawer – because of the laser pickup, of course – and that’s it: A cd rom mate. I'm listen to a very "complex" music and i find it more focused, defined, detailed than before, and because of that the overall sound has a little more dynamics and attack. |
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insomniac
Been here a while! 
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Post by insomniac on Jun 20, 2009 19:15:50 GMT
Talking about vibrations...Does anybody use any kind of mate on a cd/dvd rom or transport? I tried it with an old 5.25" floppy disk in my dvd rom and i found out that it actually add more detail in the top end a bit. Any thoughts? Could it have something to do with the dark coloured floppy disc absorbing the stray light from the laser? The tray an internals of my Plextor CD burner are black and the manufacturer states that they specifically chose that colour as the non reflective nature helps minimise the effect of stray light. |
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clint
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Post by clint on Jun 20, 2009 19:41:30 GMT
I don't think so, because i also use a black Plextor. Could it be the ferro-magnetic of the diskette or maybe because it acts similar to a turntable mate giving more stability to the disk and eliminating a few inside ressonances..?! |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 20, 2009 22:11:27 GMT
Clint
What you reported hearing is similar to what JeffC and myself are obtaining with the added vibration dampening, but with the 3M material added, the improvements are far from subtle.
I wouldn't do what you have done, as some of my CDs are Dual Discs, which are thicker than normal CDs, and are likely to get damaged or cause damage in some players/CD/DVD ROMs ,or refuse to play because of the extra thickness. Pioneer even warned against their use for this reason.
Alex
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clint
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Post by clint on Jun 20, 2009 23:41:45 GMT
Clint What you reported hearing is similar to what JeffC and myself are obtaining with the added vibration dampening, but with the 3M material added, the improvements are far from subtle. ...... Alex Cool. |
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clint
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Post by clint on Jun 30, 2009 12:58:33 GMT
Do you guys think that different laser pickups have different data readings in audio terms, of course? Are there better and worse lasers or it has all to do with only the quality of the transport mechanism ?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2009 13:39:15 GMT
Do you guys think that different laser pickups have different data readings in audio terms, of course? Are there better and worse lasers or it has all to do with only the quality of the transport mechanism ? Clint Possibly due to poor tracking or focussing, and reading, the recovered envelope may not be perfect, but although the ripped information may be correct, I believe other factors like jitter, and the player's tracking motor current draws due to working harder will likely degrade the overall SQ. Only an educated guess though. SandyK |
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Post by rbrook on Jun 30, 2009 13:58:48 GMT
If wrapping your HDD in the 3M magic tape improves the SQ then what difference does playing off a solid state device make? zero vibrations and external vibrations should shouldn't affect it at all as its purely electronics.
Richard.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2009 14:06:26 GMT
Richard
The loss of SQ is mainly when ripping the CD from the CD/DVD ROM initially, although there is other more subtle degradation due to copying between HDDs and also due to internal vibration from the HDD itself.
Alex
P.S.
I understand from the owner of a "High End" forum, that there is a small improvement in SQ when played from a SS drive.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jul 17, 2009 12:41:28 GMT
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) until you can wrangle some cork and rubber Iso-Blocks for under the maple 
Jaycar in Australia used to stock it but unfortunately not any more. 
Playing with isolation/damping has been something mates and I have been delving into for years. Pretty much because I stayed clear of the electrical side of things until a few years back when I decided to buy a decent soldering iron and DMM and dabble in DIY audio gear. And I completely agree, damping and isolation is an art as much as a science in eliminating unwanted vibrations/resonances or enhancing resonances sympathetic to the tonal structure of a system. I’ve spent many an audio night at friends playing with various upmarket audio feet, spikes, mass loading etc to get a blend that works.
However, doesn’t give my Greenpeace membership much credibility and call me a Sheila if you like, but IMHO my cheapo DAC housed in this will look and sound a lot better than one stuffed in one of those crappy-looking plastic boxes. ;D
) look took hold.That it came to me that not only did the new electronics LOOK stark in comparison to what went before but even SOUNDED different by comparison was an ear opener and I never looked back which the good part being the rest of the planet caught up to my "weird" notions
).I may brace up the side,the panels or even make the entire bottom of the chassis a wood sub-chassis to which I mount all the actual parts using controls and terminal strips as the tie points gaining the dual benefit of a superior "hard wired" construction method (ALL pcbs add inductance) and the nice "tone" of the wood itself.Taken further,the wood is then lacquered which again increases the "tone" to a more pleasing place.
