apogeum

Responses from apogeum

If you feed a DAC with USB does XLR matter as much?
AES/EBU, USB, HDMI are simply different ways of how to connects audio gear and have benefits under certain circumstances. AES/EBU is the professional standard used in studios with 110ohms impedance . The input of the DAC is transformer coupled. ... 
How to improve sound quality
Could be a problem with different sample rates/bit depth. Are the audio settings  the same for recording and playback?  
Turntables thump when turning off?
Hard to imagine that a snubber cap across the power switch would be missing or broken. But I would definitely check. More distance between turntable power switch and phono pre might already be the solution. Is the power cable to the turntable ver... 
The Big Misconception About Electricity
At least this much is clear(er) after reading through  the comments:P=IV and all the rest of the equations is still the same. ".... it is absolutely true that the electric and magnetic fields carry the energy – the current does not – but when one... 
The Big Misconception About Electricity
What really got me was when he says in the video at around 2:30 that the electron flow from the power station to the house is “interrupted” because of the transformers. Well, that’s really bad because it almost looks like he hasn’t understood how ... 
Strangest Phono Sound I Ever Heard
Sounds like some kind of oscillation.  Have you tried what happens if you switch left and right input of the Linto? Is the oscillation in the left speaker if you do this? If that's the case  I would first check the power supply of the Linn Linto. ... 
The "great" sound of reel to reel explained
Very interesting read but too much generalization . Like the thing with the power cable voltage drop. I don't think it is true in case of regulated B+ and filament heating and even without regulation 2V drop wouldn't be audible. the reason a pow... 
You Cant Buy It but you Can Build It
What Ohm value did you choose and why? I use a 100K ladder type attenuator because I wanted the input impedance (100k) of my amp not below 50k after adding the attenuator. Input impedance should be in the range of 10 times or more the output im... 
You Cant Buy It but you Can Build It
I leave them up half way and adjust the rest with the PC sound card control which rarely goes above 50%. Don't you lose some resolution  if you do it like that? Even with 24bit the limit is -24dB for digital volume control. I use a combination ... 
Component grounding
It’s a pity that I couldn’t post a drawing of best grounding technics (something didn’t work here). I will try to explain it as best I can. There are 3  “grounds” that need to be connected correctly in order to make sure that potential differenc... 
DAC That Punches Above Its Price Point
Finally the Soekris DAC has been mentioned. But it cannot be compared to all the rest because the owner can set/chose/compare  its digital filters. This adjustment can change SQ  far beyond any cable, speakers, amps, DAC changes and its still very... 
Fuses
There is no ideal power transformer with perfect magnetic coupling  and no leakage flux. So the impedance will be always higher than winding resistance. No one would want to add more resistance to what is already there in order to keep the impedan... 
Questions on PC audio calibration
What you need is a Dynamic EQ after your volume control which you would adjust to your taste. 
Audio PC
When using a computer you need to know what to do with it otherwise it really can suck. But it has enormous processing power which no stand alone digital audio gear can ever reach. USB is a high end audio connection if used properly. Noise is not ... 
Audio PC
For music listening I use a QuietPC with SSDs. The constant 'noise' coming from the background processes in the computer which are not necessary for music reproduction can be brought down to the absolute minimum by installing Audiophile optimizer....