Tweek Time

[wkhanna]

Just got my new power cables from Frank at Signal Cable in New York. I already have one for my RB-1090 amp. I just ordered a new DAC & decided it was time to upgrade the power cable to my pre-amp and get one for the soon to arrive DAC, too. The build quality is good & for ~$130 for both, the price is right for my budget. We will see what if any difference is verified after burn-in.

NotCho Dawg performs receiving inspection prior to release for use. It seems Frank had bacon on his burger for lunch the day he built these.

[PewterTA]

Wow... Pretty!!!!!

Now to just get your DAC!!! Did you throw the one cable on the Carver yet?!? Notice any difference?!

[Hdale85]

What DAC did you order?

[wkhanna]

Just some piece of Schiit I found.

[Hdale85]

Hmm, looks like it could be decent? You think it's better then what's in your CDP though? Are these made in China? A lot of those Chinese DAC's have impressive DAC chips and specs but are complete crap lol.

[wkhanna]

It's designed and handmade in America by Jason Stoddard, formerly of Sumo, and Mike Moffat, formerly of Theta. These guys know their Schiit.

There is NO upsampling. Just the way I want it. Upsampling is like having someone else mess with your tone controls. You never get the true music.

Based on a whole lot of reviews I have read by people who bought it, I expect it to be at least as good as the new DacMagic II from Cambridge Audio (without paying for all the other features I neither want or need). We will be taking it over to Dan's (PewterTA) to compare it to his CA 840c once it gets broken in.

Actually, this is in essence a rental. They are releasing a 'Statement' DAC mid year. When they do this one gets sold.

Some more info on the Bifrost DAC.

[Hdale85]

Sounds like it should be quite good for the money then! 350 bucks is pretty cheap as far as DAC's go. I'm still planning to eventually build the new Twisted Pear Audio DAC at some point which uses the ESS Sabre 32bit DAC. I don't want to get into NOS vs OS though lol. You tend to like the smoother sound though from what I gather which is generally what you get with a NOS DAC just like Tubes. Nothing bad about that sound personally I love your setup it sounds great.

[wkhanna]

Thanks, Dougie!

It has been a long time since you have heard my system. I think you would be shocked if you heard it today. It’s V neutral now, without the slight HF edginess (due in much part to the C-19 Pre-amp re-build & upgrade) and the bottom end is much tighter, more musical and realistic. It’s also much more detailed thanks to the work Dan performed on the RB-1090 and the pre-amp mods that Bob Carver recommended when we talked to him.

[Hdale85]

Yeah unfortunately my 2 channel setup hasn't really gotten any love over the last few years lol.

[wkhanna]

You need to get to work on that Twisted Pear DAC, good buddy :T

And next time your in Pittsburgh, you need to stop by!

[Hdale85]

Yeah I went through there about a week and a half ago after looking at a car near Pittsburgh, but I was only there for about 2 hours or so. Just long enough to meet up with Bob and go to Fat Heads.

I may be coming through next week though probably Tuesday. The car I looked has to be towed home and my AAA membership is finally active so I have to drive back out there lol.

[PewterTA]

lol You'll come to Pittsburgh and watch Bill and I will head to Cleveland to listen to the 802D/Diamonds .... LOL!

[Hdale85]

You guys are going to Cleveland Tuesday?

[PewterTA]

I thought you said this weekend my fault.

Bill, what's the two differences between the power cables?? Just curious.

[wkhanna]

I put the power cable on the C-19 pre half an hour ago.
I would describe it as ‘Crystal Meth’.
The attack is viscous.
Noticed it right away. :T
Maybe an increase in it detail, not sure yet.
Only spun one LP so far.
Need to break-in for a week or so and do some A-B comparison with the old OEM style cable.

[PewterTA]

I figured you'd notice some improvement over the cheap cable that was on the Carver! NICE!!!!! Heee heee. That's why I put the BlackSandsAudio cables on all my main equipment. I still have to try putting one on the APC power and see if I notice any difference...I'm thinking probably not, but who knows.

[Hdale85]

Well I can't do anything on weekends cause Diana works lol, I get Tue through Thursday to do things I want.

[wkhanna]

Bill, what's the two differences between the power cables?? Just curious.

The thick one is for main & pre's.
The thinner one is for digital equipment.

Why :huh:
Beats the Schiit out me.
Smoke and mirrors marketing BS for all I know.
For some reason, most aftermarket power cables I've seen that are specified for 'digital' equipment like CDP's and DAC's are smaller diameter than those made for higher current application.

[PewterTA]

Oh yeah...remember Bill........ power cables can't make a difference... So you're not really hearing anything different! lol

[wkhanna]

Yeah, it is all in my head.
But hey! It is my (empty) head, after all. :W

As Eric Hoffer said:
"An empty head is not really empty; it is stuffed with rubbish. Hence the difficulty of forcing anything into an empty head".

[Hdale85]

Could easily be placebo, I mean you aren't going to spend that money and then go out and say "oh it didn't do anything" lol. I think having a nice quality cable can make a small difference, but spending a grand on a power cable I just can't justify that or even 2-300.

[PewterTA]

I pretty much agree...though I've not heard $1000 power cables in my system to see what kind of a change there is... maybe it's there...but I really think there's more deminishing return on value the higher you go up. At some point the quality of the power lines coming to the outlet and the outlet and everything else takes effect unless you're running completely off a battery or something...

Bill I might have to disconnect my BSA cables and bring them over and see if we can tell any difference between your power cables and mine.

Though I do, as with most of my purchases... I have to justify the differences if there are any, otherwise I return or don't purchase the item. So I always go in with the idea this is not going to change things or it's going to negatively effect things...in which case when it doesn't then I'm pleasantly surprised!

[wkhanna]

Sorry, but I will not be participating in discussions regarding whether cables do or do not have an effect. It is a subject that is populated with far too much opinion and V little experience.

I would V much like to audition your BSA's sometime, Dan!

[madmac]

Sorry, but I will not be participating in discussions regarding whether cables do or do not have an effect. It is a subject that is populated with far too much opinion and V little experience.

I would V much like to audition your BSA's sometime, Dan!

Power cables eh??......Hummmmm?????.......well, the best and ONLY way to tell is to have someone switch them out whilst YOU are blindfolded. If you can guess EVERY time when the upgraded power cables are connected, then yes, they do make a difference. If not..........well???!!. :roll:

[madmac]

.......on another note,,,,,,,,,watch out for that dog!!!. He looks like he might take a nibble or two out of your new cables !!! Hehehe!!.

[wkhanna]

.......on another note,,,,,,,,,watch out for that dog!!!. He looks like he might take a nibble or two out of your new cables !!! Hehehe!!.

The reality is that NotCho Dawg is the consummate audiophile, you know, dawgs and their acute hearing. But he takes it to the next level. We spend hours together in the ‘sweet’ spot. He prefers Shostakovich, Mahler, and of course, Baha Men.



I not only trust him with my equipment, but I’ve been able to sell my VPI 16.5 vacuum record cleaner. My most precious vinyl has never sounded better.

Man’s best friend?
You kid’n?
He is my Dawg.

[PewterTA]

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA.

Awesome!

[rotelnut]

Hey Wkhanna, I have recently upgraded all power cables to my rotel gear and i can tell you! with some burn in time, youll hear the difference , im running mine through a ps audio cond. sounds wonderful!! I see you have a 1090 , been thinking about 1 myself,what do you drive with that amp? ive also looked at used mc 252, have any knowlege on mcintosh compared to rotel 1090? i love my rotel gear for the price!!

[wkhanna]

.........sounds wonderful!!

Glad to hear you are happy with your system.

I see you have a 1090 , been thinking about 1 myself,what do you drive with that amp?

These are my "Twins", DIY 65 litre towers whose cabinets’ I designed and built . Officially called the Natalie Portman's (NatP’s) & created by Jon Marsh.

ive also looked at used mc 252, have any knowlege on mcintosh compared to rotel 1090?

The 252 lists for $5k.
The 1090’s mrsp was $2k.
I have never directly compared the two in the same system at the same time.
I would expect the differences to be far fewer than the similarities.
As always, JMHO, YMMV.

[rotelnut]

Nice Pair,,!!
I know there is a big difference in price,just trying to find out if its worthy of the money over rotel? I have a rb 1070 now,would like to upgrade in power!!

[wkhanna]

HTGuide Rule #1: There is no such thing as too much power.

HTGuide Rule #2: See HTGuide Rule #1.

:W

[PewterTA]

The RB-1070 is nice, it does lack some of the power that better amps have. The biggest thing I did to my RB-1080 was solder all the wires (well wires to the crimped connections) and then applied De-Oxit Gold on the connections themselves. It turned my (what I initially though) power lacking amp into a beast that almost competes with the 1090. Except for detail in the low and a little more power, the 1080 performs exactly like the 1090. Which considering the differences in power... I think that's a great compliment to how the amp "can" sound.

If you're good with soldering and got some WBT Silver solder, taking the 1070 apart and soldering everything does not take much effort. I can do one in about a hour or two now and have it back up and running. And I can give you help if you decide to try something like that. It's defintely a worth while "mod."

[madmac]

Glad to hear you are happy with your system.


These are my "Twins", DIY 65 litre towers whose cabinets’ I designed and built . Officially called the Natalie Portman's (NatP’s) & created by Jon Marsh.




The 252 lists for $5k.
The 1090’s mrsp was $2k.
I have never directly compared the two in the same system at the same time.
I would expect the differences to be far fewer than the similarities.
As always, JMHO, YMMV.

Beautiful speakers !!! :E

[wkhanna]

Well thank you V much, Madmac!
Your approval is greatly appreciated.
One of these days I need to take some pictures that actually do them justice.