Follow up from Showing (off) your dCS setup - description and photos - #1633 by Ermos
Final result:
- Replaced NAD T778 AV Surround Sound Receiver with
- Marantz AV 20 AV processor
- Marantz MM 7055 5 ch power amp
- Audioquest Yukon XLR cables
The AV 20 puts out L + R front into Benchmark LA4 preamp, which input channel was set to 0.0 dB pass-through with attenuation disabled, and outputs to Simaudio Moon 760A power amp, and center and surround L + R into MM 7055.
For the moment the AV 20 was set up with the the built-in Audyssey MultEQ XT32, Audyssey Dynamic EQ, Audyssey Dynamic Volume and Audyssey LFC, which made some nice improvements.
Later on I will decide whether to replace Audyssey with Dirac Live licenses. The AV 20 is capable of running Dirac Room Correction Full Bandwidth, Dirac Bass Control and the new Dirac Active Room Treatment.
After adding the AV stack it directly suffered from a nasty ground loop hum. Troubleshooting was fairly easy, since the hum was volume setting independent, so was coming from up from the AV 20. It appeared to be the coax TV cable. I inserted a coax ground loop isolator (an inductor that eliminates the potential differences) with great result: no more hum, and TV signal unaffected.
- Added dCS Lina headphone amp, connected by RCA to the so far spare dCS Rossini Apex DAC RCA outs, with HifiMan Susvara cans
- Replaced old rug with a hand tufted high pile rug for better visuals and room reflection damping
Now it is time to enjoy, and then to think of upgrading, since the torture never stops 