Thanks Pete, I’ll look into those Ethernet cables. I hadn’t realised that I ideally want two clock cables from the Clock to the NB so I will have to purchase 3 new clock cables!
I played an SACD on the Paganini transport through the Upsampler and I was surprised that I could get upsampling to DSD and 24/192. I assumed this was because I was playing an SACD. So I tried a red book CD and I was also able to get the higher upsampling rate of 24/192 and DSD. However, your right Pete, the cd sounded much better at 24/176 than at 24/192.
Another thing that is confusing me is with SACD the Upsampler is showing 16/44.1>24/192. Is this because I currently only have one AES EBU cable going from the transport to the Upsampler? And, should I be seeking to have 24/192>24/192 from SACD by using 2 AES EBU cables running from the Tranport to the Upsampler? Otherwise it seems strange to take a 24/192 signal from the transport and then downsample it to 16/44.1 to upsample it to 24/192. Or am I missing something?
What I was trying to explain was that although the Network Bridge ideally needs two word clock inputs ( which it will get from any of the current generation of dCS clocks), as the Scarlatti master clock does not have two clock outputs each outputting a different frequency per connected slave device, you can only use a single BNC output to the Bridge from the Scarlatti and connect to a single BNC clock input at the Bridge. However the music data sent to the Bridge will vary in its base frequency from the 44.1 group ( 44.1, 88.3, 176.4 PCM and DSD) or the base 48 group ( 48, 96 and 192 PCM). So in order for it to work you will need to change the frequency that the master clock is sending via that single wordclock cable to match the incoming data by using the “frequency” button on the fascia of the Scarlatti masterclock. If you don’t every so often you will hear pops and other glitches.
I am guessing you are using the Transport set to Vivaldi Mode. DSD is the data format used in SACD which is a carrier format. So it isn’t upsampling. If you are seeing the upsampler showing 24/192 while playing an SACD then you may be selecting the PCM layer on a hybrid SACD and upsampling it (16/44.1) to 24/192. Actually I cannot remember if there is a clone lock in which case even if the upsampler is set to the same input and output frequencies the PCM bit depth will always be padded to 24 from 16. Actually I found that the padding offered a sonic advantage with my Paganini rig but, for me at least, I was not able to discern a similar gain with my Vivaldi. It all just sounds superb anyway !
Vivaldi mode is off as with one AES EBU cable going from the transport to the Upsampler I will get no sound if Vivaldi mode is on. This explains why the upsampler is showing 16/44.1> whatever I’m upsampling too. When I turned Vivaldi mode on the Upsampler screen showed 24/176.4>24/192 but then I still couldn’t get any sound. So I need to await my additional AES EBU cables so I can run dual AES EBU out of the transport.
With regards to the number of clock cables I now understand what you meant. Apologies for misunderstanding the first time around.
Thankyou Pete (@PAR) and Patrick (@reddjpj ) for your helpful replies to my questions about the benefits of an upsampler for silver disc replay, and about moving to the combination Paganini transport + Rossini or Paganini transport + Vivaldi dac. Yesterday I gritted my teeth and started looking at the financial consequences of the two options. It is true: if I started with a Vivaldi dac, and that proved to be the first step on the road to a full Vivaldi system, the cost will be… well, “something considerable” one might say. I think I’ll have to take the obvious step: listen to these options, and decide which - if either - is worth it. Speculation, while fun, isn’t going to get me any further.
A last point: Patrick mentions in this thread that
“One thing I didn’t mention in my comment to Simon is that my system can be a bit bright for my tastes, particularly with recordings that are more compressed.”
I had the same experience with my Puccini. A change of analogue interconnects helped, but what really nailed the problem was the insertion of a balanced power supply into my system. When I first heard it I was in the ideal frame of mind for an evaluation, namely a grumpy “Well, it’s here now (I didn’t really expect to get it) so I suppose I have to give it a listen” sort of attitude. I was surprised and thrilled with the results. I’ve speculated elsewhere that this kind of supply might address some of the same issues that are otherwise taken care of by using separate boxes for the different functions (transport, upsampler, dac, clock). I’d love to hear an electrical engineer, and/or dCS, express an informed opinion on this subject.
Thank you for your interesting comment about balanced power supplies. I have long accepted the sonic benefits of a good power supply and I have a Isol8 power station which is a power regenerator. However, that unit only has two input sockets that can handle power up to 100 watts each. It’s very good but it cannot handle power amps and can only support a quarter of my stereo equipment. At over £4K it’s not practical for me to purchase any more, plus, it’s an extremely large and heavy piece of kit. I also have a basic power conditioner and I’m thinking of getting one of Niagarar’s power conditioners.
I was aware of the benefits of adding a linear power supply to equipment that has a switching power supply. But I am unfamiliar with the idea of adding a balanced power supply to equipment that has a good in built power supply. I did a quick internet search and this company was recommended on another forum.
Is this the type of equipment you were referring too? It seems to be very good value, when compared to consumer audio equipment. It seems to be aimed at the pro audio market so lacks visual appeal for the domestic environment.
I should say that adding the Upsampler did a great job of ridding the digital part of my system of its occasional edginess at high frequencies. But I’m always interested in improving my systems sound.
Pat, I’ve seen the airlink site, but what I myself have is the Equi=tech product (www.equitech.com - there is lots of interesting reading on the site; and an old Stereophile review at https://www.stereophile.com/content/monster-power-avs-2000-automatic-voltage-stabilizer-equitech-2q-q650-balanced-power-systems-0). Not all transformers are equal, it seems. The Equi=Tech 2 kVA one that I have weighs about 75 lbs, in a case that isn’t heavy itself and is no more robust than it needs to be. (That is, made for pro audio rather than to impress audiophiles.) The current cost in the US is about $6k, I think. There don’t seem to be any cheap routes to audio nirvana, alas.
Pat, I would second Simon’s recommendation. A balanced power rig from Equi=Tech (which I almost bought) or some other quality isolation from someone like Torus or PliXir can be an excellent addition to your system. PliXir is getting some rave reviews, and their cost of entry is not as steep as some others. And their top end is not as out of whack as others. I am considering auditioning their BAC 400 for part of my headphone rack (currently has a PS Audio P5 and Decware Balanced Isolation ZLC), and maybe the 3000V for my speaker system. [Note for those in the U.S.: in typical Decware fashion, Steve Deckert has produced a superb balanced isolation transformer for a bargain price. It’s even more elemental, truly utilitarian in appearance, than any previous Decware product. All it does is work. You might not plug high-current amps into it, but with 6 outlets and 10A, it will cover everything else. It doesn’t have the bells & whistles of a Torus or PS Audio, like a web interface, but it’s a great way to get started with balanced power and an isolation toroidal transformer. $895.]
I own the PS Audio P10 for the home theater side of my system, and the Torus AVR2-20 for the hifi. I always liked the PS Audio power regeneration approach, but I definitely like a well-done isolation transformer even better.
Thank you for your reply. I read the Stereophile review with interest. I also read a forum thread on Hifi wigram that discussed Balanced Mains Units (BMU). The discussion, which was based on BMU’s and UK voltages, was, to say the least, lively and somewhat off putting. The main topic was about BMU’s safety in the UK. I won’t go into the details here, but I find it hard to believe that companies such as Airlink can legally sell products to consumers in UK (where I am from) that are potentially unsafe.
With the Equitech costing $1000’s it’s not something I will likely be investing in at the present time when there are cheaper alternatives which seem to do the same job, although almost certainly not to the same level as Equitech. As you say, there aren’t any cheap routes to audio nirvana. However, most of have to make compromises as to where to put our hard earned cash, and, as far as I’m concerned, this is actually part of the fun.
Thank you for reply. Please also see my reply to Simon C as that covers some of my thoughts on BMU’s. When I saw your link to Decware I thought I must have previously visited there site to look at there BMU’s. But actually I had been there looking at there tube amps which have received very good reviews and seem to be very good value.
Having already some familiarity with Decware as a company, and seeing that there pricing is very reasonable, there BMU’s are a product that I could see myself purchasing. However, I would also still look at Airlink (and others) as there a UK company, which means sorting out any problems will likely be easier, and there products also appear to be excellent value for money.
So at this stage, I’m open to all products that are reasonably priced, but I am looking at this with the medium term in mind as I need to finish the basics of getting my dCS system right. In particular, I need to get to grips with the NwB I purchased last week, and determine how to get the best out of it as quality audio streaming is a bit of a new subject to me.
Good luck with all that Pat. I had not heard of the Airlink transformers until you posted about them. Buying gear with Euro jacks makes perfect sense of course (and why I noted that the Decware ZLC would be of interest to US buyers). I found this short and favorable review of an Airlink unit, comparing it quite favorably to a much more expensive PS Audio P10. Looks like a great place to start.
P.S. FWIW, if one is in the market for the type of amps Decware builds, I highly recommend them. They make excellent gear. At one point, I had their Ultra 6-channel preamp, two of the Torii Mk2 amps, and two of their SET mono amps, driving 6 ERR speakers, a truly integrated audio/home theater system. A Baetis server provided media to a Lumin network player for stereo and an Oppo 105 for home theater. Dual REL subs filled out the kit. It was a lot of fun, delightfully musical, and a true light show with the lights turned off and almost 45 tubes glowing.
In case it’s of use, Pat, these balanced power units look fantastic and the main chap Paul is a pleasure to deal with:
I’ve not tried yet, but have read enough good stuff to know that it’s likely only a matter of time. UK-based, too, so I’d imagine it’ll have gone through the 230V wringer for safety
