Clairixa USB

[acg]

Just wondering if you had realized the irony in the fact that you are now well on your way to becoming a "ridiculously expensive USB cable vendor".

No $1 cables any more!!

Hi Anthony - Yes and it is a sad thing. I have seriously been thinking "now me too ?". But the point is that it seems necessary, so to speak. And honestly, when I think back of when I was 20-25 of age, I loaned interlinks of 200-250 euros and was always happy that they didn't work out (for me) and I could bring them back.

Since that age I have always been telling myself "cables later !" and I have been holding up that for now 30 years or so. And seriously ... I have been (so) proud that a 1$ USB cable worked out for the better for most, including for myself.

Maybe it shouldn't have happened that some perceivedly for the better were (virtually) spread, and that I myself tried a couple of them which were so much fo the worse. So this gave me the idea that might I try to make something for myself it just as well could turn out for the better. But of course this is since the "a" version of the NOS1 and I don't think such differences would have been there for the normal NOS1.

As it turns out, I may have been quite ignorant to never dive into these cable matters, that is, if I now look back and see that this can just be approached from dumn technical properties; extend what you're doing in DAC design to the outside of that.

Part of my changed thinking has been encouraged for with the "total system" concept, and how I in that other part of my life have always been saying that it would be rubbish to have all from the same brand (like DAC, preamp, power amp). Ok, maybe that is still so, but when you are (finally) making that a consistent whole, all now under (groundloop) control, things are really different. But how to think of that say 10 years ago, when nothing at hand for a base. So it is a (slow) process that today ends up in an "including cabling".

Still tough of course, because like with the Blaxius there is no real guarantee for those using different amps than the few owning that whole system, but that seems to have worked out as well. So apparently if someone pays attention to such things as cables, and now NOT from any audiophile ($$$$) view, things are quite easy ?

For the USB cable it still does not look easy to me at all because of the unknown influence. The 90 Ohm spec as such ? I don't even believe in that much (aha !). However, one can try to overspec so much that the impedance becomes relatively unimportant. Think like normal cable losses and how a longer length can be covered for by a thicker cable conductor. Thicker shielding. Better topology (differential). Make it so that you can't go wrong for the lengths as we use them. Take into account that at the computer side things may deal with it in a way that is out of our control anyway, but actually quite the same at the interface side of our D/A converters. Or put in the DAC (or amp) design perspective of : that for example a very carefully 50 ohm differential PCB design could be extended to "all the way through".
But who is doing that ?

Today I am, or at least I try. It is crazy as well, because normally required for ultra high speed designs only. And then thinking digital while half of what "we" do is analogue. This, while knowing that digital is to be only within the "threshold" specs of edge triggering, while looking at that "in analogue" *everything* will change the signal when approached like "digital only". So yes, analogue appears to be more difficult than digital. This is how Blaxius came forward but from there you can again think digital once you're at that anyway. And I tried that with Clairixa.
And so far so good; 2 more days to go.

Peter

Thanks Peter for the comprehensive reply to my little joust.

Personally, I think that it is a well balanced person that can be swayed from firmly held opinions by weight of evidence alone.  In this case you have optimised/negated/reduced more important influences for SQ and now it is just time to do the USB cable properly.

So kudos, especially if it all works for the better for the next little while.

Cheers,

Anthony

[Nick]

that for example a very carefully 50 ohm differential PCB design could be extended to "all the way through".
But who is doing that ?

Guilty...

Analoguge electrical conditions of the link are important, but have not been the first line of "attack". The approach to setting up the usb link is researched and planned out.

A 50 or 90 ohms transmission line from transmitter chip pin to reciver chip pin is the way I'm going. This has what I think will be the benefit of losing those horrid USB A and B type connectors on the way. Think  differential BNC type or similar for d+ and d- lines, earth and +5 vols are not too important. Of course that means making changes to use BNC at the PCIE card and dac USB connectors, that is fine here but might not be to everyone's tast as its a departure from the standard connections.


Nick.

[Robert]

With the current reference USB being the Lightspeed Harmonic which has loads of specs to go with the rather extravagant price in my country off $1700 NZ for one .8m with separate earth connection. Peter's Clairixa seems very well priced at $350 NZ.
It had to come though as we know, all wires are not the same!!!!
I'm keen for a 1 metre. I still run the supplied Benchmark Gold plated connectors $1 USB lead.

Robert

[PeterSt]

I'm keen for a 1 metre. I still run the supplied Benchmark Gold plated connectors $1 USB lead.

Hi Robert. As we all know my English is rubbish, but did you just tell me "yes please, 1 meter for me" ?
I think so, but ...

Regards,
Peter

[PeterSt]

Now a really small report from last night :

I think I will be running out of time (5 days) because I am listening too long to a same album.

Say that yesterday was Jazz night. Well, piano's sound with so many harmonics (as it seems) that I start to wonder what is real and what is not. But thinking those harmonics : what about a roaring piano eh ? I think yesterday I had a better discription for it, but on the low end pianos can roar; the interaction of those low keyed strings. Super impressive. The highs ? if only I could detect something wrong as such. Creepy.

What's also new is the "lightness" (light-weighed) how a snare and also toms can sound. And funny, this is just so in real life, or it can be so. Just about drop the stick instead of smashing it. I heard this all over in everything, while I never heard it before. And, a typical example of something you can't know it's there, because who can tell how hard the instrument is played (smashed). You'll only know when you hear it softer.

Usually when I've had 2 hours of Jazz it's time to counterweigh that with Rock. Still the old stuff but I always like to have the old stuff play well. And here too, didn't hear more than two because I played them out in full both. Not smart.
Anyway I seriously must now think whether this now all is so good or whether something happened to my ears because it seems that I might be driven by whatever dopemine and adrenaline. This is almost "explicitly bad" because I am thinking more than once during such a session that this cable is burning in by the minute. And this I don't believe much. And thus something must be happening inside myself that says "more, better, more, better, more, ...".

What seriously worries me (well, intrigues me largely would be the better expression) is how it happens that I play so loud. At first I kept it at 4.5dB (see first post I think) but now I better say that it is 9. Or 6 at least. No 9.
And nobody complains. And whatever I try, I don't perceive it either. Meter says 96dBSPL now though, so this really is more loud, and more importantly, for any type of music.
But why.

The answer must be in that feather light drumming now possible. I mean, before there wasn't really differentitation in it. Or at least not that I noticed or recall that. So a light drop of the stick sounded as a louder smash. Well, then it *was* louder I'd say. Uhm, distortion. And of course, when that part of music sounds louder, and it is incurred for by certain frequencies, then those frequencies play everywhere. In voices, in guitars, in - name it. Meanwhile I am sure that in other frequencies this does not happen and now the, say, "harshness" got profound. Not noticable as distortion, but louder anyway, and apparently not for the better balance. The always jumping out thing I guess, and exactly what is not hapening any more (I already told about that).
But 6dB ? (to keep it on the very safe side I'd say) ?

There's another strange thing and unconsciously I already told about it : I don't have the idea by far that I have been judging the performance. So, a typicle max 5 days is occurring as so often, but what have I done really ? I don't know. But I wasn't able to judge anything and instead I let the albums play. OK, this in itself indicates that I really haven't been doing much, but the why of it can tell something. No signs of "ok, heard enough it this - it is better - next one". Instead constantly intrigued about what all *not* happens or something. And no, not normally sounding either. But sure something like nothing to put your attention to. Like "hey, good bass !" or "wow, good cymbals". Super good music then ? also not that I'm aware of (well, day before yesterday's hits is a bit of a different story). One thing though keeps popping up in my mind and for ten times during this writing I did not want to say it, but now I will after all : with this now super on-par (100%) sounding Who do we think we are - Deep Purple, I noticed that at that time a really good song writer must have been in order because of the so smart texts in that album throughout. So what I saw almost explicitly working was the combination of those texts and how the music is played to emphasize the messages. And you see, once that is happening, you want to hear the next track. So maybe not the good music, but the beauty of it.
Same happened with the Bob James Trio I started out with. And there's not even singing in that. The regular stuff but now with a message. And at track 7 of it I forced myself to switch it off because I realized I was listening to the same ever good thing and was wasting my time (of the 5 days). And what did I do next ? I put on another Bob James. But into track one I could force myself to proceed with something else.

Ok, by now you are all sure that I am crazy. But I only try to describe about something which didn't really ever happen yet.

Peter

[michaeljeger]

Peter

One meter for me as well please.

Regards Michael

[Stanray]

Hi Peter,

Spare me a leftover of 0,7m please 

Regards,
Stanley

[Scroobius]

Peter - looking again at the cable maybe it does not bend like normal USB i/c so mine may need to be longer. No problem we can sort it out later (assuming you still like it in 2 days!!).

Paul

[PeterSt]

Hi Paul - There will be no problems with bending really. But think 10cm (4") diameter of a circle to be on the safe side.

Regards,
Peter

[Robert]

Hi Robert. As we all know my English is rubbish, but did you just tell me "yes please, 1 meter for me" ?
I think so, but ...

YES certainly was.

[Tore]

Have you seen this before?

USB cabel with separate USB-powercabel and DATA-cabel


Tore

[PeterSt]

Hi Tore,

Yes, several of these exist. It can be reasoned that the impedance of such a cable (for its data part) is now under control better.
Notice that your NOS1(a) does not use USB power (but the Clairixa supports it).

Regards,
Peter

[Dantana]

Hi Peter,

  Since NOS 1a does not require the USB 5V power, would it be possible to have the Clairixa be without the power leg? Will this further improve on the SQ?

Daniel

[acg]

Hi Peter,

I assume that you are still using the isolated Silverstone card.  Is this correct?

After your 5 day "trial period" I would be most interested if you would perform a few experiments with the Silverstone and try it:

• not isolated from the chassis
• removed from the system and say use another card or even a mobo USB port

I have a niggling concern that the the Silverstone may still be affecting things given that the USB cables is influential and reportedly PC clocks are as well.

Do you think this is possible?

Regards,

Anthony

[Stanray]

Hi Peter,

I assume that you are still using the isolated Silverstone card.  Is this correct?

After your 5 day "trial period" I would be most interested if you would perform a few experiments with the Silverstone and try it:

• not isolated from the chassis
• removed from the system and say use another card or even a mobo USB port

I have a niggling concern that the the Silverstone may still be affecting things given that the USB cables is influential and reportedly PC clocks are as well.

Do you think this is possible?

Regards,

Anthony

I would be interested too, because I removed the Silverstone card after I found that the mobo-USB connection sounds a bit more balanced.

But the differences also varied with different USB-cables.

Regards,
Stanley