Lush^3

[dsm]

For what it is worth, it took me quite a while to finally keep the red wire removed because the sound was still so good with it in place.

Now, I  have kept the red wire removed for about a week and and have returned the SFS to .69 with  Q1 of 10 and xQ1  of 30. I also returned Q3,4. and 5 to 1.

These settings with the low filter seems to provide the incredible clarity while avoiding some of the harshness. At some point, I'll switch back to he old settings and compare.

David

[PeterSt]

David,

Thank you very much; I think you ate a very good listener.
With this Lush^3 config, my relevant settings are :

Q1=14
xQ1=4
Q3=0
Q4=0
Q5=1
SFS=10.13
ClockRes=10ms
Custom Filter = Low
Balanced Load=62.

This is the result of quite some weeks (months actually) of changing and trying. The above itself I now use for I think 3 weeks, to great satisfaction.
The importance of Q3, 4 and 5 is remarkable. As you see, I arrived at 0,0,1 which is quite explicit.

Kind regards,
Peter

[dsm]

Hello Peter,

After posting my settings, I ran into issues with certain songs sounding either too shallow or harsh and ran through quite a few changes including moving my speakers a bit more off axis. If I have learned anything about listening, it is due to the fact that everything you make has about 25,000 different combinations which effect the sound.

My impression is that  Q1 and XQ1 set to higher numbers  seem to tone down some of my harshness. I had not messed with lowering only Q3 and Q4 to 0 or the clock resolution, but after moving both of those to 0 and the clock resolution to 10ms, the change in sound seems dramatic.

Thanks for posting these new settings.

David

[PeterSt]

My impression is that  Q1 and XQ1 set to higher numbers  seem to tone down some of my harshness.

Yes, this seems the general consensus, and a reason for me to think you listen/observe (very) well to what happens when.

Unfortunately it doesn't seem as simple as highering Q1 x xQ1 as it seems to suck the life out of matters. Actually the opposite of settings them ultra-low, which makes all very spacious and lively, but also more harsh. So it is key to find the proper balance, and it now seems that Q3,4,5 are key to that. But it is a typical thing nobody played with really, unless they did not tell about it.
Let's remember that for me it started to become a "subject" when I went from the Blaxius^2 to the Blaxius^2.5 which are so much more explicitly showing less distortion that other "distortions" now submerge. And taming it is done with Q3,4,5, as it seems to me. Having them all at 0,0,0 is too much of it (smears too much) so it could be the combination.
Btw, I am waiting for the day that I or anyone else dares to dial one in at 2 or beyond. So yes, go figure about the 25,000 etc. ... it never stops.

Thank you, David,
Peter

[Robert]

Well after removing said Red wire and reverting back to Arc Predict filter I did like the new sound.

Upon trying Peters new Xx settings which is where I discovered I was back at Custom filter after an unsaved reboot.

Have to say you have done it again sound wise removing another veil.

I've never tried adjusting Q settings mainly filter and SFS.

What you have achieved is a major change bar the custom filter.

More of everything and can turn volume up higher. Well Done for your endless listening and tweaking. The final frontier is still unexplored!!!

Is anybody out there in Xx land????

Robert

[PeterSt]

[briefremarks]

Back listening to music after having been away for a while.  Just started listening with the new Lush^3 configuration B: WY (removed the red).  New Q settings per Peter's latest.  Also Blaxius 2.5 with BG on both ends.  Sounds very nice.  Will listen some more, especially orchestral music and post again.

[briefremarks]

Been listening and working for a few hours now.  This is probably the most "natural" the system has sounded.  Dynamic, resolved, no harshness, easy, light and substantial all together.  More than ever, the music remains--which of course is the whole goal. 

[briefremarks]

This new configuration is really spectacular!  I cannot really compare with "before" because after Lush^3 I felt the SQ really was at a new level.  The following observations.

- Extreme clarity.  We keep speaking about a veil being removed.  However one says it, there is extreme clarity to the music with no harsh or etched sound.  A natural clarity from no distortion;
- Extreme resolution.  I can hear details that I may have not noticed before.  Listening to Charles Lloyd's "The Water is Wide" right now, and there are many subtleties I notice;
- Improved imaging.  The Orelos completely disappear.  This is one area where I felt that the old setup I had with the Linkwitz LX521 was a bit better, in making the speakers completely disappear.  No longer.
- True timbre of instruments.  guitars, piano, percussion, etc.

And no fatigue.  More after tackling some orchestral pieces.

[PeterSt]

Hi Ramesh - thank you for that feedback. Really !

Meanwhile I have another in the works. It is more to the extremes than the "disconnect the red wire" one.
Judging that one for weeks again already. Not sure yet when I will be sure about it. 
:-)
Peter

[Muni]

Hi - hello to everyone finally I made it to the forum - having a XXHighEnd machine and the Nos1a since 3 years and starting only now to finetune them together with the phasure cables...
I find the informations going through the pages very helpful and would like to get some specific answers to what I read here in the lush3...just ordered last night one of them after reading what Peter had to say about the sound - which matters the most of course.
So I will try the last settings of Peter and to apply them i need some support.
Checking the custom filter to low - I cannot find where to set it to low - just can activate custom filter - where do I set it to whatever...
The same with arc predict - where do I find the settings 8x...
Thank you in advance - will let you know my findings - apart from that after having messed things up in the XXHE and being thankful for Peter for his great support to make a blind mouse seeing...
Would be great if more of you not only say what their settings are but relate more to the outcome of the sound in relation to the settings before...
Muni

[PeterSt]

Hey Muni - Welcome then !
(finally ;-)

In the picture below I tried to catch all in one screenshot.
It starts with the F button (see where the mouse is). Next see the Filter Designer screen for what to select for "Low". Notice, however, that you ask for "8x" so probably you want to select the "Low" filter two lines down.

The 8x is set by the little slider you see left of the blue "352800". Prior to that, take care that this section of XXHighEnd is visible by means of the [1] button you see in the top; slide it sufficiently to the right.

I think that is all ! (if you have more questions, please open a new topic for it so we can find it back later more easily).
Your Lush^3 is due Tuesday.

Kind regards,
Peter

[Muni]

Thank you Peter!

[PeterSt]

Hi all,

This must be the longest "review" I experienced ever. Say that from day one I loved it, but it is so good that it seems "wrong".
But I now finally decided to come forward with it.

A:W-Y-R-G, B:W-G

This is from July 17 (2021).
It was handed by a nice man Roberto Herrera and he plays music himself. He and his band, also record music and to me it sounds as the finest recordings.

What he himself tells about this configuration, comes down to "very realistic" (my words).
I will make this of it, after more than 2 months of listening :

This is what I wrote down during the very first moments of listening :

First impression, … too technical. Not analog.

This kind of thought remains until today. But it is always immediately followed by my impression "but hey, this can't be more real !". It really and seriously is so much representing all realties imaginable, that, well, I am still listening to it with open mouth.
It once again is something that changes your existing and well known music so much, that you are sure you are playing a coverband or something.

The detail in the mid is enormous. Things which should be forward just are that. Laid back ? then it is there in the back indeed. It just all fits.
The old music is now even more new than it already was. And yes, music from that era of concern (say mid to end 60's) show even better what a lack of compression was (but avoid the remasters).

It is like what happened with the NOS1-USB version : we could not tell about its sound any more. This now happens to this config too. I can't describe it other than "so good" (which should mean : so real).

Notice that the real stuff happens (for me) in combination with these XXHighEnd settings (this is really crucial) :

Q1 = 14, xQ1 = 4 (the xQ1 4 disallows Hi-res to play);
Q3,4,5 = 0,0,1 (the most crucial of them all);
SFS = 10.13
ClockRes = 10ms
Core Appoinntment Scheme = 3-5 (just saying as I am using this always).

I hope you will be shocked. And oh, somehow I am very sure that this config requires breaking in. Not sure whether this is "my mind" needing that or that it is physically in the cable. But even after this more than 2 months on a daily basis I judge it as better again. This is really odd.
Possibly this relates to my first impression of "not analog"; so indeed it really is an other direction of the sound (it could be quite opposite to what we know from the introduction of the Lush^1).
Anyway my message : try not to give up too soon. Instead try to envision all the extra "messages" now present. See though how the drummer hits a cymbal. It's really these things which were added. More visuals on the artists. But also stuff like cymbals themselves. More metal. Less analogue ? no, more metal because a cymbal *is* metal ! That kind of thing(s).
Thus, force yourself a couple of days into this. Try to watch yourself smiling more and more.

Best regards,
Peter (now updating his sig)

[Scroobius]

This is weird I set up my Lush 3 as above and started to listen and ouch it really was more than a tad sharp and clinical. So then I played with the setup changing some of the wiring to see if I could find a softer sounding setup. But in the end I went back to A:W-Y-R-G, B:W-G and now it sounds much better clear incisive but very listenable. Cannot imagine what happened but possibly one of the following: -

1 Bad connection with one or more of the plugs (very unlikely)
2 Got the wrong config the first time (impossible)
3 Something odd happened like capacitive charging in the cable when playing round with the different wiring configs

Or maybe just maybe :

4 An alien presence changed some setting while I went to the bathroom
5 I am loco, crazy, mad, loop the loop, out to lunch or gaga (delete as appropriate)

I know what most of my friends would think but I have to say there is one thing I did do and that was listen to the default original (inner shield only connected) and what a huge difference compared with this latest setting I mean a really really big difference. Who would have thought that shielding would make such a big difference. You can't help concluding that the USB link is a big compromise and possibly one of the biggest weaknesses in the whole setup.

Cheers

Paul