Most budget in my life is going for this hobby,from the first moment when I released from army( in my country its a duty to serve) i was 21,bought my first system,immediately i realized that i need to have better and better sound,i was never satisfact untill i met Naim system in the end of 1987,from that moment i started enjoy music,no fancy cars,no vacations is matter for me,i
m wasting my most money only for audio and music,this what makes me most happy.
Much thanks for the tips. I am using the N1A/2, which would be lower middle tier and very happy with the results. It sounded pretty good out of the box but after making a few changes as you and others have suggested, it has really improved - just more musical.
So far, the following tweaks have been made…
- added a Cisco 2960 8 port switch
- using an AQ Cinnamon cable from ethernet outlet to switch
- using a Melco cable from switch to Melco N1A/2
- using an AQ Vodka from Melco N1A/2 to Uniti Nova
- Turned off LED, front panel and dimmed power light settings on Melco (file sharing was already on)
- Melco sits closer to front of the Fraim Lite but its so deep it takes up a lot of room. Will have to continue to experiment but very happy on how things sound.
- Replaced AC cable on Melco with a Powerline, which did really step up the overall presentation. Had to remove it from the Nova to try this and now using a very modest AQ AC cable on the Nova. It iss clearly better to use the Powerline on the Melco, brings more audible benefits.
Next steps to try.
- replace the ethernet cables with either all AQ Vodka or all AQ Cinnamon
- replace OEM AC power cord on Cisco with better quality AC cable
- perhaps try a linear power supply on the Cisco
- silicon some isolation feet to the bottom case of the Cisco
There are many worse things to waste money on.
DB.
Forget to add to “next steps”
- an Ethernet/LAN Network Isolator for some galvanic isolation
I was surprised to discover that the Melco mains lead worked really well with the Cisco, whereas a Powerline was a bit “shouty”, definitely worth a try.
Also, you’ll have noticed that the case of the N1A is resonant - give it a tap. It benefited hugely from a Sonority isolation platform.
One thing to note about the earlier Melco units before the Mk2 range was the use of Raid with the 2 internal music storage drives. SQ was better with these units set to spanned rather than Raid mode. Went i went over to Melco UK to get my N1A fixed last year, Alan explained that they found SQ impacted by the Raid controller and so the Mk2 versions and beyond ended up ditching this and going for the single internal drive for music storage. If you do have an earlier model with Raid enabled and want to go to spanned note that data will be lost if you change mode so ensure you are all backed up first.
Good point. The folks who distribute Melco in Canada also mentioned they preferred a spanned array even with the Mk2. So, took there advice and set it up in this manner. FWIW, I also installed Miminserver on the Melco.
Going to have to find the Melco AC cable and try it. Wow, that Sonority isolation platform looks awesome but seems no one offers this product on my side of the pond. But was also thinking of using a set Quadraspire Qplus Advanced isolation feet.
Attempted a few more tweaks over the last week as I continue to try to improve things. All of these tweaks along with the ones already implemented keep improving the musical window and music seems clearer with more detail.
- Added a network galvanic isolator between the router and the Cisco which switch proved to improve matters.
- Replaced OEM AC power cord on Cisco with an AQ Y Series AC cable and improved soundstage.
- Modded a couple of Cisco 2960 switches by adding a thin layer of adhesive copper tape to the complete underside of the top case, then covering the tape with RF shielding paint.
what is that galvanic isolator? ethernet isolator like sothm or acoustic revive?
Yes, an ethernet isolator found on the popular auction site made by Pro-Tek5, PTI-45 model. I’ve not tried the SOtM or other types of isolators but would be interesting to compare.
I am not aware of the specifics, but perhaps it was a simple as the processing noise of the RAID controller along with multiple discs added to the PSU noise floor … which in turn caused other issues.
One of the reason why I always like to seperate and decouple the components in an audio chain.
If you simply use your NAS for what it is; network attached storage you will be fine. If you use an Ethernet based media server on the NAS you should also be fine.
Thanks for the prompt and helpful response.
For those who may be interested, I replaced all existing ethernet cables with four equal lengths (.75m) of AQ Vodka. First was from ethernet in wall receptacle to ethernet isolator, second from isolator to modded Cisco switch, from switch to LAN port of the Melco and finally from Melco to Uniti Nova.
Although I suspect the cables might need a little time to settle, the difference was immediate. Much larger soundstage with clearer vocals being more forward in the mix, more details and texture. Perhaps a full loom of the same brand/type can have a more positive impact? In any case, I am very happy with the results so far.
Do remember that Cisco devices along with all compliant Ethernet devices have galvanic isolation as well as AC isolation built in to relatively very high voltages.
Having multiple galvanic isolators where transformers are used (which is how much Ethernet galvanic isolation is achieved) in a chain within a segment is not recommended (and serves no technical purpose) … so be careful, you may be interfering with the auto link negotiation process in certain scenarios with certain hosts and result in having a non optimum data connection or worse.
Also do bear in mind there is no such thing as RF shielding paint… but there is conductive paint, and if used one needs to be considerate on the how that is grounded, or in fact you could be creating a parasitic radiator and actually providing gain to any EM radiation in a direction…
of course you might like the effects of added RFI… some do… it’s certainly not all negative… but be considerate on where you place your modified device.
Certainly no issue in experimenting and I encourage it, but I advise caution on assuming cause and effect… an analogy perhaps like having an old analogue tv top antenna with marginal signal… and wandering around the room until the best compromised subjective picture is achieved on the TV from your bodies interactions with the reflected signals arriving at the antenna… but one can’t assume everyone will get their best picture standing on one leg with one hand in the air 6 foot in front of their TV.
have you tried retiring the ethernet isolator and compare with your existing system ( 3 vodka and direct ethernet to the melco) ?
normally the ethernet direct of the melco should be enough.
However i am curious to know if your isolator will still improve the sound now.
A very good point, i have found a change may initially impress, but and A-B-A suddenly brings the realization A was better.
It’s like @Darkebear on the other thread, experiment, question, but don’t become cattle like.
I comeback to what @Simon-in-Suffolk mentioned a whileback, akin to many of these changes playing with noise in the system, in effect my translation was like bass and treble controls, which shift away from the standard signature, nothing wrong with that, just depends on how true you want to stay.
I have tried with and without the isolator and found having one was an improvement. As for the paint and RF, it is just an experiment but three of us found it to sound better. I first placed the router on the floor some feet away from the audio kit now its sitting on the bottom shelf.
If it comes to having to wear an special hat, then I will have to stop the experiments! It all for good fun and trying to make improvements (or at least what I consider an improvement) for little investment.
There were three of us at my home when we tried this and we all perceived the isolator to improve things. I’ll let the dust settle for a while and then go back to trying one ethernet cable directly into the Melco and then to the Nova, removing the switch from the equation to compare. Will also try removing the isolator again at some point as well.