ND555 Impressions

:small_blue_diamond:Yeti,…All cables have a direction that “plays” better.
This we also discovered on standard ehternet-cables about 10 years ago.

But then,there were no arrows on the ehternet-cables that showed the right direction…as it does today on some Ethernet-cables.
Now,Darke Bear discovered of “mistakes”…this with,that an arrow marked cable can play better the “wrong way”.
An exciting discovery,which once again shows,that you have to examine everything when installing your music-system.

/Peder🙂

i will try to reverse between my nds and unitserve. I will report.
I wonder if this reversed directionality is not due to the melco direct connection? It will perhaps not work with a uniticore or nds straight to a switch? But i will try.

Context can be very important, especially when you are not sure of what is causing or driving the manifestation of the effect.

Another user posted they found pointing toward the switch in their non-Melco system for all boxes connected to the switch worked for them, so it may be the case and worth investigation perhaps.

Presently I’ve now found several cables from AQ all behave this way and now yesterday another brand cable, which previously to be fair I did not really like for being a bit bright and harsh - now sounds smooth and detailed so it was a game-changer in my opinion of that cable.

There may also in parallel with other dynamic electrical effects a small very low-level DC bias current flow that perhaps favors one end and getting the positive and negative correct is very important. There is no absolute level other than Zero volts potential (meaning less than 0.0000000000000000…01v) where nothing will flow - and that may even be a bad effect as some flow sounds better. What I’m saying is that given in a given system one ‘end’ of the cable will be + or - (very very small) volts with respect to the other there will be a flow the corresponding way and and cable directionality effect may react to this.

The above conjecture is adjunct to ‘try it’ and more to give some peace of mind that there will be something causing it that is not too supernatural and therefore they are not entirely crazy - more than the typical HiFi owner.

DB.

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Yes I will certainly try, once Naim have returned the drive carrier for my Core, the Core came back yesterday without it. I’d removed the drive before sending but put the carrier back to close the box.
I have CAT 5e cable plastered in but from wall sockets to switch and from switch to Core, 555 and router (though the latter is out of the signal path I’m not sure even this can be discounted) the cables can be swapped end to end, they all have writing on to indicate a direction evn without arrows.

I would be interested to hear what you find by reversing Ethernet cable direction FR.

same for me Nigel :thinking:

:small_blue_diamond:So Now you know Frenchrooster,…The whole forum is waiting for you :wink::grin::grin:.

/Peder🙂

not at home now…i will do that tomorrow. But a lot of members here can try also…

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No no - only Bears and Roosters are brave enough to TRY things! :bear::rooster::slightly_smiling_face:

DB.

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Hey DB, no problem, i am curious too and will do it on a day light tomorrow.
Have you read about DBS ( in audioquest diamond cables)? Does it speak to you? i am curious about your impressions on it. I have myself no real idea because have not technical knowledge.

I’ve not yet tried the Diamond cable but my Dealer said they would get one in for me to demo if I wanted, so I figure I will try one in the weeks ahead.

The Vodka cable has been slowly changing harsh-smooth every day flipping and reducing in level that variation as I reach about day 10 of my Demo. I’ll probably go for the Vodka as overall it is better than the Cinnamon, but the latter is a great all-rounder cable with very nice mid-band that run-in very quickly and then continued to run-in.
The Vodka is more of a rough-ride run-in, but getting more consistent results now.

Dielectric is just the insulation material which changes its properties when subjected to an electric field, which can be the actual signal it carries and hence change its linearity, which may be audible.
The battery idea is to overwhelm anything the signal induces into the cable with a direct offset bias-voltage and hence increase its linearity, as the imposed voltage will swamp any induced voltages from the signal being carried and hence increase linearity.

…well that is their claim - on the surface it seems reasonable and I was taught this 40 years ago in materials physics and it is not a special new thing. It is just that it is not supposed to be significant - mostly - but perhaps it is.

How would you describe the Diamond with respect to Vodka - both run-in?

DB.

the diamond is more open, more fluent, with nicer and more colorful tones, more natural. Perhaps a bit less dynamic, but less forceful.
The voices are more real too.
It was apparent on the firsts minutes, straight from the box. I felt that the vodka needed more time to run in also. A bit harsch and agressive at the beginning. The vodka has a bit more body too.
For me the diamond is far more refined globally.

The chicken was brave this afternoon. He tried the reversed side of the audioquest ethernet cables. I listened 2 minutes each track, 6 or 7 tracks. Reversed the direction, put again the normal direction, then reversed again.
Honestly, i couldn’t detect differences. I heard a better sound quality when all the ethernet cables are pointing in the same direction, towards or not towards. If the ethernet cable from the router to the switch was not pointing in the same direction toward the cisco as the 2 other cables, the sound was a very very bit less good sounding. I think to have heard that.
But i can’t say which direction is best in absolute terms.

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i have done the test. You can see my report above.

Ok - it may be a Melco-specific thing then, as with two different ND555-Melco systems and four people listening we all heard the not so small difference.

DB.

…I’ve also decided to buy the Vodka cable as it seems significantly better enough than the Cinnamon in context of my system to be worth it.

DB.

perhaps my ears or system is not enough resolved also, to hear differences. But probably more my system or the melco specific effect.

Good news! i am curious to know, if you can or have the right to tell, which is the expensive cable you didn’t liked first, but which is better sounding in the wrong direction. A chord one?
I have never tried chord ethernet, my dealer has only the entry level c stream.

Since Mike mentioned it above - and the cable now sounded excellent with his system IMO - then no harm me confirming it.

All the stuff I mention in discussions are things I found personally work for me, or that I’ve spent money on and purchased after audition. In general I only home audition big items after I hear them at my Dealer and like what I’m hearing - check my finances to verify I can risk the possible outcome of a home demo - then home-demo - and purchase if it gives results I value in my home system.

As my system has gradually improved it has opened-out more and does now reveal a lot of these otherwise perhaps small effects in more detail and you hear more of the ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ effects. Active systems tend to do that anyway - fussy but rewarding. :bear:

The ND555 really throws the door open musically in my system and I really now hear, after the more extended run-in I’ve now had on my ND555, the system needed a better source and the ND555 is it.

DB.

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DB, an nd555 owner, Stephan, has a problem with its sound. I am sure you can help. The thread, new, is nd555 dilemma.
The nd555 is run in but still sounding harsch…
Yeti provided a good answer i feel. Something is not normal…