I had the same problem with the Qutest into a SN 2. I’m not using the supplied PS. I had an extra Allo Shanti PS laying around. I had the hum with the wall wart and the Shanti.
I ran a ground wire from the SN2 ground post to the Shanti ground post, that eliminated the ground loop.
Good question.
I would also like to add…
Would a additional PS555 DR on the NDX2 with the Dave benefit further or not at all.
I’ve tried to find a clear answer to that question, but the general consensus is that a power supply doesn’t add anything if using an external DAC
We wait to hear from Simon then, thank you.
I had a similar ground hum issue, out of the speakers, with my recently acquired SN3, with Chord HugoTT2 in and out of the chain. The addition of a ground cable (single wire) taken from the grounding post on the SN3 to the earth on a separate 13amp plug, plugged into the mains, immediately resolved the hum.
The SN3 is a great product if anyone is ‘sitting on the fence’ regarding purchase, and is unable to demo during lockdown.
Thanks - so I literally strip the earth wire from some flux, wire the earth to the relevant plug socket, whack an o-shaped connected on the other end and screw that into the turntable earth binding post?
Yes ! Although I have just temporarily wound the earth tail around the grounding post as my spade connectors weren’t to hand. Wire to the earth inside a spare 13 amp plug, close up and plug in. Easy to buy the bits online if you have none at home.
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Great stuff, I’ve got a box of bits so will whip one up tonight.
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Are you using RCA - RCA interconnects?
When using a Hi-Line with an adapter to RCA (Qutest) the hum went away for me. You can improve the sound further by using a power bank with the Qutest and will also remove the hum but if you use a din-RCA the hum will go.
Other than that, the earthing cable you mention above will sort it.
No - but the Mscaler will improve the Dave.
Thanks to all who responded.
Just been in the garage with the wire strippers and a plug and the earth-loop has now gone using the Qutest power supply…happy days.
@anon23154165 - am using RCA-RCA for now. Will likely add an M-Scaler later in the year so will look to upgrade cables then. Although the SN3 / Qutest combination sounds absolutely fantastic already so not sure how it can be bettered !!!
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No I didn’t… I only ever purchased my NDX2 as digital output player… it’s in built DAC I saw as a point of resilience should I need it.
The Dave fed by a NDX2 is a very refined player and arguably by some the Dave is one of the finest DACs currently available. I personally think with the right system it is phenomenal, even more so with the HMS.
The DAC section in the NDX2 is very good, and overall performance can be improved using a 555PS… but they are not really in the same ball park as Dave so would be unfair to compare…
Perhaps the ND555 and 555PS, might be a fairer comparison to the NDX2 -> Dave… and then perhaps a case of personal taste.
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An external PSU can affect the sound of a digital transport on say an NDX2… and it may depend what you are connecting to… I certainly remember hearing an NDX/555PS -> NDAC/555PS and it was superb and outshone a bare NDX… but with the new streamers and newer DACs I think you are very much in diminishing returns.
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The Krisdonia seems to be a power bank on steroids - I’ve read somewhere that power banks should be avoided because the power regulators for the batteries switch on and off and therefore generate noise.
Is there something I should know about the Krisdonia that’s different in that regard? Otherwise power banks are usually best avoided?
I went through a lot of different power banks before I settled on the Krisdonia. For non DC power banks it was a lot easier, the Anker 20100 are excellent and are very good at lowering the noise floor.
For DC power banks, I found many would add noise or, make no difference to the MScaler. I lost count how many I returned. The Krisdonia, both the 25k & 50k versions improved the sound of the Mscaler… better bass detail and removed the little glare, sheen the MScaler adds to the sound. It just leads to a crisper edge to the leading edge. The audio equivalent of removing a stigmatism.
There are a few of us now that use this with the MScaler now… really good value upgrade.
Edit. Just to say, Rob Watts also used power banks on the MScaler.
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BTW, if you use coax with chokes, and certainly it excels with the Wave High Fidelity Storm leads any propensity for low level common mode currents are inhibited and you remove any artefacts such as ‘glare’ and ‘sheen’ and just get a very insightful, positioned and balanced presentation… certainly with the Dave.
Listening to acoustic recordings with ambient sounds in the recordings can be quite a revelation… the Johnny Cash prison concert recordings sound truly like you are there… even though the recording is old and not technically pristine, it’s a quite strange effect.
Apparently Rob Watts also uses these leads with his Mscaler to reduce any propensity for residual common mode artefacts… I wonder if he is on commission…
But of course the Mscaler has no sound of its own… but it can cause a tiny little bit of noise coupling if care is not taken.
Has anyone compared the NDX2 in this situation (ie using as a streamer only not DAC) with the DCS network bridge?
I finally got a hold of an Mscaler from my dealer like what it does with the Dave, only using the Chord supplied BNC’s, do you think the Wave Storm cables are a worthwhile addition Simon ?
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“Johnny Cash” Snap… he gets around, he’s been playing here tonight!
At some point I may demo the Wave cables… just a big difference in cost between the power bank and wave… as in, 10x more. As you say, Rob uses the Wave cables in house but uses the power bank when he travels around. Certainly the Wave cables are more convenient but I don’t mind charging the power bank once every 4-5 days.
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My dealer is using Chord Sarum BNC at £4200 for a pair, even at the ex demo price he offered I had to decline, made the Wave cable seem like a bargain