My year in Hifi - 2020

[CN211276]

A year in lockdown does have its advantages if you happen to be a manic hifi-freak and fixated music nutcase (and I'm sure I am not the only one here). So, 2020 was the year of Corona, Social Distancing, face-masks, lockdown{s}, Brexit uncertainty, Trump/BoJo insanity and the hope of a vaccine. Hell, we needed some distraction to just get through it all without going completely Lady Gaga!



My stereo set began the year with a sideways move from SPDIF-driven streaming to USB from an Asus Tinkerboard micro-PC, this immediately got me wondering, as the SQ was distinctly better than the top Pi-based streaming unit that I had been using, an Allo DigiOne Signature with dual power and ultra-clean signal output. It felt as if the more generalised data format could carry a better musical signal than the audio-specific SPDIF format. Time for further investigation.

The changes came thick and fast: a Schiit Wyrd reclocker proved that regenerating the data-stream and tightening up the synchronicity could get a higher performance, moving on to the mighty Oehlbach XXL Masterclock took that a level higher too - and confirmed that sublime audio is possible on a minimal budget. Cabling also plays a major role in the constant war against Jitter - where the bits in the stream get ever-so-slighty out of time with each other and you hear that as a blurring effect in the music. The USB cables came and went - Inakustik Excellence, AudioQuest Carbon, DH Labs Silver Sonic and ending up with DH Labs Mirage - an incredible USB connection at a not-unreasonable-price from a small American outfit who have a no-bullshit, it's-the-sound-that-counts approach

What else matters in streaming audio? The LAN connection, that's what. Your home network that carries the incoming internet data around the house, delivering it to your devices. But that's just data - it can't affect the sound? Yes it can and does. Jitter in the incoming data stream gets the resulting musical data slightly muddled enough to hear it. An audiophile-grade network switch and silver-coated AQ Cinnamon wiring made a pleasing sound. Bog-standard CAT8 ethernet leads are also pretty effective as each strand is individually shielded and that helps. Several of the HFS mob had some fun with their in-house connections and it provoked much debate here on the forum.

Then I was informed that Volumio (Linux operating system for micro-PC's, Specifically running dedicated audio-processing and nothing else), which just happens to be my favourite OS, could be used to convert old Windows computers into mega-powered streaming units. Tried it on an obsolete Windows Vista desktop PC and it worked excellently - apart from some annoying noise from the cooling fans and harddisks. Silence is golden. A second-hand fanless computer from a batch of ex-hospital units came my way (still don't know if it was properly sterilized), this contains an Intel Core i7 processor that has huge capacity and got me a big step closer to audio Nirvana.



The final change for the year came with the acquisition of another DH Labs product; Air Matrix Interconnect leads. Silver-plated, single-crystal-copper conductors in a foam sheath dielectric that is 60% air. Minimal inductance and capacitance. Sound is beautiful on my humble setup.

So, that has been my hardware journey through this strange but intriguing year. Accompanying this was an obsessively-massive quantity of new CD's - but that's for another time. I have followed the lockdown adventures of others here with great interest: DIY speakers, turntables, amps. Looks like we all had time to mess around. Keep it up guys and see you in 2021.

[CN211276]

There has been a lot going on here and it is only recently that I have become fully aware of the cumulative significant improvement. Christmas tracks I had not played for a year have sounded more musical with a greater sense of seperation. I am hearing things I did not before. On the NVA front it has been the upgrade of the A80s to the latest spec and using the direct input. On the digital side there is the switch, i Purifier and better cabeling throughout. I am grateful to Fretless, Slinger and Lindsey for advice. The second system has come on leaps and bounds with quality cabeling, now surpluss to requirements on the first system, and the Topping E30 DAC which is a steal at the price. In this awful year I have not been out much except for walks away from crowds. I am very pleased with the Beyerdynamic headphones which replaced the Oppo ones which gave up the ghost. They sound better, are more comfortable and cost less. A thank you to Savvy for pointing me in the direction of that brand, taking into account the music I listen to.

[slinger]

The majority of my changes were cable-related. I kitted the whole of the second system (I will always be talking about my second system, it's what I experiment on. The main (NVA) system is inviolate) with Blue Jeans Cable Cat 6a ethernet, which covers BT Smart Hub to my (also new this year) CISCO 2960G 8-port gigabit ethernet switch, and from there to both NAS boxes, the streamer, which is currently (again, new this year) an MSI Cubi Mini PC, and the main PC, just for good measure.

As far as the audio signal chain goes I replaced the RCA pair between my DAC and my Amp with AudioQuest Red River, which I'd been wanting to try, and were a ridiculously low price on eBay. The obvious happened, and literally, two days later I found a pair of AudioQuest Big Sur interconnects which were a tenner dearer and nominally a step up in class. I preferred the Red River in the end, they really are excellent cables. Obviously, this all changed once again when I grabbed probably the second-biggest bargain of the lot, a 0.5m pair of AudioQuest Diamond Interconnects. They're keepers.

On the digital side, I got my Schiit Wyrd (ordered at the very end of last year but delivered this year. so it counts.) which sits between the streamer and the Oehlbach XXL Master Clock. I also picked up a brace of WireWorld Starlight 7 USB cables to slot between streamer Wyrd, and between the Wyrd and the XXL. The purchase was perfect in two ways, firstly they were sold as "new old stock" by Analogue Seduction, so there was a decent price-reduction, and secondly, they were 0.3m and 0.5m respectively. The only improvement I can think of is if they'd both been 0.3m. Top of the shop and best bargain though was the AudioQuest Diamond 75Ω coax lead to bridge my CD player and amp. Another stupidly low price purchase from someone who hadn't taken the time to properly identify what he was selling. I took the time.

Odds and sods: A Bluesound Node 100 that was "faulty" which, thanks to some great info from Tim at HFS , I was able to breathe life back into. It was one of those "because I can" purchases and now sits there doing nothing. The novelty of being able to control it via Alexa does not make up for the lack of decent sound quality.

I also picked up some more Clearlight Audio cones and bases, and more Vibrapods.

On the AV front, I got yet another AudioQuest Carbon HDMI cable to replace a Cinnamon in the all-AudioQuest cabling, and a Monitor Audio Silver 10i Centre Speaker.

I bought a pair of Sennheiser HD 4.40 BT Bluetooth over-ear cans for the PC too.

The one(s) that got away: I ordered two heavily discounted 0.3m WireWorld Silver Starlight 7 USB cables, to replace the "ordinary" Starlight 7s, but I'd dithered too long over the outlay, and they were out of stock by the time I placed the order.

And that's probably the most I've written about actual "hi-fi" gear this year.

[CN211276]

I can't remember what has happened this year I have drunk more booze this year than any in the last ten. A blur of lockdowns, worry and my mum nearly dying.

On the hifi front I discovered Amazon music streaming service. Played through my TV it has brought a lot of discovery and enjoyment.

Diy has been a mixed bag of revelations, complete letdown and dead ends. The first thing to dawn on me was that my small room at home was never going to accommodate the enclosures and levels and depths of bass that big woofers can give. I really woke up to the fact that rooms are evil bastard things. Bass modes, cancellations from walls etc etc.

After the penny had dropped there was a period of denial followed by severe frustration and sadness. At least the 12 inchers will get used at work so all is not lost.

So armed with the fact that I must use smaller drivers to get the box size down and not wake up the evil room mode gods I changed direction and concentrated on maximising what was left of my design. Going bipolar with up and down firing mid bass was certainly one of the better ideas I have had. Four tweeters was also good but I had thrown away what imaging I had in favour of increased ambience and off axis treble, decreased IM distirtion and greater detail.

I was very happy to discover recently that when the tweeters are arranged very close together and behind the up and down firing mid bass I can have both increased detail ( from lower IMD) and imaging which is in fact superior to having a single up firing mid bass and single forward firing tweeter which is on the front of the cabinet.

I have learned some restraint this year. Diy plans were getting more and more complicated and extensive. I have set a limit now on what I will allow myself to do in the hope of actually getting something finished. What have I bought this year ? Six 5.25" mid bass, four 6.5" mid bass, six Visaton G20sc tweeters, several capacitors, transistors and a couple of foam dice

What will I be doing next year ? Building the final speakers , finishing my diy amps, finish modding my cdp and servicing a couple of turntables. Then I need to build some furniture to put all those things in. Not much to do eh ?

[antonio66]

For me it's mainly been about putting together a system that would be an easy listen in a lightly furnished room It started off as HD to laptop, Oehlbach Master Clock, Topping D30, TPA 3116 amp and JBL Control 1's, unfortunately a problem with the amp connection with it's power supply meant it was changed for a Topping PA3 Never being happy with the sound of the Control 1's a speaker search began and a pair of Mark Audio Cesti MBR's were purchased This got me thinking about the amplifier, a warmer sound was needed and a valve amp was ordered from China Due to my seating position and were the hifi is situated it was impossible to play music and use the laptop at the same time so having seen a post, by Fretless, about a mini fanless pc I ordered one, and a touchscreen monitor as a controller and this works well (7" screen is a little small for my fingers) A few bits which I ordered from China arrived yesterday and have already been inserted, power cable for amp, shorter usb cable and RCA interconnects A problem with speaker stands is in the process of being sorted and then it's pretty much sorted Liking what I hear at the moment, an easy listenable Vietnamese compilation which is on You Tube now I'd like to thank everyone who has thrown in ideas and suggestions and especially Fretless whose help has been invaluable
One final mention must go to the purchase of a Lenco TT from Ant, ( it's sat doing nothing at the moment ) which is under used but hopefully will give me some pleasure when I return to the uk

[Lindsayt]

Due to my seating position and were the hifi is situated it was impossible to play music and use the laptop at the same time so having seen a post, by Fretless, about a mini fanless pc I ordered one, and a touchscreen monitor as a controller and this works well (7" screen is a little small for my fingers)

You could use the laptop to control the fanless PC. Even if it was something like using Remote Desktop.

[Fretless]

Good idea that. Wouldn't it also be possible with a smartphone/tablet?

[SteveTheShadow]

My year has mostly been about amplification.
I’ve gone back and forth between solid state and valves and am currently using valves after having finally got a grip on my obsessive tube rolling habit and modified my valve amplifier so that rolling EL34, KT66, KT77, KT88, KT120, 6L6 and Uncle Tom Cobley is now impossible.

Drastic action was needed, as it was getting fecking ridiculous. I mean FFS you don’t get solid state amplifier users unsoldering and replacing output transistors every five bleed’n minutes do you?
Just because you can plug and unplug valves doesn’t mean you should.

The cure for obsessive valve rolling, which some on DIYAudio have defined as a mental illness, involved a double transformer transplant, plus a change of sockets for the output valves, from the ubiquitous International Octals to the ancient UX5 socket. That socket change alone, renders all those disparate valves completely useless as none of them will now fit.

I had two off wartime, RCA 807 radio transmitter tubes with top cap anodes gathering dust in a box. These now take pride of place behind the 1930s input valves. It was a bit of a gamble using the 807s, as I had no idea how they would sound, but drastic action was needed, as I couldn’t stick on one choice of valve more than a day or two. In the situation I have now, it’s 807s or nothing, so the tube rolling obsession has been forcibly terminated.

I needn’t have worried. The 807s sound fantastic and look dead cool (to me at least) so the hi-fi year has ended on a positive note. Just need some covers for the toroidal mains transformers and I’ll be set for a musical 2021.

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Next year I’ll have another look at omni speakers. There’s some unfinished business to attend to in that department.

[Grumpytim]

Good idea that. Wouldn't it also be possible with a smartphone/tablet?

Probably the easiest way is to install the free version of VNC on the tablet and PC and away you go.

[antonio66]

I bought a pair of midrange horns off ebay this year. That was it for my hi-fi equipment spending. No changes to my systems. Just used and enjoyed them.

All I need now is midrange drivers to go with the horns, plus a couple of pairs of high efficiency woofers and I'll have the basics for putting together my DIY'd 4 way speaker project. The woofers will be the more expensive parts. As I don't want any old woofers, there are certain ones I'm targetting, that don't come up at the right price that often.