Shunyata Grounding System

[Zeotrope]

I was actually wrong above. It seemed confusing at first but now it’s clear:
Anything with an amp (not a preamp) needs the Chassis Hub. Everything else is best with a Signal Hub (but a Chassis Hub will still work).
So if you can only fit one hub, and you want to ground an amp, then get the Chassis Hub.
Agreed that one hub with say 1-2 amp zones and 4-5 signal zones would have been ideal.

 

[barbz127]

1-2 amp zones and 4-5 signal zones

Worst case could you use the signal ground hub and run your amps to the same point on the denali (or other shunyata power distributor)?

Banana plug for the hub and 2 ring terminals for the amp grounding

 

[Zeotrope]

Worst case could you use the signal ground hub and run your amps to the same point on the denali (or other shunyata power distributor)?

Banana plug for the hub and 2 ring terminals for the amp grounding

Right, or connect the amp to the Signal hub, which is probably better than no hub.

 

[Puma Cat]

I was a little bit confused regarding separating analog from digital so I emailed Shunyata. I was told for best performance, use 2 Signal Hubs to separate analog from digital. Additionally, Shuntaya groups DACs as analog since the output is analog. This is from Shunyata customer service.

It’s definitely confusing. This document is quite clear though, note Step 4 especially:

https://shunyata.com/wp-content/uploads/dlm_uploads/2022/08/ALTAIRA-Hub-Selection-Guide.pdf

Bottom line: if you use only one Hub, get the Chassis hub.
More than 1 hub:
- Digital components - Signal hub
- Analog components - Chassis or Signal hub

What confuses me is that they say the Signal is optimized for digital components. So then why use it for analog as well?

The SG hub will work REALLY well for a segmented system, e.g. one dedicated for digital component, and the other for the analog components. Trust me on this.

My advice, with all due respect, is not to get too "down into weeds" on over-analyzing this. The key is to work with a trained and certified dealer.

Don't get hung up on the label "Signal" vs. "Chassis". The hub designations are simply a legacy from the orignal "design conception", so don't get hung up on that. They are just labels that distinguish one ground-plane noise filter design from another.

But it's really simple: as mentioned, if you only get one Hub, get the Chassis Ground Hub.

If you want to implement a segmented system, separating, for example, segmenting digital componentry from the "analog" amplification componentry, the recommendation is to use two SG hubs. This DOES NOT mean you can't use a CG hub and an SG hub, you can. And, it will sound great. It just means that what Shunyata has found, in their view, what is "optimal' for segmented systems is two (or more) SG hubs.

Regarding DACs: In my case, because of its proprietary internal grounding design, the Constellation Inspiration integrated amp requires a "dedicated" SG Altaira for use in a segmented system. In other words, nothing else is connected to this specific Altaira box. Given that, I'm constrained to connecting the digital S/PDIF input of my Lampizator DAC to the "digital" SG hub, and it works fine. It may not be exactly configured per Shunyata's guidance, but it works fine and provides an audible benefit. Connecting the ground terminal of EtherREGEN to the digital SG Altaira made the bigger difference, FWIW.

 

[Puma Cat]

Agreed that one hub with say 1-2 amp zones and 4-5 signal zones would have been ideal.

I don't know what the duration of the Altaira project product development process was, but if I were to hazard a guess, this project took Shunyata ~3 years from DTC (Decision To Commercialize) to SMC (Start Manufacturing Checkpoint). A third SKU could have easily made that DTC to SMC duration 4 to 4.5 years.

The fact that Shunyata did the R&D, product development, process development (not the same as product development), manufacturing development (not the same as product or process development) on TWO Altairas simultaneously and put them into statistical process control in Mfg, is in my professional experience (working as a DFSS Master Black Belt), pretty frickin' remarkable.

Especially so when you consider they developed and launched the entire Venom-X line...at the same time.

*– Statistical Process Control:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statistical_process_control

 

[FarnsworthAudio]

I have been working with the Altaira grounding system for a while now. I currently use 10 Altaira’s in my reference system to maximize the overall benefit of having my system properly grounded. I started out with 4 Altairas due to my monoblocs being separated from my source components and preamp and then the obsessiveness took over. When I first plugged in my components into the Altairas, I noticed a layer of white noise removed from the sonic presentation. With each component I grounded I could hear another layer of that white noise removed. Cymbals lost that haze and the high frequencies became pristine. Next I noticed that I could hear the bass lines in jazz and rock more clearly defined than ever before.

With the sonic gains that I was achieving in my system with 4 Altairas, I wondered how far could I take it. The next step was to try a fully mono Altaira setup. I ordered 2 more Altaira SG hubs to facilitate the hopeful upgrade. I used 2 Altaira SG hubs for my left and right monoblocs and 2 Altaira SG hubs for left channel preamp & DAC and the other for right channel preamp & DAC. I grounded the RCA outputs from my DAC and I grounded the RCA inputs and XLR outputs on my preamp(grounding the outputs in addition is overkill, but I can hear a difference). This mono setup of the Altairas made a significant improvement to lowering the noise floor of my system. At this point I started noticing I could play more recordings that I deemed unplayable than ever before. I was worried this was some sort of psychoacoustic phenomena so I had my son come over and listen. My son is 23 years old and a music lover since he has been around high end systems his entire life. He comes over in the late evening most Saturdays to smoke a cigar and listen to a few hours of music. To simplify the A/B comparison, I only change the monoblocs to stereo versus mono so I could switch it back and forth a few times. The difference was so obvious, that as soon as I plugged in the Altairas in mono configuration, he chose to never go back. He said the difference had to do with the focus and clarity of the presentation. He said the mono configuration was similar to the focus on a camera where the images become more distinct and clear. I could not agree more!

The next step happened a few months back when I was discussing with Puma Cat how I had my digital grounded with the Altairas. As Puma Cat mentioned, there has been a lot of work and R&D to get the Altaira information brought together as Shunyata presents it today. We all have a different approach to how we want to integrate a grounding device into our system. I am the guy that really goes for it all and tries every option possible. Puma Cat takes the step by step approach and identifies each change as it comes along. I think each approach is worthwhile and with Puma Cat’s approach, I was able to pick up some gems of information with his Altaira journey. This is when I found out about the profound difference that isolating grounding on the digital components will make. I did some experimenting using an Altaira CG hub for all digital grounds(analog outputs are not included) versus an Altaira SG hub for all digital grounds. I found that having an Altaira SG hub was superior to the Altaira CG hub in properly grounding digital. What is a bit confusing about digital grounds, is that the chassis ground is usually the same as the digital(AES/EBU/USB/S/PDIF/BNC). This chassis ground or digital ground achieves it’s best performance connected to the Altaira SG hub and avoiding the Altaira CG hub for other chassis ground components. After changing out all my digital/chassis digital grounds to an Altaira SG hub, I found that this upgrade is even more important than the mono configuration. That is not to say the the mono configuration is not important, I would simply recommend to ground your digital on a separate Altaira SG hub first before upgrading to mono.

So does the Altaira system best the type of room, power, cables, amp, source, etc? I like to think of the Altaira as an ancillary part of a truly high end system. It is meant for those audiophiles who truly want to listen to music hours on end and enjoy what the artist was projecting onto their album. There have been countless times that I have had people over listening and they are baffled to know that their favorite musician did have direction in the recording. Just play ”Sympathy for the Devil” by the Rolling Stones with and without the Altaira system and you will hear how much we have all been missing listening to our crazy expensive high end systems.

Does the Altaira benefit with analog systems? Of course it does! I have a turntable that is grounded to my Altairas and it improves the sound significantly. Digital systems are complicated and streaming complicates the system further. I still recommend analog before digital for less expensive systems. I do not want to delve into the issues of analog versus digital. I still think they are both good platforms and it comes down to a matter of taste. Even for me, sometime I want to spin vinyl and sometimes I want to search for music and both platforms perform extremely well.

Is there more?! Yes, I have a hell of a lot more information regarding the Altaira Grounding system. If you have a system in the $25k range, you should consider adding Altairas to improve your listening experience. If your system is over $100k, you need to call your nearest Shunyata Altaira dealer and listen to how massive of a difference lowering the overall noise floor of your system can make. I recently installed a demo Altaira system for a customer in Utah. He found the same results that I did. He can now listen to far more recordings than he could before and the overall presentation sounds more lifelike. I feel as though I am in the studio now or at the live event. I have never heard my system so musically involving as it does now. I credit the Altaira system as being the missing link that my system needed. I am not saying it is everything. I have all Shunyata power cords and power distribution as well as a dedicated listening room with all of my components isolated. I consider the Altaira as the next stepping stone for high end audio.

 

[Zeotrope]

With all due respect, have you guys ever done any engineering-based technical product development? Well, I have, I used to do this for a living and putting out a SINGLE scientific or engineering-based product is a HEAVY lift, let alone two...simultaneously.

So, three? C'mon, give 'em a break. That would have then been three different hubs, yet another SKU to manage, yet another BOM, yet more specific supporting literature, yet more technical documentation, yet more application information, yet more guidance documents on how to implement vs the other two designs, and yet another set of manufacturing, assemby, testing and QC documents. Not to mention a third set of dealer training and certification documentation.

Then, when you actually start manufacturing any new product, you have to put that product into...statistical process control (SPC)*. To ensure that the process capability??, Cp/Cpk, is high enough to ensure that thing you know called, um..QUALITY? A requisitely high Cp/Cpk (4.0 or better) is critical to minimize COPQ (Cost Cf Poor Quality). One doesn't just snap their fingers and have this happen...it takes WORK.

And, lest we forget, Altaras were not the only new products in development. Just one example, there was also a completely new line of Venom-X cables, including RCA and XLR ICs, speaker cables, power cables, Ethernet cables, S/PDIF cables, USB cables, and clock cables that were developed and launched into the market.

I don't know what the duration of the Altaira project product development process was, but if I were to hazard a guess, is that this project took Shunyata ~3 years from DTC (Decision To Commercialize) to SMC (Start Manufacturing Checkpoint). A third SKU could have easily made that DTC to SMC duration 4 to 4.5 years.

The fact that Shunyata did the R&D, product development, process development (not the same as product development), manufacturing development (not the same as product or process development) on TWO Altairas SIMULTANEOUSLY and put them into SPC is, in my professional experience (working as a Design for Six Sigma Master Black Belt) pretty frickin' remarkable, if you ask me.

Especially so when you consider they developed and launched the entire Venom-X line...at the same time.

*– Statistical Process Control:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statistical_process_control

?? – Process Capability: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Process_capability

Thanks for the unsolicited and condescending information on how to launch a product. I invented an “IoT” family of products that have been produced hundreds of thousands of times and are manufactured and sold in all continents (minus Antarctica). So I think I’m family with how SPC works - especially since I literally helped the write book on Lean/TPS. I also disagree with your points - “…yet another SKU to manage…”?! Come on, man.

I don’t understand your affiliation with Shunyata. Dealer? Chill. No one is saying that they won’t buy the products because of this. It was a suggestion.

 

[Zeotrope]

Great feedback @FarnsworthAudio - interesting to hear that background noise was reduced in your setup. My main goal is to reduce background noise. However, in my case it’s coming from a battery powered (DarTZeel 18NS) preamp, so I’m not sure how much can be reduced, if any, with Altaira. But I have ordered a couple of SG hubs and Omega cables. We will see!

 

[Zeotrope]

I’m a customer.

Great. You sounded like a dealer. All good. Feedback is important. A single chassis should be possible.
I own a bunch of Shunyata products (4x Denali w/ Alpha XC, Omega USB & AES, Venom-X, and some things I’m sure I’m forgetting). Their customer service is great.

 

[DetroitVinylRob]

I have been working with the Altaira grounding system for a while now. I currently use 10 Altaira’s in my reference system to maximize the overall benefit of having my system properly grounded. I started out with 4 Altairas due to my monoblocs being separated from my source components and preamp and then the obsessiveness took over. When I first plugged in my components into the Altairas, I noticed a layer of white noise removed from the sonic presentation. With each component I grounded I could hear another layer of that white noise removed. Cymbals lost that haze and the high frequencies became pristine. Next I noticed that I could hear the bass lines in jazz and rock more clearly defined than ever before.

With the sonic gains that I was achieving in my system with 4 Altairas, I wondered how far could I take it. The next step was to try a fully mono Altaira setup. I ordered 2 more Altaira SG hubs to facilitate the hopeful upgrade. I used 2 Altaira SG hubs for my left and right monoblocs and 2 Altaira SG hubs for left channel preamp & DAC and the other for right channel preamp & DAC. I grounded the RCA outputs from my DAC and I grounded the RCA inputs and XLR outputs on my preamp(grounding the outputs in addition is overkill, but I can hear a difference). This mono setup of the Altairas made a significant improvement to lowering the noise floor of my system. At this point I started noticing I could play more recordings that I deemed unplayable than ever before. I was worried this was some sort of psychoacoustic phenomena so I had my son come over and listen. My son is 23 years old and a music lover since he has been around high end systems his entire life. He comes over in the late evening most Saturdays to smoke a cigar and listen to a few hours of music. To simplify the A/B comparison, I only change the monoblocs to stereo versus mono so I could switch it back and forth a few times. The difference was so obvious, that as soon as I plugged in the Altairas in mono configuration, he chose to never go back. He said the difference had to do with the focus and clarity of the presentation. He said the mono configuration was similar to the focus on a camera where the images become more distinct and clear. I could not agree more!

The next step happened a few months back when I was discussing with Puma Cat how I had my digital grounded with the Altairas. As Puma Cat mentioned, there has been a lot of work and R&D to get the Altaira information brought together as Shunyata presents it today. We all have a different approach to how we want to integrate a grounding device into our system. I am the guy that really goes for it all and tries every option possible. Puma Cat takes the step by step approach and identifies each change as it comes along. I think each approach is worthwhile and with Puma Cat’s approach, I was able to pick up some gems of information with his Altaira journey. This is when I found out about the profound difference that isolating grounding on the digital components will make. I did some experimenting using an Altaira CG hub for all digital grounds(analog outputs are not included) versus an Altaira SG hub for all digital grounds. I found that having an Altaira SG hub was superior to the Altaira CG hub in properly grounding digital. What is a bit confusing about digital grounds, is that the chassis ground is usually the same as the digital(AES/EBU/USB/S/PDIF/BNC). This chassis ground or digital ground achieves it’s best performance connected to the Altaira SG hub and avoiding the Altaira CG hub for other chassis ground components. After changing out all my digital/chassis digital grounds to an Altaira SG hub, I found that this upgrade is even more important than the mono configuration. That is not to say the the mono configuration is not important, I would simply recommend to ground your digital on a separate Altaira SG hub first before upgrading to mono.

So does the Altaira system best the type of room, power, cables, amp, source, etc? I like to think of the Altaira as an ancillary part of a truly high end system. It is meant for those audiophiles who truly want to listen to music hours on end and enjoy what the artist was projecting onto their album. There have been countless times that I have had people over listening and they are baffled to know that their favorite musician did have direction in the recording. Just play ”Sympathy for the Devil” by the Rolling Stones with and without the Altaira system and you will hear how much we have all been missing listening to our crazy expensive high end systems.

Does the Altaira benefit with analog systems? Of course it does! I have a turntable that is grounded to my Altairas and it improves the sound significantly. Digital systems are complicated and streaming complicates the system further. I still recommend analog before digital for less expensive systems. I do not want to delve into the issues of analog versus digital. I still think they are both good platforms and it comes down to a matter of taste. Even for me, sometime I want to spin vinyl and sometimes I want to search for music and both platforms perform extremely well.

Is there more?! Yes, I have a hell of a lot more information regarding the Altaira Grounding system. If you have a system in the $25k range, you should consider adding Altairas to improve your listening experience. If your system is over $100k, you need to call your nearest Shunyata Altaira dealer and listen to how massive of a difference lowering the overall noise floor of your system can make. I recently installed a demo Altaira system for a customer in Utah. He found the same results that I did. He can now listen to far more recordings than he could before and the overall presentation sounds more lifelike. I feel as though I am in the studio now or at the live event. I have never heard my system so musically involving as it does now. I credit the Altaira system as being the missing link that my system needed. I am not saying it is everything. I have all Shunyata power cords and power distribution as well as a dedicated listening room with all of my components isolated. I consider the Altaira as the next stepping stone for high end audio.

Thank you FarmsworthAudio so much for this huge insight to just how far we could take this Altaira system grounding.

So, a question: are your mono blocks separate/distanced from your source gear and if so does your kit utilize two Everests? Reason why I ask is my kit very successfully utilizes two Denali v2 (because the mono blocks are next to the speakers and all the source gear is on an adjacent wall some twenty-five feet away). Further more, I wonder if these two Denali and grounding systems should be pigtailed together at either end of the kit for greater results? For reference; the two different sections of my audio gear are obviously on two different 20A dedicated lines. Any thoughts? Thank you in advance.

 

[Puma Cat]

Great. You sounded like a dealer. All good. Feedback is important. A single chassis should be possible.
I own a bunch of Shunyata products (4x Denali w/ Alpha XC, Omega USB & AES, Venom-X, and some things I’m sure I’m forgetting). Their customer service is great.

100% agree feedback (VOC) is important. Maybe a single "hybrid" chassis could be a future Altaira line extension.

Thanks for the unsolicited and condescending information on how to launch a product. I invented an “IoT” family of products that have been produced hundreds of thousands of times and are manufactured and sold in all continents (minus Antarctica). So I think I’m family with how SPC works - especially since I literally helped the write book on Lean/TPS. I also disagree with your points - “…yet another SKU to manage…”?! Come on, man.

I don’t understand your affiliation with Shunyata. Dealer? Chill. No one is saying that they won’t buy the products because of this. It was a suggestion.

I'm a customer.

My post* above wasn't intended to be "condescending", it was to put into context for folks just how much hard work it is to develop a new product. You know that from your professional experience. But, I think we can agree, a lot of audiophiles don't, and don't have any experience in product development, process capability, and MFG, and often ask "Why don't you just do this?" or "Why don't you just do that?", like it's turning a key and a machine cranks out new a product.

That's cool that you have a background in Lean/TPC.What book did you write? I'd like to read it and add it to my 6S/Lean library. Cheers.

(*-Went back and removed the DFSS lecture on Mfg and SPC. I taught this stuff for over a decade and can easily flip in to "teacher mode". Thanks for the constructive feedback. Cheers).

 

[FarnsworthAudio]

Great feedback @FarnsworthAudio - interesting to hear that background noise was reduced in your setup. My main goal is to reduce background noise. However, in my case it’s coming from a battery powered (DarTZeel 18NS) preamp, so I’m not sure how much can be reduced, if any, with Altaira. But I have ordered a couple of SG hubs and Omega cables. We will see!

My experience with the Altaira system is that the lower the noise the component or the system, the better the results of the Altaira system. Also, each Omega ground cable that you add will also lower the noise. The Omega ground cables were quite surprising to me. I added them as I went along and each cables lowered the noise floor. I now look at an audio system more like a symbiotic being. Every part of the system matters and works with all the other components and devices to create a representation of the recording. Simply put, everything matters!

My system starts at my modem, since I mostly stream digital. My modem has a Farad Super 3 linear power supply(LPS) and it is grounded to an Altaira SG hub in my utility room. I use and Omega ethernet cable from my modem to my SOtM switch(this also uses an LPS and is grounded). My SOtM switch from my utility room to my listening room is connected via optic cable to my SOtM switch in my listening room(yes it has a LPS as well). From this SOtM switch I run a 1M fiber optic cable to an identical SOtM sNH-10G(all of my SOtM switches feature every mod as well as a LPS). From this third SOtM I run an Omega Ethernet into my Ideon music server. The results are that my streaming is almost identical to downloaded content on my music server. There is more to this setup including NR power cords and other components such as a Roon Nucleus +(on an LPS of course) connected to the switch in my utility room via an Omega Ethernet. I could go on, but the real point is that every detail matters!

In my listening room I can further describe the attention to detail with the setup of each component with ancillary cables and isolation. This being said, the Altaira system only improves on this overall presentation. Every Omega cable I plug in and each component, switch and LPS makes a difference too. It is akin to peeling layers of noise away from the original recording so that you can truly hear the artist’s intent(or the producer‘s). I can assure you that the Altairas that you ordered and the Omega cables will yield excellent results. There is a bit of a break in or settling period for the grounding system. I would estimate it is about a week in time where the sound continues to improve. After that week, I suggest you unplug the grounding from the components so you can hear how much noise was eradicated. Before the Altairas, I was always chasing the perfect system. I would enjoy my system with each upgrade and tweak while it lasted. Eventually the joy was fleeting and I was looking for the next best thing. The Altaira system simply lets me enjoy all the time and money that I have invested in my system so that I can simply listen to and enjoy music. I have been listening for 3 plus hours a day for the past several months and I am elated!!!

 

[FarnsworthAudio]

Thank you FarmsworthAudio so much for this huge insight to just how far we could take this Altaira system grounding.

So, a question: are your mono blocks separate/distanced from your source gear and if so does your kit utilize two Everests? Reason why I ask is my kit very successfully utilizes two Denali v2 (because the mono blocks are next to the speakers and all the source gear is on an adjacent wall some twenty-five feet away). Further more, I wonder if these two Denali and grounding systems should be pigtailed together at either end of the kit for greater results? For reference; the two different sections of my audio gear are obviously on two different 20A dedicated lines. Any thoughts? Thank you in advance.

My monoblocs are plugged directly into the wall. I use a 5M Omega ground cable to connect the Altairas to my Everest. I am not sure if it is best to connect your Denalis to one another if they are on a separate circuit. I believe that would not be an issue since the Altaira offers advanced grounding and isolation over that of the Denali or Everest. I will ask Caelin for feedback and get back with you.
Mike

 

[nonesup]

My experience with the Altaira system is that the lower the noise the component or the system, the better the results of the Altaira system. Also, each Omega ground cable that you add will also lower the noise. The Omega ground cables were quite surprising to me. I added them as I went along and each cables lowered the noise floor. I now look at an audio system more like a symbiotic being. Every part of the system matters and works with all the other components and devices to create a representation of the recording. Simply put, everything matters!

My system starts at my modem, since I mostly stream digital. My modem has a Farad Super 3 linear power supply(LPS) and it is grounded to an Altaira SG hub in my utility room. I use and Omega ethernet cable from my modem to my SOtM switch(this also uses an LPS and is grounded). My SOtM switch from my utility room to my listening room is connected via optic cable to my SOtM switch in my listening room(yes it has a LPS as well). From this SOtM switch I run a 1M fiber optic cable to an identical SOtM sNH-10G(all of my SOtM switches feature every mod as well as a LPS). From this third SOtM I run an Omega Ethernet into my Ideon music server. The results are that my streaming is almost identical to downloaded content on my music server. There is more to this setup including NR power cords and other components such as a Roon Nucleus +(on an LPS of course) connected to the switch in my utility room via an Omega Ethernet. I could go on, but the real point is that every detail matters!

In my listening room I can further describe the attention to detail with the setup of each component with ancillary cables and isolation. This being said, the Altaira system only improves on this overall presentation. Every Omega cable I plug in and each component, switch and LPS makes a difference too. It is akin to peeling layers of noise away from the original recording so that you can truly hear the artist’s intent(or the producer‘s). I can assure you that the Altairas that you ordered and the Omega cables will yield excellent results. There is a bit of a break in or settling period for the grounding system. I would estimate it is about a week in time where the sound continues to improve. After that week, I suggest you unplug the grounding from the components so you can hear how much noise was eradicated. Before the Altairas, I was always chasing the perfect system. I would enjoy my system with each upgrade and tweak while it lasted. Eventually the joy was fleeting and I was looking for the next best thing. The Altaira system simply lets me enjoy all the time and money that I have invested in my system so that I can simply listen to and enjoy music. I have been listening for 3 plus hours a day for the past several months and I am elated!!!

How do you connect your Farad Super3 to an Altaira SG?

 

[Puma Cat]

My experience with the Altaira system is that the lower the noise the component or the system, the better the results of the Altaira system. Also, each Omega ground cable that you add will also lower the noise. The Omega ground cables were quite surprising to me. I added them as I went along and each cables lowered the noise floor. I now look at an audio system more like a symbiotic being. Every part of the system matters and works with all the other components and devices to create a representation of the recording. Simply put, everything matters!

My system starts at my modem, since I mostly stream digital. My modem has a Farad Super 3 linear power supply(LPS) and it is grounded to an Altaira SG hub in my utility room. I use and Omega ethernet cable from my modem to my SOtM switch(this also uses an LPS and is grounded). My SOtM switch from my utility room to my listening room is connected via optic cable to my SOtM switch in my listening room(yes it has a LPS as well). From this SOtM switch I run a 1M fiber optic cable to an identical SOtM sNH-10G(all of my SOtM switches feature every mod as well as a LPS). From this third SOtM I run an Omega Ethernet into my Ideon music server. The results are that my streaming is almost identical to downloaded content on my music server. There is more to this setup including NR power cords and other components such as a Roon Nucleus +(on an LPS of course) connected to the switch in my utility room via an Omega Ethernet. I could go on, but the real point is that every detail matters!

In my listening room I can further describe the attention to detail with the setup of each component with ancillary cables and isolation. This being said, the Altaira system only improves on this overall presentation. Every Omega cable I plug in and each component, switch and LPS makes a difference too. It is akin to peeling layers of noise away from the original recording so that you can truly hear the artist’s intent(or the producer‘s). I can assure you that the Altairas that you ordered and the Omega cables will yield excellent results. There is a bit of a break in or settling period for the grounding system. I would estimate it is about a week in time where the sound continues to improve. After that week, I suggest you unplug the grounding from the components so you can hear how much noise was eradicated. Before the Altairas, I was always chasing the perfect system. I would enjoy my system with each upgrade and tweak while it lasted. Eventually the joy was fleeting and I was looking for the next best thing. The Altaira system simply lets me enjoy all the time and money that I have invested in my system so that I can simply listen to and enjoy music. I have been listening for 3 plus hours a day for the past several months and I am elated!!!

Excellent info, Mike. Your info on configuration(s) and the benefits of the (additive) effects of reducing ground-plane noise with the Altaira system are consistent with my own experiences. As an example, I installed a ground terminal on the UpTone LPS-1.0 that I use to power my Sonore Optical Module in my utility room (what I refer to as the "remote server room") and connected that to the GP-NR terminal of a Venom V16 distributor and noted an improvement in audio quality. As you say, it's like peeling away noise like layers of an onion. An accurate analogy. Cheers.

 

[Zeotrope]

100% agree feedback (VOC) is important. Maybe a single "hybrid" chassis could be a future Altaira line extension.

I'm a customer.

My post* above wasn't intended to be "condescending", it was to put into context for folks just how much hard work it is to develop a new product. You know that from your professional experience. But, I think we can agree, a lot of audiophiles don't, and don't have any experience in product development, process capability, and MFG, and often ask "Why don't you just do this?" or "Why don't you just do that?", like it's turning a key and a machine cranks out new a product.

That's cool that you have a background in Lean/TPC.What book did you write? I'd like to read it and add it to my 6S/Lean library. Cheers.

(*-Went back and removed the DFSS lecture on Mfg and SPC. I taught this stuff for over a decade and can easily flip in to "teacher mode". Thanks for the constructive feedback. Cheers).

All good - I get it and can now see where you were coming from!
The Machine that Changed the World. I worked with Jim Womack at the Lean Enterprise Insitute.

 

[Zeotrope]

That’s great to hear @FarnsworthAudio ! And I completely concur: in this hobby, everything matters!

Since you have obviously taken great care to assemble your system and you listen to a lot of digital, you may want to try the Taiko Extreme music server. With their own software, XDMS, it’s a massive game-changer. You can run Roon on the Extreme but it’s nowhere near as good. I defy anyone to say analog is better after hearing both an Extreme and vinyl. Not to get off topic, and there is a great Taiko thread here on WBF; but thought you may be excited to try it out…

 

[Puma Cat]

How do you connect your Farad Super3 to an Altaira SG?

For power supplies that don't have a ground terminal, often times a chassis fastener can be used. The important thing is to run the ohm meter test to ensure that the fastener specifically makes a connection to chassis ground. Shunyata's support literature depicts how to do this.

I don't know how Mike did his connection to his LPS, specifically, but in my case, I actually drilled a hole in the chassis and installed a binding post on the rear panel of my UpTone LPS-1, then connected it to my V16 GP-NR ground terminal with a Venom ground cable. I performed a test using an ohm meter that it made a connection to chassis ground.

 

[Puma Cat]

All good - I get it and can now see where you were coming from!
The Machine that Changed the World. I worked with Jim Womack at the Lean Enterprise Insitute.

Cool! I've heard of that book and also James Womack, of course. Going to order it today. I'm sure you know of the book, Learning to See, then. Cheers and thanks!

 

[Puma Cat]

The Machine that Changed the World. I worked with Jim Womack at the Lean Enterprise Insitute.

Just bought it on Audible. Thanks, again, Daniel.