Taiko Audio Extreme DC Power Distributor
- Thread starter Christiaan Punter
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Please let us know what you hear in terms of changes with the Melco DAC cable. I tried a Melco DAC cable between the Taiko switch and Taiko Extreme in my system, and there was no meaningful difference in the sound.
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I've had problems with some cables falling out easily as well. Most of the time, it's that the supplied connectors for DC cables (typically Oyaide) have an excessive number of O-ring grommets on them when you receive them from the vendor (in my case, Ghent). These are generally stacked and easily removable individually. If you remove some, the cable plugs into its receptacle more deeply and securely for a tighter fit. For Taiko gear and with Oyaide DC cable termination, the number of grommets that seem to work well is 2 as shown here in this picture for the Viborg connectors recommended by Nenon. (BTW I've been a fan of Viborg connectors for quite a while, most notably for their AC power cable terminations which are offered in numerous metals (i.e copper, gold, silver, rhodium). They are beautifully made, especially their top of the line with aluminum housings, much like Furutechs, but are far less costly.)
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Would you mind sharing your preferences / impressions on those? Assume either copper or silver would be your favourites of those 4?
I'm not quite sure how to respond. I've used many notable AC terminations and for overall construction quality, Furutech, Oyaide and Viborg are all excellent, particularly for the non-plastic housings I prefer. The main benefit of the Viborg is their very modest cost, but their quality and fit and finish is on par with Furutech IMO. Now, as far as metallurgy and what metal contacts I prefer, that's a bit more complicated. In short, I prefer to avoid the so called "battery effect" due to the use of different metals and.or platings that have markedly different electronegativity charges. The concept of minimizing a "battery effect" using metals with different electronegativity is not new as I discussed in more detail here:
Fun with Metallurgy
I’m been meaning to write this up for a while and now it seems like the sort of essay whose length is more suited for an assignment on “what I did on my summer vacation”. When I built my home a few years ago, I had enough foresight to know I should provide plenty of flexibility for the power...
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The lesson I learned in testing different cable terminations and metal platings in receptacles is that the most pleasing results not only depend on the metal used in the cable end, but also and perhaps most importantly, the metal used in whatever is receiving that cable end. I don't know why, but this is typically ignored by hobbyists. There is often an inherent advantage if the male termination of the male end of a 15-P cable is the same metal as the IEC connector that receives it. For example, I have tried several power cables for the Taiko Extreme. In doing so, I learned from Emile that the IEC chassis termination used an Oyaide 004 fitting which comprises contacts made of beryllium copper which is then plated with platinum (.5 micron) and then a final Palladium plating (0.3 micron). (Oyaide believes the combination of the polishing processes, platings, and thicknesses of platings ultimately leads to the final sound character.) Therefore I chose an Oyaide 004 connector for the IEC end of my custom cable. If Emile voiced the Extreme using an Oyaide 004 IEC connector, it made sense to me to use the same as using identical connectors will assure no battery effect between the metals when they coincide.You might say it's sort of a "why fight City Hall" approach, but works for me. The other end of the cable is another story. I use Shunyata CopperConn AC receptacles. They are made of solid copper that is nickel flashed to prevent corrosion (which occurs more readily with pure copper). No such identical male cable termination is available (as far as I know), so what to do?. The termination I therefore chose for the male end of my cable is Viborg's VM502S silver-plated copper since the mating of silver and nickel has a very low anodic index (which is the prerequisite for minimal battery effect).
(BTW, here's a nice secret I discovered by accident. Oyaide male plug and IEC plug inserts fit perfectly in Viborg housings, but are incompatible with Furutech plug housings. Thus I can order an Oyaide 004 male connector in an inexpensive plastic housing, and use the far superior Viborg aluminum housing at a far lower cost than using the uber expensive Oyaide F1 connector that uses the same 004 plug insert.)
I try to match (optimize?) every cable with every termination throughout my system but sometimes it isn't easy. The problem is that you often don't know what metal a manufacturer is using for any connector whether it is a signal termination (female RCA, XLR) or an IEC chassis termination. I wish all manufacturers were are forthright as Emile in describing the manufacturer or metallurgy used in their connector fittings. Many will share that info if you ask; some will not (as if it's rocket science or some great military secret).
Lastly, I was asked for my "impressions" for the metals I use for a given cable, but I think that is an invitation to go down a sonic rabbit hole of subjective descriptors that I'd rather avoid and more importantly, may not be generalizable from system to system. It's reasonable however to assume that when I mate connectors made with different metals, I pay attention by trying to use combinations with a low anodic index, hence battery effect, because that seems to give me the most pleasing sonic results in the end.
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Thank you for the elaborate reply and the link, a very interesting read. The Oyaide 004 plugs are indeed amongst my favourites!
Probably battery is better, but only try could tell. Also PSU is so good to power my TAIKO DC that I will not jump to battery for some time. Also despite what WEISS tell, PSU 102 is much better with a very good power cable. I use PRANAWIRE MahaSamadhi Lightspeed Bocchino IEC and the difference is really impressive in terms of resolution, naturalness, dynamics and soundstage. I precise that this cable do not enhance only PSU but at the front of the line PSU-TAIKO DC-TAIKO SWITCH, it's a way or extreme purity.
I agree to this explanation. I just add that OYAIDE is the best I tried but if OYAIDE 004 is great, OYAIDE M1 and F1 are exactly the same, save that M1 use a metallic male plug housing and the sound is much better than P004 (and better vs all I tried before from FURUTECH to exotic brands). Only SILENT SOURCE heavy housing was on par. For sur the very best is Bocchino mut in Europe only Santa Maria IEC could be use.I'm not quite sure how to respond. I've used many notable AC terminations and for overall construction quality, Furutech, Oyaide and Viborg are all excellent, particularly for the non-plastic housings I prefer. The main benefit of the Viborg is their very modest cost, but their quality and fit and finish is on par with Furutech IMO. Now, as far as metallurgy and what metal contacts I prefer, that's a bit more complicated. In short, I prefer to avoid the so called "battery effect" due to the use of different metals and.or platings that have markedly different electronegativity charges. The concept of minimizing a "battery effect" using metals with different electronegativity is not new as I discussed in more detail here:
Fun with Metallurgy
I’m been meaning to write this up for a while and now it seems like the sort of essay whose length is more suited for an assignment on “what I did on my summer vacation”. When I built my home a few years ago, I had enough foresight to know I should provide plenty of flexibility for the power...
The lesson I learned in testing different cable terminations and metal platings in receptacles is that the most pleasing results not only depend on the metal used in the cable end, but also and perhaps most importantly, the metal used in whatever is receiving that cable end. I don't know why, but this is typically ignored by hobbyists. There is often an inherent advantage if the male termination of the male end of a 15-P cable is the same metal as the IEC connector that receives it. For example, I have tried several power cables for the Taiko Extreme. In doing so, I learned from Emile that the IEC chassis termination used an Oyaide 004 fitting which comprises contacts made of beryllium copper which is then plated with platinum (.5 micron) and then a final Palladium plating (0.3 micron). (Oyaide believes the combination of the polishing processes, platings, and thicknesses of platings ultimately leads to the final sound character.) Therefore I chose an Oyaide 004 connector for the IEC end of my custom cable. If Emile voiced the Extreme using an Oyaide 004 IEC connector, it made sense to me to use the same as using identical connectors will assure no battery effect between the metals when they coincide.You might say it's sort of a "why fight City Hall" approach, but works for me. The other end of the cable is another story. I use Shunyata CopperConn AC receptacles. They are made of solid copper that is nickel flashed to prevent corrosion (which occurs more readily with pure copper). No such identical male cable termination is available (as far as I know), so what to do?. The termination I therefore chose for the male end of my cable is Viborg's VM502S silver-plated copper since the mating of silver and nickel has a very low anodic index (which is the prerequisite for minimal battery effect).
(BTW, here's a nice secret I discovered by accident. Oyaide male plug and IEC plug inserts fit perfectly in Viborg housings, but are incompatible with Furutech plug housings. Thus I can order an Oyaide 004 male connector in an inexpensive plastic housing, and use the far superior Viborg aluminum housing at a far lower cost than using the uber expensive Oyaide F1 connector that uses the same 004 plug insert.)
I try to match (optimize?) every cable with every termination throughout my system but sometimes it isn't easy. The problem is that you often don't know what metal a manufacturer is using for any connector whether it is a signal termination (female RCA, XLR) or an IEC chassis termination. I wish all manufacturers were are forthright as Emile in describing the manufacturer or metallurgy used in their connector fittings. Many will share that info if you ask; some will not (as if it's rocket science or some great military secret).
Lastly, I was asked for my "impressions" for the metals I use for a given cable, but I think that is an invitation to go down a sonic rabbit hole of subjective descriptors that I'd rather avoid and more importantly, may not be generalizable from system to system. It's reasonable however to assume that when I mate connectors made with different metals, I pay attention by trying to use combinations with a low anodic index, hence battery effect, because that seems to give me the most pleasing sonic results in the end.
I will receive my SGM within 2 weeks, I will report my findings about power cables, mainly I will use PRANAWIRE ARHAT Lightspeed Bocchino. This is not berrylium plating () but this too heavy, expensive IEC is the very best for all application I use from DAC, preamp, transformers, and of course amplifiers.
I use the Taiko router, switch and dcd with a Sean Jacobs mini arc6 dc4 power supply.
I had all three sitting on their perfectly rounded, massive copper feet.
In an old Stillpoints ess rack on acrylic boards.
Using Ansuz t2s under switch and Stillpoints ultra ss under router did help things a lot.
Slightly reduced dynamic impact fully restored, better colour saturation, placement, everything.
There was a single Stillpoints ultra 5 v2 lying around here, unused.
I put it under the diminutive dcd.
Whoa.
Depth of space, separation and depth, quality and localisation of bass instruments was much improved.
No drawbacks.
I want to highly recommend experimenting with footers and racks.
These aren’t subtle differences, not at all.
Relocating soon, a newer ess rack with several rail grids and some more thingies are already in the upcoming listening room.
Looking forward to that …
I had all three sitting on their perfectly rounded, massive copper feet.
In an old Stillpoints ess rack on acrylic boards.
Using Ansuz t2s under switch and Stillpoints ultra ss under router did help things a lot.
Slightly reduced dynamic impact fully restored, better colour saturation, placement, everything.
There was a single Stillpoints ultra 5 v2 lying around here, unused.
I put it under the diminutive dcd.
Whoa.
Depth of space, separation and depth, quality and localisation of bass instruments was much improved.
No drawbacks.
I want to highly recommend experimenting with footers and racks.
These aren’t subtle differences, not at all.
Relocating soon, a newer ess rack with several rail grids and some more thingies are already in the upcoming listening room.
Looking forward to that …
Thanks very much for this. I've had my DCD, router and switch on IKEA bamboo cutting boards with Stillpoints Ultra SS between the boards and the wooden floor.
This was just a first cut prior to reconfiguring my Stillpoints ESS rack (grid system type) for the Olympus and different amps, and I didn't do any comparative listening to other configurations.
Good to know my first impulse to get something under the DCD, router and switch was the right one and I can look forward to even more incremental gains when I get them all on one of the "shelves" of the ESS rack.
Steve Z
Not sure wether the dcd thread is the right thread for this question…
audiobomber had written elsewhere:
“A few things to watch out for when using a Direct Attach Cable:
1. There is no galvanic isolation, because there is no optical conversion. The devices on both ends of the cable need to be connected to the same ground point, otherwise there will be a ground loop. Ground plane current in a digital system does not show up as a hum or buzz like it does in an analog system, but will negatively impact sound quality from the DAC.”
How to achieve connection to the same ground point if using
- a linear power supply (Sean Jacobs) to a dcd feeding:
1, internet provider router
2, Taiko router
3, Taiko switch
- Taiko Extreme on it’s own wall receptacle, as recommended by Taiko
All on the same phase of AC.
lps and other digital stuff fed by a Furutech 609 AC distributor fed by a Stromtank S2500 Q II,
analog frontend fed by Stromtank directly.
Power amp on another wall receptacle, same AC phase.
What is Taiko’s recommendation how to optimize ground?
Run ground wires from … to…? Or is all well with being fed by the same mains AC phase?
audiobomber had written elsewhere:
“A few things to watch out for when using a Direct Attach Cable:
1. There is no galvanic isolation, because there is no optical conversion. The devices on both ends of the cable need to be connected to the same ground point, otherwise there will be a ground loop. Ground plane current in a digital system does not show up as a hum or buzz like it does in an analog system, but will negatively impact sound quality from the DAC.”
How to achieve connection to the same ground point if using
- a linear power supply (Sean Jacobs) to a dcd feeding:
1, internet provider router
2, Taiko router
3, Taiko switch
- Taiko Extreme on it’s own wall receptacle, as recommended by Taiko
All on the same phase of AC.
lps and other digital stuff fed by a Furutech 609 AC distributor fed by a Stromtank S2500 Q II,
analog frontend fed by Stromtank directly.
Power amp on another wall receptacle, same AC phase.
What is Taiko’s recommendation how to optimize ground?
Run ground wires from … to…? Or is all well with being fed by the same mains AC phase?
Basically, and normally, all is well as long as the components are connected with the same phase and to the same outlet or distribution block. Additional grounding can yield results but we have no special recommendations for this.
In my experience, the best coherence is obtained when all components are fed from the same power distributor. But with large systems, that is not always possible. In that case, I recommend keeping the circumstances as equal as possible. But in practice, it's often a case of experimenting to see what works best. There is just no one size fits all, I'm afraid!
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