Balanced connections ideally provide higher SNR and can prevent ground loops. They also reject common-mode noise such as might be generated by the digital circuitry in the streamer. If it is working fine with balanced connections I would leave it that way. Sometimes all the problems come from just one component...I was thinking... If this works out as planned, should I also switch my Altair G1 over to unbalanced as well?
I mean, what's the point of running only one piece of equipment balanced if everything else is unbalanced, especially when I can use a 1m or less interconnect from the streamer to the preamp?
Plus, that would just be balanced circuitry having to convert over to unbalanced in the preamp anyway. Am I right in this thinking?
Funny you mention Bob, since he's the one I purchased these wonderful Odyssey Stratos amps from. Met up with him to take delivery of the amps. Great guy to say the least.Galen, Bob and the rest of the team has been nothing short of outstanding.
FWIW Dept.: most of your recordings are done using balanced lines.here is evidence to support the proposition that balanced connections and balanced cables tend to suppress even order harmonics. I like the sound of even order harmonics, so I would rather not have them suppressed.
Buzzing...did I miss something in your earlier posts?The BJC LC-1's came in today, promptly got installed about an hour ago, the amps got moved back a little so the 1m Wireworld power cables would reach the front outlets, each amp turned back on one at a time, feverishly standing by the tweeters on the Maggies, and...
NOTHING! As in nothing but sweet sweet silence!
I have to be honest, I wasn't expecting that. I was expecting to still hear that buzzing, but it's totally gone.
The only downside, that loud buzzing that comes and goes like it's on a timer, still comes through, BUT... It's extremely quiet now. With nothing playing, you can just barely hear it at the listening seat.
So for me, this is an almost total win-win situation.
I want to thank everyone for all of the advice and suggestions! Now I can concentrate on the other needed upgrades. The fun never stops!
A slight invasion. LOL
There is always a perception that even order harmonic distortion, especially of the second order, is euphonic. This has been debunked by psychoacoustic experiments. When second order distortion was added gradually, listeners started to notice a "muddying" effect. No listener actually preferred having second order harmonic distortion compared to the original signal. However, it took a much larger amount of this harmonic to become noticeable when compared to higher order harmonics, esp. of the odd order. This is because of the masking effect of the fundamental.FWIW Dept.: most of your recordings are done using balanced lines.
Balanced lines in and of themselves do not suppress even ordered harmonics. The associated equipment, if fully balanced internally, might suppress even ordered harmonic distortion, which is something entirely different. When that happens, the equipment is expressing what is known in mathematical terms as a cubic non-linearity (as opposed to a quadratic non-linearity if the circuitry were single-ended). With a cubic non-linearity, the 3rd harmonic (which is treated by the ear much the same as the 2nd in that its innocuous) will be dominant but at a level just slightly less than seen in a single-ended circuit that is otherwise similar topology. As the order of the harmonic is increased, its amplitude will fall off at a faster rate. This is because distortion is compounded less from stage to stage. So you get greater detail, since distortion obscures detail, and often smoother sound since the higher orders fall off at a faster rate compared to single-ended.
But all that has nothing all all to do with balanced line vs single-ended connections.
Yes, but this argument, as always, proves too much. This is an argument for using playback equipment and techniques no better than the recording equipment and techniques.FWIW Dept.: most of your recordings are done using balanced lines.
Balanced lines in and of themselves do not suppress even ordered harmonics. The associated equipment, if fully balanced internally, might suppress even ordered harmonic distortion, which is something entirely different.
Could you explain this in greater detail?Yes, but this argument, as always, proves too much. This is an argument for using playback equipment and techniques no better than the recording equipment and techniques.
Could you explain this in greater detail?
Ah.I took "most of your recordings are done using balanced lines" to suggest the traditionally pro-audio-type argument that there is no logical basis for implementing on playback audiophile techniques or components when the recording did not employ those (presumably superiors) techniques or components in the first place.
In other words just because recording studios used balanced lines does not tell me that my ears might not prefer the even ordered harmonic distortion from single-ended cables in my playback system.
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