Didn't know they could stack Schiit that high..

[Monad]

.. another observation- it's strange, listening to music now, sometimes distracting. my brain isn't sure what to do with all the extra information.

ex- I'm listening to a song, i know it and know all the words, timing, rhythm.. it's rolling along and then I get wrapped around the axle of a subtle second bass line or some layered effect that used to blend into the background, that I've never heard before, the line goes tight and my head explodes, splattering grey lumpy and egg shells, everywhere..then the next song starts.

 

[Monad]

last (probably not) bit of snake oil, rubbed on to the volume knob this morning-->> i read that if you do side to a side to side application with a 100% spider silk bonnet (US manufactured silk, preferably from Kentucky or Alabama) that it forces the electrons to align more efficiently..

• 1 1/4" 30D sorbothane foot pads for the preamp and amp, to isolate the unit from vibration and solar flares
• van damme .5m w locking WTB RCAs.

I was using a Amazon Basics 3' RCA between Freya and Adcom until this morning. I sat and listened to a few song snippets with the old cable, to get a feel for the Gumby sound, now 30 hours in, then I put on the Van Damme low cap cable into system.

Boz Scaggs- Lido Shuffle
Dave Brubeck- Unsquare Dance
Monster Magnet- Space Lord
Daft Punk- Loose Yourself to Dance
Mahler 9th

With the new cables, the sound was definitely different. It seemed a little brighter, initially but that's not really it. I'm conscious of the phenomena where, the more you spend on a thing, the more you have to like it but.. $34.99 isn't really twisting my arm that much. I like the sound better. It seems a hair more quiet and/or spacious.

I was looking for TT isolator pads when I came across the sorbothane, then read too much about it..blocks 97% of vibration..so I figured I'd give em a shot. The description suggested the smaller pads for amps.. but I was not aware that was a thing that causes interference.. if it is, my system rides in a solid, hard wood armiore, with brass peg shelf fixtures, softened by old, smashed felt pads. I figured the unit has to vibrate to some degree, so if it did, then.. For $16.00 = 8 pads, it was the least of my money/window transgressions.

- Blue Eyed Soul sounds spectacular. I had a flashback, midsong..

- Billy Joel- An Innocent Man is so clear and in the room, not in my ears, it's eerie.

Apparently this system is also a time portal x back stage pass

 

[Monad]

 

[gvl]

this unit didn't come with USB5 so my option was shipping costs + $150 for the board or go external. I figured having the 'upgrade' in an external unit gave me more flexibility.. also the wait, getting it back, especially this time of year, would have been intolerable.

Makes sense, I missed your earlier post stating it has the older USB board.

 

[Monad]

I guess the line stage selection on Freya is somewhat total system dependent? I have the upgraded tubes (from Schiit), but find that the JFET is the most open and natural sounding on everything. The tubes seem to wooly up the bass just a very small touch and add a bit of high end sparkle that on my tri-amp'd set-up doesn't sound quite as natural. I've read that there are some other tubes that may change my mind, but I've not found the "need" to spend some $400 on esoteric tubes yet.

I'm using Electro Harmonix 'platnium quad matched' 6NS7 tubes. Compared to the stock 6NS7 tubes, they don't hum ; ] and 2, they sound smoother, with better definition and improved bass. I don't have any others tubes but I've been looking at some options.

Here's an interesting video series on Freya tube rolling: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3i9Ucxme-btdGi94UYsaqg

 

[Monad]

​

Blaise and the.optimized listening area.

 

[kray]

Have you experimented with moving your speakers around, further apart, etc?

 

[Monad]

Have you experimented with moving your speakers around, further apart, etc?

Yes, I have about 10' of cable on them so I've been moving them around a bit. I used an online room calculator for the set up in the pic above, 3.3' from side walls, 2' from back, 5' and change apart..It's changed somewhat since.

The room is 45' long, 15' wide but the north end, where my gear is, dips in 3'. due to a bedroom and is only 12 wide, for about 14'.. it would be easier if I moved everything to the other side, which may happen, in the near future.

I'm open to suggestions, more informations>> links irt speaker placement.

 

[luckybaer]

​

Blaise and the.optimizedView attachment 1370112 listening area.

That lovable canine is so big... he's got to impact the acoustics when he's in the room!

 

[Monad]

That lovable canine is so big... he's got to impact the acoustics when he's in the room!

Blaise is a year and a half, about 130lb, moves like a big cat and thankfully, has a super sweet disposition.

 

[DaaDaa]

Blaise is a year and a half, about 130lb, moves like a big cat and thankfully, has a super sweet disposition.

how many speakers cables and interconnects did you lose to her growing teeth? lol

 

[Monad]

None though I did lose a thick space heater cable, 2 pairs of leather shoes- just the backs though, the fronts are tooth mark and tear free. I chirped up every time he got near near the stereo, or slumped down against the speakers and after a while he just learned to wend a wide path around the 'source of all things good' in the room.

Right now, we're listening to Brian Eno, Ambient 2 and he's hugged up to the wall on one side of the speaker but not touching it ;D

I think he prefers Tomita but hasn't complained about back to back Eno album plays. We did Green World just before.. actually, started off with Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy), but it always sounds like a Nilsson-knockoff or campy early Floyd (which can be tedious)x(though- Meddle, is probably my favorite Floyd, by a wide margin, before they started to get too preachy and overexposed), so it didn't make it more than a few songs in, before getting voted off.

--we did just switch to Piper at the Gates of Dawn so, I guess I still like early Floyd. "I've got a bike, you can ride it if you like.."

 

[DaaDaa]

right on! pink floyd is the reason i even have a stereo. i hope i will never get over them. I'd be lost lol

 

[Monad]

moved onto Saucerful of Secrets- PF's early album songs shifted between an older 'dated' sound, which imo didn't really age well, like Matilda Mother, Bike and the Scarecrow, and newer, heavier hash laced joints like 'Interstellar Overdrive' and 'Set the Controls..'

I still like PF for the 'hash laced' stuff a lot but like Bob Marley 'Legend', the Wall/ Darkside..got overplayed in my 20s, so they're never my goto, when I want to Floyd. I still dip back into them every once in a while.. or someone will put them on and I'll be like, "yaay".

 

[Monad]

Still waiting on my 75ohm SPDIF cable, running between Eitr and Gumby, which won't ship till Tuesday. Right now there's a generic 'Python' 1m cable in there, I split from a standard 20 year old RCA. I hope to have a similar effect from swapping this out, as I did when I added the Van Damme 55pf interconnect from preamp to amp.. but I'm guessing the returns will start to diminish as each piece of the puzzle can only do so much, to the steadily improving sound.

 

[BilboBaggins]

Yes it has been an uphill battle, complete with scars on my wallet and disappointing sounds in my ear holes. YOu've been a big help in countering these challenges Bilbo.

Last year, about this time, I was struggling with a Bose vintage receiver and bork'd TT. Then, the new speaker purchase, replacing the 901s had a bad tweeter, so I found 40 year old NOS tweeters..and added new crossovers that took literally months to burn in.. then had Freya stock tube issues = new matched tubes.. had some output settings issues that threw me off for weeks before sorting, --> then media center computer died, 4tb HD got soaked with beverages. The only move I truly regret besides putting a beer near my HD, was trading the Ohm 2s for some JBL L36s..live and learn.

The lag time x frustration, in fixing the above issues was the real killer. I didn't know my head from my ass with audio back then but thanks to AK'ers and the webs, I know now that I have a head and an ass and that they should be kept apart.

I’m always happy to help out a fellow Audio enthusiast!

I remember very well my challenges when I first got back into vintage audio, as well as my frustrations trying to find ‘the sound’. It became an obsession. But if you have the kind of ears that hear distortion easily, there is no option but to follow that path. I helped two local people who were looking for good sound, and they had ears that hear all! That was challenging until I realized they were looking for sound like mine. Then I looked for gear with similar characteristics as mine. Even then it was hard to find good synergy. But we did. And it isn’t made any easier when you consider that people hear differently. What blows me away is just how many different combinations you can find.

 

[Monad]

So, after some confusion, I have a new RCA cable- between Eitr and Gungnir- coming this week still. Currently, there's an old 3' RCA 1side, split but the Eirt manual, in a rare move, actually had some specificity IRT cables, suggesting a 75ohm..so I peeled off more speculative $ and purchased a Wireworld Starlight 8 Coaxial/ 75 ohm, 0.5m.

The Gungnir, now several days in, continues to impress me (understatement). More than just illuminating sounds or facets of a snare drum in some particular part, it's like they opened up a cool smoking patio at the new jazz club--> someone just built, in the room. There's an open air feeling about the music now, even things like the Cure- Disintegration sound more available and at arms reach.

Maybe I will start ripping LPs. http://www.schiit.com/products/jil

Do I dare step so deeply into the product line?!? :O and add yet another silvery solution? I'm already planning to swap out the PC for a Mac Mini. Before long, I'll have a colony of silver boxes, taking over the shelf.

I think I would only rip LP, if I had to go back to work in an office and couldn't have a TT there or started traveling some % of the time and needed media for a mobile solution.

I'll still be buying vinyl but gladly I think, far less than I would have, if I hadn't picked up the Gumby. Over the next year, I bet it saves me more than the cost of acquisition. I found a mint Little Feat CD a few weeks back for $1.99. The same in vinyl would be far more..

My only bummer here is that I just received a new 12 port power strip with 4k in protection, replacing a 20+ year old Monster strip with unknown protection, >> but I don't want to turn off Gumby and have to restart. The sound is just amazing right now.

I should make the drive into the big city, pick up more vinyl, before I do

 

[Monad]

New- the Wireworld Starlight 8 75 Ohm RCA coax interconnect came in the mail today!

Our morning music was the Beastie Boys, Paul's Boutique but just an ok quality CD rip.. I have better rips but I like Paul's..haven't picked up vinyl version, yet.

I shut everything down, replaced the single 20 year old, 3' RCA cable interconnect, between the DAC and Preamp with the fancy 'overpriced(?)' cable..

My mid-fi digital sound at that point, took another leap up..not as huge as replacing the ModiM with Gumby but still, a giant step.

I was listening some time later, working on some work stuff and the music was at times, distracting. I kept looking up and listening for the thing that called to me, all the while smiling appreciably about the $70 I spent on a little .5m cable.

I spent about the same going out last weekend, dinner date w/ some live music. I got a thank you hug and a hangover out of the deal..so IMO, this was money better spent. Next week and until I change it out (if ever) I will still have all that smoking value and smile about the sound, long after the glimmer of date night has faded.

With this last push, wow, I'm getting dangerously close to my analogue sound.. to the point that my Technics TT may be going bye bye in the near term, to be replaced with a TT I know not what (Dual, AR, Thorens).

When I got the Gungnir, I was 3 days from having the Eitr. At the time, I had just the Wireworld Starlight 7 USB A/B cable in the mix. Without the USB decrapifier Eitr in there, the sound was sweet and I didn't really feel the need for the Eitr, though I had already ordered it.. The sound was already amazing, compared to the already good ModiM sound.

When I put the Eitr in, the sound got better for sure but I thought, privately, that it just sounded cleaner and some ++better but not a huge advance, compared to the initial come up from Modi or even the improvements received from the new preamp/ amp interconnect.

I now think this less than expected showing by the Eitr, initially, was due to the old ass RCA cable I used, in between Eitr and Freya. As soon as it was replaced, the sound immediately/ absolutely opened up and then exceeded expectations.

I know Schiit and other folks say high end cables aren't necessary and many cry ripoffwolf..

I watched 2 youtube engineers laughing chummily yesterday, saying if a build is equal, there should be no difference in cables.. but that's the point, all cables are not built the same and don't use the same materials. I hope I don't blow any minds here but ---> for this reason, different cables, sound different.

If you're like me and hear a difference between the cables, then realize that you wildly prefer the $$ cable sound, if affordable, the long term benefits will outweigh the expense.

Next step- replacing the 10' Monoprice 12ga cables/ Monorpice plugs-- with something else, I know not what --> yet.

Like the Kool-aid acid test, I'm drinking the snake oil and loving it, maaan.. mind blown.

 

[fredgarvin]

New- the Wireworld Starlight 8 75 Ohm RCA coax interconnect came in the mail today!

Our morning music was the Beastie Boys, Paul's Boutique but just an ok quality CD rip.. I have better rips but I like Paul's..haven't picked up vinyl version, yet.

I shut everything down, replaced the single 20 year old, 3' RCA cable interconnect, between the DAC and Preamp with the fancy 'overpriced(?)' cable..

My mid-fi digital sound at that point, took another leap up..not as huge as replacing the ModiM with Gumby but still, a giant step.

I was listening some time later, working on some work stuff and the music was at times, distracting. I kept looking up and listening for the thing that called to me, all the while smiling appreciably about the $70 I spent on a little .5m cable.

I spent about the same going out last weekend, dinner date w/ some live music. I got a thank you hug and a hangover out of the deal..so IMO, this was money better spent. Next week and until I change it out (if ever) I will still have all that smoking value and smile about the sound, long after the glimmer of date night has faded.

With this last push, wow, I'm getting dangerously close to my analogue sound.. to the point that my Technics TT may be going bye bye in the near term, to be replaced with a TT I know not what (Dual, AR, Thorens).

When I got the Gungnir, I was 3 days from having the Eitr. At the time, I had just the Wireworld Starlight 7 USB A/B cable in the mix. Without the USB decrapifier Eitr in there, the sound was sweet and I didn't really feel the need for the Eitr, though I had already ordered it.. The sound was already amazing, compared to the already good ModiM sound.

When I put the Eitr in, the sound got better for sure but I thought, privately, that it just sounded cleaner and some ++better but not a huge advance, compared to the initial come up from Modi or even the improvements received from the new preamp/ amp interconnect.

I now think this less than expected showing by the Eitr, initially, was due to the old ass RCA cable I used, in between Eitr and Freya. As soon as it was replaced, the sound immediately/ absolutely opened up and then exceeded expectations.

I know Schiit and other folks say high end cables aren't necessary and many cry ripoffwolf..

I watched 2 youtube engineers laughing chummily yesterday, saying if a build is equal, there should be no difference in cables.. but that's the point, all cables are not built the same and don't use the same materials. I hope I don't blow any minds here but ---> for this reason, different cables, sound different.

If you're like me and hear a difference between the cables, then realize that you wildly prefer the $$ cable sound, if affordable, the long term benefits will outweigh the expense.

Next step- replacing the 10' Monoprice 12ga cables/ Monorpice plugs-- with something else, I know not what --> yet.

Like the Kool-aid acid test, I'm drinking the snake oil and loving it, maaan.. mind blown.

If your Gumby is gen 5, you already have an Eitr built inside the case, it converts usb to spdif. That would explain why you don't hear a difference. If it is a gen 5, you could return the Eitr.

 

[Monad]

It is not.

Although, I'll probably buy the upgrade for $100 and install it myself, then sell the Eitr.. It seems like, after watching a few upgrade videos, that my screwdriver skills are up to the job.