Gosh - saw that this thread had a bunch of new posts and was excited to read of some firsthand experience with the CAD Ground Control…
The TV show “Seinfeld” was famously “a show about nothing”. Maybe we should call these threads that rarely manage to be about the topic a “Seinfeld Thread”.
Well, I don’t see it as a “thread about nothing.” I see it as a realistic conversation with a handful of people. In my experience they can travel like this, and I enjoy that.
OK, so maybe not the best analogy🤷🏻♂️. But it was a scratch not a pick, I assure you. (TV comedy joke subthread encouraged here)
Personally, I hope he’s just beginning to blossom!
@tarheelneil We should check with his wife! 
I agree, although I would be interested in experiences with the CAD Ground Control.
Jason Kennedy was impressed with it, which is a pretty good recommendation.
https://www.the-ear.net/how-to/cad-gc1
It is probably dependent on your mains quality, other connected appliances and any other mains treatment. Some Shunyata units now have ground plane noise reduction.
Wow.
Anyhow - in order to (possibly) move this thread along, subjectively, as it were - just got off the phone with the lad himself, who is better known in the U.K. due to his having been in business there for a decade or more prior to this (Koff, koff) - making and selling (koff, koff) Ladder DACs - but is now in Bend, OR these days.
Going to get some gear from him, and will let you know. Or maybe not, as not having firsthand experience with the product seems to be the preferred thing chez Thread.
I am not certain I trust my own judgement these days.
Just sayin…
Excellent. I look forward to your report.
I haven’t tried the tin foil hat yet!
I’m looking forward to a real world report as well. I’ve tried pretty much every permutation of Sonore products as an endpoint including an ultraRendu outputting to an ultraDigital which is then connected to a DS via I2S. I’ve swapped out the ultraDigital for a Kitsune SU-2 also connecting to the DS via I2S. Similarly to @aangen don’t feel like any of these solutions have a significant edge over Bridge II. I also don’t like the myriad of power supplies and cables that come with an outboard solution.
Of course, if I am going to move to the MKII, it sounds like I’m back to some sort of external endpoint since Paul and Ted have been clear that there won’t be an internal networking component in the MKII. Hopefully the PSA endpoint will be Roon ready. I am a little concerned about that since the Strata is not Roon ready. I assume this is all part of a larger move towards an Octave streamer. If the PSA Streamer is not Roon Ready I’ll start out with an ultraRendu and go from there.
I’ve asked myself why I don’t hear much if any difference between BII and outboard gear. This could be for a few reasons:
Does any of this matter? I hope so, otherwise I’ve been lying to myself for quite some time.
I heard a combo of this device at my dealer and heard a difference in noise floor and better resolution. I want to try them once my analog system arrives and is set up. Looking forward to hearing your report.
Very interesting…thanks for sharing.
Any chance you actually removed the bridge card during any of these permutations…?
Many have experienced and/or suggested that the network card itself is a significant source of discernible noise during their listening sessions.
SEE
Yes, I did remove the Bridge II when testing other interfaces to the DS.
I wouldn’t have thought to remove the card on my own. That’s what’s great about being on this forum and reading through the threads. The wealth of knowledge and generosity of many of the members is invaluable.
Thanks for asking, and proving my point about the forum!
10-4….
Spoke with Scott Berry, the maker of the product this thread is (koff, koff) actually about. He was born in the US, but started CAD in England a decade ago. He’s been making ladder DACs - nota bene, Ship-Jumping Ladder Lads!
Now located in Bend, OR. A groovy town if you ask my Portland-based nephew and my brother, who is visiting him there next month. The local dealer was on vacation this past week, and we went through some phone tag, but now have the order sorted and expect it on Friday. Will advise.
I have also spoke with Scott and he seems like a really honest and upfront guy. He has already given me a lot of advice on how to try the various Cad grounding devices with my current digital and soon to be arriving analog gear. Looking forward to your report and to the day when I also get to try the Cad gear in my setup.
Got the 2-“input” (…ground/drain?) GC1 yesterday in the midst of a massive thunderstorm. Ironically. Had a bunch of good-sized hail as well.
Literally had one of the closest lightning strikes in my life, out an open window. Simultaneous light and 150dB audio. Awesome sound, that I wished I’d had a very dynamic mic and recording medium at minus 50dB running.
But I will admit that I took the Name of the Lord in Vain Very Loudly in reaction in the moment. Changed my undergarments afterwards. Glad I’d unplugged everything in the house in advance. Stuff comes down the Hill here with a Vengeance from time to time.
Once the storm had passed, and I plugged the 2nd system back in, put ithe GC1 in and hooked up to digital stuff, which was fairly obvious and good, if a questionable value equation (see below). Had happy feelings about it, and shifted it to the Analog Side of the system. Again - happy feelings.
But deferred to evaluating it today in the main system. It is a lotta money for the potentially-sorta Subtle Yet Profound deal that a lot of Power related gear and tweaks present.
However, I will interject here that the above thoughts were similar to my prior uneducated thoughts about the PS Regens before owning them. As with: power cables in general; the modding of my Auralic streamer with a power supply board with new transformers and a bunch of nice caps, and - that this experience reflects the sort of language that users relate about the transformer mods of the DS DAC, though I do not have firsthand experience with that.
Power - the New Frontier🤠
Based on listening so far this am - just on the analog side, taking it in and out…the GC1 isn’t going back.
GC1 In: Separation, black background, Space and transient info between instruments. Sounds happening outside of the speakers, center stuff like vocals floating free and fore and aft of the plane between.
Out: Sorta hesitate to use the term “collapses” back, but - the soundstage flattens out somewhat, instruments drop to the left and right into the speakers and stuff is a tad more wolly. Where you had no idea it was not imaging or wolly before. You take it out and still go - “That sounds totally fine! I am making shizz up.”. Those of you familiar with various power improvements will know what I’m talking about.
Not necessarily at first a dramatic, OMFG thing, but a subtle overall improvement in the system sound that, once you take it out, you don’t want to be without it. Bear in mind that it Raises All Boats on the Analog or Digital side, so it is not like putting a specific piece in line in a particular area. This is removing noise from the attached (noisiest) components, which tends to open the sound up generally.
I will express this Caveat: This is Not for the Faint of Heart or the AC Unbelievers. I would also say that this is harder to hear in my lovely yet less-resolving 2nd system than it is in my 1st - and that it is a pretty dang significant percentage of the cost of my 2nd system. Just as a reference/rule of thumb. If your system is not particularly resolving or does not add up to a realistic proportion of the cost of this device, don’t waste your time or money.
I will also likely be making my own cables, as - even though these are certainly Custom Made, lacking center conductors as they do - they are not delivering audio. They’re fancy ground cables. If I kept all three (which I’d want to do in my particular application), that adds $1,050 on top of the $2k of the (mere) two-tap device itself.
My initial impression from yesterday was that the effect on digital was more obvious. Draining the Matrix and the Auralic server. It’ll be interesting to get back to that.
Eventually. Fortunately it is easy to swap connections between devices. But I’m still fully tripping on analog today. Will advise re: digital at some point.
So far I’ve done Scott’s recs. of:
Digital - an RCA connection to the SPDIF of the Matrix, simultaneously with an unused USB on the Auralic. (the HD input)
Analog - Spade connection to the ground post of the SPP, and an RCA to an unused input on the ARC pre.