Got an email from Fedex about an hour ago to say my unit is on the way and should be my way next Wednesday the 2nd.
Alan
I know that this is off topic, but,
If the DirectStream is known as DS
Why isn’t the DirectStream Memory Player known as DSMP?
In one case DirectStream is abbreviated DS and in the other it is abbreviated D. Maybe I’m being overly picky?
David Schwartz said I know that this is off topic, but,If the DirectStream is known as DS Why isn't the DirectStream Memory Player known as DSMP?In one case DirectStream is abbreviated DS and in the other it is abbreviated D. Maybe I’m being overly picky?
Very cool. That makes two, yours and Greg’s. It has begun!
Paul McGowan said One of our CMs had made soldering changes using an improperly cured flux that drove everyone nuts. Depending on environmental changes, it went from conductive to non conductive and froze the devices when conductive. As soon as they pulled the boards out they worked again.Wow -- what a pain to figure out; not bad solder, but bad flux! Congrats to Dave and all the team.
About the cable: due to the delay, will we beta testers get the special HDMI cable, or a generic one, or none? I ask because I don’t own any HDMI cable at the moment and need to get one.
Yes and no. You won’t receive it with the DMP but when they arrive we’ll ship you one separately. Unfortunately, or fortunately, the HDMI cable is important to sound quality.
Arnie Nudell turned me on to a new one he is foaming at the mouth over - and it’s cheap. I ordered one but haven’t yet tried it. I trust Arnie.
Here’s a link to this German beauty that is less than $10.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008U7SL8I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
JM, Palerider, and Lonson; the reason I asked about length is Paul said “Our HDMI cable we will be including with DMP will be the one to use if its length works (it’s short)”. He didn’t say how short, one meter is a standard length in the audio world, but not everywhere. The cable he linked us to on Amazon is 6’, though many lengths are available. I was suprised they had a 0.5 feet (6") one, but even more surprised when I saw it cost twice what the 6’ one was! I was thinking of stacking the two, Paul has said this was acceptable in the past so I have put my Arcam on top of my DS right now. I use a 0.5 M SPDIF cable between the two, so presumably when stacking that’s a good length for an HDMI cable. With respect to putting the DS and DMP on separate shelves, I have a couple of SolidSteel racks, but they do not accomodate my turntable too good (it’s 27" wide!) so I have the DS/ARCAM stack on a butcher block just off the floor next to the BHK 250. I know Lonson doesn’t recommend stacking, how about JM, Palerider, or anyone else? I may revisit that after the DMP arrives, I’m about due for my yearly “rearrange everything for something to do”!
lonson saidDavid Schwartz said I know that this is off topic, but,If the DirectStream is known as DS Why isn't the DirectStream Memory Player known as DSMP?In one case DirectStream is abbreviated DS and in the other it is abbreviated D. Maybe I’m being overly picky?
Very cool. That makes two, yours and Greg’s. It has begun!
I just got my shipping notice as well. Come on Wednesday!
Peter, it’s not that stacking is horrible, I should have been less dismissive. It’s just I prefer the sound when they are separated. I have each of mine sitting on the same shelf of my Mapleshade Samson Version 3 rack, but each is sitting on its own PowerBase. Expensive, I know, I did this when I had more money than sense. (I still don’t have much sense but I have less money). A 1 meter cable works perfectly for this in my main system. I would be hard-pressed to say that the difference stacked and separate is huge. But there is a tighter bass and a more open mid and high end for me when they are separated. A bit, noticeable, to me. In my second system I have a PWT sitting on top of a PWD as I don’t really have a choice in that system, and I’m using a .5 m PS Audio PerfectWave AC-12 HDMI cable there. I am using a 1 m version of the same cable in my main system.
If you do decide to stack and do order a cable I’d recommend one at least 12" in length to allow easy connection and not have stressed connections.
I don’t yet have enough experience with HDMI cables to say anything definitive - it’ll be a shared adventure. I know that the short half meter long cable we ordered from our vendor sounds better than the longer PS Audio AC12 HDMI cable - that’s for sure. Then Arnie shares with me his favorite, and there are others to try. This is all new territory.
We’ll learn together.
I am also working on a new power cable. Holy crap! Amazing. But that’s for another day.
Paul McGowan said Arnie Nudell turned me on to a new one he is foaming at the mouth over - and it's cheap. I ordered one but haven't yet tried it. I trust Arnie.Thanks, Paul! I just ordered one for about the same as I would pay at Radio Shack, and I'm sure it will sound much better. It will arrive about the same time as the DMP, so I will be ready to start testing!
Paul McGowan said Yes and no. You won't receive it with the DMP but when they arrive we'll ship you one separately. Unfortunately, or fortunately, the HDMI cable is important to sound quality.Arnie Nudell turned me on to a new one he is foaming at the mouth over - and it’s cheap. I ordered one but haven’t yet tried it. I trust Arnie.
Here’s a link to this German beauty that is less than $10.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008U7SL8I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I noted on Amazon that they also have a pro series
Do you know if there would be any advantage to the pro series.
Jeff.
According to a table on the Pro page at amazon it seems the only difference is an additional nylon braid for appearance, and possibly more quality checks.
This is the hdmi cable I use between my DS/ PWT. Expensive for sure,but the sound quality is sublime.
https://www.thecableco.com/Product/Platinum-Starlight-HDMI
David Salz recommends a short as possible hdmi connection between components. I stack my PS combo with zero issues in sound quality.
pmotz said ...Seems that with stacked components a very short cable would be nice, but not sure how a short cable effects performance.Short HDMI cables can present Eq problems in video systems, which is why Lumagen recommend 2m+ long HDMI cables, even to connect stacked components. I'm not sure how this translates into the digital audio world, I wouldn't assume a short cable to be OK, because it might not be.
Ok Paul. Come on now. You mentioned a Power cord, then left us hanging. How about a little morsel of info on the design or build principles, etc. Thanks.
brodricj saidpmotz said ...Seems that with stacked components a very short cable would be nice, but not sure how a short cable effects performance.Short HDMI cables can present Eq problems in video systems, which is why Lumagen recommend 2m+ long HDMI cables, even to connect stacked components. I’m not sure how this translates into the digital audio world, I wouldn’t assume a short cable to be OK, because it might not be.
The bandwidth for I2S signals is lower than the video signal bandwidth so the problems with shorter cables aren’t as severe. The possible cable length problems also depend on the transmitters and receivers and the receivers in the DS are expecting the I2S bandwidth so they’re not as sensitive to cable lengths as HDMI receivers.
But still it’s probably a mistake to assume that shorter is always better for digital cables of any sort - for that matter optical cables that are too short will also cause receiver overloads…
Blue Jeans sells the Belden HDMI (certified) cable - I use one between my PWT and DS, I’d try one of those if I were comparing cables.
Paul McGowan said Yes and no. You won't receive it with the DMP but when they arrive we'll ship you one separately. Unfortunately, or fortunately, the HDMI cable is important to sound quality.Arnie Nudell turned me on to a new one he is foaming at the mouth over - and it’s cheap. I ordered one but haven’t yet tried it. I trust Arnie.
Here’s a link to this German beauty that is less than $10.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008U7SL8I/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
At that price, I think I can take a flyer on it.
pmotz said JM, Palerider, and Lonson; the reason I asked about length is Paul said "Our HDMI cable we will be including with DMP will be the one to use if its length works (it’s short)". He didn't say how short, one meter is a standard length in the audio world, but not everywhere. The cable he linked us to on Amazon is 6', though many lengths are available. I was suprised they had a 0.5 feet (6") one, but even more surprised when I saw it cost twice what the 6' one was! I was thinking of stacking the two, Paul has said this was acceptable in the past so I have put my Arcam on top of my DS right now. I use a 0.5 M SPDIF cable between the two, so presumably when stacking that's a good length for an HDMI cable. With respect to putting the DS and DMP on separate shelves, I have a couple of SolidSteel racks, but they do not accomodate my turntable too good (it's 27" wide!) so I have the DS/ARCAM stack on a butcher block just off the floor next to the BHK 250. I know Lonson doesn't recommend stacking, how about JM, Palerider, or anyone else? I may revisit that after the DMP arrives, I'm about due for my yearly "rearrange everything for something to do"!I've commissioned Mapleshade to make a custom rack to fit my headphone listening station space. I have tried so many racks in this space, and all have imposed one compromise or another. So, based on Lon's [and others'] enthusiasm about the Samson racks, I reached out for a custom build. This will permit all the equipment at my headphone station to have its own shelf space without stacking. I am not inherently opposed to stacking, and in an all-headphone rig, the audio impairment risk is probably lower. But there is no question there are thermal issues to consider [over at Head-Fi, there are scores of posts about the merits and demerits of stacking the HeadAmp GS-XMk2 amp and PSU], and that's why I wanted to give each component its own spot. And I think it looks much nicer, too.
Paul McGowan said I don't yet have enough experience with HDMI cables to say anything definitive - it'll be a shared adventure. I know that the short half meter long cable we ordered from our vendor sounds better than the longer PS Audio AC12 HDMI cable - that's for sure. Then Arnie shares with me his favorite, and there are others to try. This is all new territory.We’ll learn together.
I am also working on a new power cable. Holy crap! Amazing. But that’s for another day.
I think that testing the short cable with a longer cable from the same vendor would probably help better assess the length issue – not necessarily comparing the short new one to the longer and different AC12 HDMI.