I have an xFinity set top box directly on my DS Jr DAC. I presume RF and other noise emissions from the set top box are not priorities for Comcast. Juggling components around is not an option and I have little space to work with. What would be reasonable and effective to put between them or do I have nothing to worry about.
You might want to ask @Vmax. He has a lot of passion for this subject.
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I had a Xfinity box long ago. My HT sound suffered. I am sure there are many models and yours might be newer. They big question are is it plastic case or metal? Does it have holes for cooling and their sizes? Does it receive signal by WiFi or coax cable or ethernet?
The DS Junior uses wood top inner steel and eMI bonding rings. My DS Sr is a base for my MX150 processor.
Firs thing I would do is slide xfinity box off the JR and plugged in and operating but change its orientation to vertical. See if sound has changed? If so for better or worse? The rotation will change RF and magnetic fields close by especially transformer fields. Note sometimes the cable coax will cause ground mismatch and noise if you have RCA connection to your processor or preamp.
Th DS models are affected positively by 3M RF absorber in strategic locations or shatki stones regardless of nearby equipment. Fuses and better RF antenna drained power cables. They, the box do need sorbothane isolation feet to improve sound and likely its powercord needs isolation from vibration.
The bad thing is it is abig rabbit hole to descend but small incremental tweaks end up being additive.
What you are describing is something I’ve long held to be true. Any one particular change/tweak in and of itself may be barely noticeable but when there are a number at play at the same time it becomes repeatably noticeable – sometimes positively or negatively.
In psychology there is the similar concept of a just noticeable difference or [JND](Just Noticeable Difference (JND) in Psychology.
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Thanks for sharing an interesting article. It makes some interesting comparisons between just notable differences and difference threshold. We all have different sensitivity to sound and the ability to differentiate. What is just right for level for me and wife differs over frequency band. Most notable in watching a movie and who is talking and when she wants volume up or down. I could listen much lower in difference threshold but she can’t hear.
I guess this is reason when tweaking Or comparing I use playlists and focus to areas of each song to see which is better. The bad part is it ruins the music for you and just enjoying those songs goes out the window and listening memory comparisons kick in. The good part is you now wish to seek out new and different material and sources so it is a dichotomy.
How do you purchase the 3M products (which look ideal for my application)? Their website appears to offer no provisions for purchasing online, and I’m pretty sure they would laugh and/or roll their eyes if they found out how much I wanted to purchase.
Go to electronic supply distributors digikey or mouser. Be aware the EMF absorber you can get too much for an application and make the sound too lifeless. It is truly a adjust listen adjust.
I know of three threads that have posts by myself and others experimenting and obtaining successful results with absorption and shields to lower noise floor and improve system overall sound significantly.
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