We all know the fuse and cable tricks part of squeezing more out of our regenerator. I thought we needed this thread to share knowledge. Please feel free to add your tips and tweaks. Or kind criticisms.
Fuses I have tried best performance to least performance
Update
Audio Magic Beeswax M-1
Synergistic Research Purple
Audio Magic Beeswax Ultimate Premier
Stock PS Audio Gold Fuse with white powder
Cables to date. Waiting for AQ Dragon HC with C19
Whisper Elite with Tuning Ring or Dragon HC with Tuning Ring
Whisper Elite
AQ Dragon HC
Stealth Dream V18 LE Digital
Whisper from common ground Cables.
5 10 Gauge Iconoclast BAV C19 Wattgate with Al and copper foil wraps
10 Gauge Iconoclast BAV C19 Wattgate
Stock PS Audio Cord
After I modded my DS DAC with EMI/RF absorption i had originally bought some 3M AB7050HF absorber but it was not good for all of the components Ted recommended be covered so I chose a AB6000 series for chip board Parts and Transformers. I only used some of the AB7050HF when I ran out of thinner stuff and need an RF wall to shield display radiations
Anyhow it works like MU Metal and you can lay it near stuff I learned. It is a magnetic field absorber too. I first tried near power cables coming in P20 no affect. Having just did a purple fuse and a Dragon HDMI cable and Shielding wrap of AMP power cables my noise floor is really really low. So I started listening intently and decided Iâd try moving the absorber AB7050HF piece I had left over the top cover listen same song then move it. Then same song and move it to see if it works or snake oil. I also tried masking tape it on front panel.
Low and behold I found a sweet placement spot that further eliminates hash. Then I looked up digital images on line only to see what is under the top cover. I appears to be a ribbon cable routed over Torroidal transformer. I have yet to try the sheet taped to bottom panel. Also looking at 3M Spec sheets it says it works for ribbon cable. Interestingly using the sheet at back right corner where ribbon cable terminates was the noisiest location for the hash.
I intend to play some more moving it over and around different digital boxes and cables and possibly see if any audible improvements or degradation.
Here are photos of best location for the sheet. Plus what is underneath the cover also material data sheets. I paid about 80 dollars if I recall. If playing around further quiets things in my digital chain.
Anyone remove the top cover on the P20 or know how to? Placing some shields or absorber over the FPGA or digital display electronics might be a audible boost like the DS DAC.
Vmax, interesting stuff to read. Regarding the fuses you tried, can you describe the audible differences between the SR Purple and Audio Magic Beeswax fuses in the P20 and the PST?
I am sad you have only tried the two power cables. Many of us have tried many other expensive cables and found useful upgrades. The Dragon you are waiting for should be a noticeable improvement over the stock cable. I donât have a handle on where the BAV stands in the forum pecking order.
It appears there must be some sort of EMI or RF emission from the P20 display or the Toroidal transformer directly below it. Luckily it appears one can trim the 3Ms AB7050HF absorption sheet to 3.75 inches by 7.75 iinches and significantly improve the P20s listening enjoyment factor. The placement must go back edge i alignment with fourth cooling fin left and right and trimmed to forward edge if the front cover. Too much of the material on the top cover is not as good of an effect as limiting it to 3.75 inches. Proving there can be ttoo much of a good thing.
What does it do to the music? It allows the system to expand the soundstage in both width and depth.
I used the Roger Waters much rope song because of the 3D background details. I imagine DSOTM or most other Pink Floyd songs just apparent.
The wood splitting at the beginning, thwacks of the splitting axe and wood tearing apart and falling to the ground, sound truly real to life. The horse drawn sleigh with bells is also more life like and apparent cutting slowly across the soundstage and the horse neighing. The race car is completely ripping from left to right with new found realism.
The affects on normal voices and instruments in regular songs without 3D effect are just as apparent. Now if I only knew the best way to get the top cover off the P20. Hopefully it doesnât require flipping it. The 3M absorber sheet already comes with adhesive that is peel and stick. PS audio needs to incorporate this material into the Bill of Material on the P20. If you buy sheets in bulk. The sound improvements are that transformative and literally jump out at you.
I have enough material to make one more or you can order and try for yourself. This is way cheaper than a cable if you have a P20 and more transformational than spending thousands on more cables for much less subtle improvements.
I cropped the photo of a P20 to show area of placement. Perhaps an engineer like @tedsmith or @DarrenMyers who knows RF and components spacing can figure out what is noisy and needs fixing in a cheaper manner or tell us why this tweak works so well. Or if someone has equipment that measures the noisy sources.
Displays are always noisy. In the DS turning it off (using the Dim button) makes a noticeable difference. I expect that it will on the P20 as well. I always run with the display âdimmedâ on both.
Most displays require voltages other than just 5V so there is usually some switching regulator to generate those voltages which will radiate and also cause noise on the input power. The speed of the dots turning on and off is high enough that there is radiation from the display driver. The loops in a processor which is driving a display can also cause noise in the power of the processor and radiationâŚ
Thanks for the explanation. I alway run with the display dimmed on the P20 and DS. This add-on of RF and EMI absorber improves things even with display full dimmed. Apparently the noise is always there and the absorbing effect is way more effective than dimming for P20. The funny thing about the absorption material is it works outside the P20âs faraday cage apparently because of magnetic properties of its composition. I am now glad I put some of it near the DSâs display when wrapping the Edcor transformers based on your effective suggestions.
Vmax, I removed the top of my P10 and I would imagine the same process would apply to the P20?
Get a universal set of Allen Keys.
Youâll find 4 bolts at the corners of the P20, near the top of the chassis.
Find the right Allen key to fit and remove the 4 bolts.
To actually remove the top without damaging it youâll need a Tile Lifter, this uses a rubber suction to âstickâ to the top and then you should be able to lift it off.
Reverse order of above to re-install the top.
Thanks @sheridd2 !. Yes I see the four allen headed bolts. I do need to pick up a suction tool. Hopefully installing absorber inside the unit is just as effective.
I hope you can tell me what you hear. I have double checked it about 3 times with different music. I found piano pieces or pink floyd or roger waters with lots of voices oe other special effects to dial in acuity.
I found 4 3/4 inch wide by about 8 inch to offer the most clarity centered at display. I was waiting for my new Dragon HC cable to break in.
I found the blue painters tape to be useful dialing in the position. Strangely more absorption is not best.
I feel it wasnât psycho acoustics since i used another person to verify position blindfolded and randomized position me moving giving them A and B choices.
But who knows other systems may react differently.
The absorption affects spatial cues, tone and clarity the most. The introduction to Time on DSOTM is good test of bells and clarity and what sounds to be more natural bell ringing. My Dog got more curious and started barking with absorber versus without. So i am guessing it gives better HF performance since he heard what I was hearing by his reactions. Lol
Vmax ⌠From the photo at the top, did you leave all the material sticking out over the top front of the P20?
What would happen if it was cut neatly along the top front of the P20 so that no material is sitting out over the P20?
I have not cut it yet but bending it up at forward edge of the P20 seems to have any detrimental sound issue. Iâm planning to verify length once I stick temporarily under top cover. I can always add more material to block backside of display if beneficial
I hope to have enough 3M absorption material left over to experiment with my streamer processor and memory chips and the-matrix SPDIF 2 FPGA and USB noisy chips as well as the Sonore UltraRendu.
The cool part is the 3M absorption works through the equipmentâs cases so with internal images available online it is easy to target the noisy devices by moving material around and listening to-same song snippets. If like the P20 the noise floor lowering jumps out at you audibly. The material doesnât seem to be in use by audio companies much, so it is very low hanging fruit to do audio streaming tweaks with noisy power supplies. I only ran across one other forum where tweakers were uding it on their streaming devices.
Vmax ⌠it seems I will be receiving my AB7050HF material tomorrow, much earlier then expected.
Iâm a bit confused on the final placing of the material?
Are you planning to take the P20 top off and stick it to the underside of the lid?
That would be a much more acceptable cosmetic look for the tweak.
This would be a big job for me as Iâd have to disassemble a full rack of equipment to get to my P20, which of course, is on the bottom shelf of the rack.
Yes my end goal is internal stuck to the lid. If external is your only option. You probably can paint it gloss black. I assume it is not absorbing external RF.
The other alternative is to see if it works stuck to the bottom of the P20!! I can trial that tonight. If it is absorbing transformerâs magnetic field it might be pointing up. Or proximity to display is too far away to work to absorb EMI and RF.
