I use an IFI IDSD MICRO DAC as Spdif interface. Before I read Amir reviews of the most well-known of them I was willing to upgrade replacing it by a better and dedicated one.
I don't understand all the intricacies of these highly technical documented reviews. Nonetheless I have learned as a fact that the most expensive and sturdy digital interfaces does n’t mean they fulfill better their purpose with a top notch noise isolation and interference immunity. I have learned also that adding a supposedly better dedicated LPSU to a spdif interface is not an insurance policy to get a better result.... it can be even worse !
After reading I had chosen to change nothing when, yesterday, after a period of one hour of listening loud La grande Messe des morts from Hector BERLIOZ, I heard suddenly in the speakers a quickly increasing scratchy noise like frying oil in a pan. It began suddenly, small under the level of the music then increasing until it covers it. It was like a parasite continuous noise over the music without any clicks or drops. In less than one minute it became unsustainable , so I muted the sound immediately to avoid any possible damage and shut down the gear .
At home I have 2 dedicated power line separated for hifi and HT with 2 separate line conditioner from PS AUDIO where the gear is plugged separately.
I try to enter computer audio with a vintage dac using temporarily the mac mini server in my office plugged into IFI IDSD MICRO dac as USB/ SPDIF interface linked to the DCS ELGAR + dac in a separate room with the hifi system.
The USB cable used is the standard 1 meter USB 3 cable delivered with the IFI DAC. I used a 26 foot Canare L5 CFB coaxial cable to link the I DSD MICRO and the ELGAR+ dac.
Today I tried again. the dac fails to lock each time to the source whatever input RCA 1 or RCA 2 I tried and the display showed the same “no input” and stayed automatically muted.
Then I removed the IFi DSD MICRO from the equation plugging directly 2 different non DCS CD transport successively using my Canare cable. It was a success without any problem. I am thinking that the cause of the noise is the signal shifting after a while or an instability coming from the IFI DSD MICRO (which was fully charged).
In this case I need to try a new interface.
To avoid this kind of trouble I don’ know if an interface like the SINGXER SU 1 synced to the ELGAR + dac in master mode with a separate BNC cable, could be a valuable solution.
I did not find the Topping 10 and the Allo Digione in Thailand ; if I import them I risk to have to pay to the greedy thai customs +122 % of different import taxes and duties to pay over the declared value to greedy Thai customs ; so I will not try it : a friend ordered some months ago a dac directly from Singapore and was forced to pay out of the blue that amount of taxes before he was cleared to gets its gear!
It remains the Matrix SPDIF2 without syncing possibility but I can link it to the dac using AES balanced cable. expensive enough device here : 14500 thai baths around \ 450 $ not far from the price I have paid for my IDSD MICRO ( 18900 thai Baths = 585 $).
At is point I have a lot of doubts about the right thing to do and what will be really useful here especially after reading Amir reviews.
Thank you in advance, all of you, for any advice and suggestions.
I don't understand all the intricacies of these highly technical documented reviews. Nonetheless I have learned as a fact that the most expensive and sturdy digital interfaces does n’t mean they fulfill better their purpose with a top notch noise isolation and interference immunity. I have learned also that adding a supposedly better dedicated LPSU to a spdif interface is not an insurance policy to get a better result.... it can be even worse !
After reading I had chosen to change nothing when, yesterday, after a period of one hour of listening loud La grande Messe des morts from Hector BERLIOZ, I heard suddenly in the speakers a quickly increasing scratchy noise like frying oil in a pan. It began suddenly, small under the level of the music then increasing until it covers it. It was like a parasite continuous noise over the music without any clicks or drops. In less than one minute it became unsustainable , so I muted the sound immediately to avoid any possible damage and shut down the gear .
At home I have 2 dedicated power line separated for hifi and HT with 2 separate line conditioner from PS AUDIO where the gear is plugged separately.
I try to enter computer audio with a vintage dac using temporarily the mac mini server in my office plugged into IFI IDSD MICRO dac as USB/ SPDIF interface linked to the DCS ELGAR + dac in a separate room with the hifi system.
The USB cable used is the standard 1 meter USB 3 cable delivered with the IFI DAC. I used a 26 foot Canare L5 CFB coaxial cable to link the I DSD MICRO and the ELGAR+ dac.
Today I tried again. the dac fails to lock each time to the source whatever input RCA 1 or RCA 2 I tried and the display showed the same “no input” and stayed automatically muted.
Then I removed the IFi DSD MICRO from the equation plugging directly 2 different non DCS CD transport successively using my Canare cable. It was a success without any problem. I am thinking that the cause of the noise is the signal shifting after a while or an instability coming from the IFI DSD MICRO (which was fully charged).
In this case I need to try a new interface.
To avoid this kind of trouble I don’ know if an interface like the SINGXER SU 1 synced to the ELGAR + dac in master mode with a separate BNC cable, could be a valuable solution.
I did not find the Topping 10 and the Allo Digione in Thailand ; if I import them I risk to have to pay to the greedy thai customs +122 % of different import taxes and duties to pay over the declared value to greedy Thai customs ; so I will not try it : a friend ordered some months ago a dac directly from Singapore and was forced to pay out of the blue that amount of taxes before he was cleared to gets its gear!
It remains the Matrix SPDIF2 without syncing possibility but I can link it to the dac using AES balanced cable. expensive enough device here : 14500 thai baths around \ 450 $ not far from the price I have paid for my IDSD MICRO ( 18900 thai Baths = 585 $).
At is point I have a lot of doubts about the right thing to do and what will be really useful here especially after reading Amir reviews.
Thank you in advance, all of you, for any advice and suggestions.
