Do the Jitterbug !

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Fretless
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Re: Do the Jitterbug !

Unread post by Fretless »

A week further and the Jitterbug has become essential. I'm still waiting for a second to arrive - so the one I have is resident in the router and only gets taken out when I use the Pi/Nuforce combo. The effect of the Jitterbug is detailed above but I can now rank the degree of influence it has.

1) In a USB connection from a PC/Laptop/Pi to a DAC the effect is pronounced and dramatic.
2) Plugged into a Router at the hub of a home network. The effect appears subtle - until you take it out again and you realise that everything lacks 'life', sparkle and an almost holographic degree of imaging. With a single Jitterbug in place, all of the players in the wired network respond with a higher level of SQ (I have 4: a Sonos Connect and 3 Pi's).
3) Plugged into a NAS - same as for a router but the improvement is much less dramatic.

Because my network is wired (with one exception, a second Sonos Connect in the kitchen on the Wifi) I am not sure if the improvements due to noise filtering are also apparent via a wireless link. The kitchen stereo isn't very revealing.

Next trial: There might also be a improvement in things like Netflix - sound and picture quality, for instance. Although my TV isn't a super-HD affair, just a reasonable plasma screen.

To be continued ....

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Re: Do the Jitterbug !

Unread post by Fretless »

Picking up Jitterbug nr. 2 from the shop today I spotted something else from Audioquest on display:

Their recent 'High Definition' headphone, The Nighthawk.

So I had a listen ....


Image

First impression is that these look really cool and expensive (which they are at 600 euro) and the shells being made of a special 'liquid wood' compound. Putting them on they are by far the most comfortable-feeling cans I have ever tried. The earpieces are supported by a sort of tough elastic that gently clamps them to your head. Being quite lightweight, the Nighthawk just sits securely in place and doesn't budge when your move. Finally, a phone for (wealthy) headbangers !

Sound-wise. I had my trusty Fiio X3 with me - no slouch on SQ and power, so I ran through a couple of familiar tracks. The Nighthawk has a sound signature that is mainly in the bass - which is huge and deep. Opening with some atmospheric EM from John Lakveet I found the bass extension to be almost overpowering. So much. But these phones make up for this is in elegance and refinement. The treble response is sweetly detailed, very refined. The Nighthawk does sound like an expensive headphone with an airy soundstage and unforced openness. These are cans that you could wear all day, superbly comfortable and totally non-fatiguing sound.

Back home, I tried out my Sony MDR-100AAP's on the Fiio, playing the same tracks. Yes, I missed the bass hugeness of the Nighthawk and the refined presentation - but the Sony's do foot-tapping dynamic drive better and cost about a quarter of the Nighthawk's price. Would I buy the Audioquest cans ? Hmm. not sure - apparently the somewhat loose bottom-end tightens up as they get run-in and integrates better with the velvet-smooth top.

For that cash (which I don't have at the moment) I might prefer a Grado RS-2e. Glad I have heard these though. :grin:

Next up - now I have 2 Jitterbugs to play with !! :character-beavisbutthead:

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Re: Do the Jitterbug !

Unread post by Fretless »

The impression that the Nighthawk left has bit deep - especially that bass. Alright, there is too much of it, but getting back to the little Nuforce DAC I realised that it was lacking in the bass department. Quite severely lacking.

Now is it the D/A section or the headphone amp? Time to test the uDac3 as a DAC/preamp. Replacing a Sonos Connect in my living-room system (NVA P50/A40 (early models) & Arcam One speakers) with the Pi/uDac3 there is a major improvement in speed, clarity, definition, imaging - and no lack of tight, solid bass. The Nuforce might be tiny and cheap but the SQ is audiophile-friendly. So the main culprit would appear to be the headphone amp section.

Remedy: attach a full-size headphone amp to the RCA output of the uDac3. So I have removed the MF XCanV3 from the office and hooked it up to the Nuforce with a massive and ancient MIT cable which has the weird in-line modules that are bigger than the DAC itself. Yes, it does look rather comical and my micro-installation is now starting to look like a serious hifi system. But, does it sound any good?

Yes, it damn well does! Still using the AKG K601 cans this combination is beginning to turn out some very good music. The bass is strong and well defined with the extra oomph from the headphone amp and the uDac3 is surprising me with its punchy, detailed presentation. There is still a tiny bit of glare and roughness to the sound, but I am hoping that will be cured by an Audioquest Cinnamon USB cable that I have on order. I have used this cable before and know it to be a smooth performer, I expect that it will knock the performance up a notch and even out the treble.

It would have been cheaper and easier to have just put a Hifiberry DAC on the Pi, but this is another learning experience and has meant that I got acquainted with the Jitterbug (which I haven't finished playing about with yet). And I get to mess around with USB audio. And I can drop the idea of shelling out for an Audioquest Nighthawk - although if I see one at a really affordable price .....

Upstairs:
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HP: HifiBerry Digi+ PRO + Sabaj A10d
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Re: Do the Jitterbug !

Unread post by Fretless »

Bursts of over-enthusiasm can lead to bad judgement. :doh:

Forgot that the MIT 'Terminator' could also sound excessively bright in certain situations. Not a good choice. Search is on for a more suitable interconnect from what is available in the house.

Image

Upstairs:
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Downstairs:
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Logic DM101 + Syrinx LE1 + Grado Sig MCX
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HP: HifiBerry Digi+ PRO + Sabaj A10d
Office:
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Re: Do the Jitterbug !

Unread post by Fretless »

News flash for all Pi users - get a Jitterbug (or 2) ! :ugeek:

Having the second J-bug means I can leave one permanently in the router and can shift the second one around to see what effect it has. First experiment was slotting it into the NAS, which didn't, to my ears, have any positive effect - indeed it seemed to slightly detract from the improvement the bug in the router had made.

After a busy weekend (working to earn a living), today is quiet(er) and I could try something else. The Pi in the main NVA system has a Hifiberry digital card and outputs via Toslink to the Hegel DAC. The power supply for this Pi is a hefty 3A/5V powerbank. So the fact that there is 'clean' DC and no electrical output meant that I did not expect there to be much change when I stuck the Jitterbug into one of the Pi's 4 USB sockets.

Test album at the moment is 'A Walk Across the Rooftops' by The Blue Nile. Like it or loathe it (the Linn connection) it remains a useful album to play for the imaging, dynamics and detail it has. Playing 'From Rags to Riches' and then inserting the J-bug and listening again. Out. In. Listen.

Again the improvements in sound that the Jitterbug provides elsewhere are evident. Cleaner, more 'holographic' (really shows up with Cubes), slightly louder, better defined and fuller bass. I am surprised. In this case the Jitterbug is only working to stabilise the electronic noise in a unit that ought to be fairly free of it - but the increased stabiliy does make an audible difference. More richness and 'life'.

Costing only about the same as a Pi3 board and gives an immediate sound upgrade, possibly with more effect than a much more expensive linear power supply would have.

Anyone going to try it out ? :guiness;

Image

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Re: Do the Jitterbug !

Unread post by Fretless »

Changes in my headphone-only setup. The Nuforce is out and has been replaced by a very capable Cambridge Dacmagic 100. A wonderful little DAC. And I have been lent a demo pair of Audioquest Nighthawk headphones to play with for a week; there is something special about the sound of the Nighthawk and I hope that I can discover what makes them so unusual. :grin: :guiness;

Upstairs:
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Downstairs:
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HP: HifiBerry Digi+ PRO + Sabaj A10d
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Re: Do the Jitterbug !

Unread post by slinger »

Interesting, about the Cambridge. I'd always got the impression that Cambridge DACs were a bit "thin" sounding from what I'd read of peoples experiences (not reviews) but of course a lot might depend on the rest of the setup. They're cheaper than my TEAC too bugger it. I'm still tempted by the Jitterbug, but having just bought a(nother) new guitar... :lol:
Amps - NVA P50, AP30, A40, Stanislav Palo Tube Headphone Amp BB 85
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Re: Do the Jitterbug !

Unread post by Fretless »

Mini-review of the Cambridge Dacmagic 100:

Image

The phrase "small, but perfectly formed" is very fitting here. Although considerably bigger that the uDac3, this box is still pretty tiny. It has 4 inputs: USB, 2x coax & Toslink and RCA output sockets. Powered by a 12V wall-wart (room for improvement there). 2 buttons on the front: power and select and some LED's to tell you which input is selected and the sampling rate in use. Neat and tidy.

Putting this in between the PI/J-bug and the MF headphone amp, there was an immediate improvement over the sound of the Nuforce. The almost-harsh highs and lack of bass roundness were replaced by a smooth, full and dynamic presence. This device sounds a lot bigger then you might expect. A direct comparison against the MF M1DAC was quite revealing- the Dacmagic 100 has a slightly more forward and dynamic feel than the M1DAC, which in turn is more restrained and refined. Qua detail and imaging there is very little to choose between the two - and the Cambridge is less than half the price of the MF.

Then I got the Audioquest Nighthawk headphones to try out for a week - a revelation! (review on the way). For now I will say that the combination is just fantastic.

Anyway. Very, very happy with the Dacmagic 100 which has excellent SQ, great price - and might yet benefit from a better PSU. :grin:

Upstairs:
Vinyl
Pro-Ject 1.2 + Grado Sig Jr + Cambridge Alva Duo
DigiVolumio PC + Kiss DP-500 + Sabaj A20d
NVA: P50sa - Cube2 - SSP - LS6+ Sabaj A10a (x2)
Downstairs:
Vinyl
Logic DM101 + Syrinx LE1 + Grado Sig MCX
DigiDenafrips Ares II + Volumio PC + Cambridge CXC
NVA: P50 - BMU+ Aiyima A07 MAX (x2) + Arcam One
HP: HifiBerry Digi+ PRO + Sabaj A10d
Office:
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Re: Do the Jitterbug !

Unread post by Neonknight »

So what are you folks using for the server program?

A person I know just told me about HySolid. I downloaded and installed it this weekend, and its a very nice program. I was surprised that it sounds much better than FOOBAR. I didn't think a computer program would make that much difference in sound quality, but it does. Those who are into computer audio say that there is one even better called Bug Head. But its interface is not as nice as HySolid. Both are from Japanese designers, and get high marks.

Anyways HySolid has this great interface. You install the program on the computer, then you download an app for an Android based device, such as a smart phone or tablet, and through the home wireless system you can control the computer and access music, so its basically a remote with a comprehensive display. Yes you must have a smart phone, and in home wireless. If not, its a non starter. But the sound quality is excellent, and its worth installing. I have WASPI installed on my copy of FOOBAR, but its such a clunker to get around in, and now that sound quality has been surpassed, I see no reason to use it.

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Re: Do the Jitterbug !

Unread post by _D_S_J_R_ »

Forget 'audiophile' products, as they're often 'tuned' for a distinctive sound character in my experience. Old MF X series can be Rock-Grotto'd up with better modern components and he used to do or suggest a heavily beefed up power supply for some of these units too. I made a simple 30VA 12VAC supply in a plain abs box for my X-10D, replaced all the caps with parts from his update kit and I thought the sound significantly better - the unit was that much less intrusive.

As for headphones, I bought some Sennheiser Hd25SP's cheap when I left work - I didn't think the standard 25 were worth the extra at the time and they do an amazing job for me and aren't too uncomfortable around my tiny lugs.

Loads of good pro stuff out there, but you'd have to do your own research into what's good and what isn't. No reason why good gear from professional stables shouldn't work brilliantly with NVA either, as the latter doesn't add bells and whistles to enhance the sound falsely in my opinion.
Last edited by _D_S_J_R_ on Sun Jul 24, 2016 3:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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