Fresh off of the bench

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nlitworld

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  • Strange things are afoot at the Circle K
Re: Fresh off of the bench
« Reply #20 on: 28 Oct 2022, 05:09 pm »
As the recipient of the one going to California, I can't tell you how excited I am to see the Aero CU USB cable that is headed my way.  Jason, I hope it looks as good as the picture shows it to be, and I am really excited about what it should sound like.

It won't look as good as the photo, it will look better. The real kicker is it will sound even better than that. Have fun! :thumb:

Pez

Re: Fresh off of the bench
« Reply #21 on: 28 Oct 2022, 06:06 pm »
Gents,
You’re right on with the power supply upgrade. These things are generally really well made and with my JBC desoldering gear I feel confident in performing this type of surgery. The improvement in sound quality is startling! A much more dynamic presentation. Mid bass and upper bass THUMP with authority and everything else top to bottom is injected with a lot more realism and life! I’ll leave it at that. If anyone is interested in discussing mods to a PS I’m more than happy to discuss options.

As the recipient of the one going to California, I can't tell you how excited I am to see the Aero CU USB cable that is headed my way.  Jason, I hope it looks as good as the picture shows it to be, and I am really excited about what it should sound like.

Phil,
You called it my friend, IMO Aero Cu USB is my prettiest interconnect! I’m a little sad to pack it up and send it out. :cry: a lot of love went into these builds.  :green: I hope you and everyone at your G2G enjoy the sound! I’m looking forward to your impressions.

Wayne,
I could do something like this, not quite the same design as Ember, but somewhat similar and better suited for the application. Let me know any time! And I would love to build you a USB cable as well.  :thumb:

Thanks everyone for your kind words.  :green:

WGH

Re: Fresh off of the bench
« Reply #22 on: 29 Oct 2022, 12:29 am »
Wayne,
I could do something like this, not quite the same design as Ember, but somewhat similar and better suited for the application. Let me know any time! And I would love to build you a USB cable as well.  :thumb:

An Aero Ag USB may be in my future but I need to finish paying for the wonderful Holo Audio May DAC. 16 months to go on a 0% interest credit card (Wells Fargo Reflect, 22 months @ 0%) I picked out this card just for this purchase. It's like a Christmas savings club in reverse, I got the gift first. In the 1950's my Dad had a holiday savings account, he put in $8.33 a month, at the end of the year he had $100 to spend on presents, that was real money back then.

Wayne

Pez

Re: Fresh off of the bench
« Reply #23 on: 4 Nov 2022, 10:44 pm »
An Aero Ag USB may be in my future…

Let me know! I’ve got one I’ve been working on this week. It’s a 1.5 meter which means it’s taken me all week and I’m only done with polish and Aerogel.  :duh: A really tough build, but worth the time and effort.  :D

I did find time to knock this one out for a forum member.  :wink:

Shorty Ember. Really love this build because it’s a lot more simple!  :lol:



Ember is excellent for portable and on the go use. Really flexible and superb sound quality. I bet many of you gents take a portable rig with you on vacation (maybe headphone based!). A shorty Ember is ideal for that sort of thing.




wgraft5

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  • Wayne in Oregon
Re: Fresh off of the bench
« Reply #24 on: 5 Nov 2022, 01:19 am »
Thank You Jason, the Ember cable would be for me. And it looks beautiful.

Very kind of you to get that out for me :thumb:

Jason is very easy to work with, we have something in the works for next month 8)

Thanks again,

Wayne in Oregon

Pez

Re: Fresh off of the bench
« Reply #25 on: 5 Nov 2022, 04:50 pm »
Wayne in OR,

Yes indeed! It’ll be an interesting one too. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns when the cable arrives.

I’ve been building a ton of Aeros for you all, both copper and silver! I had to order more of the silver plated copper braided shielding. This stuff is very high quality and is one part of 7 shielding layers in Aero.  :duh:



More to come next week.  :green:

wgraft5

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  • Wayne in Oregon
Re: Fresh off of the bench
« Reply #26 on: 9 Nov 2022, 09:26 pm »
Jason my cable just arrived. :thumb:

I have it plugged in and am listening to it now.

I was concerned about the fitment of the terminal on my DAC. The input terminals are closely spaced. It fits with about 1 mm clearance on either side. :D

It arrived safely and the packaging is very professional, a nice box and bag.

I can tell a difference right away, sounds good. I leave everything powered on 24/7 so It shouldn't take long to burn in.

Thank You so much,

Wayne in Oregon 

Pez

Re: Fresh off of the bench
« Reply #27 on: 9 Nov 2022, 09:30 pm »
Wayne,
I’m so glad to hear that! I was bummed to see your cable was delayed due to weather, but now that it’s home and making sweet music for you I’m very happy and much more calm. Keep us updated on how things develop! I didn’t get a chance to break it in at all after testing it. Maybe 50ish hours to get you to 95%  :thumb:

nlitworld

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  • Strange things are afoot at the Circle K
Re: Fresh off of the bench
« Reply #28 on: 9 Nov 2022, 09:43 pm »
Maybe 50ish hours to get you to 95%  :thumb:

Who are we kidding here... They sound awesome right out of the box, and only get better with time.  :thumb:

wgraft5

  • Jr. Member
  • Posts: 201
  • Wayne in Oregon
Re: Fresh off of the bench
« Reply #29 on: 9 Nov 2022, 09:45 pm »
Jason,

Yeah, first it was "shipment exception" :scratch: then it was "delayed".:duh: And yes my anxiety was at 100%. But it made here and all is good now. :thumb:

I listen to music all day and brown noise at night for sleeping. So it won't take long to get fully burned in.

Thanks again,

Wayne in Oregon

Pez

Re: Fresh off of the bench
« Reply #30 on: 9 Nov 2022, 11:27 pm »
Who are we kidding here... They sound awesome right out of the box, and only get better with time.  :thumb:

 :green: I can’t argue with that! I love the smooth inviting sound of Ember. It’s a bonus that it breaks in so gently.

Are you able to take a photo of the back of your DAC? I’m curious how close it was. I know the Viborg connectors are pretty wide. I’m worried someday that someone will need some sort of alteration!

wgraft5

  • Jr. Member
  • Posts: 201
  • Wayne in Oregon
Re: Fresh off of the bench
« Reply #31 on: 10 Nov 2022, 01:15 am »
Jason, here ya go. I have about half a mm clearance between the optical cable and the antenna each. They almost touch.



So far everything is a lot cleaner sounding. The bass is tighter. The mid bass has more slam to it. The mids are much cleaner a well as the top end. Cymbals sound more realistic, vocals are easier to understand. Everything sounds warmer and I like that. Seems like a good match for my system. The stock USB cable that came with the DAC (FX Audio D01) was the weak link in my system.

Wayne in Oregon

Early B.

Re: Fresh off of the bench
« Reply #32 on: 10 Nov 2022, 02:16 am »
Jason -- do you custom-make HDMI cables?

Pez

Re: Fresh off of the bench
« Reply #33 on: 10 Nov 2022, 03:13 am »
Wayne,
Oh man, you weren’t kidding! That could not have been closer.  :o really glad it worked out. I think I do need to come up with a potential alternative for times when it wouldn’t work.

Early B,
I don’t currently make a HDMI cable. I have seen a rather large uptick in HDMI being used in audio via the I2S PCM standard. I haven’t even started exploring that, but I’d be curious, are you wanting one from audio specifically or A/V?

Early B.

Re: Fresh off of the bench
« Reply #34 on: 10 Nov 2022, 03:19 am »
Early B,
I don’t currently make a HDMI cable. I have seen a rather large uptick in HDMI being used in audio via the I2S PCM standard. I haven’t even started exploring that, but I’d be curious, are you wanting one from audio specifically or A/V?

Audio. Not sure how labor intensive it is or if they're cost-prohibitive, but if you can find high-end HDMI connectors, it might be worth exploring. 

WGH

Re: Fresh off of the bench
« Reply #35 on: 10 Nov 2022, 05:31 pm »
Audio. Not sure how labor intensive it is or if they're cost-prohibitive, but if you can find high-end HDMI connectors, it might be worth exploring.

I was re-wiring components and somehow the HDMI cable into the A/V processor pulled out of the connector. I looked at the cable with 19 wires sticking out in one hand; the connector in the other hand for a minute then went to Ace Hardware and bought a new Monster Cable HDMI cable for $30.

19 wire ends were too many for me reinsert, 38 perfect solder connections would be insane.




Not all I2S port pinouts are the same, the Holo DACs have the ability to configure the pinouts. A custom HDMI cable would limit the resale. I just gave away a data only USB cable (no 5v leg) because it's use is limited.




Your old HDMI cable isn’t good enough anymore. Here’s why
https://www.digitaltrends.com/home-theater/how-to-choose-an-hdmi-cable/
HDMI 2.1 are designed to handle 40 to 48 gigabits per second of bandwidth, up from the old 18Gbps standard. The article says clock timing could be a problem with cables shorter than 1 meter too.



There is a lot more going on than two wires and a ground.

Pez

Re: Fresh off of the bench
« Reply #36 on: 10 Nov 2022, 07:12 pm »
Yes indeed, it would be a nightmare of a build and very unlikely to utilizes anything super fancy like Aerogel dielectric due to the sheer physical size it would be and of course the difficulty in making such a cable. I refuse to exclude it forever, but until I see an application foR it that the mighty USB 2.0 format can’t handle it makes very little sense and I have my doubts at it’s long term necessity, nor do I see any inherent advantages.

Pez

Re: Fresh off of the bench
« Reply #37 on: 16 Nov 2022, 12:21 am »
A few build this week (and last). Last week I sent out another Aero Ag USB to Texas (more on that later) but I forgot to take photos. Any way, I FINALLY got around to building myself an Aero Cu USB for myself. I wanted to tease[]  another fun build per request of a few folks here on AC. But first and FOREMOST. The build a lot of folks have been incredibly patient on. And yes tour/pricing info is coming this week as well. 8)

Ok, I am committing to getting tour form out THIS WEEK and this is my commitment!

Here it is, the first time I’ve shared the new Torsion Ag speaker cable images.  :icon_twisted:

Torsion Ag Speaker Cable

Connectors


Finally have the two together! Torsion Ag and Cu 8ft length


Going with two different connector options for the upcoming tour.


Some other goodies. My personal Aero Cu USB and the upcoming tour Aero Ag Coax that has garnered a few enthusiastic thumbs up! HERE  AND HERE

Aero Cu USB



Aero Coax tour will include this bad boy, Aero Ag Coax and Aero Cu Coax (BNC might be there as well!)

So busy few weeks with a lot of fun coming up. Last photo, here’s everything together.




Pez

Re: Fresh off of the bench
« Reply #38 on: 28 Nov 2022, 06:01 pm »
Hey all,
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! Unfortunately in the Wong household we all got the flu.  :duh: We had to cancel all the festivities and take a week off. I’m still recovering but wanted to post a project I finished as a special request. I’m sure you all have seen this build, many of you probably have done it yourself! This is not a future product nor even part of my normal lineup, but if you’re wanting a pro to build it for you let me know. I’m not averse to doing so and I’m using one of my favorite connectors. The rhodium plated Viborg connectors. Aluminum barrels, clear plastic gorgeousness! And I use thick nylon rope for the center separator.





Can even do 20 amp IEC or specialized plugs. Just ask.  :thumb:



For the same client, I had a request for an adaptor to go along with his KnØt silver headphone cable. He has Meze Elite, Liric, AND the new 109s. The Elites use a standard 4 pin mini XLR. But Liric and 109 use 3.5 mm. To reduce the amount of material in signal, I utilize a special TRRS connector AND on this one I had to use ultra skinny barrels for the 109s. This took coordination with the good folks at Meze to get their barrel size requirements, pinout and a few other questions. But the results, speak for themselves! No bottlenecking on this adaptor! The internal pins are jumpered with pure silver UPOCC 20 gauge wire and then connects to 8 total packets of Angel Hair Litz silver, braided with a custom geometry that both allows for the cleanest possible signal transfer and is springy in order to reduce strain. All in an insanely small yet gorgeous package. And yes, I tested them out and they’re really transparent. Worth the extra effort.







If you have any custom needs let me know! This holiday season, new toys need more new toys to connect to!  :popcorn:

Pez

Re: Fresh off of the bench
« Reply #39 on: 9 Dec 2022, 05:20 pm »
A very special one today. This one is going to rendezvous with the Torsion tour.

Nano-polished pure silver UPOCC aerogel dielectric same as Torsion Ag. Furutech rhodium plated spades that were crimped and soldered.  8)




This build took quite a bit of time. I was surprised by how difficult it was. :scratch: