[Guidof]

Hi Jim, glad you found a setting that works best.

Yes, the CIA PS seems to have improved further as it has accumulated 'burn in' time. Very strange. It's the first time in more than 50 years of audiophilia that I detect any burn in improvements in any equipment.

We're not a whole lot younger than your dad, and like him, we're moving to be nearer our offsprings wo live in the SF Bay area. So I hope his move goes as smoothly as any can be.

We're only a couple of weeks away from our big move, so there is little time left to listen to any music before that moment when I will need to unhook everything. The horror!

Best regards,

Guido F.

[wisnon]

Guidof, Thanks for your impressions of the differences in power supply.  I've been wondering about that since I first hooked up the AMDC.

I have been out of town helping my 93 year old father get ready to sell his house and move.  Wait, that makes me really old.   

I have re-run my calibrations and I am happier with the upper limit set to 250Hz (from 500Hz).  The biggest sound improvement I have found was using the Compensation to fill in the mid-bass to bass range.  I learned to use the Compensation from a news letter in the AMDC box.  I don't know if it is available on the Web.

Good luck with your move.
Jim

Can you scan and post the relevant section (bass fill in compensation) of that newsletter? Otherwise email me. I can PM the email addy.

Thanks

[neekomax]

Can you scan and post the relevant section (bass fill in compensation) of that newsletter? Otherwise email me. I can PM the email addy.

Thanks

+1 for a public post, so we can all benefit. 

[Guidof]

Can you scan and post the relevant section (bass fill in compensation) of that newsletter? Otherwise email me. I can PM the email addy.

Thanks

Compensation is discussed in section 6, Advanced Calibration, page 24 of the online Dual Core manual. Also, section 4.7, Audio Settings, describes how to change compensation on the fly. Enjoy.

Regards,

Guido F.

[sparky62]

I have the news letter as a PDF file.  I don't see a way to post a PDF.  Anybody know?   

[medium jim]

Post it as a URL

Jim

[sparky62]

Medium Jim,

Thanks, but I need more hand holding then "post it as a URL".
Does AudioCircle have a hosting site or do I use one of the outside sites?

[medium jim]

Medium Jim,

Thanks, but I need more hand holding then "post it as a URL".
Does AudioCircle have a hosting site or do I use one of the outside sites?

Sparky:

Set the cursor in the dialog box where you want to post the link to the PDF file, then go up to the tool bar and above the emoticons you will see a button that has the world click on it and it will post the hypertext to insert the link, put the cursor right in the middle and then paste the link and it should work.

Jim

[sparky62]

Thanks Medium Jim,

Here is the link to the news letter.  The Compensation section is IIRC on page 5.

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B7812COJE_ZnLVJJZ3djSHFrNVE/edit?usp=sharing

[Guidof]

Thanks. Yes, the newsletter gives a nice description of setting compensation on the fly. For a more complete description of setting compensation as part of advanced calibration, see section 6 of the online Dual Core manual.

Guido F.

[Guidof]

With compensation it's worth noting that typical calibration already introduces some compensation. In my setup, a boost of 6dB, which I suspect is indeed a "typical" value for most systems after typical calibration. In my system, increasing the boost to 7dB has had a firming up effect on the bass range and, more notably, an increase in the three dimensionality and 'air' of the soundstage.

One has to keep in mind that increasing compensation has a negative effect on headroom, so going light on the throttle may be advisable here, as in any boost.

But definitely a setting worth experimenting with.

Guido F.

[Guidof]

One more thing about compensation: if my understanding is correct, in theory compensation should have the same effect as an equivalent house curve. However, in my subjective impression compensation introduces a much more satisfying correction of the entire bass and mid-bass region. Perhaps this is the result of a better choice of pivot point. Or the slope of the correction may be different (better?). Whatever the reason, I'm happier with a 1dB boost in compensation than I was with the same level of boost in a house curve, which I had ended up disabling.

And BTW, it's fascinating that a boost of just 1dB should have such an obvious effect on tonal balance.

Guido F.

[sparky62]

I have found the same to be true with regard to using Compensation.  In my system, just a 1/2 dB step makes the difference.  When you get it set "correctly" it makes everything gel.  The House Curve just does not provide the same level of integration that the Compensation provides.  Along with mic positioning, I have found this to be the thing that locks in the sound stage and PRAT.  I still have more experimenting to do to find out how much better it can get.

[growers]

Has anyone compared the Dual Core sound quality to a decent DAC (with the bass management bypassed if possible)? The DAC specs for the VS8053 DSP (section 4.3 of the datasheet linked below) aren't great by modern standards. But if it sounds good who cares!

VS8053 datasheet

[roscoeiii]

Think earlier in this thread or elsewhere you can find my impression vs the Schiit Gungnir DAC...

[Guidof]

My only comparison is with the DAC in my Cambridge Audio 840-C. I find the DAC in the Dual Core is more transparent, which would be my most important criterion by which to judge a DAC.

But I'm sure one could find more advanced and still more refined DACs out there.

Guido F.

[growers]

The VS8053 DSP that performs the 18-bit D-A conversion is a fairly old $1-2 part so I'm impressed that it sounds good.

[emaspac]

As promised, here are my impressions from substituting the AntiMode Dual Core's 9V AC wall wart with a 12V DC CIAudio power supply.

The overall impression is of the same order of magnitude and in the same direction as when I substituted a run of Audioquest Cinnamon (ahem) Ethernet* cable for the garden variety cable I was previously using, that is, somewhat greater clarity and refinement, with more detail, more airy and sweeter highs, better defined bass, and in general a presentation one step closer to the elusive goal of faithfully reproducing a live unamplified event. Also, timbres seem more accurate, which contributes to the overall sense of effortless presentation. And the signal to noise ratio seems better (blacker blacks).

Yes, the difference with using the wall wart is subtle, which perhaps suggest the standard PS is pretty good. But they are worthwhile. And of course, at $350, the CIAudio supply is about one third the cost of the Dual Core, so one would have to consider this before opting for the CIA. Personally, I'm satisfied that the improvement, in my system, justifies the cost.

*And of course, we all know that Ethernet cables cannot possibly affect sound quality.

Guido F.

I changed the AntiMode Dual Core's 9V AC wall wart with a 12V DC MCRU linear power supply.The sound improvement was immediatly clear, expecially in bass accuracy and bass depth.
But I have a big issue, and I post this message as advice.
After the substitution, my Anti Mode has started to freeze. I mean it freezes in the mid of a calibration, or during the menu navigation, or when it has to update the settings of a profile. It never freezes during the playback, because I tested it works correctly for hours/days when I play the music and never try to access to menu.  After each freeze, the TFT display sometimes turns off, sometimes shows raw images, and I have to unplug the PSU and plug it again to unfreeze the device.
Even if I came back to 9V AC wall wart, this issue still persist, and factory reset or updating the firmare to the last version didn't help.
I don't know if the issue was due to the PSU substitution or is a unlucky coincidence or it's a side effect of some other causes, as temperature: in these days is very hot in Rome, Italy, and I have a full tube amp running near the Dual Core, which elevates the temperature.
Actually I can say the Dual Core case is hot, but not so hot.
Do you have any experience with this issue?
General question: can a 12v DC PSU be safely used for a 9v AC device?

[Guidof]

Look at the back of the Dual Core. Does it say "9V AC" (only) or "9V AC / 12V DC"? There are two versions of the Dual Core. I really don't know if the 9V AC version cannot accept 12V DC but one would assume not since it is not so labelled.

I explicitly asked DSPeaker about compatibility and they confirmed that 12V DC was OK with my unit.

Regards,

Guido F.

[emaspac]

It says "9V AC / 12V DC", so it should be compliant to 12V DC.
Actually it started to freeze when I plugged the 12V PSU from MCRU.
Coincidence? I think not.