[andrewd01]

Steve, one more question:  Is the wall-wart that you are currently shipping with OR5 the same as the one you were using for OR4 in December 2011?

Cheers,
Andrew

[audioengr]

Thanks Steve, I think that is my OR4!  Just clarifying that the standard deviation of the jitter is the stat that matters, they all seem to have the same mean.  I guess the mean is some function of the sample rate, and the  scatter around that mean is related to the timing errors.

The Std Dev and the P-P is what matters.  The thinness of the peaks also seems to matter.  The thinner, the better.

I was interested to read your comments that a modded OR5 with hynes power supply beats the inboard USB of overdrive. What are your thoughts for the future development of the overdrive? I can see it going two ways: a) try to implement the same power supply improvements to the inboard USB interface through upgraded substation or b) conclude that perhaps external USB interface has technical benefits and consider the option of a trimmed down overdrive which does not have an internal USB interface. 

There are some internal tweaks that I can do to the Overdrive yet, including more Hynes regs. I intend to give these a try to see what difference it makes.   Also, the digital supply of the Overdrive could be driven from a linear with Hynes reg. This is even easier to try.  That's probably what I'll try first.

Thanks for doing the mod on my OR4 so quickly and posting the jitter analysis.  Great to see you are really pushing the boundaries of what is possible in digital audio.

Its exciting to know that there is a lot of performance left in there trying to get out.

Steve N.

[audioengr]

Steve, one more question:  Is the wall-wart that you are currently shipping with OR5 the same as the one you were using for OR4 in December 2011?

Cheers,
Andrew

No, its a new one.  Smaller and faster responding.

Steve N.

[andrewd01]

I have received my OR4 with the OTL mod ( same one which Steve showed the jitter plots earlier in the thread).  The OR4 has dual Turboclock and USB Hynes reg.  Output is Via BNC plug to BNC input of Audio Research DAC8.  Downstream of that is Conrad Johnson ACT2, CJ Prem140 and Dynaudio C1.  All cabling is Kimber Select (1030,1036,3035), except Steves new BNC-BNC digital cable.  Source is a modded 2011 Mac Mini with SSD, fanless, Wifi and Bluetooth antennae removed, external DC linear power supply, Mountain Lion and Audirvana+, Kimber Ag Bus USB cable.

Steve also sent me one of the smaller wallwarts to replace the one issued with the OR4.

When I installed the modded OR4 I could immediately hear a dramatic improvement.  It is particularly noticeable on high quality recordings like Madeleine Peryoux Careless Love (44.1/16, on the fly upsampling to 88.2 in Audirvana). 

I would describe the improvements as consistent with what the standard offramp does, but taking it to a new level.  There is a significantly improved soundstage, and overall a more realistic, natural sound. The improved realism of piano notes is quite noticeable. Seems like the new OR is capturing the transient of the piano notes better.

I havent yet tried swapping back the old wallwart or my old digital cables (Kimber 2020 0.75m and CanbleDyne Silver 1.5m).  I will report back when I try these swaps.

The next upgardes I have in mind are: Steves new Hynes power supply for the OR when it becaomes available, Better quality power supply for the mac mini (thinking about Teddy Pardo 12/4 supply), and a higer end USB cable like Audioquest Diamond.

For anyone with an existing OR, the new mods are strongly recommended.  The improvements are not subtle. It feels like an improvement that should cost thousands, not hundreds of dollars.

[San Diegan]

New to this forum but I just got OR-5 back from Steve with OT Mod and his new BNC-BNC cable.  Still settling in but it’s a huge improvement.  Sound is 3D and wide open with lots of new delicate realistic detail. Less artificial, more real. Great!

Front end:  JPlay 5.1. > Dual PC  > EA Short Block > OR-5 with turbo clocks, S/PDIF Hynes regulator, OT Mod w/ EA BNC to BNC Cable > NAD M-51 DAC/Pre.

Highly recommended.
-John Lambert

[paul79]

Thought I would share my findings of the SMR with OTL Mod and the new digital cable Steve sent with it. Here is the quote I emailed him:

"Gulp.....WOW! It's back, and with a vengeance! Keener resolve, quieter, more jump, and much tighter focus. That about sums it up."

If you have an SMR and your DAC is galvanically isolated at the S/PDIF input, I would suggest that you get it to Steve to have the OTL mod done to it.

I also compared his cable to my Oyaide Silver BNC to BNC cable. While the Oyaide is very good, it is a little softer in presentation. It is very close, however....Steve's cable is better.

With Steve's cable, the images are more dense, with better focus, and the overall presentation has more jump and better detail discernability.       

[preproman]

Any idea when the Off Ramp 6 will be released?

[audioengr]

Any idea when the Off Ramp 6 will be released?

Probably late in the year, maybe 6 months.  Lots of design work going on, including custom XMOS chip design.

Steve N.

[tpaxadpom]

Steve, are you still planning on sending me Offramp 5 for AP measuements?

[JPS]

Hi Steve,

Will there be a possibility to trade in my OR5 towards the purchase of an OR6?
Or should I go for the OT mod right away?

Best regards,

Jean-Pierre

[path73]

Just some feedback, now that I got my SM back with the OT mod (my DAC does not allow for OTL) and new EA digital coax cable.

I must say I am absolutely blown away by the effect of the latest mods, which puts the SM in an entirely different class now. What surprizes me most is the extension in perceived bandwidth and absolute clarity and density at both ends of the spectrum, as if I had upgraded the amp and the speakers as well. And best of all, the rather polite sound of my modded Northstar DAC is now explosive and incredibly live sounding with a rock solid sound stage even when I move around in my room. WOW!
Such extremely low degree of jitter somehow reveals musically interesting, subtle and involving aspects in just about every recording I listened to, across all genres. Even very low volume listening is now possible, no need to turn it up to get fully immersed in musical enjoyment.

I took the time to compare EA's new digital coax to my silver reference Cabledyne cable (about same price) and the difference is substantial. There's no going back for me, Steve's got a winner there!

The least I could say is that my latest investment definitely does not follow the law of diminishing returns. Not at all.

/patrick

[audioengr]

Steve, are you still planning on sending me Offramp 5 for AP measuements?

Yes, but I need to keep one for the Newport Beach show (can't risk it) as well as ship one to the EMC labs for radiation testing.

I'll have to build another one or two when the orders slow.  Did you want the OTL version?

Steve N.

[tpaxadpom]

No preferences on my end. Whichever one measures and/or sounds better. You can send me both as it doesn't take a whole lot of time to measure them once setup is ready. My dac at home has input transformers on both aes/ebu and spdif inputs. I have squeezebox transporter at work I can connect it to and provide jitter plots on the analog out.

[audioengr]

No preferences on my end. Whichever one measures and/or sounds better. You can send me both as it doesn't take a whole lot of time to measure them once setup is ready. My dac at home has input transformers on both aes/ebu and spdif inputs. I have squeezebox transporter at work I can connect it to and provide jitter plots on the analog out.

Perfect, then OTL it is.  I really wanted to ship you a Hynes supply with it.  I only have one and I don't know when I'll get the next one.

Steve N.

[dr.z]

Hi Steve,

Will the new OT mod come up on the SMR order page? Thanks!

Charles

[audioengr]

Hi Steve,

Will the new OT mod come up on the SMR order page? Thanks!

Charles

Its standard now.  The only option is OTL.

Steve N.

[JPS]

Hi Steve,

Is it worth sending you my OR5 right away for OT mod or better to wait for OR6? (How much better will it be?)

Do you plan to offer upgrade plans from OR5 to OR6 in the future?

Best regards,

Jean-Pierre

[audioengr]

Hi Steve,

Is it worth sending you my OR5 right away for OT mod or better to wait for OR6? (How much better will it be?)

Do you plan to offer upgrade plans from OR5 to OR6 in the future?

Best regards,

Jean-Pierre

I think the mod is worth it.  The OR5 will be upgradable to OR6, but it will not be cheap, probably $500 upgrade.  It will be quite a few months before OR6 is available.  No telling if it will sound better or not.

Steve N.

[kzhtoo]

SM OTL mod is absolutely fantastic! Wholeheartedly agree with path73 and others. I did not order (or try) his new BNC cable from Steve however.

BTW, can't wait for the day Steve is able to ship out Paul Hynes 12v supply.

[preproman]

does anyone know the difference between Spartan6 FPGA and XMOS?  Is DSD support the only difference, does one sound better than the other?