[davehg]

It was great to meet Wayne at VSAC. He was closing down his room by the time I showed up later Sunday afternoon, but was gracious to let me in, let me bend his ear, and sell me a Bybee filter to use with my MENSA. (Wayne, don't forget to bill me). This is the filter that you place in between your transport's digital cable and your MENSA.

I was excited to try out the filter, since I have few tweaks left to try. It seems well made, with nice connectors. I forgot to ask whether to place it on the transport output, or on the MENSA input. I tried both, and seemed to get more differences placing on the transport's digital output. I use a .5 meter run of Wayne's Type 1 digital cable in between the MENSA and my DVD transport.

First impressions were mixed. I couldn't decide if I heard a difference, but my system was not warmed up. After cooking it a few hours, I returned and did quick A/B comparisons, quickly removing the BYBEE filter and listening after first listening to a few selections without the Bybee. Tweaks like this seem subtle compared to larger tweaks such as new cables. I would place the changes I heard on the magnitude of what I heard when I used the HALO tube dampers. Not insignificant, but it took a while to allow my ears to hear differences.

So what did I hear? Bass became more defined; I could follow certain bass lines that seem to blur when I removed the Bybee. Voices became more focused. Certainly more air around the instruments and voices.  The real test came when I played a DVD-A and compared the player (a top end Technics DVD A10, used by JA as his reference transport and no slouch when playing DVD-A's) with the MENSA. In most cases, the MENSA kills the Technics on Redbook CD, but the Technics noticeably betters the MENSA when playing DVD-A's (as it should, since DVD-A is a much higher resolution source). With the Bybee filter installed, the differences shrank considerably. Playing the DVD-A disc through the MENSA (the Technics downsamples the digital output to 48 khz), the MENSA now had the airiness and effortless sound I heard when playing DVD-A's at full resolution (not via the MENSA).

Mind you, the Bybee won't make bad recordings sound good. It seems to make bad recordings sound less bad, and makes great recordings sound great. I really noticed the Bybee when I finally removed it after an extended listening session, then listened to one of the cuts again without it. Not as clean. It removes a layer of grunge; maybe this is what people mean when they refer to a lower noise floor.

So is the Bybee worth the $$$? I wish I had tried a Type 1 cable with the filter already installed inline (Wayne says it sounds better than with the Outboard filter I used). But as tweaks go, this one works. I'll try a few more extended sessions and see if my initial thoughts change.

System: VAC Avatar SE/Merlin TSM M with REL Strata III/MENSA/Technics DVD A10/Acoustic Zen Silver Reference IC's and Satori Shotgun speaker cable.

[davehg]

Wayne, do you have recommendations on which end to place the Bybee? On the transport side, or on the MENSA side?

[Wayne1]

Hello Dave,

I have found that the Inline Bybee Purifier tends to sound a bit better when it is used on the input to the Mensa. That Purifier you have was broken in and used in that direction.

Thanks again for stopping by the room. I do hope your wife and new child are doing well.

Wayne

[Jay S]

Dave,

Glad you like the in line bybee.  I found that in my system it worked best at the input of the Mensa.  I agree with your findings.  I also noticed clearer and cleaner highs as well as a more 3D soundstage.  

By the way, you mentioned that your system was not warmed up when you first listened to the inline bybee.  I found that the Mensa Plus takes a few days to fully warm up and sound its best.  Surely, an hour or two is not enough.  

We're going to do a comparison of the Mensa Plus vs the smART here in HK on Nov 1.  I'm going to lend my Mensa Plus to the owner of the smART a few days in advance so that it will be fully warmed up for the comparison.

By the way, I'm now using a Napalm rather than a "regular Bolder digital cable + inline bybee.

[davehg]

Hi Jay. My MENSA is always left plugged in; but the rest of the system is powered down after I am done listening. I agree; the MENSA should always be left on. I really do need to remind myself about the value of breaking in a new component, and waiting to form opinions.

With much more time spent breaking in the bybee (and probably more break in to come), the differences are now much more notable, especially in two key areas.

The first is in the bass detail: bass notes are certainly better defined, but the really cool thing I now hear is better resolution of the resonation of bass strings, and the decay of notes. The second is related: the decay of notes and the air surrounding percussion, especially cymbals and things like cow bells being struck. I can now clearly hear lots more decay of notes and detail. Instruments that sound flatter without the bybee now sound more dimensional with it. Very cool. Oh, I can hear the recording environment better, especially with acoustic recordings in small halls.

(When a component accomplishes this detail, a neat thing happens. Your system sounds more musical, and better communicates the energy of the music. With bass notes bristling with more detail, the pace seems quicker and the recorded performances take on more of the feeling, emotion, and energy I associate with live performances. It becomes harder to focus on the evaluation instead of the music, always a good sign.)

So I will "up" my first impressions: the Digital Bybee Purifier for me is now on the same level as a major cable upgrade. I am dying to know what a pair can do bridged across the speaker posts. Crap, this is gonna get more expensive...