Devialet Chat

I used the supplied Crystal cable far too long, hoping that it might improve, or that I would get used to it. It produced on my system a thin sound, with a glassy treble more in keeping with a budget system. But on some recordings it sounded OK.

I have no soldering skills, so for experiments with the AES/EBU interface, I have used Neutrik adapters. These probably introduce their own colourations, but for the purposes of experiment I went ahead.

I first used an Atlas Mavros digital RCA cable connected via an adapter to the companion AES/EBU. This produced a significant improvement, a fuller sound with less of the glass edge.

I then tried a length of Chord Indigo balanced cable, a relic from a previous system that I have not got around to selling yet, and it is an analog cable. It is of low capacitance and my layman's knowledge of how impedance works leads me to believe that it may have a higher impedance as a result.

I tried it via another Neutrik adapter, this time on the master end, and the results were great, a full sound with a detailed but well controlled treble. Placing RF chokes on each end also resulted in another small improvement. This should not really work, but it does for me.

I wonder how much electrical noise/RF affects this interface, maybe even noise generated by the Master. There has been some correspondence in the HiFi press recently, where the idea was suggested that the differences between cables were really how good they were at suppressing this noise. I don't know.

I must also say I have had little problem with the configurator, but I do work with software as a living, so maybe I am used to quirky interfaces. I don't use SAM, not sure if that affects the bug. I always save the files locally into a folder named to describe what the config is and with subfolders for Master and Companion. I then copy both to the SD cards and switch off both amps at the wall, replace the cards and let them boot at the same time on the new config. I say this in case it might work for others as it does for me.

(15-Dec-2014, 11:44)smokejumper Wrote: [ -> ]I tried it via another Neutrik adapter, this time on the master end, and the results were great, a full sound with a detailed but well controlled treble. Placing RF chokes on each end also resulted in another small improvement. This should not really work, but it does for me.

Hi Smokejumper

Can you please elaborate more on the the second option using the analogue cable as it is not clear to me what is it exactly that you did

I'm not sure how can you use the AES/EBU on the master unit to link the slave?

Thanks

I used an adapter with an RCA male on one side and an XLR male on the other at the Master. Then a balanced cable with the male end connected to the Companion and the female end to the adapter on the Master.

I did not use the AES/EBU to connect the master to the cable, I used digital1 via the adapter.

(15-Dec-2014, 12:53)smokejumper Wrote: [ -> ]I used an adapter with an RCA male on one side and an XLR male on the other at the Master. Then a balanced cable with the male end connected to the Companion and the female end to the adapter on the Master.

I did not use the AES/EBU to connect the master to the cable, I used digital1 via the adapter.

Clear now thanks!

What do you reckon is the impedance of the analogue cable used?

Out of the very few things we get from Devialet on this topic was their recommendation to use 75 ohm cable and not 110ohm.

(15-Dec-2014, 13:11)amabrok Wrote: [ -> ]Out of the very few things we get from Devialet on this topic was their recommendation to use 75 ohm cable and not 110ohm.

Err.. according to Mikeeo in post 131 above, Devialet told him to use 110 ohm cable.

I really don't know. It's just a supposition that the impedance will be higher because the capacitance is low - according to wikipedia, the impedance for a low resistance line is the square root of the inductance divided by the capacitance, so low capacitance gives higher impedance if the inductance is the same.
This may be flawed though, I'm not an expert and I don't really want a thread to appear about this...

I thought Thierry had suggested a 110 ohm cable if it were attached to the AES/EBU on the companion, but maybe I'm mistaken.

(15-Dec-2014, 13:51)smokejumper Wrote: [ -> ]I really don't know. It's just a supposition that the impedance will be higher because the capacitance is low - according to wikipedia, the impedance for a low resistance line is the square root of the inductance divided by the capacitance, so low capacitance gives higher impedance if the inductance is the same.
This may be flawed though, I'm not an expert and I don't really want a thread to appear about this...

I thought Thierry had suggested a 110 ohm cable if it were attached to the AES/EBU on the companion, but maybe I'm mistaken.

Yes, Thierry's suggestion was for RCA-XLR connection. I misunderstood your earlier post, sorry ;

(15-Dec-2014, 13:49)PhilP Wrote: [ -> ]

(15-Dec-2014, 13:11)amabrok Wrote: [ -> ]Out of the very few things we get from Devialet on this topic was their recommendation to use 75 ohm cable and not 110ohm.

Err.. according to Mikeeo in post 131 above, Devialet told him to use 110 ohm cable.

Hi PhilP,

thanks for pointing this out. but i also refer to earlier posts on this thread by Ian reminding us to use 75 ohm cable and I believe Mikeeo is using a DIY VHAudio 75 ohm cable.

And in all honesty if this proves anything it only proves what a poor job is Devialet doing to address this technical conundrum we have here !

(15-Dec-2014, 14:18)amabrok Wrote: [ -> ]And in all honesty if this proves anything it only proves what a poor job is Devialet doing to address this technical conundrum we have here !

All the more irritating because it's a condundrum they're entirely responsible for

Anyone came across this XLR-to-RCA cable adapter from Cabledyne?



http://www.cabledyne.com/rca-xlr-adapter.html

I wonder how would that fair as a master/slave link?