Lynx E22 For Mac (computer to DAC)

Couldn't leave well enough alone. Made this to replace the bulky breakout cable. Much cleaner, but I'll have to add a BNC for a clock input at some point.

 

@bazelio - I love that. Can you tell me what components you bought to build that cable?

 

Let's see...

From Handmade Electronics:
24 AWG 99.995% solid core silver wire
22 AWG teflon tube
Black heatshrink tube

Mouser part numbers:
D-sub backshell 571-2198617-9
HD15 D-sub connector 806-K86X-EA-15P
Male XLR connector 523-AC3MMBJ-AU (Neutrik may be preferred by some)

From my 2nd grade daughter:
Lesson in braiding


EDIT: You can also coat the silver with mineral oil as you insert it into the teflon ... if you think wire rattling is a real thing ... Jorma will charge you $1000 at their entry level to fix that "problem".

 

Thanks! I intend to build one with clock input, and your BOM is a good starting point.

 

That's disturbingly pretty for what it is, the braiding tutor is clearly strong in the force!

 

Will using an external clock further improve the sound quality (at least in theory)? If so, what are some of the affordable clock models you recommend? I've never used an external clock before so it's not really up my alley.

 

Clock input is a little different. There I think we want to take care to use parallel termination resistance matched to the line impedance. I actually don't feel really comfy about DIYing the clock cable without being able to perform square wave measurements. So, reclocking through Mutec via a word clock may make an external clock to the E22 moot, and I might prefer to go that route. E.g. E22 -> Mutec clocked by word clock -> Yggdrasil. This is getting a bit silly/costly though.

 

I'll start with the Lynx cable and see where the OCX clock takes me before I bother making a cable.

Have you figured out BNC yet? I'll be going into my Gungnir Multibit, so I picked up an AES/BNC transformer as a backup plan, just in case. I'll be motivated to figure it out, so I'll share here if I get it working. Probably won't be able to do this until the end of next week - still waiting on the parts.

 

I might just chop off the breakout cable's BNC clock in connector at 6" or so, solder it in, and rely on the 75R word clock cable termination. Breaking out a couple feet like they do on the stock cable is a little unintuitive. Also, I think BNC is just for word clock IO, so you might want to RTFM to be sure, but I think you will need that transformer if you don't have a Mutec. Since I don't care about SPDIF for data, I haven't really looked further.

 

Doh! I was reading through the manual to sort that out, unsuccessfully. I'm afraid you're correct.

It's a shame switching from AES to SPDIF output requires the chassis to be opened up. The E44 would eliminate the need for that, but at a higher price. For me it might be worth creating a switch to mount to the chassis, and run it to the jumpers and dip switch.

 

@bazelio - have you tried analog output from the E22, direct to an amp?

 

Couldn't leave well enough alone.... LPS now powering the E22 chassis. Do I hear something different ........ Yes. Yes, I do.



@badf00d No. No, I have not.

 

Hopefully you results will be better than the Teddy Pardo. The sonic improvement were not so evident compared to the amps.

Never had much success with TP power supplies and digital stuff.

 

Not sure about TP power supplies. With this LPS sonic differences are evident, however I'm not ready to say the differences are necessarily improvements. I tired of trying to A/B back and forth pretty quickly. Quick summary is more of everything, and with HD600 a bass boost was what hit me first. Greater detail accentuation next. And overall, perhaps a bit less laid back. Need more time and patience me thinks. @RKML0007 vociferously chastised me for initially thinking I preferred the cheapo SMPS. ;-)

 

Oh great, just when I thought I was done for. Do I have to open up my wallet again? Ugh...

 

No, don't bust out the wallet. The more I've listened and A/B'd between PSUs, I can still see why some would prefer the sound with the cheapo SMPS. And I can't see anyone saying they don't hear any difference. I'm starting to appreciate the LPS more than at first. I don't know what you'd prefer.

 

So not necessarily better, but different you say. Not an upgrade but a sidegrade. Care to elaborate this difference then?

 

What LPS are you using? Curious to hear more thoughts as you continue to listen.

 

The supplied SMPS works surprisingly well, given how "normal" and small it looks.
The SMPS that comes with the offramp looks way more solid, for instance.

The MCRU power supplies are great.

 

@songmic @MellowVelo

I am using an AMB Sigma11 LPS.

I'm curious to get additional ears on this, and actually (as always) @drfindley 's rig would be the definitive platform for evaluation. But in my case, while I still await the Utopia arrival, I'm using HD600s, ZDS, Yggdrasil. So, take "September in Montreal", Anne Bisson. Fantastically textured as is the whole album, really. It's a must hear on vinyl IMO, but I digress. Anyhow, there's a bass line in that song that popped out with the LPS. I was telling @RKML0007 that I don't think I'd really noticed it before with the SMPS. And I can confirm it by going back and forth between them. But, again, HD600s here and perhaps YMMV. Then, the little micro details like lips smacking during vocals and so forth are clearer. In general, and to be trite and boring, a light veil is lifted by the LPS. But which is "better"? On the one hand I can see someone preferring the more laid back sound you get with the stock SMPS. I really thought I did at first. Take another song, "I Remember", Damien Rice. Right at 0:48 there's a background noise off mic which sounds like something was knocked over in the sound booth(?). That noise had previously tricked me in to whirling around (it images behind me) in my chair, thinking someone was trying to get in my front door which is down a hallway from my office. Now, with the LPS, that background noise is just over my shoulder - right behind me. Which is correct? What is that noise? I don't know. Anyhow, overall, I think now prefer the LPS. The light veil or haze that is lifted seems preferable. The low end resolution enhancement is welcome in my system. But I still get a bit of that "in your face" sensation that wasn't there with the SMPS. And again, I'm really curious to see if I'm completely nuts and hear the deltas in a system like @drfindley 's. That'd really help validate what I'm hearing, or perhaps change my mind. Shitty writeup, I know. Feel free to dislike. Ha.