What does make a difference to the SBT ?

[bencat]

Right I am fairly new to the SBT and have gone through the first phase of looking at what can be done to change it in search of an improvement. I have and still feel that at this stage and while the unit has a warrantee I will not consider any physical change to the unit such as new clock etc . I will now list the things I think make a difference to me in my system that keep me happy . I make no claim that they are universal and I have not proof other than my own opinion .

1 ) Use the digital output of the SBT to an outboard Dac . In my system the analogue out is grey and pretty ordinary with no real depth and no imaging that I could discern . Digital out is something else again the sound stage opens out and becomes a real acoustic voices become natural and bass suddenly is not only their but intergrates with the rest of the music and drives it on . Turning the analogue output off and digital output only makes a small but worth while difference (this can be done through either Toolbox 3.0 or the Triode Enhanced Digital output App)

2) Set the unit to fixed 100 audio output . This is simple to do through the settings under Audio Settings and makes a very big difference have the SBT on full output and use your pre amp to change volume it makes things much more dynamic better bass and just more music .

There are lots of other tweeks and changes you can make which all have very small changes but only you can decide in your system if they make things better . In my system I found them just to be different so I just ignore them .

I would ceertainly like to try an outboard power supply and the one that is designed by JS seems sensible . However there is no way I am going to buy one for more than the cost of the SBT itself in the hope it will make a small improvement. For that money it will have to make a really big improvement and so far no one seems to be saying this is the case .

[misterpete]

I would certainly agree with your last point.

[Pelagic]

Rioja and darkness makes a difference. Richard Hawley is sounding in fine fettle tonight.

[adamdea]

Inguz makes a difference, as does a proper DAC I think (I am not 100% but I go with it) Fixed volume - hmmmmmmm. I remembers some when people were reporting great improvement for this under tt2.0 until it was pointed out that all it was doing was fixing a number in a line of code. Later versions apparently do something more, but the idea that there is anything wrong with a digital volume control is highly dubious.
i can see the sense in turning off whichever output you are not using too, given that it is so easy.

[Chumpy]

SBT - many analogue/human people will not yet know what this is - I for instance via e.g. Google search find no enlightenment.

Do you mean possibly STB?

[popper]

Playing music from a USB memory stick as opposed to NAS, as I discovered yesterday.

[killie99]

^^ SBT = SqueezeBox Touch

[bencat]

Pelagic - Ribero Del Duero for me but could slum it and face the Rioja , I agree Richard Hawley does sound very good . The fixed volume thing has nothing to do with tt.03 or any other App it is the simple change on settings under audio for 100% fixed output. It makes a difference for me in my system because if gives me greater fine control of the volume with my Pre Amp stepped attenuator and I then get the system to a louder volume which on some recordings (bop til you drop being a classic point) is needed to offset the low recorded level . I am not saying the digital volume is good or bad just that I prefer to have the control at my pre rather than the SBT

[pgarrish]

Playing music from a USB memory stick as opposed to NAS, as I discovered yesterday.

How did you find that? I find the complete opposite - i normally run Logitech Media Server on a PC over ethernet. Using an SD card and running LMS on the touch was horrible. A really gritty, nasty sound.

[johnniebaby]

SBT - many analogue/human people will not yet know what this is - I for instance via e.g. Google search find no enlightenment.

Do you mean possibly STB?

Wibble.

[Pelagic]

Pelagic - Ribero Del Duero for me but could slum it and face the Rioja , I agree Richard Hawley does sound very good . The fixed volume thing has nothing to do with tt.03 or any other App it is the simple change on settings under audio for 100% fixed output. It makes a difference for me in my system because if gives me greater fine control of the volume with my Pre Amp stepped attenuator and I then get the system to a louder volume which on some recordings (bop til you drop being a classic point) is needed to offset the low recorded level . I am not saying the digital volume is good or bad just that I prefer to have the control at my pre rather than the SBT

I hear what you are saying bencat, and genrally run my pre-amp connected Squeezeboxes at 100% attenuation. Otherwise the common wisdom is that for 16 bit music anything above 70% on SBT volume retains bit perfect resolution. Below that can give loss:

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?p=173402

I also use LMS track volume gain occasionally for the scenario with Bop til Drop, that you mention.

[popper]

I'm having trouble with my NAS and can't currenly use it with the SBT. So I saved a couple of albums onto a USB memory stick, plugged it at the back of the Touch... and was gobsmacked! There's more of everything, really.

Totally agree about SD cards, though. I tried one earlier today out of curiosity and was unimpressed.

No expectation bias was involved, btw. In fact, I was a bit annoyed at the QNAP playing up, but now I'm even grateful to it.

I have no idea what's going on, though, and can't see any reason why it should be this way (electrical noise from the NAS?), but I definitely hear an improvement while using a USB memory stick. Can't do a direct A/B though as the NAS is still on the blink.

How did you find that? I find the complete opposite - i normally run Logitech Media Server on a PC over ethernet. Using an SD card and running LMS on the touch was horrible. A really gritty, nasty sound.

[adamdea]

The fixed volume thing has nothing to do with tt.03 or any other App it is the simple change on settings under audio for 100% fixed output. It makes a difference for me in my system because if gives me greater fine control of the volume with my Pre Amp stepped attenuator and I then get the system to a louder volume which on some recordings (bop til you drop being a classic point) is needed to offset the low recorded level . I am not saying the digital volume is good or bad just that I prefer to have the control at my pre rather than the SBT

as opposed to

2) Set the unit to fixed 100 audio output . This is simple to do through the settings under Audio Settings and makes a very big difference have the SBT on full output and use your pre amp to change volume it makes things much more dynamic better bass and just more music .

EDIT: sorry not really trying to start an argument , but you can see how one might have thought you were claiming there was something wrong with the volume control. Incidentally TT3 and others have sought to bypass the volume control completely.

[khfm865]

Rioja and darkness makes a difference. Richard Hawley is sounding in fine fettle tonight.

Good choice of toons

[bencat]

as opposed to



EDIT: sorry not really trying to start an argument , but you can see how one might have thought you were claiming there was something wrong with the volume control. Incidentally TT3 and others have sought to bypass the volume control completely.

Sorry just me not expressing myself clearly and then when I see other peoples comments realising that it sounds different to what I meant. I mean as I corrected using SBT at 100% fixed volume not a critique of the digital volume just a comment that this set works best for me.

It would seem there is a real reason why using over 70% volume output would be better but I was not aware of that . As explained I used it mainly for the additional control it gave me which enabled the sound to grow the way I would like as the wick gets turned up , and after the third glass you know the wicj is going to be turned up.

[adamdea]

Fair dos I have a passive pre which I set to roughly the level where 100% is max I would generally want and use the touch volume control to reduce it to normal level using touch. That way I only have to change the pre if I am wanting to play particularly loud.

[ncdrawl]

Get an outboard DAC and use inguz for your room. the DAC on the SBT is great (with the data to back it up) but if you want to remove those worms that invade your mind and order you to change something...

the PSU thing is smoke and mirrors in my experience. the SMPS on the SBT is faultless. I do have an external one, but id have no problems whatsoever if a thief took it or the goddamn thing vanished.

the thing that will make the most difference is your stopping being a goddamn obsessive compulsive oddiophile




seriously man, trust me on this. your system is excellent. and by man, i mean all you, man.

[bencat]

Hi Teddy thanks for the wise words but it is easier said than done to stop being so obsessive it got my system to the level it is now and it is difficult to just relax and enjoy it . I am getting better and prefer the Triode app over Toolbox 3.0 as it is just easier to use and change if you want to . I agree about the power supply and will not be doing anything about that unless i get a proper risk free home demo and I can really hear a difference if not then it goes back .
Still prefer the Out Board Dac I use it still sounds to me anyway so much better than the the SBT alone.