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WHAT IS THE TRUE EXPERIMENTAL TWEAK THREAD ALL ABOUT? I have always wanted a thread where any subject is possible. No experiment is too crazy to add here. No idea is too bold to reveal. Take it away! Enlight your thoughts and share your ideas how to improve SQ and how not to. Anyone can encurage and educate you but no one should let you down, deminage you or simply move you to another thread. Everyone is welcome as long as they accepts a different way of thinking! TOPIC DIGEST With a little help of @austinpop I have realised that this thread is all over the place. Even if this is one of the fundamental ideas behind this thread, it could be a good idea to sum-up the things that have proven to be beneficial to SQ in this thread. I will keep it plain & simple. Remember that these are essentially my own findings in my own setup with Tidal FLAC and Tidal MQA as source. As always YMMV! LAN 1. Cat 6a U/UTP 500Mhz ethernet cables sounds better than Cat5, Cat5E, Cat6 & Cat7+ in my setup. Ghent Audio Cat 6a ET02 with JSSG shielding and Metz plugs rules them all. 2. Network switch improve SQ with input on port 1 and output on the last port. Possible explanation is QoS and also that the ports are in different magnetic boxes inside the switch. 3. Using a AQVOX switch with better clock improves SQ compared to a D-Link DSG-105 network switch. 4. A wireless adapter/wireless bridge/router in client mode into a network switch sounds better than battery powered FMCs and hardwired LAN. 5. Router vastly improves SQ with a floating LPS and even more if the floating PSU is connected to a DC blocker trap filter. IME a router upgrade could be beneficial to SQ. 6. Galvanic isolation/DC blocker in the signal path pre the router improves SQ. 7. Wireless adapter vastly improves connected to a floating IT. 8. RJ45 socket enhancers seems to be more efficient on port 4 & 5. Don't ask me why! GND 1. Grounding a metal chassi network switch to a tourmaline grounding box greatly improves SQ. 2. Different tourmaline grounding boxes improves the sound signature in different ways. 3. Grounding the DC negative terminal of the floating SMPS works great. In my setup it sounds best connected to a grounding box instead of to the power strip safety ground receptacle. Just be aware of possible leakage loops between various network devices. A big thanks @JohnSwenson for this tip. USB 1. Covering the outer USB barrels with electrical tape improves SQ slightly with unshielded USB cables. Capasitive coupling between metal barrel and pins? 2. Uptone Audio´s USPCB improves SQ. 3. ATL Hi-Fi´s 8 conductor USB cable with dual unconnected shields (5v+GND & Data- & Data+) with JSSG loop improved SQ compared to other longer (<50cm) USB cables that I´ve tried. DC 1. Network switch sounds best with dual floating PSUs or battery power (but very important to disconnect the battery charger while listening to music). Dual floating PSU is slightly better than battery power, but battery power is slightly better than single floating PSU. 2. Powering several devices with a single floating SMPS sounds better than powering the very same devices with several battery supplies. Also, powering several devices with a single battery supply sounds better than using multiple identical battery supplies. Self-inflicted noise? 3. Canare 4S6 starquad does improve SQ where ever applied. Canare 4S6 with JSSG seems to be even more effective. Thanks to@JohnSwenson! 4. Grounding the DC negative output of a floating SMPS improves SQ. Grounding the chassi/case decrease SQ. Be aware of shared ground paths since this could potensially decrease SQ. 5. Dual LT3045 ultra-low noise voltage regulators in series with 1v drop-down close to the powered device improves SQ quite dramaticly. 6. Kemet aluminium Polymer caps A750 series (25v 560uF) vastly improves LT3045 when added at the DC output. On single LT3045 the Kemet improves on both in- and output. 7. Panasonic FC series type A aluminium electrolytic caps improves on the PSU output terminals. AC 1. A DC blocker trap filter pre a safety isolation transformer improves SQ even though it is dead silent (no hum). DC blockers trap filter pre a floating PSU into a router vastly improves SQ. DC stress reliever? 2. SQ improves when battery chargers is connected to a separate powerstrip connected directly to the AC wall outlet, bypassing the isolation transformer completely. 3. A safety isolation transformer with floating secondary improves SQ more than a Ultra Isolation transformer. A balanced isolation transformer with floating center-tap rules them all! 4. Daisy chained floating grounds (dual floating grounds) sounds better than a single floating ground. In my setup floating SMPS's improve SQ connected to a floating IT, even surpassing battery supplies. Thanks for the suggestion @lmitche! 5. AC mains starquad power cables greatly improves SQ. 6. AC mains voltage regulators improves SQ on the signal chain. Even cheaper versions are effective. Not as effective on high power devices such as active speakers and amp due to a still unknown reason.

I’d like to share simple tips to improve micro SD for better sound quality, more reliable performance and save your DAP and micro SD’s lifespan. Sounds too good to be true? Let’s find out. 1. Format micro SD with exFAT filesystem with 128kb cluster size 2. Copy your music to micro SD card 3. Use DiskFresh to refresh data writing from physical drive directly without partition mapping They’re all free and and you can notice that device will becoming more stable with less playback glitches and also sounds great. Share this tips to your audiophile friends if it works for you. Regards, Keetakawee

This post (not in any way singling out the author - just using it as a good example) got me thinking about an all too often forgotten aspect of our total listening environment and end to end systems: What about the listening shirt? As we all know clothes make the man, and by extension they contribute to how in touch you are with your musical systems. Sure, the room, amp, source, cables - all these things are important but let us not forget the little things. After all, it is all about the music! So what do you guys have on when you sit down in your listening chair? Do you find that the material of your shirt (e.g. classic cotton, or a modern polyester blend) or the color is more important? What gets you closer to that "being there" musicality we are all after - button down or wife beater? Please no scoffers or objectivist ranting please - it ALL matters! If you don't like the air up here in Hi Fi, perhaps you should craw back under your mid fi rock...

Just came across these fancy "audiophile" fuses. Is anyone familiar with these? Are they reliable? Do they make an audible improvement in sound? http://www.synergisticresearch.com/fuses/red/ I am of course a bit skeptical, especially given the prices.

<p><a href="/monthly_2014_12/58cd9bc8d7baf_ScreenShot2014-12-18at2_04_23PM.png.02fba4ecfe8c901197fc96352c848cbf.png" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="28310" src="/monthly_2014_12/58cd9bc8d7baf_ScreenShot2014-12-18at2_04_23PM.png.02fba4ecfe8c901197fc96352c848cbf.png" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> Before you Start ... Take a look at the well-hidden Computer Audiophile Academy: Basics Introduction There is a lot of mythology surrounding computer audio. This is too bad, because it is very simple to do. Take a look around any community college campus; almost every student is using computer audio without any fanfare, either directly via their iPhone (or iPod), via their computer, or via some sort of streaming service to an iPhone or computer. They don't really have to do anything in terms of preparation. If you want to use your Apple computer to play music out of its tiny tinny little speakers (which on my iMac actually sound fairly decent), or via your headphones, all you have to do is fire up iTunes. If you have a cable with a minijack at one end and RCA jacks at the other, you can do the same thing with your home stereo. Everything else is simply a refinement of the same procedure. One improvement in terms of electrical noise and possibly inherent sound quality is to use an external DAC (digital analogue converter), which you can connect to via USB, via optical (most Apple computers have a mini-jack that doubles as optical out), HDMI, or via USB/coax converter. How to set up OS X to work with your external DAC or AVR receiver If you have a stand-alone external DAC or DAC that is part of an integrated stereo system, chances are that it will use USB input, and/or optical and/or coax digital inputs, whereas if your DAC is part of an AVR, it most likely will offer HDMI and/or optical and/or coax digital inputs. Whichever is the case, the setup procedure is basically the same. What they all have in common is that you select the output device using a program located in the Utilities folder of the Applications folder on the main systems drive. The name of the program is called Audio MIDI Setup. You can open it quickly just by typing "Audio MIDI Setup" in Spotlight. It might be a good idea to keep it available in your Dock for future use. Note: You (probably) don't need a "Driver" Unless you are using an unusual interface or DAC, it is very unlikely that you will need to install any software at all to use it. If you are shopping for DACS or USB converters, place a high priority on those that don't require software drivers, which can cause huge headaches when the manufacturer doesn't keep up with operating system upgrades. Note: You don't need an expensive cable. <p><a href="/monthly_2014_12/Huckster.jpg.f3524eeb02fc3fe5f40c3ec65b88d02b.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="28311" src="/monthly_2014_12/Huckster.jpg.f3524eeb02fc3fe5f40c3ec65b88d02b.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> If you are spending more than $10 or $20 on a digital cable, you are paying for branding, jewelry or bragging rights. The differences you hear almost certainly will disappear when you close your eyes. Any competently manufactured cable will be good enough (eg: Bluejeans Cable, Monoprice, etc.) If you do decide to blow a wad of cash on a digital cable, at least become familiar with what a non-designer cable sounds like first, so you can compare. Do a double-blind test. Ask for objective measurements. Anyone who really makes something superior should be more than happy to prove it to you on your terms, not theirs. a. If you have a USB DAC or USB coax converter or other USB bridge <p><a href="/monthly_2014_12/MIDI_bridge.png.6c5fb49dcab6cedf2a60c9c0f4633e3f.png" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="28309" src="/monthly_2014_12/MIDI_bridge.png.6c5fb49dcab6cedf2a60c9c0f4633e3f.png" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> Select the name of your USB device, and set it as the default audio output. If there is an option for bit depth settings, set it to 24 bit (or higher if your DAC will allow it). Set the sampling frequency to the highest value your DAC allows (or highest in your audio file collection). If you have only mp3, AAC, or CD rips, 44,100 is all you need. If you set it higher (or in general to a different value), the system will resample your music. b. If you have an HDMI receiver or integrated amp <p><a href="/monthly_2014_12/MIDI_HDMI.png.6d867ca38dcfc72f85fa330d4f02a849.png" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="28307" src="/monthly_2014_12/MIDI_HDMI.png.6d867ca38dcfc72f85fa330d4f02a849.png" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> If you instead have an HDMI device, and your computer (mac mini or macbook pro) has an HDMI output, you can instead use this. If there is an option for bit depth settings, set it to 24 bit (or higher if your DAC will allow it). Set the sampling frequency to the highest value your DAC allows (or highest in your audio file collection). If you have only mp3, AAC, or CD rips, 44,100 is all you need, but you might be better off setting it to 48,000 Hz, for movie playback. If you set it higher (or in general to a different value), the system will resample your music. c. If you are using optical output to your DAC or receiver <p><a href="/monthly_2014_12/MIDI_builtin.png.6c8c70019c9579a3a4b7ca8b7c34c700.png" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="28308" src="/monthly_2014_12/MIDI_builtin.png.6c8c70019c9579a3a4b7ca8b7c34c700.png" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> If you are using the optical output (via the audio mini-jack, which doubles as an optical output), this will appear as "Build-in Output" or possibly "Digital Output" in the Audio MIDI Setup interface, which can be a bit confusing. The bit depth setting should be set to 24 bit. Set the sampling frequency to the highest value your DAC allows (or highest in your audio file collection). In general, optical output with Mac OS X doesn't go above 96000 Hz. If you have only mp3, AAC, or CD rips, 44,100 is all you need, but you might be better off setting it to 96,000 Hz anyway, depending on the DAC. The system will resample your music, but this process is transparent (at least I have never been able to hear differences). How to maximize playback quality a. Deactivate iTunes sound effects: a good idea Assuming you are using iTunes, it is a good idea to turn off all of the playback "features" like fading and equalization. In general, these degrade sound quality. In the iTunes preferences, go to "Playback and uncheck every option: <p><a href="/monthly_2014_12/iTunesPref.png.07f8737ca287ead52ea19ab167e1e15b.png" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="28305" src="/monthly_2014_12/iTunesPref.png.07f8737ca287ead52ea19ab167e1e15b.png" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> b. Deactivate System sound effects: A good idea In System Preferences, de-activate all the sound effects: <p><a href="/monthly_2014_12/SoundEffects.png.e80e54ea6770e83e3bea73f71f6df455.png" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="28306" src="/monthly_2014_12/SoundEffects.png.e80e54ea6770e83e3bea73f71f6df455.png" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> It is also a good idea to divert system alert sounds to some interface other than that which is connected to your $50,000 speakers. (I use "Soundflower", which is an emulated interface available in the form of free software.) c. Notification Center: Do not disturb Although I doubt it would damage the sound quality, the "Notification Center" can be incredibly annoying. You can set it to the "do not disturb" mode, or define your waking hours as the period you do not want to receive notifications. There is also a nuclear option for getting rid of it once and for all. d. Spotlight: Leave it on, but ... Some people suggest turning off Spotlight. I suggest you do not do this, because it will interfere with essential software updates. Instead, go to System Preferences, and configure Spotlight to avoid indexing your music library, and possibly the home directory for the account from which you play music. (In general, it is a good idea to have a separate account for this, if your computer is dedicated to audio and video functions.) e. System files, startup items and system processes: Just don't fuck with them! I personally recommend against deactivating system processes and startup (launchd) items. The claims of sonic improvement are subjective and controversial, and there is absolutely no compelling evidence that any of this improves sound quality. There are several shell scripts floating around that enable the user to blindly make changes; I strongly advise against their use, and I have to say I am really tired of people asking me to help them un-fuck their computers after using these. If you don't understand the syntax of any command that needs an administrative password to implement, please run away from it as fast as you can, and avoid a whole world of hurt. The launchd system that OS X now uses for startup is fundamentally different from what Windows uses or what other unix systems use. These items are designed to run only on demand for the most part, so they do not tax the system. Those who recommend disabling them simply do not understand how OS X works. Similarly, removing Applications and system files will do absolutely nothing other than free up disk space; it cannot affect the sound quality. Leave this stuff alone! f. Hardware tweaks: Hang on to your wallet Having 8 gig of memory may offer advantages. An internal SSD may also be advantageous. Although the case for it improving sound quality is subjective and controversial, it does give you a snappier and more responsive system. Remember that all discs, including SSDs, fail eventually, so be sure to back them up. You may eventually find that having an external drive for audio and video is a must. I personally favor the firewire bus-powered hard drives from Oyen Digital. Other hardware tweaks have been suggested, but I have never found a compelling case for any of them. Various companies that modify mac minis for playback come and go; Apple does not take kindly to this, and they seem to be very good at screwing up your computer and voiding the warranty. My advice is to stay away, and spend your hard-earned cash on some music instead. g. Wireless vs. ethernet cable There is no credible evidence that suggests using wifi on your music playing computer will in any way harm sound quality. If it is convenient to have a wire, go for it, but please do not think it is a requirement. h. Third-party playback software Some people use other player programs rather than, or parasitic upon, iTunes. This is by no means a necessity for high-quality audio playback. At the very least, become very familiar with iTunes, how it sounds, and its limitations, so if you decide to evaluate something that costs money, you can at least make an intelligent comparison. <p><a href="/monthly_2014_12/iTunesPref.png.2816095b112d32e225eb5c12d7470f83.png" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="28555" src="/monthly_2014_12/iTunesPref.png.2816095b112d32e225eb5c12d7470f83.png" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p><p><a href="/monthly_2014_12/SoundEffects.png.b5a0360fc9da7faa21ebd7b4cd4e58e7.png" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="28556" src="/monthly_2014_12/SoundEffects.png.b5a0360fc9da7faa21ebd7b4cd4e58e7.png" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p><p><a href="/monthly_2014_12/MIDI_HDMI.png.1f02ef763e6faca4fa53313e46284876.png" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="28557" src="/monthly_2014_12/MIDI_HDMI.png.1f02ef763e6faca4fa53313e46284876.png" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p><p><a href="/monthly_2014_12/MIDI_builtin.png.616e2a39c90a80477071e05f1d65b430.png" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="28558" src="/monthly_2014_12/MIDI_builtin.png.616e2a39c90a80477071e05f1d65b430.png" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p><p><a href="/monthly_2014_12/MIDI_bridge.png.0b92a6807303c86ed9b7f79f8ce83f15.png" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="28559" src="/monthly_2014_12/MIDI_bridge.png.0b92a6807303c86ed9b7f79f8ce83f15.png" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p><p><a href="/monthly_2014_12/58cd9bd0746d6_ScreenShot2014-12-18at2_04_23PM.png.1b09d6850a97f9bcad0cfd885b725e8e.png" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="28560" src="/monthly_2014_12/58cd9bd0746d6_ScreenShot2014-12-18at2_04_23PM.png.1b09d6850a97f9bcad0cfd885b725e8e.png" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p><p><a href="/monthly_2014_12/Huckster.jpg.0255ce3cda4f2a720c742b4f176f8d44.jpg" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="28561" src="/monthly_2014_12/Huckster.jpg.0255ce3cda4f2a720c742b4f176f8d44.jpg" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p>

Here are two AppleScripts that turn write-protection on and off for your music library. If you want to add or edit stuff, run the script ResetWriteProtectMusic. If you want to protect your music files from accidental alteration or deletion, run the script WriteProtectMusic. These can be placed in the user's ~/Library/iTunes/Scripts directory, and they appear in the iTunes script menu item (here as the bottom two entries): <p><a href="/monthly_2014_07/menu_iTunes_Scripts.png.2ca9ab456e125a704513078a620a72b7.png" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="28275" src="/monthly_2014_07/menu_iTunes_Scripts.png.2ca9ab456e125a704513078a620a72b7.png" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> The AppleScripts (Updated for 10.11 and iTunes 12.3, should be back-compatible): [ATTACH]21546[/ATTACH] The scripts assume a normal iTunes-organized music library, but you can alter them easily enough if your situation is non-standard. It is designed to "just work" for a standard iTunes library, regardless of where you have it located. Here is how this is discovered: The first line contains a line of unix code (embedded as an Osascript) that looks like this: defaults read ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.iApps.plist iTunesRecentDatabases | grep file | perl -p -e 's|file://localhost||g' | perl -p -e 's|iTunes%20Music%20Library.xml||g' | perl -p -e 's|iTunes%20Library.xml||g' | perl -p -e 's| \"||g' | perl -p -e 's|\"||g' It reads the iTunes library XML file to find where you keep your music. On my iMac, it returns this: /Users/wgscott/Music/iTunes/ and on my mac mini, it returns this: /Volumes/Media/iTunes/ <p><a href="/monthly_2014_07/Scripts_7_21_2014_150_zip.7a47d2e5f4ffd7f5bc2819f5dbab584a" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="28276" src="/monthly_2014_07/Scripts_7_21_2014_150_zip.7a47d2e5f4ffd7f5bc2819f5dbab584a" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p><p><a href="/monthly_2014_07/menu_iTunes_Scripts.png.dac64611e7d172b7c96964b624bbee92.png" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="28525" src="/monthly_2014_07/menu_iTunes_Scripts.png.dac64611e7d172b7c96964b624bbee92.png" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p><p><a href="/monthly_2014_07/Scripts_7_21_2014_150_zip.391cdbd313844fce01a19a92c6fcb21e" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="28526" src="/monthly_2014_07/Scripts_7_21_2014_150_zip.391cdbd313844fce01a19a92c6fcb21e" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p>

How to use iTunes on one computer to control Audirvana Plus or other third-party player software on another computer I'm experimenting with using iTunes as a remote-control interface. It has always kind of bothered me that there is no desktop-based version of Apple's Remote.app (like the one on my iPad I can use with Bob Stern's script to control Audirvana). I found a way to trick iTunes into doing this for me, using a simple zsh shell script that you can obtain from this link: remoteplayer.zsh In order to get this to work, I needed to do the following: 1. Enable ssh passwordless login from the controlling computer to the music server. This allows you to send commands and copy files easily, in addition to facilitating command-line login, so it is useful (and safer than using passwords) as it uses a public and private encryption-key system. This link explains how to do it. 2. Enable iTunes on the music server to share its library on your local network. This is by far the easiest way to make the interface. (Other options include using "Home Sharing" or sharing the drive that contains your iTunes library. If you use this last option, set iTunes on the controlling computer up so it won't try to manage the library. Then just add the files to the library.) 3. Purchase and install EventScripts. This is worth buying. It is worth every penny, for a variety of reasons I have blogged on here. We will make use of its ability to run a shell script (or Applescript) whenever iTunes changes a track. 4. Download the zsh shell script linked to above, and open it in your favorite text editor. (Apple's TextEdit.app will do, but you really owe it to yourself to get TextMate, which I paid good money for, but version 2.0 alpha is now free.) At the top of the file there are five environment variables (all caps), the first three of which you absolutely must edit: MUSICDIR="/Users/home/Music/iTunes/iTunes Media/Music" This is pointing to the default iTunes directory for a user called "home". Change it to wherever yours is, or it will not work. REMOTEUSER="home" This needs to be changed to the username of the account that contains your music library on your music server. MUSICSERVER="tv-stereo-mini.local" This needs to be the name or numerical ip address of your music server. Apple typically appends the .local onto these names. When you are done, set the executable bit on the file (the command is chmod a+x remoteplayer.zsh ) and put it into the EventScript directory: cp remoteplayer.zsh "~/Library/Application Scripts/net.mousedown.EventScripts/." (You can access this directory from the EventScript preferences window, and drag and drop the file.) 5. Set EventScript to run the shell script when iTunes starts to play a track. Here is a picture: <p><a href="/monthly_2014_06/eventscript_pref.png.c5e6b83632c690bb65115b9cfb76fac0.png" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="28272" src="/monthly_2014_06/eventscript_pref.png.c5e6b83632c690bb65115b9cfb76fac0.png" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> 6. Try it (a) Open iTunes and (Audirvana (in stand-alone mode), or Decibel, or Vox, or ...?) on the music server, and set audirvana to run in stand-alone mode, rather than iTunes-integrated mode. (b) Open iTunes on the controlling computer, and access the shared music library. Select something and play it. <p><a href="/monthly_2014_06/sharedlib.png.291d51090da93355764fa90387025d57.png" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="28273" src="/monthly_2014_06/sharedlib.png.291d51090da93355764fa90387025d57.png" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p> Updates, Current limitations and to-do list: The script (as of version 0.0.4) now works when encountering compilation/various artist albums. The script (as of version 0.0.5) will work with other player software that can use "open -a <appname> <filename>" syntax to load files into its playlist buffer. So far, I have tested Audirvana (in non-iTunes-integrated mode), Vox and Decibel, and all of these work. The script loaded into EventScript relaunches iTunes when you try to quit it. My current workaround is to quit EventScript first, but this is a stupid bug. <p><a href="/monthly_2014_06/eventscript_pref.png.8be7f71b784b9a73e4f656c9cfd74418.png" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="28522" src="/monthly_2014_06/eventscript_pref.png.8be7f71b784b9a73e4f656c9cfd74418.png" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p><p><a href="/monthly_2014_06/sharedlib.png.81a719a84c853633117ccd261e724ced.png" class="ipsAttachLink ipsAttachLink_image"><img data-fileid="28523" src="/monthly_2014_06/sharedlib.png.81a719a84c853633117ccd261e724ced.png" class="ipsImage ipsImage_thumbnailed" alt=""></a></p>

I think I now know what Tom Lehrer was experiencing when Henry Kissinger got the Nobel Peace Prize. I simply cannot parody this: http://www.machinadynamica.com It is like trying to imitate a Scottish accent. (Even though genetically I should be capable of that.) It is so much more than mere words. Where do I start?

You probably need this: (Click the image for Amazon.com link). I had a reasonably minor but audible hum in my subwoofer, and I noticed it went away when I detached the cable from my TV. The TV power was turned off, as was my receiver. (Not just standby, but off). Nevertheless, there was a ground loop from the cable to my TV to my connecting HDMI cable to my receiver to my 0.1 LFE input on my sub. I put this in to isolate the incoming cable, and it worked flawlessly. If there is any potential (pun intended) interaction or connectivity between your TV cable and anything else, or even if you care about your TV signal, this is worth $16. My cable is properly grounded, but this condition still was present. If you have an HDMI going from your mac mini to your TV or receiver, etc, it may indirectly suffer from this as well.

Time to recap lessons learned : boot a trimmed OS (see : http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f11-software/computer-audio-design-osx-audio-optimization-script-18128/) SD card based and play from RAM disks (http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f8-general-forum/attention-current-mac-mini-users-boot-mavericks-sd-card-load-ramdisk-dismount-your-internal-sata-drives-and-pour-drink-musicians-walking-out-your-speakers-18159/) And u, what would You like to share ?

Hello folks, this is my first post around here. I am new to computer audio. Recently I put together this desktop system: - Macbook Pro Retina (Late 2013) >> Audirvana Plus 2 >> AudioQuest Pearl USB cable >> DAC TEAC UD-301 >> XLR cables >> Active Speakers JBL LSR305. I am pretty happy with it, since I used to listen to music in cheap earbuds, and now, with less than 600 bucks, my experience have changed so much! I have a few questions for the community: 1) I am using my DAC to control the volume, but in the transport area on Audirvana I can't see the volume knob representation. Is this normal with the TEAC? 2) I use macOS Sierra 10.12.1 in my MBP, and when I try to enable Direct Mode plus Integer Mode, there is an error when trying to playback music. Just Integer Mode enabled is fine, no problem. Is this normal? 3) Will I have an audible improvement by upsampling Tidal 16/44.1Khz music to 176.4Khz using the Teac feature? Or should I do it within the Audirvana Plus software? Or not at all? 4) Lastly, what setting tweaks do you recommend on A+ for my hardware configuration? Thank you for all the useful info I got from this community already! Diego

Last Summer we moved (from the Washington DC suburbs to the San Francisco Bay Area) into a house with a much smaller and oddly shaped music room. It took me about 6 months to optimize my system to this room, and in the process was again reminded of the effectiveness of a most inexpensive tweak: cleaning all contacts of interconnects and speaker wires as well as the pins of my amp's tubes. I used Deoxit D 100L, sparingly applied. PITA? Yes, but the result is enhanced clarity and effortless presentation of musical information. Worth trying in your system. And if it does nothing for you, you're only out of $12.75. Regards, Guido F.

In this thread I'd like to focus on only the roller type Vibration Isolation Devices (VID). I'm not a big fan of springs, cones, or squishy things, as I now believe them to only be filters, shifting vibration from frequency to frequency with little real attenuation. I can start another thread for that other stuff if anyone is interested… I believe that the roller type devices are qualitatively different, true isolators rather then just filters. I want to share some information I have collected on existing commercial models and DIY designs, so that we can talk about experiences, sourcing, and compare performance. No head in the clouds theorizing here, please, that is for the other (original) thread. There are a number of specialized commercial companies that serve the high mag. microscope, photo lithography, and laser systems, among other fields, with precision vibration isolation devices and systems. One wonders why they don't create products for high end audio uses, unless the audiophile market is too much of a PITA ? Onward...