Power conditioners: necessity or hype?

[rajacat]

Also remember that no amp is 100% efficient, so it would draw more than 600 watts.

I'm still searching for better sound quality. Is it the amp (XR55), room accoustics or , perhaps, the 340SE's or not the proper match for my ears? Another owner of the XR55 said that the SQ was noticably improved with the addition of a Powervar conditioner so I searched ebay and found these units, among others, at a good price so I decided to take the gamble. They do have isolation transformers.Perhaps I should have sprung for the higher capacity unit. Maybe I'm just following the wrong path with incremental changes to my system and the speakers are the problem. Any suggestions?

I wonder what transient power the UPS will handle before it shuts down.

[curtis]

Only you can be the judge of what sounds good to you. Can you pinpoint what you think is lacking?

That said, I have heard my 340's with different electronics, in different rooms, and compared to different speakers. I am of the belief that nothing makes more difference than the speakers and the room.

[rajacat]

Only you can be the judge of what sounds good to you. Can you pinpoint what you think is lacking?

That said, I have heard my 340's with different electronics, in different rooms, and compared to different speakers. I am of the belief that nothing makes more difference than the speakers and the room.

1. Bass response is lacking
2. Treble is harsh on most recordings which results in aural fatigue
3. The speakers sound much better with very high grade cd's like the ones you use when you want to demonstrate your system but with average sources listener fatigue becomes a problem.

On the other hand, the Ascends image very well and have a wide soundstage.
Maybe a sub would help. I did insert a DAC between the Squeezebox and the Panny and that seemed to help the harshness a bit even though, since the XR55 is all digital, a DAC should not be necessary. Could the problem be the SQ from the Squeezebox? I do have a surplus linear power supply,for the SB, that I will try when I get the chance to make the few changes to it requiring some soldering.

[curtis]

1. Bass response is lacking
2. Treble is harsh on most recordings which results in aural fatigue
3. The speakers sound much better with very high grade cd's like the ones you use when you want to demonstrate your system but with average sources listener fatigue becomes a problem.

Bass response is lacking compared to what? What speakers have you heard that have the bass you want? Despite the improved bass of the SE versions, if you like music with information in the lower octaves, you would do well with a subwoofer.

The treble being harsh to you certainly points to the speakers not being to your liking, especially if you have taken the type to look at issues with the room. You just may be looking for a speaker with slightly rolled off highs.

A DAC is always necessary...what comes out of speakers and what we hear is analog. Whether you use the internal DACs in the Panny, or an external DAC will be a matter of taste, but again, I do not think it will make a huge difference. A digital amplifier amplifies an analog signal, not a digital signal.

I have not heard my 340's with an XR55, so I have no idea what it sounds like, but it seems many are happy with it. Your dissatisfaction with the sound in the very least points to this combo not being what you are looking for....if not the speakers alone. For peace of mind, I would try and different receiver.

Also, a lot may have to do with the quality of rips you are putting through your Squeezebox. I rip my MP3's direct from the CDs at 256bits/sec, using CDex and the latest version of LAME. My Squeezebox is connected digitally to my pre/pro.....meaning it is using the DACs on the pre/pro and think it is great for having music on all the time. If I want to just sit and listen, I use the original CD in my Denon 2900.

[rajacat]

Bass response is lacking compared to what? What speakers have you heard that have the bass you want? Despite the improved bass of the SE versions, if you like music with information in the lower octaves, you would do well with a subwoofer.

The treble being harsh to you certainly points to the speakers not being to your liking, especially if you have taken the type to look at issues with the room. You just may be looking for a speaker with slightly rolled off highs.

A DAC is always necessary...what comes out of speakers and what we hear is analog. Whether you use the internal DACs in the Panny, or an external DAC will be a matter of taste, but again, I do not think it will make a huge difference. A digital amplifier amplifies an analog signal, not a digital signal.

I have not heard my 340's with an XR55, so I have no idea what it sounds like, but it seems many are happy with it. Your dissatisfaction with the sound in the very least points to this combo not being what you are looking for....if not the speakers alone. For peace of mind, I would try and different receiver.

Also, a lot may have to do with the quality of rips you are putting through your Squeezebox. I rip my MP3's direct from the CDs at 256bits/sec, using CDex and the latest version of LAME. My Squeezebox is connected digitally to my pre/pro.....meaning it is using the DACs on the pre/pro and think it is great for having music on all the time. If I want to just sit and listen, I use the original CD in my Denon 2900.

From what I understand, this was discussed on another forum, is that you cannot bypass the internal dac in the Panny like you can in analog amps/receivers, because it is integral to the design of the all digital power amp. So with the SB you will get better SQ if you use the digital out directly to the XR55 which will convert to analog after the signal is amplified just before it exits to the speaker using some sort of digital>analog filter. Maybe I'm confused but doesn't a digital amp amplify a digital signal. If it amplifies an analog signal how is it different from an analog amp? Is the DAC conversion before it is amplified or after? With my old Pioneer I could bypass the SB's internal DAC using the digital out and insert a superior external DAC and then plug it into the Pioneer's analog in. If I did the same with the Panny, the signal would just be reprocessed by its internal digital/analog converter. That said, I still have noticed a slightly less irritable SQ using the DAC with the Panny via the SB digital out. If you use the analog in with the xr55, for some reason I notice obvious decrease in SQ.

Maybe I should reconnect my old Pioneer and use the DAC with it and see what happens to the SQ.

I rip CDs with EAC>FLAC lossless codec.

Thanks for your responses.

Raja

[curtis]

Here is a good read on amp classes.......a digital amp is a Class D.
http://www.bcae1.com/ampclass.htm

I'd try the Pioneer and find out what it sounds likes with an external DAC.

[curtis]

Another good read:
http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia_te...i=55417,00.asp

[rajacat]

Thanks Curtis,

I will try my Pioneer. I wish I could borrow a tube amp/preamp from someone.

Raja

[rajacat]

Well, I substituted my old Pioneer receiver for the XR55 and , to my ears, their was a substantial improvement in sound quality especially in the bass output. It seems that the Panny has a "digital sheen" or whatever that was hard on my ears and was fatiguing to listen to for extended periods of time. The improvement bass output would be noticeable to any ears. I am using a DAC with a stock SB3 via digital output. The DAC offers a small but noticable improvement in SQ but the stock SB3 was quite impressive without the external DAC using the analog outputs. I will go over the Panny's rather confusing configuration menu to see if I have made some mistakes but as of today the XR55 is for sale. It is virtually new and I will list it on this site first and then move it on to Audiogon and maybe Ebay.

[rajacat]

The Powervar UPS arrived yesterday. They shipped me a greater capacity unit than I ordered (800 VA with 6.7A output) which was great because I could run my whole system off of it, but unfortunately it was DOA. This has been my first bad Ebay purchase and I am challenging the payment through my credit card company. I have emailed the company but have not yet received a response. The shipping cost as much as the unit so this situation won't be easy to resolve.

On second thought, the is the second bad purchase, the SoundBridge subwoofer was a joke of a sub that is only useful as an endtable.