Oppo with Power Cord Anyone?

VR3

High End speakers are made from MDF because of its even qualities, dosnt really expand or contract - it resonates fairly even across its width, its the same density throughout...

Where as solid wood - you have more grain in some spots than others... it expands and contracts...

Its just not a good source of material for speaker cabinet....

George Grand

No. I purchased 10 of those tweeks for $10. That was $1 apiece. The shipping from Hawaii to here brought the Grand (arf!) total to $15.

unc2701

Early- How is the Oppo connected to your receiver?

hearingimpared

George Grand wrote:

No. I purchased 10 of those tweeks for $10. That was $1 apiece. The shipping from Hawaii to here brought the Grand (arf!) total to $15.

arf is the word I use when I think that I could have paid $198 less for the thing. . . but I still stand fast to the fact that the Marigo Signature that I have really makes a CD sound much much better than without it.

I heard this thing on someone else dollar and was greatly impressed so I bought one.

George do yours make a big difference?

hearingimpared

Early B. wrote:

Well, even though I use wood platforms for my CDP and pre, I don't understand why they work. Wood is used for lots of instruments. If wood sounds so good, why aren't more chassis of amps, CDPs, DACS, etc. made out of wood? Hell, why aren't more high end speakers made from real hardwood?

Think about the wood Stradivarius Violin. The wood used to make it, and the type of wood escapes me now, made a tremendous difference in the way it sounded next to the run of the mill violin. Think about the differences in musical instruments. I'm sure someone tried to made a wood Sax or a brass double bass. It just sounds different. I'm willing to bet that amp, CDP, DAC and speaker manufacturers have at one time or another tried wood in place of aluminum for instance. I think speakers manufacturers will use whatever material will produce the sound they require to attain their final product. I know that Phil Pearsall's AAD 2001s are made of wood and are lined with lead. Those monitors sound wonderful.

EDIT: I got this off Wiki writing about Stradivari;

While many of his techniques are still not fully understood by modern science, it is known for sure that the wood used included spruce for the harmonic top, willow for the internal parts and maple for the back, strip and neck, and that the wood was treated with several types of minerals, including potassium borate (borax), sodium and potassium silicate, and bianca (a varnish composed of Arabic gum, honey and egg white).

Early B.

unc2701 wrote:

Early- How is the Oppo connected to your receiver?

Coax.

unc2701

Early B. wrote:

Coax.

digital coax?

Early B.

hearingimpared wrote:

I know that Phil Pearsall's AAD 2001s are made of wood and are lined with lead. Those monitors sound wonderful.

Nope, it's MDF.

I opened up my AAD 2002 one day. There's some pics of this speaker gutted like a fish floating around on this forum somewhere.

Early B.

unc2701 wrote:

digital coax?

Yep.

Early B.

hearingimpared wrote:

As far as cables are concerned I think if you lower the resistance a bit like by adding silver into the mix it will change what could be the upper frequencies but I'm sure the volume would increase also.

You are correct, so I gotta make a correction to my statements about the power cord. I had forgotten that I recently changed an interconnect from the receiver to my amp which powers the front speakers. The interconnect is a DH Labs Air Matrix which is silver coated copper, I believe. So some, most, or all of what I was hearing could probably be attributed to the interconnect, not the power cord. Of course, I have no idea, and don't ask me to do an A/B test on thepower cords 'cause I really don't give a damn.

unc2701

Ok, I'm having a REALLY hard time seeing how a power cord connected to your digital source could change the volume of your system. I mean I totally believe in the power of cables, but that's one thing that I can't even come up with a theoretical mechanism by which it would work.

I mean, the best I can give you is that maybe the jitter was so bad before that it was seriously smearing the sound, the power cord fixed this somehow and you are perceiving the cleaner sound as being louder.

I dunno, can you come up with something? I'm drawing a blank here, but it almost seem like there had to be something almost fatally wrong with the stock cord to result in a volume boost.

unc2701

ahhh. posted at the same time... The volume change is DEFINITELY the receiver=>amp IC, not the power cord. That makes much more sense.

Early B.

unc2701 wrote:

The volume change is DEFINITELY the receiver=>amp IC, not the power cord. That makes much more sense.

I'm not disagreeing with you, but why is it easy to see the volume increase with an IC, but not a PC?

If the upgraded PC is delivering more current to the Oppo, I can imagine the Oppo operating more efficiently, and one outcome of this higher efficiency could be a slightly higher volume. I dunno, I'm just thinking out loud...

unc2701

If you're using a digital coax connection, there is no efficiency to be gained. You're just passing one and zeros to the DAC in the receiver. Now, some of those one and zeros can get messed up in the transition, but that won't change the volume- it just introduces digital errors which I've never heard someone describe as being "quieter".

Across an analog connection a higher resistance IC leads to a lower voltage at the input and lower volume results.

Now, if you were using the DAC in the Oppo and analog IC's there's some mechanisms by which I could see the power cord changing the volume.

hearingimpared

Early B. wrote:

Nope, it's MDF.

I opened up my AAD 2002 one day. There's some pics of this speaker gutted like a fish floating around on this forum somewhere.

I stand corrected, but I could swear that Phil said they were wood, oh well they are the prettiest MDF I've ever seen.

Early B.

unc2701 wrote:

If you're using a digital coax connection, there is no efficiency to be gained. You're just passing one and zeros to the DAC in the receiver. Now, some of those one and zeros can get messed up in the transition, but that won't change the volume- it just introduces digital errors which I've never heard someone describe as being "quieter".

Let's assume for a moment that the Oppo is operating more efficiently. This means due to more current and a cleaner signal passing through it, it has more "energy" to process the information from the DVD disc. This processing results in a change in conveying the signal to the receiver, then to the amp section, and finally to the speakers. In other words, because the source has more "power," everything downstream benefits, resulting in a higher volume.

Once again, I'm just bullshittin'...

hearingimpared

I have a few 'souped' up power cords one of them you need the strength of Hercules to bend it. The main ingrediant as far as I can see with them is that they are very very well sheilded which would make for a big reduction in EMI and RFI, both of which can make it through to the DC signal after the power supply section of a component. . . I believe . . . but then again I have been out of tech school a long time and could have it all wrong.

I'm very curious as to how Mapleshade's power cables here and here can work better. Looking at them, you see two twisted pairs of wires with no shielding. I don't get it. I would love to try it though.

Early B.

hearingimpared wrote:

I stand corrected, but I could swear that Phil said they were wood, oh well they are the prettiest MDF I've ever seen.

Pics here of the AAD gutted: http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43677&highlight=AAD+2002+center

You can clearly see the MDF. I agree, though, the veneer is very striking.

hearingimpared

Early B. wrote:

Pics here of the AAD gutted: http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43677&highlight=AAD+2002+center

You can clearly see the MDF. I agree, though, the veneer is very striking.

Well I'll be dipped in dog dodo:o . . . but they are pretty. . . Phil's are, I think, Teak or Rosewood. . . they are gorgeous and very heavy. I still swear he said they were wood. . .maybe I was babbling at the time which I am known to do and misunderstood him.:D

unc2701

Early B. wrote:

Let's assume for a moment that the Oppo is operating more efficiently. This means due to more current and a cleaner signal passing through it, it has more "energy" to process the information from the DVD disc. This processing results in a change in conveying the signal to the receiver, then to the amp section, and finally to the speakers. In other words, because the source has more "power," everything downstream benefits, resulting in a higher volume.

Once again, I'm just bullshittin'...

Increasing the voltage/amperage/whatever of a digital signal does not increase the volume. The only way to increase the volume of a digital signal is to a) VERY selectively change some of the ones to zeros and vice-versa or b)change it over to analog, bump up the voltage. The power cord in your Oppo doesn't increase the power available to your receiver... well, unless the stock one had a minor short that left that circuit in a permanent brown-out. In this case you would expect to see some melting and fire.

WilliamM2

Let's assume for a moment that the Oppo is operating more efficiently.

It's not operating more efficiently. The Oppo only draws 14 watts MAX (barely more than 1/10 of an amp). The stock power cord was delivering that with ease. Even if the new cord can deliver more power, the Oppo will not draw more than it needs.

The theory that it's the IC cable is all washed up as well. If you had to turn down the volume by three notches AND the center level by 2db, that is the equivalent of having over twice the power. No IC will make that sort of level change, unless the old one was defective, and had tons of resistance.

jakelm

Unc, William and I seem to be on the same page. I wont speak on their behalf but, changing a power cord on this or any DVD player, from a perfectly good stock cable to an "upgraded" cable, is pure BS. Unless the stock cord is faulty (bad connection or shorted) upgrading just to upgrade (if you even call it that in this case), is a complete waste of money.

Just my opinion

Jake

hearingimpared

jakelm wrote:

Unc, William and I seem to be on the same page. I wont speak on their behalf but, changing a power cord on this or any DVD player, from a perfectly good stock cable to an "upgraded" cable, is pure BS. Unless the stock cord is faulty (bad connection or shorted) upgrading just to upgrade (if you even call it that in this case), is a complete waste of money.

Just my opinion

Jake

Okay you guys are able to explain away the IC or PC as the reason for the change that Early heard. . . can you explain what he heard then? I know he heard something and it wasn't subtle.

jakelm

hearingimpared wrote:

Okay you guys are able to explain away the IC or PC as the reason for the change that Early heard. . . can you explain what he heard then? I know he heard something and it wasn't subtle.

My opinion?

99% of the time in my experience, its a bad connection.

Jake

hearingimpared

jakelm wrote:

My opinion?

99% of the time in my experience, its a bad connection.

Jake

Well I can see where that can happen with the power cord because on my Oppo I had to really push that piece of crap PC in to get it to stay and it still seems a little bit of weak connection. . . but I don't buy the bad connection theory. C'mon you can do better than that?

WilliamM2

How can I explain what he heard? I wasn't there. But I do know it's impossible for an IC or power cord to double the power output.

Maybe he never recalibrated after getting the Oppo, and just now noticed the difference. He did say he knew what settings he had been using for the last TWO years.

jakelm

I doubt very seriously that if the connections are good from the wall socket to the player, anything is to be gained from getting bigger gauge wire or gold plated or anything like that. If the 20 or 30 amps and the 115 volts are getting to a 16 watt dvd player through the stock cord. I doubt very seriously that getting better cable with improve anything at all.

hearingimpared

WilliamM2 wrote:

How can I explain what he heard? I wasn't there. But I do know it's impossible for an IC or power cord to double the power output.

Maybe he never recalibrated after getting the Oppo, and just now noticed the difference. He did say he knew what settings he had been using for the last TWO years.

That's better, thank you.

jakelm

WilliamM2 wrote:

How can I explain what he heard? I wasn't there. But I do know it's impossible for an IC or power cord to double the power output.

Maybe he never recalibrated after getting the Oppo, and just now noticed the difference. He did say he knew what settings he had been using for the last TWO years.

Absolutly correct....and to double the power output you would have to.........install a larger power supply.

Early B.

The last few posts have been quite amusing. As I stated, I really don't care what made the biggest difference -- IC and/or PC -- I just know there was a difference, and it was far from subtle.

One thing I learned a long time ago is that everything in the signal path matters -- from the wall outlet to the speakers. Upgrade a single critical capacitor somewhere along that chain and if your system is revealing enough, it will let you hear the change. From this perspective, power cords, interconnects, and speaker cables represent major aspects of this signal highway. You get a smoother, quieter ride on a road that has recently been repaved, right?

A "skeptical audiophile" is an oxymoron. Some people are very arrogant in their ignorance. If they can't explain it, then it can't possibly exist. If you're constantly rationalizing the effect of system changes, then find another hobby because tweaking is a major part of the audiophile world. There's no logical explanation for many of these tweaks. They simply work. And there's only one way to find out...