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Advice on upgrading to an external DAC for music listening from a Sonos Connect
- Thread starter Robert D
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amey01
Well-known member
You own this thing now - so experiment and tell us!
Yes. I'm doing it now. I've turned it off for 5 hours or more and then used it and it seemed to improve sound after just a few songs. I think part of my sound improvement may very well be my Aragon amp warming up. It's hard to separate all the factors. I'm leaning toward just having it go into sleep mode a hour after it's last used.
Just having the Lumin app open on my phone appears to keep it out of standby mode. It seems like I have to fully close the app to put it into the 1 hour count for standby.
With my Sonos I never paid a lot of attention to how sound quality changed after using it for a period of time.
I always left my Aragon 4004 and 4004 mk II amps on until they just started getting too darn hot. I remember talking to Mondial Designs (the manufacturer back in the day) and it had something to do with them needing 're-biased' and FWIW, they felt that they should be turned off every once in awhile as they were designed with 'a self-wiping switch' that needed to occasionally clean its contacts (sorry, above my pay grade
). I did send one of them back to the factory (small town, New York IIRC) to be re-biased and of course it came back just like new... but eventually drifted out of spec again. Instead of shipping a 75# amp back for a simple adjustment, I should have just asked them to walk me thru the process as I'd be surprised if it took more than a screwdriver or two, and a multimeter... but before I got around to that, they were either out of business or sold off the brand. Is your Aragon amp one of the original Mondial Designs amps, or one of the new ones that I think are now either built or the company is based in Indianapolis? Also, have you ever had any bias issues with it? I still have several of them hanging around the darker reaches of my basement (an original 4004 that was later upgraded to 4004 mk II by Mondial Designs... as well as a 4004 mk II, an 8008, and an 8008X3 that I bought new). So, if you are ever looking for a spare, I probably have it! I bought it about 5 years ago or so, can't remember! It's from Indy Labs, so one of the newer ones. Not sure how it differs from your's. This is it:I always left my Aragon 4004 and 4004 mk II amps on until they just started getting too darn hot. I remember talking to Mondial Designs (the manufacturer back in the day) and it had something to do with them needing 're-biased' and FWIW, they felt that they should be turned off every once in awhile as they were designed with 'a self-wiping switch' that needed to occasionally clean its contacts (sorry, above my pay grade
http://www.aragonav.com/Titanium
2 channels. Only problem I had was I blew a fuse in one channel once. That was before I replaced my Prodigy panels. The old ones had low volume.
You have the new one. I think I bought my first 4004 probably 25-30 years ago and the designer and manufacturer was Mondial Designs. They got rave reviews not only for their performance, but also their physical design (which I see Indy Labs has kept). Not sure why Mondial closed their doors, but I think it was several years later that the Indy Labs guys showed up with a revised version of their amps. Regardless, they are a beast of an amp, and it sounds like the new owners have carried on that tradition...
It sounds great on my Prodigy speakers.
Oh, thought I should mention something a little crazy. When I first hooked up my new D2 player, it wasnt working right. I was very worried I got a dud. It has happened to me before. It would play just fine and then cut out completely, no sound. In and out randomly. Like there was a short somewhere.
I eventually narrowed it down to a problem with the ethernet. I tried a new cable and it worked great! So it happens that the ethernet cable that Lumin packaged with my player was bad. I threw it in the trash. Ive never seen a bad ethernet cable. My guess is that one of the plugs wasnt on right?
I eventually narrowed it down to a problem with the ethernet. I tried a new cable and it worked great! So it happens that the ethernet cable that Lumin packaged with my player was bad. I threw it in the trash. Ive never seen a bad ethernet cable. My guess is that one of the plugs wasnt on right?
JLasher22443
Well-known member
Actually is a normal thing in the IT Field. Not all manufacturers QC their cables when sending them out. The only vendor I trust to do great QC on their cables is Panduit. On my last project we had Thousands or Cat6 cables ordered in bulk and not from Panduit; about 1% tested bad. But back in 2008 on another project we had purchased thousands of Cat5 cables from Panduit and I didn't find a single failed cable. So it happens and especially with cables sent with equipment like the D2. Its just like the cheap power cord sent. Its a mass produced cable and very cheap.
Ok. Up to now I've only purchased my cables from Microcenter, and never had a bad one. It was a shock to me.
I figure the actual wire is ok, it's just one of the plugs on the end that's not on correct? I've put on my own plugs and can see that it would be easy to get something wrong. All of those little wires, and getting them in the right order. I imagine that it's done by hand by the company? It's hard to imagine a machine that would be capable of putting on those tiny plugs with all of the wires in the correct order.
Does it happen that the actual wire itself is defective and has ruptured wires inside?
JLasher22443
Well-known member
Most of the time its a wire is short in the connector and not touching the termination crimps in the connector head. Normally we cut it off and add a new connector. And its hand and machine for most companies. See video below.
How those connectors attach is delicate work. It was slow for me since I've not done very many. I also put on some wall jacks.
I've been debating if I should post this here, but I'll do it and you all can consider me a crackpot.
https://www.thecableco.com/cables/digital-cables/digital-ethernet/venom-ethernet-cable.html
The beauty of that is you should be able to call them and get a library loan of one to test it in your system, if you don't throw out the thought as completely preposterous.
I ordered one on a whim. There's no way it can have any effect, so I figured I could just suck it up as a foolish, cheap enough expense. It's ethernet. It's a bunch of 0s and 1s, with absolutely no relation to data being processed.
In my system, to my ears, the effect is NOT subtle. I'm going to let this cable finish breaking in and have a buddy swing by to do a blind test to see if he has the same opinion.
https://www.thecableco.com/cables/digital-cables/digital-ethernet/venom-ethernet-cable.html
The beauty of that is you should be able to call them and get a library loan of one to test it in your system, if you don't throw out the thought as completely preposterous.
I ordered one on a whim. There's no way it can have any effect, so I figured I could just suck it up as a foolish, cheap enough expense. It's ethernet. It's a bunch of 0s and 1s, with absolutely no relation to data being processed.
In my system, to my ears, the effect is NOT subtle. I'm going to let this cable finish breaking in and have a buddy swing by to do a blind test to see if he has the same opinion.
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@Robert D I know it’s not very important to you now, but I finally installed the Sbooster power supply on my T2, and the improvement is substantial. Vastly better bass, greater detail and air, and a fantastic improvement in soundstage depth. Everything seems more relaxed and lifelike.
It was absolutely worth the cost. I’m glad you had yours delivered pre-installed.
It was absolutely worth the cost. I’m glad you had yours delivered pre-installed.
Yeah, I don't have anything to compare mine to since I bought it with the upgrade already installed. I'm glad you posted this because it reassures me that I didn't waste around $500. I'm very impressed with my D2.
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