Hi everyone… I’ve just joined the forum - but I am having some hardware problems!
I would really appreciate your advice, opinions/views… excuse the long post because I have ruminated over this for the last week.
I just got these speakers and the Rega - and I have identified quite a few issues…
So - I decided on the Ruark MR1 because they are active speakers - so it will save me the hassle of matching amps with speakers (I wanted them the performance to be already optimised by the manufacturer)… it also comes with a DAC and bluetooth Apt-X - which was the initially attracted me to them because I was upgrading from Bluetooth speakers…
My current connection: iPhone/Macbook/iPad (Apple Music)—>Airport Express (Ethernet no wireless) ----> Rega DAC (mini-toslink) -----> Ruark MR1 (RCA aux adopter)
These are my findings:
- The Apple digital connection is very bad - I connected these to the speakers via Tos link and the music kept skipping and there is very high jitter. ( I thought Apple Music had already buffered the data - apparently not!)
- Rega DAC helps with this - as asynchronous and has buffer - increased dynamic range in music and clearer - also less fuzzy/muffled when using Bluetooth. (Wow - blew me away…)
- BUT I noticed - when I increased digital volume to max, speakers started clipping (!) - and there is distortion even now and I feel that I need more range in sound!
- There is background noise/distortion - but I find that this improves when I lower digital volume to 10% and increase analog volume on the speakers to 50/60%? The music doesn’t sound has lively - and I can tell there is less detail… but it helps with distortion etc.
- The music can sound a bit bright sometimes - especially when I listen to synth stuff? And they can be more delicate.
Solution:
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I ordered the All DigiOne and I can’t wait! I think it is arriving early next week.
But I don’t have an RCA cable… I think I will order one from eBay later.
I ordered a custom BCA to RCA one from Ghent Audio - so it might take another week…
[poor digital transport solved]
****Does anyone know if the All Digione master clock will clash/conflict with the Rega clock? Or will they work together? Like Rega recognising the clean data - switching off it’s clock and resourcing the new found energy for sound enhancement… -
I think I need a subwoofer to improve on the range of sound from 20Hz to 20kHZ… I seriously think the Ruarks with a baseline of 55Hz (I think) is seriously compromising the quality of the music that I am enjoying. I managed to source a used Yamaha on eBay for £60 including delivery…
*****Please tell me if I should cancel the order… or my decision to buy was ok?
Gut feeling is that quality will definitely improve - I’m not a bass person, more a mid-range sort of guy. I want my trebles to be more delicate and mid range not strangled - at the moment it seems the music has no place to breathe.
3/4/5) I think I need an attenuator!! The output of the DAC is too strong for my active speakers?
I was thinking of getting the IFI Ear Buddy or IEMatch?
But then I was reading about the Allo Relay Attenuator, and I’ve seen some passive pre-amps around…
I do need a physical knob because the Ruark Knob isn’t a fixed one! (pun not intended).
***What would you advice? Preferably something passive - which will reduce noise and optimise the signal for my active speakers.
*** Should I ask the manufacturer what is the impedance? I tried looking for technical specs online and in my manual - but I can’t seem to find any.
I think the DAC’s specs can be easily obtained from stereophile.com…
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I’m thinking of getting a power supply to clean my source - Tacima one Ebay is about £33?
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Lastly - I’m thinking of getting a new tablet to stream my music - I’m thinking Android? I’d like to have the freedom to stream 24/196kbps when I want and not limited by 16/48kbps. I’d ‘like’ to try some coding - Android is better for Linux right? Heard they are based on the same platform and it is more ‘customisable’ than Apple.
****Also - let’s say if there is a conflict with the DAC and Digione master clocks - how easy is it to switch or correct this? Is there a plug-in/code to see which sound I prefer?
OK to wrap this all up - a bit about my preferences…
I would like to stick to a sensible budget for maximum sound.
I value aesthetics - those were the main drivers for me choosing the Ruark and Rega.
Reviews matter a lot too and influences my buying decision (hence the Allo Digione)
I don’t hang around shops/dealers to “test” things - because I’m pretty indecisive and I like to research on my own.
Don’t mind the second-hand market because it offers great value!
—> I came to realise that I have a certain affinity for Essex based manufacturers (R&R) - random fact they use the same accountants.
I don’t have an engineering/software background - I have only basic html knowledge when I tried setting up webpages in school… but I’m willing to learn -have to admit I’m not very logical/rational minded… my current system seems to have been assembled backwards… it works - but you will struggle to see how come I didn’t start from the source…
After all of these tweaks - I am not going to upgrade anymore because my living room is only 2m x 3m?
Thanks for reading. I hope you’re having a great weekend! It’s getting a bit chilly here and there are amber leaves on the road - a bit nostalgic.
Pleased to meet your acquaintance - I’m getting quite a nice vibe from this forum… Is this like an open-source kind of feel?
Ciao for now,
K