Confused About Relative Sonic Impact of DAC VS. Transport

steakster: oops-- typo-- should read: he said I HAD "really clean power". 

mooglie: 

The challenge of retaining detail without fatigue and warmth without congestion is a familiar one, but my approach has always been to sacrifice detail for liquidity. Because my ears are really sensitive to highs,  I suspect I'm probably more content with a less articulate top end than many others. 

Having said that, when I first put the Heed into the system, the first thing I noticed was increased detail. And I really liked it! It wasn't until I'd done a lot of listening that I gradually became aware that the sound was, in fact, fatiguing. Funny how the brain can be so fixated on X that it doesn't even register the presence of Y.  

I will have to pull out the paperwork on my power cords (Audio Art's top of the line at the time of purchase), as I don't recall their metallurgical composition. I remember that they were available in two different configurations and the first one I tried resulted in what I can only describe as "smearing", so I went with the other and have been happy with them. 

The Audioquest Cheetah IC's are silver and worked very well when the Jolida was acting as transport. Maybe I ought to try switching THEM out. 

As it happens, I'm familiar with the Audio Bacon coax shoot-out. The adjectives the reviewer employed for the cable I've ordered: "liquid, dense and weighty, bloom-y, almost tube like, warmth that's more gold than silver", etc. all suggest a potential for compensating for what I'm currently not liking about the system.To what degree it will compensate remains to be heard. A buddy loaned me a Cardas coax which sounds only somewhat better to me than the Blue Jeans. I'm hoping the A.Art will have much greater impact.

If it does not, I'll consider trying a different power cable for the DAC. 

I may also try another transport. The Simaudio Neo 260T is in my price range and Sim has agreed to let me return it with no penalty if I don't like it. 

Finally, I am painfully aware that some CDs sound better than others. I  weed out the worst offenders as well as research which masterings are thought to be best.  


jbmack75: the thought of simplifying the equation and going back to a CDP has certainly crossed my mind ,lately. . . and more than once ! 

However, it seems likely that I will end up with a server once whatever I'm using to spin discs bites the dust, so hanging on to the DAC seems fiscally prudent, rather than selling it at a loss. 

steakster: my system does indeed sound sweet with the Jolida CDP functioning as transport. 

My aim in replacing the Jolida, which is about 10 years old, with a dedicated transport was to prolong my ability to spin CDs.  I have no desire to burn all my discs and interface with my system via a tablet. I guess I'm old-fashioned-- I like physical media.

However, replacing the Jolida with the Heed has taken me far far away from the enjoyment I was accustomed to with the Jolida.

I'm beginning to feel like I'm tying myself up in knots in an effort to make the Heed work. Maybe it's just not the right component and I should try a different transport-- the simaudio 260T, for example. 










 

"do agree that the Jolida was affecting the sound, as there was much greater consistency from one CD to the next. "
"At first, I enjoyed the increased resolution"

good high end transport designed to be more revealing and detailed
That’s meaning that there is no consistency between one cd to another and you should hear more details because good transport extract more details and resulition , bad recording cd will sound terrible and good recording will sound spectacular this is what good hi end designed to do. I think your Jolida wasn’t good enough so all your cds sounded consistent with low relatively resolution but
the ’thin’ and fatiguing sound of the Heed I suspect is because maybe this transport is not in a good synergy with your system and / or upgrading your coax and rca cables is a must and/or the Heed is not good enough transport.
I have the Simaudio 260T it’s a remarkable transport first I bought it there was nothing special after a long break-in its sound is so natural and analog I am not missing my vinyl collection anymore,.You should consider also the CEC TL5, Jay CD transport and Cyrus CD T all remarkable transport options.

@stuartk , a nice system. I agree that since you’re using the Synchromesh and Steve’s cable there shouldn't be any jitter issues. I mentioned it earlier, vibration control is important to the dac and the transport, either with footers or cones in combination with a platform. Some components respond well to mass loading. 
Power cords for digital devices have a tremendous influence on sonics. You should be auditioning different PC’s since they will impart their own sonic signature to the component. Shielded cables are preferred according to many designers.
My big question to you is, are you using a linear PS on the Synchromesh or the stock wall-wart?

And as stated by others, separate power to analogue and digital is recommended. It will help reduce the noise generated by digital devices that can contaminate the mains. I’m not sure if you’ve installed dedicated lines, but the digital sources should be on an isolated power strip or conditioner with filtering.

In my digital setup every time I swapped a PC or SPDIF cable there was a change to the SQ and timbre of the music.