View allAll Photos Tagged InterConnect
Stagecoach East Midlands Volvo B7TL/East Lancs Vyking, 16909 (FX53 TXC), is seen departing the temporary bus station in Lincoln on 29th March 2017.
The only vehicle to now retain the old Interconnect (purple and gold) colour scheme.
New to Lincolnshire Road Car, as their 909, in 2004.
InterConnect 10901 arriving into Lincoln on the 100 from Gainsborough on 9.3.20
One thing I have noticed with E400 MMCs and similar Euro 6 buses is that they produce a hell of a lot of heat from the engine compartment, since visible heat haze isn't uncommon in photos (you can see it here across the front of the DAF truck).
The engines run hotter to achieve complete combustion of the fuel and a cleaner burn, meaning there are less pollutants and particulate being emitted from the exhaust, helped of course by systems such as AdBlue and particulate traps.
Both E400 and E200 MMCs have grilles on both sides and the rear, so they must have beefier cooling systems to cope with the extra heat compared to, say, a Pointer Dart which only has a radiator grille on the offside.
And finally, 21273 leaves with its 53 to Grimsby... although the destination on this has abandoned the 'connecting for' you normally find on the 53 and other IC routes.
27.3.21
Stagecoach East Midlands ADL Enviro 400 19305 (AE07 KZG), is seen heading along Grimsby Road in Laceby on 8th January 2019.
Working the 1240 'Interconnect' 53 from Grimsby Riverhead Exchange to Lincoln, via Laceby, Caistor and Market Rasen.
New to Stagecoach Cambridge in 2007.
The 1980s was a time for building roads, constructing bridges and computers becoming part of everyday offices. To view many more of these images go to the Main Roads Colour Photographic Series 20086 Queensland State Archives Series ID S20086
In Lincolnshire there are purple Stagecoach buses, for use on the InterConnect network, a joint initiative between Brylaine and Stagecoach as bus operators and Lincolnshire County Council. The network is made up of conventional interurban bus services, most of them run by Stagecoach with double-deckers although Brylaine also have a limited involvement, and demand-responsive 'CallConnect' feeder minibuses. Stagecoach have adapted their standard group livery to incorporate the purple of the InterConnect brand, and this is carried by around twenty buses. Among them is this Scania with ADL Enviro 400 body, seen setting down in the High Street in Lincoln, opposite the ancient St Peter at Gowts church, towards the end of its journey from Grantham on service 1. (7 Mar 2014)
The Hembrug site, a former storage depot for the historic Defence Line of
Amsterdam, could evolve into a hub that interconnects the ‘creative forts’ in
the surrounding area
So over the last two or three weeks I’ve grown accustomed to the sound of the Nuforce Icon HDP and Quad QPM1 combination. The HDP has been connected to the iMac via the supplied generic USB cable supplied in the box. The Quads have had the audio signal passed to them via a couple of Monster Audio 250 Interlink phono cables. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been working late on the computer and listening to music with a pair of Sennheiser HD 238 ‘phones plugged into the HDP. Although the sound from the Quads has been pretty damn good it struck me that the sound from the 238’s was a bit punchier, cleaner, smoother and had a far better sense of depth and airiness around the instruments. Now these are good, but not great, cans. They certainly sound much better through the HDP than they do through my iPhone. It’s clear the HDP has far more power available to drive them properly. But they are not in the same audio league as the Quads.
So why did they sound better? What I was hearing from the Quads was beginning to annoy me. Complex passages of music, be it driving rock or orchestral pieces, were indistinct and lacked pace and dynamism. Compared to the headphones the sound was nowhere near as refined and articulate. At times with the headphones on I forgot I was wearing them and I was convinced sounds were actually coming from the room around me. I didn’t get this effect with the Quads.
Surely it couldn’t be the cables? As far as I was aware all the USB cable had to do was feed a bunch of zeros and ones along some copper and into the HDP DAC. Being digital, I wasn’t convinced the signal could degrade enough over the metre length of the cable to make much difference to the DAC. Then I started looking into it and discovered that cable manufacturers were adamant that jitter and timing errors could have a significant effect on the DAC’s ability to convert the data stream without introducing a detrimental effect on the audio fidelity. I have to admit that I was quite sceptical about this. But then again it all seemed quite technical and the more I read the more I began to be persuaded there might just be something in their claims. Also from my experience of the Quad 12l2’s in the front room hooked up to the Arcam with Audioquest Indigo cable I was sure the Quad QPMs should sound a hell of a lot better than they currently did.
The Wireworld Ultraviolet USB cable was getting rave reviews from the likes of What Hi-fi and they’re generally fairly reliable. I decided to take the plunge. I’ve always thought that the rule of allocating 10% of your expenditure on the audio gear should be allocated to cabling was a sensible one. I’ve never regretted any of the cable upgrades I’ve made in the past. So the Wireworld cable might sort out some of the digital confusion but I then had to deal with the analogue side.
I’ve never really rated Monster Cables. I think they’re overhyped and any cable manufacturer that flogs their wares in an electrical shop that also sells washing machines and fridges has got to be a bit a bit suspect. I’d only bought the 250 interconnect as a last resort because I couldn’t be bothered making the trip into town to by something better. I had a hunch the 250 cable was basically junk. Having read great reviews on the Chord Crimson Plus interconnect I decided I’d give it a try. What Hi-fi (again) had awarded it best cable of the year. It seemed to possess all the characteristics I was looking for. Transparency, neutrality, openness, good bass control, improved dynamics, great detail and acoustic delay. And quite affordable.
Knowing that poor cabling was very probably the root of my problems I was excited to try out the cables. I got home today and rewired the system and fired up the iMac. I can honestly say that the difference was immediately apparent. Anybody that tells you that cabling doesn’t make a difference to the quality of your system has never actually tried changing their wiring.
The difference really is immense. I was quite surprised and thrilled to hear the difference the new wiring made. Well worth the investment. Everything suddenly makes sonic sense. Everything is placed properly across the sound stage. The balance that the recording engineer intended is immediately apparent. A sense of scale and dynamics, sorely missing before, has been restored. The sense that you’re there with the musicians right in front of you is now evident. This, really, is what the hi-fi enthusiast is really striving for. Finally, it’s all come together. For the sound quality I now have in my first truly dedicated computer based audiophile grade audio system I'm delighted. And for the price I paid, a bargain. Plus it will last a lifetime.
Buy decent audio gear while your ears are still capable of hearing it!
After a wait of just over four months, my M1 RIAA has arrived, along with another set of 1m AN UK Lexus interconnects!
So over the last two or three weeks I’ve grown accustomed to the sound of the Nuforce Icon HDP and Quad QPM1 combination. The HDP has been connected to the iMac via the supplied generic USB cable supplied in the box. The Quads have had the audio signal passed to them via a couple of Monster Audio 250 Interlink phono cables. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been working late on the computer and listening to music with a pair of Sennheiser HD 238 ‘phones plugged into the HDP. Although the sound from the Quads has been pretty damn good it struck me that the sound from the 238’s was a bit punchier, cleaner, smoother and had a far better sense of depth and airiness around the instruments. Now these are good, but not great, cans. They certainly sound much better through the HDP than they do through my iPhone. It’s clear the HDP has far more power available to drive them properly. But they are not in the same audio league as the Quads.
So why did they sound better? What I was hearing from the Quads was beginning to annoy me. Complex passages of music, be it driving rock or orchestral pieces, were indistinct and lacked pace and dynamism. Compared to the headphones the sound was nowhere near as refined and articulate. At times with the headphones on I forgot I was wearing them and I was convinced sounds were actually coming from the room around me. I didn’t get this effect with the Quads.
Surely it couldn’t be the cables? As far as I was aware all the USB cable had to do was feed a bunch of zeros and ones along some copper and into the HDP DAC. Being digital, I wasn’t convinced the signal could degrade enough over the metre length of the cable to make much difference to the DAC. Then I started looking into it and discovered that cable manufacturers were adamant that jitter and timing errors could have a significant effect on the DAC’s ability to convert the data stream without introducing a detrimental effect on the audio fidelity. I have to admit that I was quite sceptical about this. But then again it all seemed quite technical and the more I read the more I began to be persuaded there might just be something in their claims. Also from my experience of the Quad 12l2’s in the front room hooked up to the Arcam with Audioquest Indigo cable I was sure the Quad QPMs should sound a hell of a lot better than they currently did.
The Wireworld Ultraviolet USB cable was getting rave reviews from the likes of What Hi-fi and they’re generally fairly reliable. I decided to take the plunge. I’ve always thought that the rule of allocating 10% of your expenditure on the audio gear should be allocated to cabling was a sensible one. I’ve never regretted any of the cable upgrades I’ve made in the past. So the Wireworld cable might sort out some of the digital confusion but I then had to deal with the analogue side.
I’ve never really rated Monster Cables. I think they’re overhyped and any cable manufacturer that flogs their wares in an electrical shop that also sells washing machines and fridges has got to be a bit a bit suspect. I’d only bought the 250 interconnect as a last resort because I couldn’t be bothered making the trip into town to by something better. I had a hunch the 250 cable was basically junk. Having read great reviews on the Chord Crimson Plus interconnect I decided I’d give it a try. What Hi-fi (again) had awarded it best cable of the year. It seemed to possess all the characteristics I was looking for. Transparency, neutrality, openness, good bass control, improved dynamics, great detail and acoustic delay. And quite affordable.
Knowing that poor cabling was very probably the root of my problems I was excited to try out the cables. I got home today and rewired the system and fired up the iMac. I can honestly say that the difference was immediately apparent. Anybody that tells you that cabling doesn’t make a difference to the quality of your system has never actually tried changing their wiring.
The difference really is immense. I was quite surprised and thrilled to hear the difference the new wiring made. Well worth the investment. Everything suddenly makes sonic sense. Everything is placed properly across the sound stage. The balance that the recording engineer intended is immediately apparent. A sense of scale and dynamics, sorely missing before, has been restored. The sense that you’re there with the musicians right in front of you is now evident. This, really, is what the hi-fi enthusiast is really striving for. Finally, it’s all come together. For the sound quality I now have in my first truly dedicated computer based audiophile grade audio system I'm delighted. And for the price I paid, a bargain. Plus it will last a lifetime.
Buy decent audio gear while your ears are still capable of hearing it!
YX67 VCN is working Route 47 to Ordsall.
Alexander Dennis Enviro 400 new to Stagecoach Lincolnshire in November 2017
So over the last two or three weeks I’ve grown accustomed to the sound of the Nuforce Icon HDP and Quad QPM1 combination. The HDP has been connected to the iMac via the supplied generic USB cable supplied in the box. The Quads have had the audio signal passed to them via a couple of Monster Audio 250 Interlink phono cables. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been working late on the computer and listening to music with a pair of Sennheiser HD 238 ‘phones plugged into the HDP. Although the sound from the Quads has been pretty damn good it struck me that the sound from the 238’s was a bit punchier, cleaner, smoother and had a far better sense of depth and airiness around the instruments. Now these are good, but not great, cans. They certainly sound much better through the HDP than they do through my iPhone. It’s clear the HDP has far more power available to drive them properly. But they are not in the same audio league as the Quads.
So why did they sound better? What I was hearing from the Quads was beginning to annoy me. Complex passages of music, be it driving rock or orchestral pieces, were indistinct and lacked pace and dynamism. Compared to the headphones the sound was nowhere near as refined and articulate. At times with the headphones on I forgot I was wearing them and I was convinced sounds were actually coming from the room around me. I didn’t get this effect with the Quads.
Surely it couldn’t be the cables? As far as I was aware all the USB cable had to do was feed a bunch of zeros and ones along some copper and into the HDP DAC. Being digital, I wasn’t convinced the signal could degrade enough over the metre length of the cable to make much difference to the DAC. Then I started looking into it and discovered that cable manufacturers were adamant that jitter and timing errors could have a significant effect on the DAC’s ability to convert the data stream without introducing a detrimental effect on the audio fidelity. I have to admit that I was quite sceptical about this. But then again it all seemed quite technical and the more I read the more I began to be persuaded there might just be something in their claims. Also from my experience of the Quad 12l2’s in the front room hooked up to the Arcam with Audioquest Indigo cable I was sure the Quad QPMs should sound a hell of a lot better than they currently did.
The Wireworld Ultraviolet USB cable was getting rave reviews from the likes of What Hi-fi and they’re generally fairly reliable. I decided to take the plunge. I’ve always thought that the rule of allocating 10% of your expenditure on the audio gear should be allocated to cabling was a sensible one. I’ve never regretted any of the cable upgrades I’ve made in the past. So the Wireworld cable might sort out some of the digital confusion but I then had to deal with the analogue side.
I’ve never really rated Monster Cables. I think they’re overhyped and any cable manufacturer that flogs their wares in an electrical shop that also sells washing machines and fridges has got to be a bit a bit suspect. I’d only bought the 250 interconnect as a last resort because I couldn’t be bothered making the trip into town to by something better. I had a hunch the 250 cable was basically junk. Having read great reviews on the Chord Crimson Plus interconnect I decided I’d give it a try. What Hi-fi (again) had awarded it best cable of the year. It seemed to possess all the characteristics I was looking for. Transparency, neutrality, openness, good bass control, improved dynamics, great detail and acoustic delay. And quite affordable.
Knowing that poor cabling was very probably the root of my problems I was excited to try out the cables. I got home today and rewired the system and fired up the iMac. I can honestly say that the difference was immediately apparent. Anybody that tells you that cabling doesn’t make a difference to the quality of your system has never actually tried changing their wiring.
The difference really is immense. I was quite surprised and thrilled to hear the difference the new wiring made. Well worth the investment. Everything suddenly makes sonic sense. Everything is placed properly across the sound stage. The balance that the recording engineer intended is immediately apparent. A sense of scale and dynamics, sorely missing before, has been restored. The sense that you’re there with the musicians right in front of you is now evident. This, really, is what the hi-fi enthusiast is really striving for. Finally, it’s all come together. For the sound quality I now have in my first truly dedicated computer based audiophile grade audio system I'm delighted. And for the price I paid, a bargain. Plus it will last a lifetime.
Buy decent audio gear while your ears are still capable of hearing it!
So over the last two or three weeks I’ve grown accustomed to the sound of the Nuforce Icon HDP and Quad QPM1 combination. The HDP has been connected to the iMac via the supplied generic USB cable supplied in the box. The Quads have had the audio signal passed to them via a couple of Monster Audio 250 Interlink phono cables. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been working late on the computer and listening to music with a pair of Sennheiser HD 238 ‘phones plugged into the HDP. Although the sound from the Quads has been pretty damn good it struck me that the sound from the 238’s was a bit punchier, cleaner, smoother and had a far better sense of depth and airiness around the instruments. Now these are good, but not great, cans. They certainly sound much better through the HDP than they do through my iPhone. It’s clear the HDP has far more power available to drive them properly. But they are not in the same audio league as the Quads.
So why did they sound better? What I was hearing from the Quads was beginning to annoy me. Complex passages of music, be it driving rock or orchestral pieces, were indistinct and lacked pace and dynamism. Compared to the headphones the sound was nowhere near as refined and articulate. At times with the headphones on I forgot I was wearing them and I was convinced sounds were actually coming from the room around me. I didn’t get this effect with the Quads.
Surely it couldn’t be the cables? As far as I was aware all the USB cable had to do was feed a bunch of zeros and ones along some copper and into the HDP DAC. Being digital, I wasn’t convinced the signal could degrade enough over the metre length of the cable to make much difference to the DAC. Then I started looking into it and discovered that cable manufacturers were adamant that jitter and timing errors could have a significant effect on the DAC’s ability to convert the data stream without introducing a detrimental effect on the audio fidelity. I have to admit that I was quite sceptical about this. But then again it all seemed quite technical and the more I read the more I began to be persuaded there might just be something in their claims. Also from my experience of the Quad 12l2’s in the front room hooked up to the Arcam with Audioquest Indigo cable I was sure the Quad QPMs should sound a hell of a lot better than they currently did.
The Wireworld Ultraviolet USB cable was getting rave reviews from the likes of What Hi-fi and they’re generally fairly reliable. I decided to take the plunge. I’ve always thought that the rule of allocating 10% of your expenditure on the audio gear should be allocated to cabling was a sensible one. I’ve never regretted any of the cable upgrades I’ve made in the past. So the Wireworld cable might sort out some of the digital confusion but I then had to deal with the analogue side.
I’ve never really rated Monster Cables. I think they’re overhyped and any cable manufacturer that flogs their wares in an electrical shop that also sells washing machines and fridges has got to be a bit a bit suspect. I’d only bought the 250 interconnect as a last resort because I couldn’t be bothered making the trip into town to by something better. I had a hunch the 250 cable was basically junk. Having read great reviews on the Chord Crimson Plus interconnect I decided I’d give it a try. What Hi-fi (again) had awarded it best cable of the year. It seemed to possess all the characteristics I was looking for. Transparency, neutrality, openness, good bass control, improved dynamics, great detail and acoustic delay. And quite affordable.
Knowing that poor cabling was very probably the root of my problems I was excited to try out the cables. I got home today and rewired the system and fired up the iMac. I can honestly say that the difference was immediately apparent. Anybody that tells you that cabling doesn’t make a difference to the quality of your system has never actually tried changing their wiring.
The difference really is immense. I was quite surprised and thrilled to hear the difference the new wiring made. Well worth the investment. Everything suddenly makes sonic sense. Everything is placed properly across the sound stage. The balance that the recording engineer intended is immediately apparent. A sense of scale and dynamics, sorely missing before, has been restored. The sense that you’re there with the musicians right in front of you is now evident. This, really, is what the hi-fi enthusiast is really striving for. Finally, it’s all come together. For the sound quality I now have in my first truly dedicated computer based audiophile grade audio system. And for the price I paid, a bargain. Plus it will last a lifetime.
Buy decent audio gear while your ears are still capable of hearing it!
Most buses working on Brylaine’s Monday to Saturday InterConnect Boston - Lincoln service 5 pass each other between Langrick and Anton’s Gowt. In this view taken in the latter village prior to boarding, we see their Optare Solo YJ05 JXL as it heads for Lincoln with the above journey.
Anton’s Gowt is situated at the point where the Witham Navigable Drain system is connected to the River Witham by a lock gate. At one time a loop of the Great Northern Railway passed over the end of the lock and today the former track bed forms part of the Water Rail Way, a foot and cycle path between Boston and Lincoln. The Navigable Drains primary function is the drainage of the fenland around Boston and they are controlled by the Witham Fourth Internal Drainage Board. The Board actively support leisure uses of the system which, subject to prevailing weather conditions, is maintained at a navigable depth from May to September inclusive. For further information, check out the Inland Waterways website.
'Luke Campbell' 24192 is seen idle at Cleethorpes Sea Road with a Humber Flyer to Humberside Airport, which then connects for Hull!
Transport Connect FN23 EGX and Stagecoach 21224 AE09 GYU are parked opposite each other on St Mary's Street, Lincoln, on 5.1.24
"Connect" is the general term used for Lincolnshire County Council bus services, similar to how Nottingham City Council used to use "link" for everything (before they withdrew like 90% of it). So there's CallConnect... which as the van shows doesn't always capitalise the second C, and InterConnect, and maybe other 'Connect' services used to exist?
I'm not sure to what extent integration of the Connect services exists - whether you can buy a through ticket valid on Inter/CallConnect services or not, though having said that the actual usage of the Connect branding at all is haphazard. The PC Coaches 50 is (I think) a County Council contracted route, but doesn't carry any Connect branding, and half the time Stagecoach can't even put an InterConnect branded bus on their IC services. Brylaine wiped all mention of InterConnect from their routes by removing the 'IC' route numbers, and the latest versions of InterConnect and CallConnect livery both omit the actual InterConnect logo.
In fact there is no actual definition as to what makes some services InterConnect and some not. The Lincoln to Grantham 1 is, or at least used to be, but the 31/31X aren't. The B5 should be but you'd never know it - as is the 103. The 56 and 53 are, and sometimes even get a branded vehicle, while the 50 apparently never was despite its similarity? I swear the only bus route that can fully claim to be InterConnect is the 100, because it's the only one that is consistent.
So over the last two or three weeks I’ve grown accustomed to the sound of the Nuforce Icon HDP and Quad QPM1 combination. The HDP has been connected to the iMac via the supplied generic USB cable supplied in the box. The Quads have had the audio signal passed to them via a couple of Monster Audio 250 Interlink phono cables. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been working late on the computer and listening to music with a pair of Sennheiser HD 238 ‘phones plugged into the HDP. Although the sound from the Quads has been pretty damn good it struck me that the sound from the 238’s was a bit punchier, cleaner, smoother and had a far better sense of depth and airiness around the instruments. Now these are good, but not great, cans. They certainly sound much better through the HDP than they do through my iPhone. It’s clear the HDP has far more power available to drive them properly. But they are not in the same audio league as the Quads.
So why did they sound better? What I was hearing from the Quads was beginning to annoy me. Complex passages of music, be it driving rock or orchestral pieces, were indistinct and lacked pace and dynamism. Compared to the headphones the sound was nowhere near as refined and articulate. At times with the headphones on I forgot I was wearing them and I was convinced sounds were actually coming from the room around me. I didn’t get this effect with the Quads.
Surely it couldn’t be the cables? As far as I was aware all the USB cable had to do was feed a bunch of zeros and ones along some copper and into the HDP DAC. Being digital, I wasn’t convinced the signal could degrade enough over the metre length of the cable to make much difference to the DAC. Then I started looking into it and discovered that cable manufacturers were adamant that jitter and timing errors could have a significant effect on the DAC’s ability to convert the data stream without introducing a detrimental effect on the audio fidelity. I have to admit that I was quite sceptical about this. But then again it all seemed quite technical and the more I read the more I began to be persuaded there might just be something in their claims. Also from my experience of the Quad 12l2’s in the front room hooked up to the Arcam with Audioquest Indigo cable I was sure the Quad QPMs should sound a hell of a lot better than they currently did.
The Wireworld Ultraviolet USB cable was getting rave reviews from the likes of What Hi-fi and they’re generally fairly reliable. I decided to take the plunge. I’ve always thought that the rule of allocating 10% of your expenditure on the audio gear should be allocated to cabling was a sensible one. I’ve never regretted any of the cable upgrades I’ve made in the past. So the Wireworld cable might sort out some of the digital confusion but I then had to deal with the analogue side.
I’ve never really rated Monster Cables. I think they’re overhyped and any cable manufacturer that flogs their wares in an electrical shop that also sells washing machines and fridges has got to be a bit a bit suspect. I’d only bought the 250 interconnect as a last resort because I couldn’t be bothered making the trip into town to by something better. I had a hunch the 250 cable was basically junk. Having read great reviews on the Chord Crimson Plus interconnect I decided I’d give it a try. What Hi-fi (again) had awarded it best cable of the year. It seemed to possess all the characteristics I was looking for. Transparency, neutrality, openness, good bass control, improved dynamics, great detail and acoustic delay. And quite affordable.
Knowing that poor cabling was very probably the root of my problems I was excited to try out the cables. I got home today and rewired the system and fired up the iMac. I can honestly say that the difference was immediately apparent. Anybody that tells you that cabling doesn’t make a difference to the quality of your system has never actually tried changing their wiring.
The difference really is immense. I was quite surprised and thrilled to hear the difference the new wiring made. Well worth the investment. Everything suddenly makes sonic sense. Everything is placed properly across the sound stage. The balance that the recording engineer intended is immediately apparent. A sense of scale and dynamics, sorely missing before, has been restored. The sense that you’re there with the musicians right in front of you is now evident. This, really, is what the hi-fi enthusiast is really striving for. Finally, it’s all come together. For the sound quality I now have in my first truly dedicated computer based audiophile grade audio system I'm delighted. And for the price I paid, a bargain. Plus it will last a lifetime.
Buy decent audio gear while your ears are still capable of hearing it!
The cryogenically treated copper you see here in Trio, Jena Labs' entry-level interconnect, is immersed in liquid nitrogen at a temperature of -320.4 degrees.
lifeaftercd.com/post/130348653779/jena-labs-cryogenically...
So over the last two or three weeks I’ve grown accustomed to the sound of the Nuforce Icon HDP and Quad QPM1 combination. The HDP has been connected to the iMac via the supplied generic USB cable supplied in the box. The Quads have had the audio signal passed to them via a couple of Monster Audio 250 Interlink phono cables. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been working late on the computer and listening to music with a pair of Sennheiser HD 238 ‘phones plugged into the HDP. Although the sound from the Quads has been pretty damn good it struck me that the sound from the 238’s was a bit punchier, cleaner, smoother and had a far better sense of depth and airiness around the instruments. Now these are good, but not great, cans. They certainly sound much better through the HDP than they do through my iPhone. It’s clear the HDP has far more power available to drive them properly. But they are not in the same audio league as the Quads.
So why did they sound better? What I was hearing from the Quads was beginning to annoy me. Complex passages of music, be it driving rock or orchestral pieces, were indistinct and lacked pace and dynamism. Compared to the headphones the sound was nowhere near as refined and articulate. At times with the headphones on I forgot I was wearing them and I was convinced sounds were actually coming from the room around me. I didn’t get this effect with the Quads.
Surely it couldn’t be the cables? As far as I was aware all the USB cable had to do was feed a bunch of zeros and ones along some copper and into the HDP DAC. Being digital, I wasn’t convinced the signal could degrade enough over the metre length of the cable to make much difference to the DAC. Then I started looking into it and discovered that cable manufacturers were adamant that jitter and timing errors could have a significant effect on the DAC’s ability to convert the data stream without introducing a detrimental effect on the audio fidelity. I have to admit that I was quite sceptical about this. But then again it all seemed quite technical and the more I read the more I began to be persuaded there might just be something in their claims. Also from my experience of the Quad 12l2’s in the front room hooked up to the Arcam with Audioquest Indigo cable I was sure the Quad QPMs should sound a hell of a lot better than they currently did.
The Wireworld Ultraviolet USB cable was getting rave reviews from the likes of What Hi-fi and they’re generally fairly reliable. I decided to take the plunge. I’ve always thought that the rule of allocating 10% of your expenditure on the audio gear should be allocated to cabling was a sensible one. I’ve never regretted any of the cable upgrades I’ve made in the past. So the Wireworld cable might sort out some of the digital confusion but I then had to deal with the analogue side.
I’ve never really rated Monster Cables. I think they’re overhyped and any cable manufacturer that flogs their wares in an electrical shop that also sells washing machines and fridges has got to be a bit a bit suspect. I’d only bought the 250 interconnect as a last resort because I couldn’t be bothered making the trip into town to by something better. I had a hunch the 250 cable was basically junk. Having read great reviews on the Chord Crimson Plus interconnect I decided I’d give it a try. What Hi-fi (again) had awarded it best cable of the year. It seemed to possess all the characteristics I was looking for. Transparency, neutrality, openness, good bass control, improved dynamics, great detail and acoustic delay. And quite affordable.
Knowing that poor cabling was very probably the root of my problems I was excited to try out the cables. I got home today and rewired the system and fired up the iMac. I can honestly say that the difference was immediately apparent. Anybody that tells you that cabling doesn’t make a difference to the quality of your system has never actually tried changing their wiring.
The difference really is immense. I was quite surprised and thrilled to hear the difference the new wiring made. Well worth the investment. Everything suddenly makes sonic sense. Everything is placed properly across the sound stage. The balance that the recording engineer intended is immediately apparent. A sense of scale and dynamics, sorely missing before, has been restored. The sense that you’re there with the musicians right in front of you is now evident. This, really, is what the hi-fi enthusiast is really striving for. Finally, it’s all come together. For the sound quality I now have in my first truly dedicated computer based audiophile grade audio system I'm delighted. And for the price I paid, a bargain. Plus it will last a lifetime.
Buy decent audio gear while your ears are still capable of hearing it!
Also on loan to Hull was one of Grismby's then-relatively-new transfers in for their minor InterConnect network - former First bus 21274, finished delightfully in a variant of the now-superseded InterConnect livery. This, too, was a bus I was determined to see after missing it one night on Bransholme, and after having discovered bustimes.org existed, it was as simple as perching up and waiting at the roundabout at Hull Interchange. Of course, there were more buses to see that way, too, but to close out the loans aspect of this wander back to Hull Fair, how about a much better angle of 21274 between runs?
Parked up in the layover bays at Hull Interchange between runs on the 14 to Falkland Road is Stagecoach Grimsby-Cleethorpes' 'InterConnect'-branded 21274, a 2009 Wright Eclipse Urban new to First Chester & Wirral as 69498.
Stagecoach Eclipse 21263 gets its windscreen washer fluid topped up at Lincoln bus station while it waits to depart with the next 53 to Grimsby.
While looking at this photo I was wondering why the E200 on the bridge had a large air vent in the side, but in actual fact the side advert and barrier on the bridge are just creating the perfect illusion of a vent being there!
28.5.21
So over the last two or three weeks I’ve grown accustomed to the sound of the Nuforce Icon HDP and Quad QPM1 combination. The HDP has been connected to the iMac via the supplied generic USB cable supplied in the box. The Quads have had the audio signal passed to them via a couple of Monster Audio 250 Interlink phono cables. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been working late on the computer and listening to music with a pair of Sennheiser HD 238 ‘phones plugged into the HDP. Although the sound from the Quads has been pretty damn good it struck me that the sound from the 238’s was a bit punchier, cleaner, smoother and had a far better sense of depth and airiness around the instruments. Now these are good, but not great, cans. They certainly sound much better through the HDP than they do through my iPhone. It’s clear the HDP has far more power available to drive them properly. But they are not in the same audio league as the Quads.
So why did they sound better? What I was hearing from the Quads was beginning to annoy me. Complex passages of music, be it driving rock or orchestral pieces, were indistinct and lacked pace and dynamism. Compared to the headphones the sound was nowhere near as refined and articulate. At times with the headphones on I forgot I was wearing them and I was convinced sounds were actually coming from the room around me. I didn’t get this effect with the Quads.
Surely it couldn’t be the cables? As far as I was aware all the USB cable had to do was feed a bunch of zeros and ones along some copper and into the HDP DAC. Being digital, I wasn’t convinced the signal could degrade enough over the metre length of the cable to make much difference to the DAC. Then I started looking into it and discovered that cable manufacturers were adamant that jitter and timing errors could have a significant effect on the DAC’s ability to convert the data stream without introducing a detrimental effect on the audio fidelity. I have to admit that I was quite sceptical about this. But then again it all seemed quite technical and the more I read the more I began to be persuaded there might just be something in their claims. Also from my experience of the Quad 12l2’s in the front room hooked up to the Arcam with Audioquest Indigo cable I was sure the Quad QPMs should sound a hell of a lot better than they currently did.
The Wireworld Ultraviolet USB cable was getting rave reviews from the likes of What Hi-fi and they’re generally fairly reliable. I decided to take the plunge. I’ve always thought that the rule of allocating 10% of your expenditure on the audio gear should be allocated to cabling was a sensible one. I’ve never regretted any of the cable upgrades I’ve made in the past. So the Wireworld cable might sort out some of the digital confusion but I then had to deal with the analogue side.
I’ve never really rated Monster Cables. I think they’re overhyped and any cable manufacturer that flogs their wares in an electrical shop that also sells washing machines and fridges has got to be a bit a bit suspect. I’d only bought the 250 interconnect as a last resort because I couldn’t be bothered making the trip into town to by something better. I had a hunch the 250 cable was basically junk. Having read great reviews on the Chord Crimson Plus interconnect I decided I’d give it a try. What Hi-fi (again) had awarded it best cable of the year. It seemed to possess all the characteristics I was looking for. Transparency, neutrality, openness, good bass control, improved dynamics, great detail and acoustic delay. And quite affordable.
Knowing that poor cabling was very probably the root of my problems I was excited to try out the cables. I got home today and rewired the system and fired up the iMac. I can honestly say that the difference was immediately apparent. Anybody that tells you that cabling doesn’t make a difference to the quality of your system has never actually tried changing their wiring.
The difference really is immense. I was quite surprised and thrilled to hear the difference the new wiring made. Well worth the investment. Everything suddenly makes sonic sense. Everything is placed properly across the sound stage. The balance that the recording engineer intended is immediately apparent. A sense of scale and dynamics, sorely missing before, has been restored. The sense that you’re there with the musicians right in front of you is now evident. This, really, is what the hi-fi enthusiast is really striving for. Finally, it’s all come together. For the sound quality I now have in my first truly dedicated computer based audiophile grade audio system I'm delighted. And for the price I paid, a bargain. Plus it will last a lifetime.
Buy decent audio gear while your ears are still capable of hearing it!
So over the last two or three weeks I’ve grown accustomed to the sound of the Nuforce Icon HDP and Quad QPM1 combination. The HDP has been connected to the iMac via the supplied generic USB cable supplied in the box. The Quads have had the audio signal passed to them via a couple of Monster Audio 250 Interlink phono cables. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been working late on the computer and listening to music with a pair of Sennheiser HD 238 ‘phones plugged into the HDP. Although the sound from the Quads has been pretty damn good it struck me that the sound from the 238’s was a bit punchier, cleaner, smoother and had a far better sense of depth and airiness around the instruments. Now these are good, but not great, cans. They certainly sound much better through the HDP than they do through my iPhone. It’s clear the HDP has far more power available to drive them properly. But they are not in the same audio league as the Quads.
So why did they sound better? What I was hearing from the Quads was beginning to annoy me. Complex passages of music, be it driving rock or orchestral pieces, were indistinct and lacked pace and dynamism. Compared to the headphones the sound was nowhere near as refined and articulate. At times with the headphones on I forgot I was wearing them and I was convinced sounds were actually coming from the room around me. I didn’t get this effect with the Quads.
Surely it couldn’t be the cables? As far as I was aware all the USB cable had to do was feed a bunch of zeros and ones along some copper and into the HDP DAC. Being digital, I wasn’t convinced the signal could degrade enough over the metre length of the cable to make much difference to the DAC. Then I started looking into it and discovered that cable manufacturers were adamant that jitter and timing errors could have a significant effect on the DAC’s ability to convert the data stream without introducing a detrimental effect on the audio fidelity. I have to admit that I was quite sceptical about this. But then again it all seemed quite technical and the more I read the more I began to be persuaded there might just be something in their claims. Also from my experience of the Quad 12l2’s in the front room hooked up to the Arcam with Audioquest Indigo cable I was sure the Quad QPMs should sound a hell of a lot better than they currently did.
The Wireworld Ultraviolet USB cable was getting rave reviews from the likes of What Hi-fi and they’re generally fairly reliable. I decided to take the plunge. I’ve always thought that the rule of allocating 10% of your expenditure on the audio gear should be allocated to cabling was a sensible one. I’ve never regretted any of the cable upgrades I’ve made in the past. So the Wireworld cable might sort out some of the digital confusion but I then had to deal with the analogue side.
I’ve never really rated Monster Cables. I think they’re overhyped and any cable manufacturer that flogs their wares in an electrical shop that also sells washing machines and fridges has got to be a bit a bit suspect. I’d only bought the 250 interconnect as a last resort because I couldn’t be bothered making the trip into town to by something better. I had a hunch the 250 cable was basically junk. Having read great reviews on the Chord Crimson Plus interconnect I decided I’d give it a try. What Hi-fi (again) had awarded it best cable of the year. It seemed to possess all the characteristics I was looking for. Transparency, neutrality, openness, good bass control, improved dynamics, great detail and acoustic delay. And quite affordable.
Knowing that poor cabling was very probably the root of my problems I was excited to try out the cables. I got home today and rewired the system and fired up the iMac. I can honestly say that the difference was immediately apparent. Anybody that tells you that cabling doesn’t make a difference to the quality of your system has never actually tried changing their wiring.
The difference really is immense. I was quite surprised and thrilled to hear the difference the new wiring made. Well worth the investment. Everything suddenly makes sonic sense. Everything is placed properly across the sound stage. The balance that the recording engineer intended is immediately apparent. A sense of scale and dynamics, sorely missing before, has been restored. The sense that you’re there with the musicians right in front of you is now evident. This, really, is what the hi-fi enthusiast is really striving for. Finally, it’s all come together. For the sound quality I now have in my first truly dedicated computer based audiophile grade audio system I'm delighted. And for the price I paid, a bargain. Plus it will last a lifetime.
Buy decent audio gear while your ears are still capable of hearing it!
SSo over the last two or three weeks I’ve grown accustomed to the sound of the Nuforce Icon HDP and Quad QPM1 combination. The HDP has been connected to the iMac via the supplied generic USB cable supplied in the box. The Quads have had the audio signal passed to them via a couple of Monster Audio 250 Interlink phono cables. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been working late on the computer and listening to music with a pair of Sennheiser HD 238 ‘phones plugged into the HDP. Although the sound from the Quads has been pretty damn good it struck me that the sound from the 238’s was a bit punchier, cleaner, smoother and had a far better sense of depth and airiness around the instruments. Now these are good, but not great, cans. They certainly sound much better through the HDP than they do through my iPhone. It’s clear the HDP has far more power available to drive them properly. But they are not in the same audio league as the Quads.
So why did they sound better? What I was hearing from the Quads was beginning to annoy me. Complex passages of music, be it driving rock or orchestral pieces, were indistinct and lacked pace and dynamism. Compared to the headphones the sound was nowhere near as refined and articulate. At times with the headphones on I forgot I was wearing them and I was convinced sounds were actually coming from the room around me. I didn’t get this effect with the Quads.
Surely it couldn’t be the cables? As far as I was aware all the USB cable had to do was feed a bunch of zeros and ones along some copper and into the HDP DAC. Being digital, I wasn’t convinced the signal could degrade enough over the metre length of the cable to make much difference to the DAC. Then I started looking into it and discovered that cable manufacturers were adamant that jitter and timing errors could have a significant effect on the DAC’s ability to convert the data stream without introducing a detrimental effect on the audio fidelity. I have to admit that I was quite sceptical about this. But then again it all seemed quite technical and the more I read the more I began to be persuaded there might just be something in their claims. Also from my experience of the Quad 12l2’s in the front room hooked up to the Arcam with Audioquest Indigo cable I was sure the Quad QPMs should sound a hell of a lot better than they currently did.
The Wireworld Ultraviolet USB cable was getting rave reviews from the likes of What Hi-fi and they’re generally fairly reliable. I decided to take the plunge. I’ve always thought that the rule of allocating 10% of your expenditure on the audio gear should be allocated to cabling was a sensible one. I’ve never regretted any of the cable upgrades I’ve made in the past. So the Wireworld cable might sort out some of the digital confusion but I then had to deal with the analogue side.
I’ve never really rated Monster Cables. I think they’re overhyped and any cable manufacturer that flogs their wares in an electrical shop that also sells washing machines and fridges has got to be a bit a bit suspect. I’d only bought the 250 interconnect as a last resort because I couldn’t be bothered making the trip into town to by something better. I had a hunch the 250 cable was basically junk. Having read great reviews on the Chord Crimson Plus interconnect I decided I’d give it a try. What Hi-fi (again) had awarded it best cable of the year. It seemed to possess all the characteristics I was looking for. Transparency, neutrality, openness, good bass control, improved dynamics, great detail and acoustic delay. And quite affordable.
Knowing that poor cabling was very probably the root of my problems I was excited to try out the cables. I got home today and rewired the system and fired up the iMac. I can honestly say that the difference was immediately apparent. Anybody that tells you that cabling doesn’t make a difference to the quality of your system has never actually tried changing their wiring.
The difference really is immense. I was quite surprised and thrilled to hear the difference the new wiring made. Well worth the investment. Everything suddenly makes sonic sense. Everything is placed properly across the sound stage. The balance that the recording engineer intended is immediately apparent. A sense of scale and dynamics, sorely missing before, has been restored. The sense that you’re there with the musicians right in front of you is now evident. This, really, is what the hi-fi enthusiast is really striving for. Finally, it’s all come together. For the sound quality I now have in my first truly dedicated computer based audiophile grade audio system I'm delighted. And for the price I paid, a bargain. Plus it will last a lifetime.
Buy decent audio gear while your ears are still capable of hearing it!
So over the last two or three weeks I’ve grown accustomed to the sound of the Nuforce Icon HDP and Quad QPM1 combination. The HDP has been connected to the iMac via the supplied generic USB cable supplied in the box. The Quads have had the audio signal passed to them via a couple of Monster Audio 250 Interlink phono cables. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been working late on the computer and listening to music with a pair of Sennheiser HD 238 ‘phones plugged into the HDP. Although the sound from the Quads has been pretty damn good it struck me that the sound from the 238’s was a bit punchier, cleaner, smoother and had a far better sense of depth and airiness around the instruments. Now these are good, but not great, cans. They certainly sound much better through the HDP than they do through my iPhone. It’s clear the HDP has far more power available to drive them properly. But they are not in the same audio league as the Quads.
So why did they sound better? What I was hearing from the Quads was beginning to annoy me. Complex passages of music, be it driving rock or orchestral pieces, were indistinct and lacked pace and dynamism. Compared to the headphones the sound was nowhere near as refined and articulate. At times with the headphones on I forgot I was wearing them and I was convinced sounds were actually coming from the room around me. I didn’t get this effect with the Quads.
Surely it couldn’t be the cables? As far as I was aware all the USB cable had to do was feed a bunch of zeros and ones along some copper and into the HDP DAC. Being digital, I wasn’t convinced the signal could degrade enough over the metre length of the cable to make much difference to the DAC. Then I started looking into it and discovered that cable manufacturers were adamant that jitter and timing errors could have a significant effect on the DAC’s ability to convert the data stream without introducing a detrimental effect on the audio fidelity. I have to admit that I was quite sceptical about this. But then again it all seemed quite technical and the more I read the more I began to be persuaded there might just be something in their claims. Also from my experience of the Quad 12l2’s in the front room hooked up to the Arcam with Audioquest Indigo cable I was sure the Quad QPMs should sound a hell of a lot better than they currently did.
The Wireworld Ultraviolet USB cable was getting rave reviews from the likes of What Hi-fi and they’re generally fairly reliable. I decided to take the plunge. I’ve always thought that the rule of allocating 10% of your expenditure on the audio gear should be allocated to cabling was a sensible one. I’ve never regretted any of the cable upgrades I’ve made in the past. So the Wireworld cable might sort out some of the digital confusion but I then had to deal with the analogue side.
I’ve never really rated Monster Cables. I think they’re overhyped and any cable manufacturer that flogs their wares in an electrical shop that also sells washing machines and fridges has got to be a bit a bit suspect. I’d only bought the 250 interconnect as a last resort because I couldn’t be bothered making the trip into town to by something better. I had a hunch the 250 cable was basically junk. Having read great reviews on the Chord Crimson Plus interconnect I decided I’d give it a try. What Hi-fi (again) had awarded it best cable of the year. It seemed to possess all the characteristics I was looking for. Transparency, neutrality, openness, good bass control, improved dynamics, great detail and acoustic delay. And quite affordable.
Knowing that poor cabling was very probably the root of my problems I was excited to try out the cables. I got home today and rewired the system and fired up the iMac. I can honestly say that the difference was immediately apparent. Anybody that tells you that cabling doesn’t make a difference to the quality of your system has never actually tried changing their wiring.
The difference really is immense. I was quite surprised and thrilled to hear the difference the new wiring made. Well worth the investment. Everything suddenly makes sonic sense. Everything is placed properly across the sound stage. The balance that the recording engineer intended is immediately apparent. A sense of scale and dynamics, sorely missing before, has been restored. The sense that you’re there with the musicians right in front of you is now evident. This, really, is what the hi-fi enthusiast is really striving for. Finally, it’s all come together. For the sound quality I now have in my first truly dedicated computer based audiophile grade audio system I'm delighted. And for the price I paid, a bargain. Plus it will last a lifetime.
Buy decent audio gear while your ears are still capable of hearing it!
So over the last two or three weeks I’ve grown accustomed to the sound of the Nuforce Icon HDP and Quad QPM1 combination. The HDP has been connected to the iMac via the supplied generic USB cable supplied in the box. The Quads have had the audio signal passed to them via a couple of Monster Audio 250 Interlink phono cables. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been working late on the computer and listening to music with a pair of Sennheiser HD 238 ‘phones plugged into the HDP. Although the sound from the Quads has been pretty damn good it struck me that the sound from the 238’s was a bit punchier, cleaner, smoother and had a far better sense of depth and airiness around the instruments. Now these are good, but not great, cans. They certainly sound much better through the HDP than they do through my iPhone. It’s clear the HDP has far more power available to drive them properly. But they are not in the same audio league as the Quads.
So why did they sound better? What I was hearing from the Quads was beginning to annoy me. Complex passages of music, be it driving rock or orchestral pieces, were indistinct and lacked pace and dynamism. Compared to the headphones the sound was nowhere near as refined and articulate. At times with the headphones on I forgot I was wearing them and I was convinced sounds were actually coming from the room around me. I didn’t get this effect with the Quads.
Surely it couldn’t be the cables? As far as I was aware all the USB cable had to do was feed a bunch of zeros and ones along some copper and into the HDP DAC. Being digital, I wasn’t convinced the signal could degrade enough over the metre length of the cable to make much difference to the DAC. Then I started looking into it and discovered that cable manufacturers were adamant that jitter and timing errors could have a significant effect on the DAC’s ability to convert the data stream without introducing a detrimental effect on the audio fidelity. I have to admit that I was quite sceptical about this. But then again it all seemed quite technical and the more I read the more I began to be persuaded there might just be something in their claims. Also from my experience of the Quad 12l2’s in the front room hooked up to the Arcam with Audioquest Indigo cable I was sure the Quad QPMs should sound a hell of a lot better than they currently did.
The Wireworld Ultraviolet USB cable was getting rave reviews from the likes of What Hi-fi and they’re generally fairly reliable. I decided to take the plunge. I’ve always thought that the rule of allocating 10% of your expenditure on the audio gear should be allocated to cabling was a sensible one. I’ve never regretted any of the cable upgrades I’ve made in the past. So the Wireworld cable might sort out some of the digital confusion but I then had to deal with the analogue side.
I’ve never really rated Monster Cables. I think they’re overhyped and any cable manufacturer that flogs their wares in an electrical shop that also sells washing machines and fridges has got to be a bit a bit suspect. I’d only bought the 250 interconnect as a last resort because I couldn’t be bothered making the trip into town to by something better. I had a hunch the 250 cable was basically junk. Having read great reviews on the Chord Crimson Plus interconnect I decided I’d give it a try. What Hi-fi (again) had awarded it best cable of the year. It seemed to possess all the characteristics I was looking for. Transparency, neutrality, openness, good bass control, improved dynamics, great detail and acoustic delay. And quite affordable.
Knowing that poor cabling was very probably the root of my problems I was excited to try out the cables. I got home today and rewired the system and fired up the iMac. I can honestly say that the difference was immediately apparent. Anybody that tells you that cabling doesn’t make a difference to the quality of your system has never actually tried changing their wiring.
The difference really is immense. I was quite surprised and thrilled to hear the difference the new wiring made. Well worth the investment. Everything suddenly makes sonic sense. Everything is placed properly across the sound stage. The balance that the recording engineer intended is immediately apparent. A sense of scale and dynamics, sorely missing before, has been restored. The sense that you’re there with the musicians right in front of you is now evident. This, really, is what the hi-fi enthusiast is really striving for. Finally, it’s all come together. For the sound quality I now have in my first truly dedicated computer based audiophile grade audio system I'm delighted. And for the price I paid, a bargain. Plus it will last a lifetime.
Buy decent audio gear while your ears are still capable of hearing it!
So over the last two or three weeks I’ve grown accustomed to the sound of the Nuforce Icon HDP and Quad QPM1 combination. The HDP has been connected to the iMac via the supplied generic USB cable supplied in the box. The Quads have had the audio signal passed to them via a couple of Monster Audio 250 Interlink phono cables. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been working late on the computer and listening to music with a pair of Sennheiser HD 238 ‘phones plugged into the HDP. Although the sound from the Quads has been pretty damn good it struck me that the sound from the 238’s was a bit punchier, cleaner, smoother and had a far better sense of depth and airiness around the instruments. Now these are good, but not great, cans. They certainly sound much better through the HDP than they do through my iPhone. It’s clear the HDP has far more power available to drive them properly. But they are not in the same audio league as the Quads.
So why did they sound better? What I was hearing from the Quads was beginning to annoy me. Complex passages of music, be it driving rock or orchestral pieces, were indistinct and lacked pace and dynamism. Compared to the headphones the sound was nowhere near as refined and articulate. At times with the headphones on I forgot I was wearing them and I was convinced sounds were actually coming from the room around me. I didn’t get this effect with the Quads.
Surely it couldn’t be the cables? As far as I was aware all the USB cable had to do was feed a bunch of zeros and ones along some copper and into the HDP DAC. Being digital, I wasn’t convinced the signal could degrade enough over the metre length of the cable to make much difference to the DAC. Then I started looking into it and discovered that cable manufacturers were adamant that jitter and timing errors could have a significant effect on the DAC’s ability to convert the data stream without introducing a detrimental effect on the audio fidelity. I have to admit that I was quite sceptical about this. But then again it all seemed quite technical and the more I read the more I began to be persuaded there might just be something in their claims. Also from my experience of the Quad 12l2’s in the front room hooked up to the Arcam with Audioquest Indigo cable I was sure the Quad QPMs should sound a hell of a lot better than they currently did.
The Wireworld Ultraviolet USB cable was getting rave reviews from the likes of What Hi-fi and they’re generally fairly reliable. I decided to take the plunge. I’ve always thought that the rule of allocating 10% of your expenditure on the audio gear should be allocated to cabling was a sensible one. I’ve never regretted any of the cable upgrades I’ve made in the past. So the Wireworld cable might sort out some of the digital confusion but I then had to deal with the analogue side.
I’ve never really rated Monster Cables. I think they’re overhyped and any cable manufacturer that flogs their wares in an electrical shop that also sells washing machines and fridges has got to be a bit a bit suspect. I’d only bought the 250 interconnect as a last resort because I couldn’t be bothered making the trip into town to by something better. I had a hunch the 250 cable was basically junk. Having read great reviews on the Chord Crimson Plus interconnect I decided I’d give it a try. What Hi-fi (again) had awarded it best cable of the year. It seemed to possess all the characteristics I was looking for. Transparency, neutrality, openness, good bass control, improved dynamics, great detail and acoustic delay. And quite affordable.
Knowing that poor cabling was very probably the root of my problems I was excited to try out the cables. I got home today and rewired the system and fired up the iMac. I can honestly say that the difference was immediately apparent. Anybody that tells you that cabling doesn’t make a difference to the quality of your system has never actually tried changing their wiring.
The difference really is immense. I was quite surprised and thrilled to hear the difference the new wiring made. Well worth the investment. Everything suddenly makes sonic sense. Everything is placed properly across the sound stage. The balance that the recording engineer intended is immediately apparent. A sense of scale and dynamics, sorely missing before, has been restored. The sense that you’re there with the musicians right in front of you is now evident. This, really, is what the hi-fi enthusiast is really striving for. Finally, it’s all come together. For the sound quality I now have in my first truly dedicated computer based audiophile grade audio system I'm delighted. And for the price I paid, a bargain. Plus it will last a lifetime.
Buy decent audio gear while your ears are still capable of hearing it!
Clearing out some files, came across this, plan for a jewel of a garden.
The Heart Garden
Taking inspiration from traditional Celtic knot designs, the modified path layout symbolises the eternal rhythm of nature within the garden connecting with three fundamental elements; earth, water and sky. These interconnecting paths circumscribe a wide, formal hoggin path, matched to the house façade as a representation of earth and permanence.
The central lawn provides a green amphitheatre and an open space to bring the sky beyond the walls back into the garden. A series of empty circular plinths along one side of the lawn offer platforms for performance and exhibition, giving the green space duel purpose with the ability to transform into a theatre and art space.
The water spouts on the wall at the two public gates feed into a culvert and runlet system to the central fountain, before disappearing to emerge in the circular, still pool in the lowest part of the garden; an echo of water’s natural journey through our landscape, from spring to sea and a metaphor for our own journey through life.
The physical space of the garden should be continued onto the internet with online garden access and live streaming of events and exhibitions. Plant information and education online should also include nursery plant sale information.
The garden is a space to explore our connections with nature and art. By using materials and colours particular to the area (hoggin, local blue lias and reclaimed bricks) and by providing a green performance space, the parabola will not only reconnect as the heart and hub of the estate setting but also connect to a wider audience by supporting local communities and artists outside its walls.
Patterns and Paths
Taking inspiration from traditional Celtic knot designs, I was looking to modify the path layout with a more fluid pattern. By making the outer paths thinner and more sinewy, it forces the individual into contact with the plants and makes the experience personal, it is the individual which has to confront each turn and each choice of direction, much as our journey through the real world, ultimately is bounded by our own choices.
These thin ribbon paths give onto the wider, more pedestrian, formal path. Here, conformity and crowd will modify the experience, changing the journey from personal into a public shared experience.
The individual’s private connection with the garden, the plants and boundary wall, as experienced on the outer paths is contrasted to the public performance space provided by the central lawn and plinths. Here, the personal interaction requires the individual to become the audience, whether to an artist, poet, dramatic performance or simply to the imagination, a wider expanse of sky and the larger vistas afforded of the garden itself.
Stepping Inside the Boundaries
Walls are built as defence, as protection and as symbols of power and wealth. They delineate boundaries and laws.
In kitchen gardens, the wall helps to protect the plants within, create a micro-climate and keep pests such as rabbits and deer at bay. Plants have long been associated with value, from herbs with medicinal properties to rare exotics such as tulips, the garden and its boundaries have long been associated with power and wealth. The kitchen garden wall delineates the area where these trophies are kept safe and is the heart of a traditional estate setting.
I wanted to explore our relationship with what has value in the garden today. Often plants, with our global economy and easy international travel, take second place to the concept of a garden as an extension of our own personality and lifestyle. In today’s global market, it is the arts that are the prized possession, an example of the individual’s taste, wealth and an investment for the future.
Inside the boundaries of the walls I wanted to create a layout where the individual became part of the garden’s wealth. The whole garden should be viewed as an installation where the individual directly confronts their relationship with nature and art, as an audience, participant and traveller through the landscape, once inside the boundaries their experience is as much a part of the garden as the art, plants or performance they have come to see.
Plinths and Performance
The series of empty circular plinths, waiting for a subject matter, be it sculpture, performance or simply to be used as a seat, immediately indicate to the individual that this open space has another purpose.
Drawing on inspiration from two very different performance spaces in the landscape, these plinths, whatever use they inspire, add an air of expectancy and when not in use, make the individual speculate on the negative space they create.
Tout Quarry, Portland, Dorset
This stone sculpture park takes a traditional landscape and reinvents it as a working sculpture park. As the visitor travels through the man-made quarry setting, slowly reverting to nature, sculptures reveal themselves. Sculptors can be found working on site, both finished and part finished pieces are dotted about the quarry.
Gallo-Roman Theatre near Jublains, France
www.jublains.fr/images/Cite Gallo Romaine/theatre.jpg
This semicircular open air theatre space, with its green terraces, creates a unique atmosphere, the sense of waiting for a performance (that moment before the curtain goes up) while belonging to the landscape without imposing upon it.
Materials and the Wider Landscape
Sourcing local materials and colours particular to the estate and the wider landscape helps to re-establish the old kitchen garden at the heart of the estate setting. It gives it a language particular to the area, continuing with the long tradition of local craftsmanship and connecting it back to the world beyond its walls.
Stagecoach East Midlands Volvo B7TL/East Lancs Vyking, 16909 (FX53 TXC), is seen at Riverhead Exchange on 28th April 2017.
The last vehicle to retain the old style Interconnect livery (gold and purple), complete with the newer rear end route map.
New to Lincolnshire Road Car, as their 909, in 2004.
So over the last two or three weeks I’ve grown accustomed to the sound of the Nuforce Icon HDP and Quad QPM1 combination. The HDP has been connected to the iMac via the supplied generic USB cable supplied in the box. The Quads have had the audio signal passed to them via a couple of Monster Audio 250 Interlink phono cables. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been working late on the computer and listening to music with a pair of Sennheiser HD 238 ‘phones plugged into the HDP. Although the sound from the Quads has been pretty damn good it struck me that the sound from the 238’s was a bit punchier, cleaner, smoother and had a far better sense of depth and airiness around the instruments. Now these are good, but not great, cans. They certainly sound much better through the HDP than they do through my iPhone. It’s clear the HDP has far more power available to drive them properly. But they are not in the same audio league as the Quads.
So why did they sound better? What I was hearing from the Quads was beginning to annoy me. Complex passages of music, be it driving rock or orchestral pieces, were indistinct and lacked pace and dynamism. Compared to the headphones the sound was nowhere near as refined and articulate. At times with the headphones on I forgot I was wearing them and I was convinced sounds were actually coming from the room around me. I didn’t get this effect with the Quads.
Surely it couldn’t be the cables? As far as I was aware all the USB cable had to do was feed a bunch of zeros and ones along some copper and into the HDP DAC. Being digital, I wasn’t convinced the signal could degrade enough over the metre length of the cable to make much difference to the DAC. Then I started looking into it and discovered that cable manufacturers were adamant that jitter and timing errors could have a significant effect on the DAC’s ability to convert the data stream without introducing a detrimental effect on the audio fidelity. I have to admit that I was quite sceptical about this. But then again it all seemed quite technical and the more I read the more I began to be persuaded there might just be something in their claims. Also from my experience of the Quad 12l2’s in the front room hooked up to the Arcam with Audioquest Indigo cable I was sure the Quad QPMs should sound a hell of a lot better than they currently did.
The Wireworld Ultraviolet USB cable was getting rave reviews from the likes of What Hi-fi and they’re generally fairly reliable. I decided to take the plunge. I’ve always thought that the rule of allocating 10% of your expenditure on the audio gear should be allocated to cabling was a sensible one. I’ve never regretted any of the cable upgrades I’ve made in the past. So the Wireworld cable might sort out some of the digital confusion but I then had to deal with the analogue side.
I’ve never really rated Monster Cables. I think they’re overhyped and any cable manufacturer that flogs their wares in an electrical shop that also sells washing machines and fridges has got to be a bit a bit suspect. I’d only bought the 250 interconnect as a last resort because I couldn’t be bothered making the trip into town to by something better. I had a hunch the 250 cable was basically junk. Having read great reviews on the Chord Crimson Plus interconnect I decided I’d give it a try. What Hi-fi (again) had awarded it best cable of the year. It seemed to possess all the characteristics I was looking for. Transparency, neutrality, openness, good bass control, improved dynamics, great detail and acoustic delay. And quite affordable.
Knowing that poor cabling was very probably the root of my problems I was excited to try out the cables. I got home today and rewired the system and fired up the iMac. I can honestly say that the difference was immediately apparent. Anybody that tells you that cabling doesn’t make a difference to the quality of your system has never actually tried changing their wiring.
The difference really is immense. I was quite surprised and thrilled to hear the difference the new wiring made. Well worth the investment. Everything suddenly makes sonic sense. Everything is placed properly across the sound stage. The balance that the recording engineer intended is immediately apparent. A sense of scale and dynamics, sorely missing before, has been restored. The sense that you’re there with the musicians right in front of you is now evident. This, really, is what the hi-fi enthusiast is really striving for. Finally, it’s all come together. For the sound quality I now have in my first truly dedicated computer based audiophile grade audio system I'm delighted. And for the price I paid, a bargain. Plus it will last a lifetime.
Buy decent audio gear while your ears are still capable of hearing it!
Good general-purpose interconnects.
Part of the circuitry snacks project: Edible models of functioning electronic circuits. Designed for fun, for geeks, for kids, and for teaching and learning electronics.
So over the last two or three weeks I’ve grown accustomed to the sound of the Nuforce Icon HDP and Quad QPM1 combination. The HDP has been connected to the iMac via the supplied generic USB cable supplied in the box. The Quads have had the audio signal passed to them via a couple of Monster Audio 250 Interlink phono cables. Over the last couple of weeks I’ve been working late on the computer and listening to music with a pair of Sennheiser HD 238 ‘phones plugged into the HDP. Although the sound from the Quads has been pretty damn good it struck me that the sound from the 238’s was a bit punchier, cleaner, smoother and had a far better sense of depth and airiness around the instruments. Now these are good, but not great, cans. They certainly sound much better through the HDP than they do through my iPhone. It’s clear the HDP has far more power available to drive them properly. But they are not in the same audio league as the Quads.
So why did they sound better? What I was hearing from the Quads was beginning to annoy me. Complex passages of music, be it driving rock or orchestral pieces, were indistinct and lacked pace and dynamism. Compared to the headphones the sound was nowhere near as refined and articulate. At times with the headphones on I forgot I was wearing them and I was convinced sounds were actually coming from the room around me. I didn’t get this effect with the Quads.
Surely it couldn’t be the cables? As far as I was aware all the USB cable had to do was feed a bunch of zeros and ones along some copper and into the HDP DAC. Being digital, I wasn’t convinced the signal could degrade enough over the metre length of the cable to make much difference to the DAC. Then I started looking into it and discovered that cable manufacturers were adamant that jitter and timing errors could have a significant effect on the DAC’s ability to convert the data stream without introducing a detrimental effect on the audio fidelity. I have to admit that I was quite sceptical about this. But then again it all seemed quite technical and the more I read the more I began to be persuaded there might just be something in their claims. Also from my experience of the Quad 12l2’s in the front room hooked up to the Arcam with Audioquest Indigo cable I was sure the Quad QPMs should sound a hell of a lot better than they currently did.
The Wireworld Ultraviolet USB cable was getting rave reviews from the likes of What Hi-fi and they’re generally fairly reliable. I decided to take the plunge. I’ve always thought that the rule of allocating 10% of your expenditure on the audio gear should be allocated to cabling was a sensible one. I’ve never regretted any of the cable upgrades I’ve made in the past. So the Wireworld cable might sort out some of the digital confusion but I then had to deal with the analogue side.
I’ve never really rated Monster Cables. I think they’re overhyped and any cable manufacturer that flogs their wares in an electrical shop that also sells washing machines and fridges has got to be a bit a bit suspect. I’d only bought the 250 interconnect as a last resort because I couldn’t be bothered making the trip into town to by something better. I had a hunch the 250 cable was basically junk. Having read great reviews on the Chord Crimson Plus interconnect I decided I’d give it a try. What Hi-fi (again) had awarded it best cable of the year. It seemed to possess all the characteristics I was looking for. Transparency, neutrality, openness, good bass control, improved dynamics, great detail and acoustic delay. And quite affordable.
Knowing that poor cabling was very probably the root of my problems I was excited to try out the cables. I got home today and rewired the system and fired up the iMac. I can honestly say that the difference was immediately apparent. Anybody that tells you that cabling doesn’t make a difference to the quality of your system has never actually tried changing their wiring.
The difference really is immense. I was quite surprised and thrilled to hear the difference the new wiring made. Well worth the investment. Everything suddenly makes sonic sense. Everything is placed properly across the sound stage. The balance that the recording engineer intended is immediately apparent. A sense of scale and dynamics, sorely missing before, has been restored. The sense that you’re there with the musicians right in front of you is now evident. This, really, is what the hi-fi enthusiast is really striving for. Finally, it’s all come together. For the sound quality I now have in my first truly dedicated computer based audiophile grade audio system I'm delighted. And for the price I paid, a bargain. Plus it will last a lifetime.
Buy decent audio gear while your ears are still capable of hearing it!