LOL!!!/wp-content/forum-smileys/sf-laugh.gif/wp-content/forum-smileys/sf-laugh.gif/wp-content/forum-smileys/sf-laugh.gifAm just in the process of selling a kidney in order to buy a USB as well ......
great stuff really happy here
JCAT Sata cable
Started by
joelha
, Sep 16 2013 02:05 AM
104 replies to this topic
#21
Adrian
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Posted 15 November 2013 - 04:52 PM
ellisdj said:
#22
kaka
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Posted 18 November 2013 - 09:57 AM
The second sata in the control PC will be staying there - there are most certainly gains having a Jcat cable on a music drive as well as the OS drive. I did a weekend of listening while establishing that, I'm getting levels of detail and nuances that were not there before.
A well done to Joseph, Marcin and Paul Pang.
Linear+battery power supplied WS 2019 server - Jplay Femto, AO 3.0, Fideliser - Jcat XE USB board+Optimo Duo - JCat Sign.USB - Chord MScaler- Stereolab/Blackcat Tron spdif - Chord Dave
#23
juko
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Posted 08 December 2013 - 03:43 PM
Here are my experiences with Jcat cables:
I bought one sata cable for OS hdd to see if changing a sata cable really would make a significant difference in PC based setup. I thought it would be possible to have some improvement in sound but was really surprised to hear how big difference changing just one sata cable made in my system.
Biggest changes were in timing (PRaT), soundstage definition and overall clarity and resolution. I was very happy so I decided to get a second sata cable and USB cable too to maximize these effects with Jcat cables.
First I changed the second sata cable. Again more clarity, resolution, better soundstage definition, less electronic haze. Another big difference was absence of boomy bass which had been really annoying before.
Next change was replacing Aqvox USB cable with Jcat. Again less electronic distortion, more black background. Analog sound. All together these Jcat cables are a big step towards the sound I am looking for.
#24
Timh
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Posted 09 December 2013 - 06:51 PM
Nice to see the sata cable does improve the sound.
Does anyone know if Paul Pang is still a live as I sent him several mails and he is not responding
anymore already for a few weeks now.
I made an order with him and received only a small part of that order but since a few weeks no communications
and no 2nd delivery....
feel free to post if you have heard him, or know a way to get in thouch with him.
thx !
#27
joelha
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Posted 09 December 2013 - 11:11 PM
I actually spent a weekend with Paul in Kaohsiung, Taiwan a few weeks ago.
It was great and I hope to post a short report on that visit soon.
I too have struggled to communicate with Paul but received a message from him last night.
I'll let his wife know that there are others trying to get a hold of him and I hope that this will help.
All the best,
Joel
#30
mjock3
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Posted 10 December 2013 - 02:14 AM
I just communicated with Paul via email Sunday. So he is still alive and well.
Asus P8Z77-V Pro, i5-3570T, G. Skill Ripjaws SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC12800), Samsung 840 120GB SSD, Pico PSU 160-XT, Paul Pang USB Card (really like it), Multiple DIY linear PSU's, Acoustic Revive RLI-1 LAN isolator, Jplay, Jriver, WS2012, Audiophile's Optimizer (really like all the software)
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#31
Larry
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Posted 16 January 2014 - 09:50 AM
When I bought a SSD drive I went with the Sata 3 port on my motherboard, but the sound was thinner, smaller and more noisy than with sata 2, so I changed back. Later I read that Paul also thinks one should go with sata 2 for better sound quality and less noise. Just a reminder to experiment with both sata ports, I was really surprised the difference was that big in my setup. I´m a bit concerned though for the future when I upgrade my computer and motherboard, will there only be sata 3 connection (or maybe sata 4) on it 
?
?
Edited by Larry, 16 January 2014 - 10:51 AM.
PC : Fanless PC, Win 8.1, CPU i7 2600K, Samsung 840 pro SSD in sata 2, 8GB 1600 Mhz, JCAT sata+ USB card
Hifi : Auralic Vega DAC + Harmony Ear 909, Audioquest diamond USB, Heed Obelisk PRE/PS/PX, KEF LS50
Power : Nordost Heimdall 2, Nordost QBase4, Nordost Blue Heaven, Furutech Evolution, Shunyata Black Mamba, JCat battery PSU
Hifi : Auralic Vega DAC + Harmony Ear 909, Audioquest diamond USB, Heed Obelisk PRE/PS/PX, KEF LS50
Power : Nordost Heimdall 2, Nordost QBase4, Nordost Blue Heaven, Furutech Evolution, Shunyata Black Mamba, JCat battery PSU
#33
kyrill
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Posted 03 February 2014 - 11:34 PM
I know I have a transparent set up. I am also rather proud of it, heavily modded Jadis power amps, one traveled to the other side of the world, ( From EU to Australia) to be modded for a specific triode mod by Joe Rasmussen (Terra Firma) that can only be done there. Lost 800 Euro's only for shipping as the package was 3 kg too heavy for national post so you have to rely to courier posts like FedEx or DHL. The amp came back transformed and I had permission to copy the mods for the other Jadis. Also having no passive crossover helps a lot too and a wonderful Venhaus "Chela" speaker cable made also a jump in transparency and musicality.Heavy balanced power Transformers and line conditioners keep the power clean too and since a month I wrapped all power connectors and PC internal power cables in shielding cloth from lessemf.com , an economical way to shield against RFI and magnetic fields.
anyway
Josef came by and took his Jcat USB cable and JCat Sata cable with him
My 'ancient' solution from the older days of of JPlay version 3.x was the USB/SATA converter route and Hynes 5V power for the external SSD. A month ago I fed the OS SSD with standard SATA cable, but wrapped in 3M EMI absorber sheet and 4 layers of kitchen aluminum foil and RFI shielding cloth around the kitchen foil. I did expect to hear no improvement compared to the USB/SATA solution. In hindsight a silly expectation.The improvement was day and night difference , everything opened up more, bigger 3D, bigger sound, more definition and transparency and I was a bit shocked; could have all those wonderful updated sound a year ago for zero money as I had a spare 3M sheet.
So we listened first to my standard setup end then used the JCat SATA cable. Neither Josef, nor me expected such a dramatic improvement. I expected a small improvement as the modded standard sata cable I used was already sounding so much better because of the shielding and the damping. (the 3M sturdy 1mm thick piece has a resonance dampening effect too) The JCat sata cable is a must, the better yr system, the more you will hear a difference.
How the JCat USB cable sounds I will post under JCat USB
Edited by kyrill, 04 February 2014 - 12:43 AM.
#34
Larry
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Posted 13 March 2014 - 03:12 PM
Just recieved the sata cable, my initial impression cold out of the box in the sata 2 port playing "Buena vista social club" is a somehow slower presentation than my cheap 20 euro sata cable. Maybe it´s the synergy with the Audioquest Diamond USB cable, that in my system make things smooth and slower than my old Nordost USB. The JCat sata cable gives a more quit background and a more natural/analog sound, vocals still have grains (on this stage), though I can turn the volume up more. Will be interesting how it develop the next 100-200 hours. I know it´s unfair to say more for now, so just a quick impression.
PC : Fanless PC, Win 8.1, CPU i7 2600K, Samsung 840 pro SSD in sata 2, 8GB 1600 Mhz, JCAT sata+ USB card
Hifi : Auralic Vega DAC + Harmony Ear 909, Audioquest diamond USB, Heed Obelisk PRE/PS/PX, KEF LS50
Power : Nordost Heimdall 2, Nordost QBase4, Nordost Blue Heaven, Furutech Evolution, Shunyata Black Mamba, JCat battery PSU
Hifi : Auralic Vega DAC + Harmony Ear 909, Audioquest diamond USB, Heed Obelisk PRE/PS/PX, KEF LS50
Power : Nordost Heimdall 2, Nordost QBase4, Nordost Blue Heaven, Furutech Evolution, Shunyata Black Mamba, JCat battery PSU
#35
Larry
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Posted 18 April 2014 - 02:26 PM
Well, a month has past and the sata cable and the JCat USB card have settled in. Both needed quite some burn in, so don´t judge any of them before they got 1-1½ week of intense use . As said above, you get less noise = more black background, more organic sound+ now I have smooth sound no grain. So I´m very satisfied with both JCAT products, the biggest change came with USB card though, but it´s of caused backed up by the less noise from the sata cable. It was a lot of money for me to shell out for these small things, but I want to slowly build a system where every part is high quality and I can clearly hear the difference.
PC : Fanless PC, Win 8.1, CPU i7 2600K, Samsung 840 pro SSD in sata 2, 8GB 1600 Mhz, JCAT sata+ USB card
Hifi : Auralic Vega DAC + Harmony Ear 909, Audioquest diamond USB, Heed Obelisk PRE/PS/PX, KEF LS50
Power : Nordost Heimdall 2, Nordost QBase4, Nordost Blue Heaven, Furutech Evolution, Shunyata Black Mamba, JCat battery PSU
Hifi : Auralic Vega DAC + Harmony Ear 909, Audioquest diamond USB, Heed Obelisk PRE/PS/PX, KEF LS50
Power : Nordost Heimdall 2, Nordost QBase4, Nordost Blue Heaven, Furutech Evolution, Shunyata Black Mamba, JCat battery PSU
#36
AudioPhilip
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Posted 18 April 2014 - 09:59 PM
Marcin,
my fears were right: the jcat sata cable did not fit in the Streacom low profile case because the sata connectors of the motherboard are placed vertically, but I will NEVER return it after I've tested it in the control pc, I did not imagine such a great difference.The amazing thing is that every note of the music seems to "move the air"now. So I'm planning to change tha audio pc mobo and, of course, add another jcat to my system. Will I be shocked again?
#37
Marcin_gps
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Posted 19 April 2014 - 11:07 AM
Guys, thanks for the reports!
Yes, you'll get improvement with every drive on both controlpc and audiopc
Cheers,
Marcin
Cheers,
Marcin
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#40
ectudor
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Posted 01 May 2014 - 03:07 PM
kyrill said:
I'm skeptical the sata cable can have a Huge impact on sound quality when Jplay work on a single PC in hib mode. As far as I know, Jplay plays from memory, so I can not see the sata cable on the signal path. Would you be so kind to explain why do you believe it can be any impact on sound under the above circumstances?
kyrill,The sata cable has a HUGE impact on sound quality and I always play in hib mode with Mini.
I'm skeptical the sata cable can have a Huge impact on sound quality when Jplay work on a single PC in hib mode. As far as I know, Jplay plays from memory, so I can not see the sata cable on the signal path. Would you be so kind to explain why do you believe it can be any impact on sound under the above circumstances?
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