Joshua_G wrote:Hello,
1. As for metal box to contain the modules and the various connectors – what material and what thickness would give best results and lowest noise figure?
Your layout of components will be the deciding factor on noise. Unless you live in a very noisy area, you can probably get away without serious shielding. Case material and thickness will likely be of little consequence.
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2. As for shielding – would you recommend shielding each module, or some modules and/or the Transformers? If yes, what material and what thickness would give best results and lowest noise figure?
The modules do not need to be shielded. You don;t have to go nuts with shielding in general, but if you want to, there is little downside. Just don;t do anything that ends up making for longer signal wire runs.
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3. For best results, what type and may be brand of soldering wire and/or soldering paste is recommended?
I recommend against lead-free and high-silver content solders. I use Kester (or other good quality) 63/17 leaded solder with no-clean flux. The better solder joint you get with regular solder will be far more beneficial than some silver in a bad solder joint.
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4. For best Audio Quality and lowest noise figure, would you recommend having separate boxes, 1 for the transformers and 1 for all modules? Or may be separate boxes for different modules?
I guess you could put the power supplies in separate boxes, but I had great results all in the same box. The MUX, Buffalo and IVY should absolutely be in the same box, ideally stacked with very short signal wire runs.
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5. As for connectors: S/PDIF Coax input, S/PDIF Toslink, Single Ended Audio output, Balance Audio outputs and IEC Chasis Power Inlet – which connectors (type, material and may be brand) would give best results? – Cost isn't an issue for me here.
Well, TOSLINK is easy... Toshiba. For the other stuff, I have never been able to hear any difference between exotic types and standard (but good quality) connectors, so
I will not recommend anything I consider to be ridiculous. I like to use Neutrik connectors for RCA and XLR, as they are very good quality, last forever and have a standard footprint for chassis drilling/mounting. You can actually get 75-ohm RCA chassis mount connectors and mount them in a Neutrik RCA socket, which works out rather well for S/PDIF. I also don;t recommend wasting money on "high-end" IEC connectors. I have wired too many houses (for electricity) to know that adding a couple feet of exotic cable to the end of 250feet of solid copper Romex is not going to yield any benefits, unless you sell exotic power cables. Again, just my opinion, take it or leave it. I use generic $1 IEC connectors and the components sound fabulous. I would rather spend the money on beer.
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6. For best noise figure, is it recommended to wire the input AC power ground the chassis of the transformers/modules box, or not?
I usually ground the chassis to mains ground just as it enters the chassis. I then isolate other grounds from the chassis (power supply and signal).
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7. What wires are recommended between the Power Supplies and the different modules?
18-20 gauge is plenty. Whatever you have on hand. Keep the runs as short and direct as possible, and as far from the digital and analog signal wires as possible.
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8. What wires are recommended between the S/PDIF MUX/Reciever module and the Buffalo DAC?
Again, whatever you have on hand. Ribbon cable can be easy to deal with. Wires stripped from CAT5/6 are generally plentiful and work well. Anything 18-32 gauge will work just fine.
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9. What wires (or may be screened cables) are recommended between the IVY balanced outputs and the balanced outputs sockets?
Well, by their nature, balanced signals are highly immune from interference (that's the point). You can just use three wires twisted or braided together. Or you can use expensive shielded cables without worry. I don't. I did get a big spool of silver-teflon 3-wire a while back (three 24ga wires twisted together) that I like to use. I like the Teflon for it's heat-resistance when soldering, and the silver tins and solders well. I don;t hear any difference between it and CAT5/6 wire I have used, but the CAT5/6 wire's jacket melts if you look at it with a soldering iron in your hand.
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10. What screened cable is recommended between the IVY balanced outputs and the balanced outputs sockets?
Same as 9 above.
