Thanks, Charlie, good experiment with the PC's!

It seems several things get a little clearer in all this. First, good PC's still play a vital role in upgrading SQ, even with perfect sine wave AC power from a P20 source. (And you already know what that power cleanliness did for your system.) Second, there's a good chance an upgraded PC might do similar wonders for your tv as it did for Anthem's and mine even with the cleaner power.

The third is scary to think about.... yeah, even further PC upgrades for sources in particular might give yet another jump in SQ, who knows how big. I gotta' leave the speculation about what an uber expensive PC might do way on the back burner though. I too have the Heimdall 2 feeding my source, and jumping to multi thousand $ options seems a bridge a bit too far just now. So many options and choices between gear upgrades, electronic upgrades, stability tweaks, leaving all alone. An interesting hobby, this, just when you think things can't possibly sound better, or tv's look better, along comes something to think about.

Rick

Yes, this experiment does point to upgrading the PC on the TV. The power supply there is probably not the greatest too.

The various upgrades I've done seem to imply that the more transparent the system, the more sensitive it becomes to component changes at all levels. Each improvement brings more transparency and more sensitivity to change. A common description is lifting a veil. I think that veil acts as a kind of noise floor (not really noise, but a degree of obscuration) that can hide very small differences. As your system gets better and better, that veil becomes thinner and smaller changes become discernable.

I'm with you; I'm not ready to drop a huge amount of money on PCs (or interconnects or speaker cables, remember those?) quite yet, but I suspect another round of that would yield more benefits.

Charlie

Spyro Gyra/In Modern Times (2001) - Florida Straits

Something new.
From their 20th cd, "Florida Straits" a fiery, danceable latin track. Julio Fernandez' Carlos Santana influenced guitar riffs set this track a Blazing.

One of the Best Spyro Gyra cds I've heard.

Since we started the discussion of power cords for tv's here on this thread, I'll continue the subject here.

I already described what the Nordost Purple Flare did to upgrade my tv picture quality, and promised feedback on what the second Purple Flare did for my Bluesound Node 2i streamer, which a reviewer praised for what it did for his Bluesound. Anyway, the reviewer's Bluesound use was as a digital transport to an external DAC, which is how I often use it also, to send digital to the Marantz to up mix there to Dolby Surround. The reviewer was pleasantly surprised at the SQ upgrade in digital transport mode, and it led me to want to try it also.

The improvement in tv picture was immediate. The use of the second Purple Flare for the Bluesound and streaming got a bit more nuanced. When first plugged in, with the Bluesound in digital out mode, the uptick in detail, especially in the treble range, was immediate, and the sound richly detailed throughout the frequency range. So I streamed a range of music to evaluate further and help break in the cord. What I have heard over several sessions is a fair bit of variability in SQ, sometimes tending toward brightness in addition to better detail. I have not experienced this much variation during cord break in before. Today the sound is gorgeous again. So I'll continue to rack up more playing time to finish break in. Bottom line as a power cord for the Bluesound, the SQ IS better, I guess I just need to finish breaking it in.

I also switched to Bluesound analog in, in pure direct stereo only to the Marantz, to see what the Purple Flare did for the Bluesound's DAC's SQ. That did get clearly better, the detail, especially in the treble range, was clearly a step or two up.

I'm keeping the second Purple Flare for the Bluesound also, so now have 9 upgraded power cords plugged in, covering the four Tritons, the Oppo, Marantz AVR, ATi amp, tv, and Bluesound. Yup, I'm a power cord believer. Took a bit to convince me with all the smoke around how they work, but they work for me.

Rick

Govi/ Seventh Heaven (2000)

Govi is only available to YouTube Premium Music Members, of which I am not (can't download or upload if not a member)

All Music review:

A refined collection of flamenco-styled classical guitar in Govi's familiar style. Seventh Heaven is an ideal soundtrack for sitting on the veranda, overlooking the coffee bean fields and sipping a fine dry wine -- or maybe just adding a little class to some re-heated Mexican food in your cramped apartment. The smooth, soft guitar work from this California-based musician has sold millions of albums and offers a perfect backdrop for a relaxing evening.

Thanks, Anthem!

Love acoustic guitar, found many Govi albums to stream, including this one. Interrupting watching the Packers/Buccaneers game to stream this on the GEt's.