ExtremeSkeptic
Muse
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2006
- Messages
- 533
Before I started this hobby I was using cheap cordless headphones that were picking up radio channels. It was difficult to watch movies with radio in the background. Then I upgraded to corded Sennheiser HD590 headphones and heard more bass.
I was a skeptic and didn't believe in sources making a difference. But eventually after 18 months I wanted to know the truth, so I upgraded my Soundblaster Audigy2 soundcard into EMU0404 ($99), I didn't hear a difference. I switched back and forth and heard nothing. I asked in a forum what was going on. Someone said he could hear the difference easily. But I couldn't hear it!
So next I bought an amplifier because in the 18 months I was reading the Head-Fi forum I was a skeptic of amplifiers. I didn't understand why it would make a difference because I didn't need louder volume.
I bought a Corda HA-1 Mk1 headamp and didn't hear a difference. But now I was hearing radio channels again, the headamp was picking up radio channels through the female connectors on the back! I searched the Head-Fi forum and found others have had this problem and it was solved by buying shielded interconnects. For my whole life I have used all the cheapest cables I could buy, I have a whole box full of them. I always bought the cheapest.
So I didn't like the idea of spending a hundred for a cable. But since I wanted to know the truth, that's what I did. I bought the cheapest Van den Hul cable because it had 3 shields. I replaced my stock interconnect and the radio was reduced, but it wasn't completely gone. So at this point I was still a skeptic of sources and amps, but I had clearly heard that cables make a difference! So I kept searching and found that Outlaw PCA interconnect has better shielded connectors and was cheaper than the Van den Hul. So I bought the Outlaw cable. It worked, all the radio was finally gone from the music.
Then I upgraded my HD590 into AKG K501, I heard a huge difference. But I was still a skeptic of sources and amps.
Even when I didn't hear the radio anymore, it didn't feel good to listen to the same amp anymore. There could have been some subtle radio in the music that I couldn't hear. So I upgraded the amp into Graham Slee Solo. There was no radio even with the more expensive Van den Hul interconnect. And this time, I heard an improvement from an amplifier! I got more bass and detail. Years later I found it was because of the external power supply.
Since I didn't need shielded interconnects anymore with the new amp, I was more free to choose the cable I wanted. I searched around and found a used 0.5m Nordost Valhalla from eBay. Since I could sell it later for the same price, I bought it to try. I plugged it into my EMU0404 soundcard and amp. I heard a difference, everything sounded colder, there was less muddiness in the sound.
But still I was a skeptic of sources because I didn't hear a difference between them. So I decided to buy a Benchmark DAC1. When I first listened to it, I heard new sounds I never heard before.
Now I knew the truth and wanted more, much more. So I took out all my life savings ($30 000) from my bank and started spending it on audio. I upgraded my headphones into AKG K1000 and bought a Krell KAV-500i power amp because someone had recommended Krell at Head-Fi. But since Krell is expensive in Sweden, I had to import one. But the problem was the Krell couldn't be changed from 110volts into 230volts. I kept reading around and found that someone was using a PS Audio Power Plant to change the voltage, he said it was cheaper than sending the Krell to the factory for a voltage conversion. So I decided not to buy the Krell and was going to buy a tube amp because someone recommended it. But then I was browsing Audiogon and saw that one seller was selling both a Krell KAV-500i plus a P300 Power Plant! It was fate and I bought them both.
I listened to my new K1000 + Krell combo and I heard problems. It sounded very fatiguing and "metallic". Somewhere I had read that "power conditioning" makes it sound smoother but I didn't believe it. But since I already had a P300 Power Plant for my Krell amp, I thought why not try plugging my Benchmark DAC1 into it too, because it was for free!
I plugged the DAC1 into the P300 and heard an improvement in soundstage space. I couldn't believe it. Power conditioning made a difference! I changed from 60Hz into 90Hz and the soundstage got even bigger.
So then I started searching around and found people who used "power cords", since I already had a Nordost Valhalla interconnect why not get a power cord from the same manufacturer? I found a Nordost Vishnu power cord review and started reading it. In the same review there was Nordost Valhalla power cord for a crazy price, I never thought about ever buying that. I was browsing Audiogon and found someone who sold a couple Nordost Vishnus so I bought them. I could always sell them later if I didn't hear a difference.
I plugged the Vishnus into my system and everything got silky smooth, I could listen longer with less fatigue than before! I could also hear the smoothness of 320kbps mp3, the clarity of WAV scared me. I heard a difference and decided to upgrade all my mp3 albums to CDs. So I bought a Cary 303/300 CD player and dozens of CDs. When I first listened to the Cary I could hear more detail but I heard horrible sibilance, I couldn't listen to any albums that had vocals in it, it was impossible. The Cary has a tube output but it didn't help much, I couldn't listen to vocals anymore and I needed to search for albums that didn't have any vocals in them!
So I kept searching for ways to make vocals listenable. I bought a Nordost Valhalla power cord (a month after I got the Vishnu). I also replaced the stock K1000 headphone cable with Stefan AudioArt Hardwired K1000 cable, I tried to replace it myself because there was nobody else who could do it. I bought the cheapest soldering iron and solder from a store. I read a guide on the net on how to solder and started with my K1000 (I didn't bother to practice first). After a day my first soldering job was complete and I plugged them in. I turned my system on but the P300 Power Plant kept shutting itself off because of too much wattage (front display showed it). Later I found out that the voice coil insulation of the K1000 drivers had melted because of too much heat in the binding posts. I didn't know the tip of the soldering iron had to be kept tinned and clean. I was just pressing the tip of the iron against what I needed to solder and wondered why the tin I had beside it never melted.
So I needed to buy another pair of K1000, I found a retailer in Germany who would re-wire a new pair of K1000, so I sent my cable there.
In the meantime I had needed to use K501 headphones with my old Graham Slee Solo headamp.
My Nordost Valhalla power cord arrived in the mail and I plugged it in into my Cary. It made everything sound rich, warm and heavy. I couldn't believe it. The difference was much bigger than stock vs Vishnu. I could hear crazy bass.
After a week my new K1000 arrived and I connected it to my Krell KAV-500i. The sibilance was gone, I could listen to vocals again! So then I bought another Nordost Valhalla power cord because I was still using Vishnu for my Krell. I received the Valhalla and plugged it in. The improvement from replacing Vishnu with Valhalla for the Krell was the biggest I had ever heard. Suddenly I could hear new bass melodies and everything was faster than before. I heard a new world of low-level detail. I never liked bass before, but for the first time I loved it because it was so fast and complex.
Within 6 months I had turned into a believer of interconnects, amps, sources, power conditioners, power cords and headphone cables. Now I wanted more. So I kept searching around. I also saw skeptics in forums who didn't believe the tweaks I was using made a difference at all. But I had heard the improvements myself! Everytime I searched around for tweaks, I was having an open mind and ignored all the skeptics who didn't try it for themselves.
I was still a skeptic of things I never tried myself, and when I tried something, I kept getting surprised. Everytime I added a tweak into my system, the improvement was far bigger than I could ever imagine. Eventually I was using two P300 Power Plants and PS Audio Statement power cables to plug them into the wall.
I was still a skeptic of vibration isolation and was using a homemade stand made of a wooden board and plastic boxes. Because in the Cary manual it said you are not allowed to place the CD player on top of a power amp.
I bought a Solid-tech Rack of Silence expecting to hear the smallest improvement of all the tweaks, but instead it made the biggest improvement I had ever heard. Way bigger than anything else! I could hear different shades of sibilance in the vocals. Everything was blacker and bass was so solid it gave me headaches for two months.
I was still a skeptic of the power cord between power conditioner and wall. I thought it just needs to be shielded. But since I wanted to know the truth. I cut my Nordost Valhalla cables shorter and replaced the PS Audio cables. The improvement in detail was almost as big as the Rack of Silence! I couldn't believe it!
After I got used to the speed my system was complete. I didn't know what "synergy" meant but now I did! I didn't hear anything wrong. I didn't feel the need to upgrade anything else ever again.
But then I was in a forum still raving about the Nordost Valhalla power cord I bought a year earlier. Someone recommeded me to try the Valhalla speaker cable too. But since I had already spent all my life savings, I didn't have the cash. But then I found someone selling a single run Nordost Valkyrja speaker cable. I read the reviews and the performance seemed to be identical based on the specs. The Valkyrja had less conductors than Valhalla and the price per conductor was the same. Later I found that Valkyrja was a better design for headphones, but I also found out that the depth of the silver plating (78 vs 60 microns) gives a different flavor of sound even if the low-level detail performance is identical.
When I first listened to the K1000 + Valkyrja headphone cable I could hear a huge soundstage, everything was smoother, I could hear amazing bass information. It made the biggest improvement I had ever heard. Since I had pieces of Valkyrja left over I offered a test drive but the first one didn't like it because of "too much detail". Between the 2nd and 3rd test driver the cable was "lost in shipping". The 2nd one claims he never had time to listen to the cable in the 9 months he owned it, because he was "busy with school".
My system was complete but the problem was that my Krell power amp was using 150 watts. So then I downgraded it into a PS Audio GCC-100 amp. I was surprised the cheaper amp sounded cleaner with more low-level detail. I also found out that now my Benchmark DAC1 had more detail than my 4 times more expensive Cary CD player. My conclusion was because of a shorter signal path. Then I wondered, what would happen if I bypass things inside the new GCC-100 amp? And then a year long of tweaking began. Eventually I had mutilated everything except for the Krell amp that I had left inside a box near my bed.
I have cut open and modified the Nordost Valhalla cables, I have realized that Valhalla colors the sound, but in a good way. The longer the Valhalla is, the more coloration I hear. I experimented a long time and found that multiple conductors had less low-level detail than a single conductor. The single 16awg conductor was better in every way, except everything sounded thinner and more fatiguing.
When I bought the GCC-100 amp I had it modified by Underwoodhifi because it was the same price as a new unit anyway. I found a little ERS Paper inside it, I didn't know what it was. I was still a skeptic. How can little paper do anything? But why was it inside the amp for no reason? The modders must know something I don't. After I mutilated the amp I had ERS Paper left over. So I tried to wrap a few cm of it around my Valhalla power cord but everything sounded muddy, it was unbearable. It made a difference but i didn't like it because I got less detail and more muddiness. It didn't make sense, it should have given more detail.
But later I got an idea, what if separating the conductors of the Valhalla power cord from each other was the reason for the improved low-level detail and not the reduction of gauge size? So I thought about separating the ERS Paper a distance from the cable and it worked! I heard more low-level detail and clarity, no weaknesses. So I bought more and more ERS Paper and eventually I had more than 100 sheets. Still no weaknesses with ERS Paper, no muddiness or anything, just more low-level detail.
Later I experimented with vibration isolation again. I added multiple steps of Solid-tech Feet of Silence and was going to buy a dozen more of them. But then I saw a sale of Magix levitation feet and bought them instead. I heard new vocal information and resolution, but the background wasn't black anymore. I realized that Feet of Silence were coloring the sound, the background appeared to be blacker than neutral just because of a slight reduction of attack and decay. When I replaced the Feet with Magix the attack and decay was longer but the background wasn't black anymore. It made me wonder what was going on. It seemed like the Feet of Silence didn't "grip" the component, it was just loose which gave a boomy bass signature with edgy highs. I experimented with the rubber bands of the Feet and the bass sounded different. Using stiffer rubber bands made the upper bass stronger but the background wasn't as black anymore.
With the Magix levitation feet the bottom end sounds clean and open but something was missing. Later I tried Magix under my Cary CD player which I use as transport for my 4 times cheaper DAC. I could feel vibrations and a humming sound of my table everytime the Cary was turned on. I found the problem to come from the vibrating transformer inside the chassis. It was vibrating like crazy and the Magix levitation feet didn't stop the sideways vibrations. The Magix need to be perfectly balanced to stop the biggest vibrations. So I tried Feet of Silence again, the humming of my table was gone and no vibrations seemed to go through the Feet of Silence. But it sounded worse than Magix did, even when Magix was leaking the sideways vibrations.
So then I tried a combination of Feet of Silence and Magix, I got the best of both worlds. It sounded even little better than Magix on its own.
That was the last tweak I did before my 2nd audio system was complete. I was done with this hobby forever, and bought a new computer display for the rest of my money. I had the display for two days and didn't listen to audio, then I listened to my audio system again and it was broken. It felt like I had slowly climbed up a volcano and when I finally reached the top I fell down into the lava.
That was the true story of me as an audiophile. Right now I'm building my 3rd system from leftovers.
I was a skeptic and didn't believe in sources making a difference. But eventually after 18 months I wanted to know the truth, so I upgraded my Soundblaster Audigy2 soundcard into EMU0404 ($99), I didn't hear a difference. I switched back and forth and heard nothing. I asked in a forum what was going on. Someone said he could hear the difference easily. But I couldn't hear it!
So next I bought an amplifier because in the 18 months I was reading the Head-Fi forum I was a skeptic of amplifiers. I didn't understand why it would make a difference because I didn't need louder volume.
I bought a Corda HA-1 Mk1 headamp and didn't hear a difference. But now I was hearing radio channels again, the headamp was picking up radio channels through the female connectors on the back! I searched the Head-Fi forum and found others have had this problem and it was solved by buying shielded interconnects. For my whole life I have used all the cheapest cables I could buy, I have a whole box full of them. I always bought the cheapest.
So I didn't like the idea of spending a hundred for a cable. But since I wanted to know the truth, that's what I did. I bought the cheapest Van den Hul cable because it had 3 shields. I replaced my stock interconnect and the radio was reduced, but it wasn't completely gone. So at this point I was still a skeptic of sources and amps, but I had clearly heard that cables make a difference! So I kept searching and found that Outlaw PCA interconnect has better shielded connectors and was cheaper than the Van den Hul. So I bought the Outlaw cable. It worked, all the radio was finally gone from the music.
Then I upgraded my HD590 into AKG K501, I heard a huge difference. But I was still a skeptic of sources and amps.
Even when I didn't hear the radio anymore, it didn't feel good to listen to the same amp anymore. There could have been some subtle radio in the music that I couldn't hear. So I upgraded the amp into Graham Slee Solo. There was no radio even with the more expensive Van den Hul interconnect. And this time, I heard an improvement from an amplifier! I got more bass and detail. Years later I found it was because of the external power supply.
Since I didn't need shielded interconnects anymore with the new amp, I was more free to choose the cable I wanted. I searched around and found a used 0.5m Nordost Valhalla from eBay. Since I could sell it later for the same price, I bought it to try. I plugged it into my EMU0404 soundcard and amp. I heard a difference, everything sounded colder, there was less muddiness in the sound.
But still I was a skeptic of sources because I didn't hear a difference between them. So I decided to buy a Benchmark DAC1. When I first listened to it, I heard new sounds I never heard before.
Now I knew the truth and wanted more, much more. So I took out all my life savings ($30 000) from my bank and started spending it on audio. I upgraded my headphones into AKG K1000 and bought a Krell KAV-500i power amp because someone had recommended Krell at Head-Fi. But since Krell is expensive in Sweden, I had to import one. But the problem was the Krell couldn't be changed from 110volts into 230volts. I kept reading around and found that someone was using a PS Audio Power Plant to change the voltage, he said it was cheaper than sending the Krell to the factory for a voltage conversion. So I decided not to buy the Krell and was going to buy a tube amp because someone recommended it. But then I was browsing Audiogon and saw that one seller was selling both a Krell KAV-500i plus a P300 Power Plant! It was fate and I bought them both.
I listened to my new K1000 + Krell combo and I heard problems. It sounded very fatiguing and "metallic". Somewhere I had read that "power conditioning" makes it sound smoother but I didn't believe it. But since I already had a P300 Power Plant for my Krell amp, I thought why not try plugging my Benchmark DAC1 into it too, because it was for free!
I plugged the DAC1 into the P300 and heard an improvement in soundstage space. I couldn't believe it. Power conditioning made a difference! I changed from 60Hz into 90Hz and the soundstage got even bigger.
So then I started searching around and found people who used "power cords", since I already had a Nordost Valhalla interconnect why not get a power cord from the same manufacturer? I found a Nordost Vishnu power cord review and started reading it. In the same review there was Nordost Valhalla power cord for a crazy price, I never thought about ever buying that. I was browsing Audiogon and found someone who sold a couple Nordost Vishnus so I bought them. I could always sell them later if I didn't hear a difference.
I plugged the Vishnus into my system and everything got silky smooth, I could listen longer with less fatigue than before! I could also hear the smoothness of 320kbps mp3, the clarity of WAV scared me. I heard a difference and decided to upgrade all my mp3 albums to CDs. So I bought a Cary 303/300 CD player and dozens of CDs. When I first listened to the Cary I could hear more detail but I heard horrible sibilance, I couldn't listen to any albums that had vocals in it, it was impossible. The Cary has a tube output but it didn't help much, I couldn't listen to vocals anymore and I needed to search for albums that didn't have any vocals in them!
So I kept searching for ways to make vocals listenable. I bought a Nordost Valhalla power cord (a month after I got the Vishnu). I also replaced the stock K1000 headphone cable with Stefan AudioArt Hardwired K1000 cable, I tried to replace it myself because there was nobody else who could do it. I bought the cheapest soldering iron and solder from a store. I read a guide on the net on how to solder and started with my K1000 (I didn't bother to practice first). After a day my first soldering job was complete and I plugged them in. I turned my system on but the P300 Power Plant kept shutting itself off because of too much wattage (front display showed it). Later I found out that the voice coil insulation of the K1000 drivers had melted because of too much heat in the binding posts. I didn't know the tip of the soldering iron had to be kept tinned and clean. I was just pressing the tip of the iron against what I needed to solder and wondered why the tin I had beside it never melted.
So I needed to buy another pair of K1000, I found a retailer in Germany who would re-wire a new pair of K1000, so I sent my cable there.
In the meantime I had needed to use K501 headphones with my old Graham Slee Solo headamp.
My Nordost Valhalla power cord arrived in the mail and I plugged it in into my Cary. It made everything sound rich, warm and heavy. I couldn't believe it. The difference was much bigger than stock vs Vishnu. I could hear crazy bass.
After a week my new K1000 arrived and I connected it to my Krell KAV-500i. The sibilance was gone, I could listen to vocals again! So then I bought another Nordost Valhalla power cord because I was still using Vishnu for my Krell. I received the Valhalla and plugged it in. The improvement from replacing Vishnu with Valhalla for the Krell was the biggest I had ever heard. Suddenly I could hear new bass melodies and everything was faster than before. I heard a new world of low-level detail. I never liked bass before, but for the first time I loved it because it was so fast and complex.
Within 6 months I had turned into a believer of interconnects, amps, sources, power conditioners, power cords and headphone cables. Now I wanted more. So I kept searching around. I also saw skeptics in forums who didn't believe the tweaks I was using made a difference at all. But I had heard the improvements myself! Everytime I searched around for tweaks, I was having an open mind and ignored all the skeptics who didn't try it for themselves.
I was still a skeptic of things I never tried myself, and when I tried something, I kept getting surprised. Everytime I added a tweak into my system, the improvement was far bigger than I could ever imagine. Eventually I was using two P300 Power Plants and PS Audio Statement power cables to plug them into the wall.
I was still a skeptic of vibration isolation and was using a homemade stand made of a wooden board and plastic boxes. Because in the Cary manual it said you are not allowed to place the CD player on top of a power amp.
I bought a Solid-tech Rack of Silence expecting to hear the smallest improvement of all the tweaks, but instead it made the biggest improvement I had ever heard. Way bigger than anything else! I could hear different shades of sibilance in the vocals. Everything was blacker and bass was so solid it gave me headaches for two months.
I was still a skeptic of the power cord between power conditioner and wall. I thought it just needs to be shielded. But since I wanted to know the truth. I cut my Nordost Valhalla cables shorter and replaced the PS Audio cables. The improvement in detail was almost as big as the Rack of Silence! I couldn't believe it!
After I got used to the speed my system was complete. I didn't know what "synergy" meant but now I did! I didn't hear anything wrong. I didn't feel the need to upgrade anything else ever again.
But then I was in a forum still raving about the Nordost Valhalla power cord I bought a year earlier. Someone recommeded me to try the Valhalla speaker cable too. But since I had already spent all my life savings, I didn't have the cash. But then I found someone selling a single run Nordost Valkyrja speaker cable. I read the reviews and the performance seemed to be identical based on the specs. The Valkyrja had less conductors than Valhalla and the price per conductor was the same. Later I found that Valkyrja was a better design for headphones, but I also found out that the depth of the silver plating (78 vs 60 microns) gives a different flavor of sound even if the low-level detail performance is identical.
When I first listened to the K1000 + Valkyrja headphone cable I could hear a huge soundstage, everything was smoother, I could hear amazing bass information. It made the biggest improvement I had ever heard. Since I had pieces of Valkyrja left over I offered a test drive but the first one didn't like it because of "too much detail". Between the 2nd and 3rd test driver the cable was "lost in shipping". The 2nd one claims he never had time to listen to the cable in the 9 months he owned it, because he was "busy with school".
My system was complete but the problem was that my Krell power amp was using 150 watts. So then I downgraded it into a PS Audio GCC-100 amp. I was surprised the cheaper amp sounded cleaner with more low-level detail. I also found out that now my Benchmark DAC1 had more detail than my 4 times more expensive Cary CD player. My conclusion was because of a shorter signal path. Then I wondered, what would happen if I bypass things inside the new GCC-100 amp? And then a year long of tweaking began. Eventually I had mutilated everything except for the Krell amp that I had left inside a box near my bed.
I have cut open and modified the Nordost Valhalla cables, I have realized that Valhalla colors the sound, but in a good way. The longer the Valhalla is, the more coloration I hear. I experimented a long time and found that multiple conductors had less low-level detail than a single conductor. The single 16awg conductor was better in every way, except everything sounded thinner and more fatiguing.
When I bought the GCC-100 amp I had it modified by Underwoodhifi because it was the same price as a new unit anyway. I found a little ERS Paper inside it, I didn't know what it was. I was still a skeptic. How can little paper do anything? But why was it inside the amp for no reason? The modders must know something I don't. After I mutilated the amp I had ERS Paper left over. So I tried to wrap a few cm of it around my Valhalla power cord but everything sounded muddy, it was unbearable. It made a difference but i didn't like it because I got less detail and more muddiness. It didn't make sense, it should have given more detail.
But later I got an idea, what if separating the conductors of the Valhalla power cord from each other was the reason for the improved low-level detail and not the reduction of gauge size? So I thought about separating the ERS Paper a distance from the cable and it worked! I heard more low-level detail and clarity, no weaknesses. So I bought more and more ERS Paper and eventually I had more than 100 sheets. Still no weaknesses with ERS Paper, no muddiness or anything, just more low-level detail.
Later I experimented with vibration isolation again. I added multiple steps of Solid-tech Feet of Silence and was going to buy a dozen more of them. But then I saw a sale of Magix levitation feet and bought them instead. I heard new vocal information and resolution, but the background wasn't black anymore. I realized that Feet of Silence were coloring the sound, the background appeared to be blacker than neutral just because of a slight reduction of attack and decay. When I replaced the Feet with Magix the attack and decay was longer but the background wasn't black anymore. It made me wonder what was going on. It seemed like the Feet of Silence didn't "grip" the component, it was just loose which gave a boomy bass signature with edgy highs. I experimented with the rubber bands of the Feet and the bass sounded different. Using stiffer rubber bands made the upper bass stronger but the background wasn't as black anymore.
With the Magix levitation feet the bottom end sounds clean and open but something was missing. Later I tried Magix under my Cary CD player which I use as transport for my 4 times cheaper DAC. I could feel vibrations and a humming sound of my table everytime the Cary was turned on. I found the problem to come from the vibrating transformer inside the chassis. It was vibrating like crazy and the Magix levitation feet didn't stop the sideways vibrations. The Magix need to be perfectly balanced to stop the biggest vibrations. So I tried Feet of Silence again, the humming of my table was gone and no vibrations seemed to go through the Feet of Silence. But it sounded worse than Magix did, even when Magix was leaking the sideways vibrations.
So then I tried a combination of Feet of Silence and Magix, I got the best of both worlds. It sounded even little better than Magix on its own.
That was the last tweak I did before my 2nd audio system was complete. I was done with this hobby forever, and bought a new computer display for the rest of my money. I had the display for two days and didn't listen to audio, then I listened to my audio system again and it was broken. It felt like I had slowly climbed up a volcano and when I finally reached the top I fell down into the lava.
That was the true story of me as an audiophile. Right now I'm building my 3rd system from leftovers.
This was found to be a complete copy and paste from your personal blog. Please do not use the JREF forums as a "mirror" for your blog. In the future we request you quote a small paragraph and a provide a link to the entire pre-existing blog entry. Repeat incidents may be considered "spamming" or "flooding" the forum and warrant further action.
Replying to this modbox in thread will be off topic Posted By: Miss Anthrope
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