The SugarCube Is Here At Last...Clicks & Pops R.I.P.

I must confess I used to set my SC to a level of 3 when I first got it in spring of 2020. Every time there was a firmware upgrade it seemed to reset itself to a level of 5. I'd go in and reset it to back to 3. There were so many firmware upgrades during the remainder of 2020, I got sick of resetting it. I decided to leave it at 5 and pulled out my best sounding LPs to see if I heard the SC in action at 5 vs. 3. The answer was "no". I decided if I don't hear it, life was too short and there was no meed to remember changing from 5 back to 3.

I don't think I've mentioned this on here before, but I do start hearing the SC when the level gets higher than 5. Sometimes at 6, but usually around 7 or so. I was a bit surprised that when I did the upgrade to all of my Parasound equipment in late December 2022, I still can't hear the SC. This surprised me, quite honestly, because this new gear is so quiet and extracts so much additional detail from the music. I upgraded to a JC3+ phono pre-amp, fed to a JC2 BP pre-amp, feeding a JC5 amp but I still can't hear a thing. One of the things about the level of added detail this equipment reveals is it does so at low volumes too. Up until 12W rms it operates in class A mode which means very low distortion. All of this means you don't have to listen louder to hear more. I used to turn the volume down at night and if I liked the LP enough, I would revisit it during the next day and crank it up to "hear what I missed". I find the new gear sounds so great I am listening about 5 db louder than I used to during the day. High or low volume, the details are still there.

All of this is a long way of saying: If the SC was doing anything, I'm sure I'd hear it on this gear. Now more than ever. I hear so much fine detail in the high frequencies. Hard cymbal crashes fade out into blackness without wavering or suddenly disappearing at a certain volume level. Also if the drummer is softly tapping the ride cymbal as a song fades out, I hear it fade into black. Now I will say almost all of the music I listen to is not any sort of EDM or electronic music of any kind. This is said to be the type of music the SC can really struggle with. Hee hee, I struggle with it too which is why I don't listen to it. On my system, in my room with my ears and listening to the type of music I like....The SC doesn't alter the character of the sound one bit. YMMV.

 

I listen to new vinyl purchases in bypass mode the first time, I want to hear if there are any issues. If the records were pressed by one of the plants known to have QC issues, and the SC-2 is effective at removing most of the noise, then I’ll just keep the album. If multiple non-fill spots are the big issue, then the record is definitely going back for an exchange. If it’s just a single spot I’ll live with it as the odds are the replacement won’t be better and could be worse.

I do the same for used vinyl, but if on first play it’s noisy right away I engage the filtering and leave it at that.

 

I would not bet a single penny on me being able to hear whether it was on 1 or 10 or anything in between.

I suggest for fun people do a blind test themselves. Easy to do, just cover the display and spin the knob to a random position, which is easy to do since there's no start and end positions on it.

 

Quick question, are the team at Sweet Vinyl back on track yet with stock, or are things still backlogged?

 

Im following this thread with interest because I would love a solution to my increasingly lower tolerance for tic and pops etc from even new records. This could be the answer, but I'm a bit put off by some of the things I've read - not to do with the results it can bring, but more about finicky updates, unresponsive customer service, lack of warranty. Does this have to be directly connected to a modem at all times? Can it run with wifi?

 

My SC1-mini came with a WiFi dongle that plugs into one of the USB ports on my SC1-mini. I have been using WiFi from the beginning (purchased February 2021).

 

Thanks for the info. Are you happy with its build quality and ease of use? How about the app? Do you need the app to access everything?

 

I have the SC1-mini. The build quality is excellent, and I am very satisfied with the click and pop removal - would buy again if I somehow lost mine. The app looks amateurish, but it works. The app is needed to get updates and to select some user options.

I don't turn ON mine all the time primarily because I do not want to get used to it.

 

My SC-1 Mini has never been connected to the internet, has been running with the software it came with and has presented absolutely no problems since I started using it. This is not to trivialise the problems other people had on this thread which are very real and I'm sure disappointing for their owners, but my type of experience is also common.

I believe the updates may bring algorithm improvements, but more so for recording-related software fixes for SC-2 units. I am satisfied with the base level (1-2 out of 10 strength) removal that the current firmware provides so I never have seen the reason to connect it to the internet. Of course, this means I do not use the app, but also have no need for it.
My phono stage has 2 outputs (one with SC-1 in the chain, one without) so I do not have to use the app or use the faceplate buttons to switch between bypass and repair as I can do that with switching inputs of my amp via its remote.

I detailed my usage pattern in a previous reply here:

One other thing to note is when in repair mode, repaired audio has 0.5-1 second of delay. If you are sitting close to your turntable, and have sensitive ears, you can hear the needle-talk of the stylus being out of sync with the playback during quiet parts or in low-volume listening. I'm 1.5 meters away from the turntable and it doesn't really bother me compared to the absence of actually bothering tics & pops.

It absolutely was the solution for my rather low tolerance for tics/pops, and I invested in one (with a Degritter) very early in my record collection journey, as I knew (late 80s kid, spoiled with noiseless playback) they would be crucial for the enjoyment I'd hope to get from this hobby. So I'd highly recommend an SC-1 Mini. If I were in the US, I would happily send my unit for you to try it out but not very practical across the pond, I'm afraid.

 

My experience is similar. I have never updated the software, and run with the setting between 3-5. Occasionally there are albums that cause the unit to do strange things to the sound, but they are few and far between.

 

Welcome to the thread. My 2 cents worth on a few of your questions:

• Build quality is excellent and they use very high quality A/D and D/A filters.
• The SC comes with the ability to use either WiFi or Ethernet connections. I personally use a wired ethernet connection with an assigned IP address on my network. That is the simplest and easiest for me. There is an Android and iOS app that lets you remotely control the SC via your smart phone or tablet device. It is sometimes easier and more convenient via the software, but you are able to control it via buttons and knobs on the device.
• I would say the WiFi on the SC is no different than WiFi on many other devices. It can be Plug and Play or Plug and Pray. That can often be a matter of your having the correct settings on your local router.
• You do not need to maintain a WiFi connection to use the SC. This is a particularly true with the model 1 series which do not have the ability to record. The model 2 series devices, which can record, have some non-essential ease of use features, which you can use only via an internet connection. An example of this is: When recording you can look up the matrix number on Discogs and this will allow you do display the album art and get Discogs info as part of your metadata. Convenient, but certainly not essential.
• Updates are a a tricky subject. I own a series 2 model and the firmware upgrades often add new or improved features related to recording, so have always wanted the updates. For me sometimes a record feature such as the Discogs lookup will be broken. Often the causes is something on Discogs end. Sweet Vinyl is usually good about getting that fixed ASAP if there is something they can do on their end. But this does not matter to an SC-1 user.
• Sometimes in the past there were many instances of random clicking in the just the left channel. Sweet Vinyl had said much of that is due a problem with the underlying Linux based software that must work around. I have found in my case it seems to be a particular type of recording that sets this off. Sweet Vinyl has fixed this for many users over a year and a half ago. They have also built in some new features that make dealing with it easier, rather than having to reboot the SC. Personally, in the last year, I can count on the fingers of one hand the times I have had it.
• Some people have had compatibility issues with some component(s) of their particular system not playing nicely with the SC. Sometimes this can be fixed with a firmware upgrade and sometime not. It doesn't seem to me this is widespread, but it does happen. Sometimes a firmware upgrade may trigger the problem, but I think this is even more rare. There are ways to restore the SC back to the firmware it shipped with in a worst case scenario.
• As far as support response times, personally I have had extremely good luck. Generally the response times have be within one or two days. The are a small company and sometimes the response times are longer if a firmware update introduces a problem and they are swamped with emails. The first year I got my SC-2 Mini were when I made the majority of my support requests. In addition to the support staff responding, I often got responses from one of the two owners, sometimes both. They gave me their personal emails and asked me to CC them so they follow-up on their responses. I can also report the emails I received came in overnight for me, 2 or 3 AM EST, meaning they were up a 11 or 12 PST answering emails.
• BTW I would suggest following their protocol for the minimum information they need to try to solve a problem to avoid several rounds of emails requesting basic information. I listed al l the information right at the Strat of my email before I got into my question or problems.
  
• Another thing I can say is sometimes it seems the internet "ate my support request". After 3 or 4 days I would resend the request with a note asking about the status of my support request. Several times it seems they never got the request. They then responded almost immediately.
• It does seem others on here have had worse luck with support and all I can do is report my results.

These are my personal experience and other's mileage may vary.

 

There's nothing I can add to what Jim0830 has already said. My own experience with support has been patchy but in the end they did right by me and replaced a faulty unit at no cost but the postage. Unfortunately I live in the UK and postage + import tax cost a small fortune. If I were a USA customer I wouldn't be concerned.

My unit now works perfectly and is the heart of my vinyl system. I wouldn't want to be without it.

 

Thank you for your detailed reply, it's just the kind of info I was looking for. This solution is something I feel I really need in my system. I appreciate the thought of a loan of the unit, but Music Direct does state boldly there is a 60 day no questions asked return window so no risk there.

 

My SC-1 Mini arrived this afternoon. While I cannot get the wifi set up to work, that's been the only issue thus far. All I can say is wow. I am blown away on first impression. I've only spun a couple of LPs that I have cast aside because of noise, ticks, and pops, but so far it has performed even better than I expected!

A solid VG/VG+ LZII RL has become NM-. Some of the louder pops still come through at level 5 but very muted. Level 6 they disappear.

My DCC Madman Across the Water has a scratch I never noticed until recently at the start of Tiny Dancer that is audible for about 45 seconds. It vanished at level 5.

Light background noise on a nice copy of the 1st Japanese pressing of LZIII cleaned up beautifully on level 3.

Even one of the noisiest LPs I have, the Mondo pressing of the Magnolia soundtrack played back without major static on level 10, but that introduced slight dropouts audible over headphones. So it is not a complete miracle worker but certainly close.

Now if I can just get this thing to connect to wifi for the app...

 

It's been a while, but I remember I had to hook it up via ethernet to get it to work via wifi. It was a pain.

 

Yep, ethernet did the trick for setup via the app.

 

If I remember correctly:
(1) Press the knob for about 5 seconds or so to place the SC into WiFi setup mode.
(2) Open the app on the iPad, which will tell you to connect your iPad's WiFi to the sugarcube network. I don't think the sugarcube network requires a password, I just press enter. In the early days, the password was "SugarCube."
(3) Once on the sugarcube network, you can use the app to tell the SC your home's WiFi network and password.

I have been drinking a couple of glasses of cheap Costco-grade Pinot, so I maybe forgetting something. But I believe the app walks you through the WiFi connection process. And don't forget to try different USB ports for the dongle if you are having issues Good luck!

 

Congratulations to @hobbes4444. The SC is an amazing device.

To other new users: If you are comfortable with fooling around with your router, I might suggest setting a fixed IP address for your Sugar Cube. If you have a power failure or need to restart your router you may thank me. You may find the IP address may change if you let the router set the IP address via DHCP. I go into my router and look at all my devices IP addresses. I find the highest one, say 192.168.1.120 and then I set the Sugar Cube to 192.168.1.130. This way I know some other device won't grab the Sugar Cube's IP address upon restarting and I always know what address to set in the network preferences if that becomes necessary. Two things: If this goes over your head don't sweat it, your network is probably simple enough you shouldn't have to worry about this. For those of you who get this stuff and are cringing because I just gave my networks IP addresses away - don't cringe. I set my IP address to a different range and use a VPN.

Also for users who own M1 or M2 Macs: You can install the Sugar Cube app on your Mac. Download the iPad OS app onto your iPad and the move a copy onto your Mac. This is my preferred way of accessing the Sugar Cube app. The big screen suits old tired eyes like mine.

 

Im going to hear a demo live today! I'm going to bring that Shaded Dog!

 

I have the SC2 Mini and I think that the SugarCube is really incredible when listening to classical music. I have a lot of classical albums that look NM, but even after multiple VPI and Degritter cleanings, still have pops and ticks.

I rarely listened to them since unlike listening to pops and clicks on a rock or jazz record, it ruined the experience for me when listening to classical music. Now, it is a totally different experience and I can relax and enjoy the music.

 

It's really amazing listening to the SC on monitor. LPs that I thought were clean aside from a small defect in one portion, actually had a fair amount of noise buried under the music. I just wish the algorithm could also handle the underlying rumble or whooshing of lousy vinyl. But thankfully that is generally buried other than between tracks. A noisy 1976 US pressing of 2112 cleaned up nicely and the SC1 removed most all of the ticks and pops. But then the rumble of crappy vinyl was left behind in some of the quiet sections of side A.

 

It's a common observation in this thread that once the clicks are removed you're free to be annoyed by the other varieties of surface noise. On the bright side it's far easier to ignore than the pops n clicks.

 

Rumble is a function of turntable playback, not the condition of the vinyl, and is easily cured with a subsonic filter.

 

I have noticed that if set above repair level 2 or so, the bongos at the start of Ramble On will be treated like pops. Listening via monitor it's a constant fast ticking that basically mirrors JBs pattern. Once the chorus kicks in, then fewer ticks are audible.

 

I've got a few records where the declick algorithm removes things it shouldn't, even on low settings as you say. Listening through the click monitor you'd think it'd be obvious in playback but I haven't really found this to be true. I try not to worry about it.