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Article: Audiophile Reference Music Server For A Song


cfmsp

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Hi Guys - Thanks for the comments thus far.<br />

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cfmsp - <i>"Chris, did you try the AES 16 running OS X?"</i><br />

No, unfortunately the new Mac Pros don't have any PCI slots.<br />

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VincentH - I wish I had a good answer for you but this one is out of my realm of expertise. I'd be doing a disservice if I claimed to have the answer here. I have some suspicions, but they are not fit to print just yet. It would be fabulous if all digital interfaces were the same. We could all get by with the cheapest optical output & Toslink cable available and the high-end would never be the same! People could actually afford to purchase all the music they want!<br />

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Shenzi - Thanks for recognizing the value in this one :-)<br />

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Lars - I'd love to comment but it wouldn't be fair to compare an unfinished product to production product. Good or bad the differences will likely change before Amarra is finally released.<br />

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Hi Gordon - I love the comments! This is the first Dell I've purchased in my life and I was really hesitant. Plus the internal components of this machine are nothing to write home about. As I said in the article, everything about this project goes against my grain. Fortunately I am extremely happy with the outcome.<br />

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The L22 only supports 96k digital output and 192k analog output. The AES16 is worth the extra cost.

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Hi audiozorro - I do hear your concerns but don't share in your cynicism. To be honest your post left a real sour taste in my mouth. Of course I respect your honesty as you no doubt will respect mine.<br />

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I believe I more or less touched on several of your concerns, but I will address them here as well. <br />

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<i>"1. The price – 1040 makes me think of taxes."</i><br />

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To be honest the price makes me think of a great way to get into the music server game with a true reference transport for less money than it takes to walk into a high-end store. There is no way I can include taxes in this system because we have readers from 165 different countries and all 50 states of the US which each have different or no sales taxes. There are very few items for sale that include the tax as part of the description. If the 1040 makes you think of 1040 EZ I can't help you there and many of our readers will be lost on that one as well.<br />

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<i>"2. A computer based audio solution should be a replacement for a CD player. Your solution does not include a DAC for $1,040. Your reference DAC makes this a $6K solution."</i><br />

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Your definition of computer based solution appears to be fixed and must include all components to replace a CD player. I don't agree that there is a fixed definition of computer based audio solution and I addressed some of this concern in my Setting Expectations section. I also mentioned, "...Combined the Alpha DAC and this system are right around $6,000." I could have published the article including the Alpha DAC and still be very excited about the low cost of great sound. I chose to leave the DAC choice up to each listener. Most of our readers are much more familiar with DACs than they are with computers.<br />

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<i>"3. A noisy computer has no place in audio. Aside from the obvious listening room objections, noticeable noise or vibrations in components rarely improve the sonic qualities of music. Definitely cannot be considered reference quality."</i><br />

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The sound of this system is 100% reference quality. Noisy is a subjective term and many readers have their own ways of dealing with this. In addition I easily could have included the totally fanless system I just built based ona Zalman TNN300 case, but that would increase the price by about $600. There certainly are pitfalls with the system in this article and I was straight forward in mentioning them. I really recommend you give this system a listen before taking a guess that the sound is not reference quality. The people I briefly spoke about in this article, mastering engineers, component designers, band members, etc ..., all think this system is reference quality. None of them has any vested interest in any computer platform. The systems used for listening tests comprised TAD M1 and Magico loudspeakers with the highest of the high-end performing components to power these speakers. <br />

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<i>"4. The cost of the Windows XP software is not included – foul."</i><br />

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This was addressed very early in the article. In fact one reader who has already posted a comment suggests people will use a PC they already have and avoid purchasing this license. Since I had a copy and it is pretty likely there are legal avenues to avoid purchasing this license I think it's fair to exclude this from the price.<br />

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<i>"5. Aged software and firmware obsolescence? Are software and firmware upgrades reversible in case users try different versions to improve audio quality over the next, say 5 years?"</i><br />

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I also expressed my concern in the article for legacy drivers and firmware and gave many valid reasons for this concern. Fortunately a music server to a certain extent can be frozen in time in terms of upgrades. Plus, the software and firmware are up and down-gradable. As I wrote in the article, "...I had to run an easy program that automatically downgraded the firmware from the current version to Rev 22."<br />

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<i>"6. Are the inexpensive upgrades for memory (+$75 for 4GB) or hard disk storage (+$50 for 500GB) not worth the money?"</i><br />

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That's a personal decision. Worth the money is very subjective. I did not try any of the offered upgrades with this system so I can't say what the effect would have been. I can say my machine has performed flawless thus far.<br />

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<i>"7. Possibility of blown tweeters? – deserves a strong warning to proceed at your own risk unless your in the speaker business."</i><br />

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Most certainly and is one of the reasons I listed for my hesitancy with this project. Using this system as purely a music server and not attempting to change settings or track names etc... will go a long way towards keeping your tweeters safe. It was worth the risk in my opinion. <br />

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<i>"8. Antenna breakout cables? – I believe your HD26 to XLR AES/EBU Cable Update bears repeating - a better cable is highly desirable."</i><br />

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Most certainly. As I said in the article, "...Keeping on my theme of readily available components and computers I selected the standard Lynx breakout cable (CBL-AES1604 Eight-channel HD26 to XLR AES I/O Cable for AES16). I do prefer my custom HD26 to XLR AES cable as it removes the unneeded "antennae" from the equation but decided against its inclusion as part of this system because it's not readily available yet..."<br />

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This is also a matter of where to draw the line and when is a reference sounding system rally a reference sounding system. I could have purchased a generator and run this system off the grid as well, but I didn't think that was required and I don't think the cable is mandatory in order to get reference quality sound.<br />

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<i>"9. A better computer power supply, better power cord and vibration control should improve audio playback."</i><br />

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Al systems can be improved, but the possibility of improvement doesn't preclude a system from reference quality sound.<br />

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Again, this response is not personal. It contains my honest responses to your comments. I've always enjoyed your candid comments around here and look forward to reading them again. I was a bit taken aback by your comments in this thread so please forgive my if my honesty seems a little to strong. <br />

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Thanks audiozorro!

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Hi Luca - The ASIO plugin available from the Lynx site work just as well, but because the file is on a Japanese language website it can be difficult for people to download. So, I stuck with the wave_out.dll version and all was good. The settings are real easy. You just tell it to output to the audio card and disable volume control.

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Hi audiozorro - Thanks for the response. You are exactly right about this system's similarity to the system I mentioned back in August. That's one reason why I tried to create the cheapest solution around and why I mentioned that some readers won't be interested in this article. I'm sure you were one of those readers who read the article and said, "What's the big deal?" No worries. I think this server as a source can only improve a system's sound quality. If people use a Benchmark DAC1 USB the sound will not be hurt and likely improved depending on their existing system. A better source is never a bad thing. Right now I am favoring my Windows XP server over my Mac OS X music server. The XP system has absolutely awesome resolution. That said, I am not abandoning my Mac system as I like the sound of it and I'm awaiting the final version of Amarra and the Sonic Studio 304 hardware.

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Hi clar2391 - Welcome to Computer Audiophile. The Lynx AES16 cards don't have any analog output features and do digital up to 24/192. The Lynx 22 does offer analog ouput at up to 24/192, but only offers digital output up to 24/96. I'm sticking with the AES16 for now. Maybe I can get an L22 in here for review and give the analog out a shot. Thanks for the post.

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Hi kristian - Welcome to Computer Audiophile as well. Good questions.<br />

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<i>"1) What would you need to add to the Dell to get RAID 1 backup?"</i><br />

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The concepts of RAID1 and backup are mutually exclusive. RAID1 is not a backup, it is a mirror that copies good and bad data. Backup can be any number of methods including tape or another hard drive. I'm not positive what you're looking to do so I'll take a guess. If you want a copy of your hard drive for backup purposes the cheapest thing to do is get an external USB or FireWire drive and copy your data over to this drive when you see fit. If you really want RAID1 you'll need a RAID card ~$500 and another hard drive. Remember RAID1 will only protect you from a disk failure. If you delete all your music on one drive the same deletions take place on the mirror. Let me know if you want to discuss this one in more detail.<br />

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<i>"2) Am I correct in my assumption that AES out from a Lynx is a better, lower-jitter interface than USB, or is it 6 of one, 1/2 dozen of another?"</i><br />

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I can say the AES output from a Lynx AES16 card has about 20 picoseconds of jitter and is rock solid. It's been tested for a while in the pro audio industry and is commonly used today. There are also some very good USB interfaces available from Gordon Rankin's Wavelength Audio and Steve Nugent's Empirical Audio.<br />

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<i>"3) I think I'd rather have my HDDs in one case going directly to a Lynx card as opposed to, e.g., using a Mac Mini with a large library HDD connected via USB, as that signal would seem to have to go through USB cable to the Mini, then out again to a DAC. True? False?"</i><br />

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This is only a concern if you use a USB DAC and the DAC is on the same USB Bus as the hard drive. This can cause dropouts. If you use a FireWire hard drive this is not an issue. Don't worry about using an external disk v. internal for a music server. It's not an issue. <br />

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<i>"4) Do you still have to carefully configure XP for best sound, e.g. work around KMixer, etc.?"</i><br />

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YES. I wold never use a straight-up XP install without any configuration. Many people do and enjoy the sound tremendously. Not me.

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Hi ldolse - Thanks for the post. I checked out the embedded systems and they look pretty cool. The PCI riser card gave me an idea about installing one into a Dell 530s model or a similar small form factor. I'd forgot about riser cards or even riser cables. I do think these embedded systems require a little more knowledge on the users part because of the OS options and the installation of Windows on one can be a bit different fro people who usually click Next >> Next >> Finish.<br />

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Great ideas and link!

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Hi Darren - Fortunately all Dells are not the same. The one I used in this system is very low power and low heat. Thus, the noise may be quite a bit lower than the specific Dell you ordered. But, my cheap Dell is certainly not silent. You are correct that this is a high level of performance for a modest outlay. Thanks for the post.

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Hi Darren - <br />

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1. The Lynx is my go-to digital I/O right now. It's used in the pro audio industry extensively.<br />

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2. Be careful with the statement about just needing a cheap PC with a PCI slot. PCs are all over the board in terms of quality and performance. That's the reason I have to test this specific Dell before even mentioning it on the site. In theory you are correct, but it may be an over-generalization in reality.<br />

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3. Yes. I don't think I will build or purchase another music server for myself unless it is silent or I can make it silent. The fact that the server is silent really eliminates any thoughts about having a computer in the listening room. It's far less distracting even if your current PC is pretty quiet.<br />

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I will say the Lynx is a great part of the sound, but everything matters.

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Hi kristian - You have very valid concerns that will likely only be addressed by you personally. I think you would have to listen to one and make your own decision.<br />

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<i>"...I don't see any particular reason why the Lynx card should be so good at outputting digital audio..."</i><br />

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I'm not sure what to tell you on this one. Lack of marketing material or evidence is certainly not proof that it does not exist. I don't know your background so I'm not sure what exactly you mean when you say you don't see any reason why it should be good. Nonetheless you have a very valid concern and one that more than a few readers on the site share as well.<br />

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I can tell you that the Lynx card is used in post production for some of the most "audiophile" albums every made. Engineers who can pick and chose any system they want o achieve the best sound quality have selected Lynx for years.<br />

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The Lynx jitter spec is 20 ps.<br />

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<i>"What about the Lynx, then, makes it better when combined with a regular DAC than asynchronous USB DACs that control the computer's clocking, like e.g. Wavelength, Benchmark (as I understand it), and Empirical do?"</i><br />

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The adjective "better" is very subjective. Better in terms of features and capability is easier to determine. The Lynx supports 24/192 natively and I can easily use an external clock to take it one step up. In terms of better sound quality, that's totally up to each individual. At 24/96 and under maybe they all sound similar to most people. <br />

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Anyway, yours is a solid concern. Thanks for the post.

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<i>"...I'd offer the opinion that the current overwhelming dominance of music recording by way of ProTools has reduced sound quality over good analogue recording/mixing methods. Lynx stuff is used only in combination with ProTools etc. as a digital I/O facilitator. The sole fact that it is a pro-device doesn't make it superior. And this from an active ATC owner!"</i><br />

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I agree for the most part. I'm thinking of applications like Soundblade and Sequoia Digital Samplitude. The digital 24/176.4 Reference Recordings masters are doing just fine. Good analog is certain welcome in my book as well. Shelby Lynne's new album comes to mind for good analog. I agree that Pro does not equate to good sound quality. I'm thinking more of the people who master some of the best recordings available, not the pop Pro Tools stuff. One also must think about the fact that Pro gear is what all our music is made with. I avoided Pro gear for years but now I am a <u>little</u> more open to it.

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Hi Guys - FireWire is Apple's baby. When Apple drops FW400 on its newest product that is not a good sign in terms of longevity of the interface. Fortunately there will be ways around this for many years. The FW800 to FW400 adapter and an ExpressCard for FW400 are two examples. Since serial port adapters are still prevalent today I have a good feeling that FW400 will have an extended life through third party accessories.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi Steve - Thanks for the post your questions are very valid. There are certainly many different ways to piece together a system and nobody can please everybody all the time. There are cheaper alternatives to virtually every piece of this music server. My goal was not to put together the absolute cheapest PC that would produce sound rather it was to put together a PC that is capable of audiophile sound quality for a very reasonable price. Can this be done other ways? Most certainly. If I remember correctly the cost of the Lynx card is not because of all the channels. Making a multi channel card is not much more expensive than a two channel card.<br />

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As far as your comments about using more interfaces like FireWire and laptops etc... I think you'll find these topics addressed all over the site. This article was a little more focussed.<br />

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Thanks again for the post. Even if I disagree with much of it I do respect your opinion.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Hi John - I can't remember the specific language but I believe newer drivers use an upgraded "engine" or something like version 2 of the core of the software. I know this is a terribly bad worded response but I wasn't paying much attention in the last conversation I had with people who knew exactly what the differences are.

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  • 5 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

Hi Dave - Maybe I'm losing it this afternoon so please correct me :~)<br />

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Since WAV doesn't support tags and AIFF does support tags but not in MediaMonkey, wouldn't AIFF support the same data as WAV in MediaMonkey? Worded a different way, if neither support tags in MediaMonkey wouldn't AIFF be just as good as WAV?<br />

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Help me if I'm lost it today!

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  • 1 month later...

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