Article: Audiophile Reference Music Server For A Song

[cfmsp]

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

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just curious,<br />

clay<br />

[cfmsp]

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"I just realized the true implications of this article. Sonically, the cheap Dell is the same as the Mac Pro. This means that the computer part of the equation is pretty much irrelevant in that any system marketed nowadays will work as well as one of the highest end computer systems."<br />

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I didn't read it that way. The first question in this thread was mine - asking Chris if he tried the Lynx with a Macintosh. His answer was no. So we don't know if the 'cheap Dell' is the sonic equal of a Mac.<br />

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Since PCI has been usurped not once, but twice (PCIe and PCI-X), the PCI version of the Lynx cannot be installed in the latest multi-$K Mac. To test it, you'd need to buy an older version of Mac desktop - currently available on ebay for $500 or less. :-0<br />

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We also don't know if the extra resolution is of much value unless the signal is running through a $5k DAC. A $500 computer seems like an odd combination with a $5k DAC. That's only my opinion but I can tell you, if I was spending $5k on a DAC, I wouldn't use a cheap Dell as front end.<br />

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And finally, while the reason is still not understandable by yours truly, the leading edge of Computer Audio seems to point towards computers having a definite impact on the sound, irrespective of the bit-perfect is all that matters theory.<br />

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Who knows, perhaps 'bit-perfect' will soon be discovered to be analogous to the original CD marketing hype - it's all 0s ans 1s so it has to be perfect.<br />

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Thanks much to Chris for stirring the pot here. I, for one, had never imagined that I might want to stick an audio card into a retired Mac. Unfortunately, my old Mac Cube does not have a PCI slot, as I just discovered via Google.<br />

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Let 1000 opinions bloom! <br />

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Enjoy,<br />

clay<br />

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[cfmsp]

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Thanks for your response Matt.<br />

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To your question about my odd comment:<br />

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Yes, Chris achieved what he set out to achieve - an inexpensive PC as the base of a computer audio system - and for that he should be lauded.<br />

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I still could/would not but the cheapest Dell I could find to source a $5k DAC.<br />

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Regarding the path you took, bravo - and I think it would make LOADS of sense to 'build' a stripped down PC with upgraded parts in all the right places as a Music server.<br />

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My comment re $500 seeming 'odd' was related to consumer-available products in general, and to any Dell (one of the worst), in particular.<br />

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As for 'jitter' being the 'unexplainable' impact of the computer, I was thinking of factors less well known than 'jitter'. Jitter is understood to be a significant problem - we can even measure it. Some believe that the actual software 'playing the bits' makes a difference in the sound.<br />

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The guys who collaborated on the Amarra solution are definitely in that camp.<br />

I anxiously await Chris' writeup on his experience with the Amarra.<br />

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I will not likely be able to afford to buy Amarra soon, but am very interested in it's impact on the state of computer audio. I know the DAC in their 'solution' is excellent, I currently use the pro audio Metric Halo ULN-2 via Firewire when I don't just 'point & click' the Apple TV button in iTunes - in which case the signal travels wirelessly to the ATV, and then via Toslink on to the Metric Halo.<br />

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enjoy,<br />

clay<br />

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[cfmsp]

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"I was always looking towards a MAC based system for easy remote control, but the combination with a Lynx AES16 card would mean hugh investments in MacPro maschine."<br />

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You can use the Lynx AES16 in any Mac desktop that has a PCI or PCI-X slot.<br />

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You can buy Powermac G5s or G4s easily on ebay for roughly the same price as the 'cheap Dell'. There is NO need to run the Lynx on XP.<br />

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Given the quality decline in Dell over the years, I'd trust an older Mac over a new Dell. <br />

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Enjoy,<br />

Clay<br />

[cfmsp]

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ASB said:<br />

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"Lynx is worth giving a try. As Chris says it is really audiophile quality but not audiophile prices. Also it is without the hassles of USB/Firewire connections."<br />

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I'm curious what is meant by 'hassles of Firewire connections".<br />

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Frankly, installing a Lynx is several orders of magnitude MORE of a hassle than Firewire.<br />

First you must install the card, and it can only be used in a computer with a PCI slot, and then you have all those extra cables hanging off the card (picking up only God knows what).<br />

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For firewire, I just connect a cable between my computer and DAC.<br />

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Oh, and it costs $700 more than my firewire cable.<br />

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enjoy,<br />

clay<br />

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[cfmsp]

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Yes, Chris, absolutely 'all in good fun'.<br />

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I could care less what systems others use or how much they invest.<br />

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As near as I can tell, their is not 'truth' in the subjective pursuit we could call audiophilia.<br />

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It's all opinions. Yours, mine, Ashley's, Mike's, whomever.<br />

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Thanks for sharing yours so eloquently and frequently.<br />

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enjoy,<br />

clay<br />

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[cfmsp]

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I'm not sure that Firewire is 'dying', but rather - the mass-market is moving to USB.<br />

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Like you, I use Firewire to connect to my DAC - directly and simply. My DAC also supports Toslink (which I use via Apple TV connection), as well as S/PDIF (AES and coax), basically everything BUT USB.<br />

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The hysteria over death of Firewire is just that, in my opinion. For starters, Pro audio still uses Firewire to a significant extent, and as the Pros have been utilizing computer audio interfaces longer than 'audiophiles', I think they are more knowledgeable on this than, say, the mass-market electronics producers.<br />

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If you listened to all the recent articles you would think that Apple dropped Firewire, but they did not - they only dropped it on the mass-market MacBooks. They upgraded to Firewire 800 on the MB Pros, e.g.<br />

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I personally have a hard time understanding why audiophiles don't pay more attention to Firewire as the least complicated to implement digital audio interface.<br />

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S/PDIF, as I understand it, is the worst in theory - but somehow it became the de facto standard among audiophile companies. Makes no sense to me. The move of the mass-market to USB does make sense for computer interfaces.<br />

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UBS done right seems quote promising, I'd love to listen to Gordon's products.<br />

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I bought a Metric Halo ULN-2 at B&H - utilizing their liberal try-and-return policy, and haven't looked back. I think I'd be equally happy with Gordon's Brick, and certainly a Cosecant.<br />

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FWIW, I also agree on the extra functionality. I didn't buy the Metric Halo just as a DAC, but I think it's worth every penny of it's price as just a DAC, compared to Benchmark DACs and the like.<br />

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all for now,<br />

clay<br />

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