HQPlayer's Network Audio Adapter

[mikey8811]

I was initially going to get a Sonic Transporter to run HQ Player but it is costly.

 

I was recommended these made in China fanless PC's which seem to have the same specs as the Sonic Transporter but at a fraction of the cost

 

https://world.taobao.com/item/530626...0633.18.GMcq2w

 

https://world.taobao.com/item/530440....DQbbgk#detail

 

 

Will these work and run HQ Player and/or Roon effectively?

 

The only other thing is that they have built in wi fi.

 

If I purchase one and disable the wi fi by turning the wireless networking off, does this take care of the noise?

 

Thanks

[mikey8811]

Thanks for dissecting the specs. I would have been thoroughly lost otherwise.

 

It looks like the 3770s is the winner there except for heat efficiency. So I guess I will have to look for one with a 3770s instead.

 

Is there a big price difference between the processors?

 

So it looks like the i7 processor is an 4550U. I also use a fanless case but I have an i7-3770s quad core. Before that I had a dual core i3. The dual i3 could handle DSD64 no problem and sometimes 128 but it couldnt handle 256. So if you intend on doing DSD128 and above I am not sure if the 4550U can handle it.

 

By the way, here is comparison between the 4550U and my 3770S

 

http://www.cpu-world.com/Compare/236/Intel_Core_i7_Mobile_i7-4550U_vs_Intel_Core_i7_i7-3770S.html/url]

[mikey8811]

They do have some 6700 ones:

 

https://world.taobao.com/item/531643469082.htm?spm=a312a.7700714.0.0.DdexaV#detail

 

https://world.taobao.com/item/15736701613.htm?spm=a312a.7700714.0.0.DdexaV

 

But unfortunately not fanless. They also look like gaming PC's.

 

If you browse the site and come across some fanless ones you are able to recommend, please give me a shout out.

 

Thanks

 

Well you should look for a quad core processor that is current generation. The 3770s is from two generations ago. Try to fine a quad core processor from 5th or 6th generation with a TDP that is less than whatever capabilities your fanless case of choice can handle. For example, my case can dissipate up to 95W of heat. The i7-6700 is a good choice.

 

Here is a link that compares all the current 6th gen i7 processors:

6th Generation Intel® Coreâ„¢ i7 Processors

 

You can see the list price for each. Not a huge difference lets say between the 6700 and 6700K.

 

BTW, thanks for the link to that website. I've been looking for a cheap PC to use as an NAA and the ones I see on the site look like a great price!

[mikey8811]

I was comparing it to a Sonic Orbiter spec'ed for HQ Player and it is fanless. They do not specify which i7 processor though.

 

Since this is the NAA thread, one assumes they are going to use an NAA with these choices in the last few posts. Why is fanless a must? HQP machines can be in another room (a real advantage of the NAA).

[mikey8811]

Yes, I agree with this.

 

I was weighing up the costs of getting a microRendu for NAA with a Sonic Transporter substitute to run Roon and/or HQ Player. This is why I asked in this thread.

 

Also, on Audiostream, Michael Lavorgna tested an Intel NUC and a Sonic Transporter both with microRendu as NAA and found the stripped down, fanless latter better. I don't know if this is due to it being fanless or not but presume fan equals more noise.

 

I have no idea if it matters but i dont like the idea of a fan in my server pc because of electrical noise 'possibly' impacting the sound quality. Also, even though I am going to use an NAA I need to keep the server pc in the same room because all my power improvement devices (AC regenerator, LPS) are in there.

[mikey8811]

There's more to it than that.

 

Care to elaborate? Are you saying I cannot get away with using a cheaper substitute for the Sonic Transporter and achieve a similar quality? If so, the whole microRendu proposition looks too expensive for me to consider.

 

Thanks

[mikey8811]

Jud, I'm impulsive too! I am going to have to compare the cuboxtv against my i3-5005u pc tweaked with Audiophile Optimizer and Fidelizer. Btw, I purchased the i3 pc from taobao.com for $140 shipped. I already had ddr3l memory and an SSD so the total cost is similar to the cuboxtv.

 

Tbooe

 

So you did end up buying something from Taobao. Did you manage to find any i7 quad core pc's in a fanless case for a good price?

 

If so, please point me towards a link.

 

Thanks