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Article: Computer Audiophile Pocket Server C.A.P.S. v3 Carbon


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  • 2 weeks later...
After reading the great CAPS threads I do see recurring issues with the USB to DAC connection. Since PCIe connection is possible, I would love to see a taste test between a PCIe card to DAC connection using an AES/EBU balanced (XLR 110ohm) connection. There is a reason why PCIe and balanced connections are so prevalent in pro audio / audio studios environment. A bit obvious, I know, but getting rid of unwanted noise is key.

 

There is a wealth of info on Digital Audio Workstations (DAW) building, DACs, cabling, jitter, etc. on a site (recording.org) that provided me with most of my info when I built DAWs on a pc platform a few years back.

 

If it is good enough for recording you would think it is good enough for playback...

 

From info on OS tweaks for audio, what HD and mobo to use, etc. Links:

 

Computer Audiophile - The Preeminent Source for Computer Audio & Music Server Information and Reviews

 

Computer Audiophile - The Preeminent Source for Computer Audio & Music Server Information and Reviews

 

Cheers.

 

Tranz,

 

Take a few minutes to read this link (http://www.laventure.net/tourist/cables.htm); there is a section on the benefits of balanced cables and the condition under which a benefit is gained. It might answer some of your questions.

 

Marc

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  • 2 months later...

Hi RaceDoc,

 

I personally use TeamViewer (which is free for personal usage) to control my MusicPlayer from any other PC. You should also setup the BIOS so that the MusicPlayer restarts automatically after every power interruption. JRemote is great but will work only if the MusicPlayer is on.

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You could use the iPad for that purpose, but I prefer using a real computer with a keyboard for the type of tasks I have to perform when I have to go beyond JRemote. And TeamViewer is so easy to use and works flawlessly. Furthermore, it works regardless of the network you are on.

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  • 1 month later...

Definitely a flex riser card like this one. I use it and it works great. If your Firewire card requires a power connector, verify the distance to cover vs. length of the cable used to power the card (I've experienced the issue with a Asus Xonar Essence STX card) - easily solvable as long as you have the right cable with you!

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...
First time poster just dipping my toe into audiophile grade computer audio. I have been a 10 year Sonos user and love the ease of setup and user interface but cant help but feel the audio quality is not doing my 2-ch system justice. I have built several Atom powered HTPCs using XMBC as the interface to wireless stream 1080p movies in my home so I am familiar with computer based media streaming. That being said I have two questions:

 

1. If I wanted to stream my music wirelessly what is the preferred solution? Should I just get one of these USB wireless dongles? I use a wireless N product from Linksys for one of my HTPCs and have no issues streaming movies.

2. Is there a way to eliminate the need for an external USB>SPDIF converter? Why cant a CAPs server be built with SPDIF output?

 

 

I apologize if these are noob questions or previously covered. Thank you.

 

 

1. If you go the Intel DN2800MT route, use the ±$40 Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6235 WiFi card. It mounts on the motherboard directly and is supplied with an antenna. Works beautifully.

 

There are also Access points that extend your WiFI network that can be used, some of which come with an Ethernet port.

 

2. I've experimented with an alternative to the DN2800MT motherboard in order to have digital output straight from the motherboard, but also to be able to use a touchscreen monitor (Acer T232H) with Windows 8 which requires a USB 3.0 port. The alternate motherboard I used is the Gigabyte GA-H61N-USB3. I've paired the Celeron G540 CPU with a Zalman CNPS2X thin/silent fan. In addition to the CPU fan, I've only plugged in one of the 4 case fan in the Wesena HTPC-e5. The result is an almost silent music server with significantly more power than from the Intel motherboard. I've compared the sound quality from both the coax S/PDIF and the USB (feeding a NAD M51 DAC) and could not detect a difference in WASAPI mode; ASIO is only available with the USB out.

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Why is that? Is there another option that does not require the 64 bit version? Will the Centrino Advanced N card mentioned above work?

 

I use the Centrino card with Windows 8 32 bit without any issues whatsoever. And I have never experienced any performance issues, even with any of the 24/96 HDTracks files I've streamed using a WiFi connection.

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  • 2 months later...
I swear I have read these CAPS threads for hours but sadly most comments are a bit over my head.

 

Would someone mind a few basic questions that I can't figure out?

 

I currently use a mac-mini both music and general computing. Music is on a Drobo and I use Audirvana but have tried Jriver and like it.

 

If I switch to a CAPS for music only:

 

1. Do I need to buy a monitor, keyboard and mouse to set it up?

 

2. Do I need a monitor, keyboard and mouse to change things beyond what a remote on my phone will do?

 

Thanks!

 

The short answer is yes, to set it up, you will need temporarily a monitor and keyboard/mouse. Not familiar with the usability of a MAC monitor and keyboard on a PC? I suspect that the monitor is usable but not the keyboard/mouse.

 

Afterwards, you can control remotely your Music Server (including logon, restart, shutdown, transfer files, etc.) from either a Mac or PC. I am a huge fan of TeamViewer which works great and is completely free. Obviously, it only works with a network connection on both the Music Server and the device used to control it - but you do not need to be on the same network.

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  • 2 months later...
I did not realize I had to do that. My DAC is USB 2.0, but I was told this would work with the SOtM, right?

 

Your DAC might be USB 2.0, but the connectors on the SOtM card are USB 3.0. Not sure it will resolve everything but I would play it safe in installing them.

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I looked up and researched the driver version (6.3.9600.16459) for the TI USB 3.0 Host Controller that has the Device Manager problem. The download for that version is listed as Windows 8.1 64-Bit. Could this be the problem with my 32-Bit System?

 

You definitely need to have 32-bits drivers on a 32-bits system. They do not mix at all! But I've seen install files that had both 32 and 64 bits version within the install program, and the program was smart enough to figure out which Windows version it needed to install. But if on the download site, it explicit say it is a 64-bit program, then it is.

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