sandston Posted January 24, 2016 Share Posted January 24, 2016 I have been reading this websites forum postings for over a year. What a great site. This is my first post. I currenctly use a low end PC to stream music to my system and I am tired of the background noise it puts out. I am ready to jump to a fanless PC. I have read the CAPS forums extensively and want to assemble my own server. I currently own the Elfidelity USB card which I would like to continue using for now with the intention of upgrading later. I would like to ask the community if anyone has found a fanless unit with a PCI-E slot that is capable of solid streaming and rendering. The closest candidate I have found is this unit from Shuttle on Amazon. [h=1]Shuttle XPC SH170R6 SFF Intel Skylake H170 Chipset LGA1151 i3/i5/i7/Pentium, Support 4K HD Video, Dual-channel DDR4 Max 64GB[/h] http://www.amazon.com/Shuttle-SH170R6-Skylake-Chipset-Dual-channel/dp/B016B6B6GI/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1453675592&sr=1-3&keywords=shuttle+pc While the CPU has a heat pipe cooling mechanism the power supply has a fan. Of course the power supply could be replaced with a Teradac power supply. Has anyone found a better candidate with a PCI-E slot. I would like to keep this project under $700 [h=1][/h] Thank you for any input you can share. EtherRegen powered by Sonore UltraCap LPS1.2 -> Optical Cable ->OpticalRendu powered by SGC 50w LPS -> Ghent silver plated ->star quad USB (JSSG360)->Denafrips Hermes DDC -> i2S HDMI (Clocked by Terminator Dac via BNC)->Denafrips Terminator II Dac->Linear Tube Audio Preamplifier->Melody 845M Monoblocks -> Silversmith Fidelium Speaker Cables->Pure Audio Project Trio15 Coaxial Open Baffle Speakers->2X SVS 4000 Subwoofers->All connected to PSAudio P10 Power Plant Link to comment
sandston Posted January 25, 2016 Author Share Posted January 25, 2016 You could also try a picoPSU with a brick in place of the power supply with fan if it doesn't exceed the power rating. Less hassle and cost than a Teradac. Upgrade to a LPS to supply the pico later. I use one without problems in my server. picoPSU-160-XT, 160watt (200watt peak) , 12V input DC-DC ATX Power Supply This is a great bit of kit. I already own a 2x 4-12v El Cheapo Linear Power Supply I use to power my ElFidelity USB card and Regen. The picoPSU and another El Cheapo seems like a much more affordable power supply than theTeradac "Have a Fever" PSU for computer. EtherRegen powered by Sonore UltraCap LPS1.2 -> Optical Cable ->OpticalRendu powered by SGC 50w LPS -> Ghent silver plated ->star quad USB (JSSG360)->Denafrips Hermes DDC -> i2S HDMI (Clocked by Terminator Dac via BNC)->Denafrips Terminator II Dac->Linear Tube Audio Preamplifier->Melody 845M Monoblocks -> Silversmith Fidelium Speaker Cables->Pure Audio Project Trio15 Coaxial Open Baffle Speakers->2X SVS 4000 Subwoofers->All connected to PSAudio P10 Power Plant Link to comment
sandston Posted January 25, 2016 Author Share Posted January 25, 2016 I would love to buy a SGC unit but at $1200 its more than I would like to invest at this point. I am on the look put for a used CAPS unit be it DIY or a SGC unit. Not sure about costs ... but first place to look is Small Green Computer. They somewhat specialise in bespoke "audio" computers. Second do you want / need something off the shelf? If not look at Streacom's line of fanless cases which you can build something to your needs using. EtherRegen powered by Sonore UltraCap LPS1.2 -> Optical Cable ->OpticalRendu powered by SGC 50w LPS -> Ghent silver plated ->star quad USB (JSSG360)->Denafrips Hermes DDC -> i2S HDMI (Clocked by Terminator Dac via BNC)->Denafrips Terminator II Dac->Linear Tube Audio Preamplifier->Melody 845M Monoblocks -> Silversmith Fidelium Speaker Cables->Pure Audio Project Trio15 Coaxial Open Baffle Speakers->2X SVS 4000 Subwoofers->All connected to PSAudio P10 Power Plant Link to comment
sandston Posted January 26, 2016 Author Share Posted January 26, 2016 Dieter Thats a whole lot of research. I appreciate it but the main criteria I am looking for is a PCI-E expansion slot so that I can use a Audiophile USB card like the SOTM, Paul Pang or JCAT. I currently have the ElFidelity card. All of these cards allow you to power them via an external power supply which eliminates noise generated by the computer. From what I understand the creator of this site Chris C has worked with SOTM to create a USB card that will work using an mSATA port. This is done in conjunction with the SOTM SATA noise filter. While I sure this is a great solution which allows the use of a lot more of the mini PC available it is out of my budget. What I am trying to find is a mini PC or bare board that retains a PCI-E expansion slot so my ELFidelity card can be used. As budget permits I can then upgrade to a better card in the future. EtherRegen powered by Sonore UltraCap LPS1.2 -> Optical Cable ->OpticalRendu powered by SGC 50w LPS -> Ghent silver plated ->star quad USB (JSSG360)->Denafrips Hermes DDC -> i2S HDMI (Clocked by Terminator Dac via BNC)->Denafrips Terminator II Dac->Linear Tube Audio Preamplifier->Melody 845M Monoblocks -> Silversmith Fidelium Speaker Cables->Pure Audio Project Trio15 Coaxial Open Baffle Speakers->2X SVS 4000 Subwoofers->All connected to PSAudio P10 Power Plant Link to comment
sandston Posted January 26, 2016 Author Share Posted January 26, 2016 Logic Supply seems to have some good options. Thanks EtherRegen powered by Sonore UltraCap LPS1.2 -> Optical Cable ->OpticalRendu powered by SGC 50w LPS -> Ghent silver plated ->star quad USB (JSSG360)->Denafrips Hermes DDC -> i2S HDMI (Clocked by Terminator Dac via BNC)->Denafrips Terminator II Dac->Linear Tube Audio Preamplifier->Melody 845M Monoblocks -> Silversmith Fidelium Speaker Cables->Pure Audio Project Trio15 Coaxial Open Baffle Speakers->2X SVS 4000 Subwoofers->All connected to PSAudio P10 Power Plant Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now