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One more time, SSD vs HDD


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Sorry to beat the dead horse a little more but want to check in before buying a new drive. I've converted a CAPS style server to a NAS style box (a little like Cortes). I need to add more storage but I'm working with a really small library. I'm looking for a 1TB drive. Is there any appreciable sound difference between SSD and HDD when streaming over the network? I did find I enjoyed SSD more when the server was a local player, not networked.

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Sorry to beat the dead horse a little more but want to check in before buying a new drive. I've converted a CAPS style server to a NAS style box (a little like Cortes). I need to add more storage but I'm working with a really small library. I'm looking for a 1TB drive. Is there any appreciable sound difference between SSD and HDD when streaming over the network? I did find I enjoyed SSD more when the server was a local player, not networked.

 

You need to understand also there is an architecture change here. From what I understand, your HDD used to reside in the same PC that generated your music. You now have a NAS, which means the HDD is no longer in the PC to mess with the sound (so to speak). As the signal comes out of the NAS and goes through a switch / router, it gets reclocked. That offers insulation to your playback device. Fixing things on your NAS will have a much smaller effect, if any at all, on your sound quality, than efforts directed at the playback device.

 

That said, make sure you buy drives suitable for a NAS. I.e. no Western Degital Green drives, but Red drives.

Synology DS214+ with MinimServer --> Ethernet --> Sonore mRendu / SOtM SMS-200 --> Chord Hugo --> Chord interconnects --> Naim NAP 200--> Chord speaker cable --> Focal Aria 948

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There isn't any sound differences if you use a HDD or a SSD as a storage

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Computer Audiophile mobile app

 

Quite a few members have reported otherwise after powering an internal SSD with improved +5V power.

You may also be able to achieve similar SQ improvements with an HDD using improved power, but due to the need for higher current capabilities when supplying improved power to an HDD, and the need for +12V as well as +5V, it is more expensive and complex to do so. note also that SSD was preferred over HDD at a Computer Audiophile Symposium several years ago.

 

How a Digital Audio file sounds, or a Digital Video file looks, is governed to a large extent by the Power Supply area. All that Identical Checksums gives is the possibility of REGENERATING the file to close to that of the original file.

PROFILE UPDATED 13-11-2020

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For storage probably yes, but streaming the file, as opposed to copying it in its entirety and caching it, is where I expect the SQ differences might occur. There's also merit in the 'no moving parts at streaming end' approach.

 

That's why I went with Aurender and NAS.

 

 

There isn't any sound differences if you use a HDD or a SSD as a storage

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Computer Audiophile mobile app

Source:

*Aurender N100 (no internal disk : LAN optically isolated via FMC with *LPS) > DIY 5cm USB link (5v rail removed / ground lift switch - split for *LPS) > Intona Industrial (injected *LPS / internally shielded with copper tape) > DIY 5cm USB link (5v rail removed / ground lift switch) > W4S Recovery (*LPS) > DIY 2cm USB adaptor (5v rail removed / ground lift switch) > *Auralic VEGA (EXACT : balanced)

 

Control:

*Jeff Rowland CAPRI S2 (balanced)

 

Playback:

2 x Revel B15a subs (balanced) > ATC SCM 50 ASL (balanced - 80Hz HPF from subs)

 

Misc:

*Via Power Inspired AG1500 AC Regenerator

LPS: 3 x Swagman Lab Audiophile Signature Edition (W4S, Intona & FMC)

Storage: QNAP TS-253Pro 2x 3Tb, 8Gb RAM

Cables: DIY heavy gauge solid silver (balanced)

Mains: dedicated distribution board with 5 x 2 socket ring mains, all mains cables: Mark Grant Black Series DSP 2.5 Dual Screen

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Quite a few members have reported otherwise after powering an internal SSD with improved +5V power.

You may also be able to achieve similar SQ improvements with an HDD using improved power, but due to the need for higher current capabilities when supplying improved power to an HDD, and the need for +12V as well as +5V, it is more expensive and complex to do so. note also that SSD was preferred over HDD at a Computer Audiophile Symposium several years ago.

 

What you said means nothing.

Are there any measurement? Any technical explanation?

If you know how a computer works you can easily understand that powering a hard drive with a LPSU is just a waste of money.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Computer Audiophile mobile app

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I definitely prefer SSD's over hard drives.

 

They sound better because, I'm told, they generate less electrical noise.

 

The OP never said he must see measurements as part of a response.

 

So now you have one more response.

 

Good luck.

 

Joel

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What you said means nothing.

Are there any measurement? Any technical explanation?

If you know how a computer works you can easily understand that powering a hard drive with a LPSU is just a waste of money.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Computer Audiophile mobile app

 

Einstein taught us that there is always more we can learn and that the empirical results that don't agree with theory are where we find theory is incomplete. There are plenty of businesses and CA participants that have tried battery and LPS with drives in the media server and found it improves sound where the drive is inside the server feeding a DAC .

Actions in actually testing are the coin of the realm here.

Regards,

Dave

 

Audio system

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Yeah but this is not relativity theory. It's powering an hard drive with a linear psu pretending to improve the sound quality. A little bit different, i think before doing any absurd test (Wasting money) could be more useful for your own hifi setup (and for you wallet) to study a bit of IT.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Computer Audiophile mobile app

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Over here I've removed all flash memory devices from my environment. For storage, I use a single WD 4tb HDD in a NAS powered by an LPS. The OS for the NAS boot, OS for the audiopc boot, and music lives on this HDD. The NAS LPS is then isolated on the AC side with an AC isolation transformer, and the Ethernet side with two EMOsystems ethernet isolation transformers on both NIC connections. After months of experimenting with different configs, including LPS and battery power to SSDs, removing the flash devices sounds best to me.

 

Flash memory controllers are constantly working behind the scenes to create data redundancy and to detect and remove errors. This generates high frequency noise that can be tough to filter. My conjecture is that the HDD generates noise at lower frequencies that are easier for the isolation transformers to reduce.

 

Anyway I realize this goes against CA conventional wisdom, but I trust my ears. YMMV.

Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio

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Thanks for the opinions everybody... Just as a reminder, my SSD vs HDD question was for use in a NAS style PC, operating much like CAPS Cortes (in which Chris uses large HDD's). The OS is Windows 10 on a small SDD and I'll be using JRiver DLNA to a renderer.

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Thanks for the opinions everybody... Just as a reminder, my SSD vs HDD question was for use in a NAS style PC, operating much like CAPS Cortes (in which Chris uses large HDD's). The OS is Windows 10 on a small SDD and I'll be using JRiver DLNA to a renderer.

 

 

...in which case whether you use a SSD or HDD will not matter much. Focus on your renderer device to tweak things.

Synology DS214+ with MinimServer --> Ethernet --> Sonore mRendu / SOtM SMS-200 --> Chord Hugo --> Chord interconnects --> Naim NAP 200--> Chord speaker cable --> Focal Aria 948

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...in which case whether you use a SSD or HDD will not matter much. Focus on your renderer device to tweak things.

 

SSDs will always have the advantage of much lower current requirements, thus less PSU related heat to dissipate, as well as no whirring noises and vibration.

 

How a Digital Audio file sounds, or a Digital Video file looks, is governed to a large extent by the Power Supply area. All that Identical Checksums gives is the possibility of REGENERATING the file to close to that of the original file.

PROFILE UPDATED 13-11-2020

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SSDs will always have the advantage of much lower current requirements, thus less PSU related heat to dissipate, as well as no whirring noises and vibration.

 

It is in a NAS. Likely to be placed far away from any listening position. And I was arguing from the perspective of the drive inducing jitter or other polution into any sound signal. Given that the data is transferred to another PC from the NAS, it will be reclocked at least once during the transfer process, which means that these concerns play little if any role at all.

 

And the lower electricty bill and lower noise are offset against a higher layout. A 1TB HDD is dirt cheap compared to a 1TB SSD.

Synology DS214+ with MinimServer --> Ethernet --> Sonore mRendu / SOtM SMS-200 --> Chord Hugo --> Chord interconnects --> Naim NAP 200--> Chord speaker cable --> Focal Aria 948

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