All the little improvements that do seem add up to greatly improved sound

[sdolezalek]

Thanks to the help of many Computer Audiophile contributors, I have continued to both learn and make incremental improvements to my computer front-ended sound system. A year ago, this would have been impossible simply because I didn't know the systems, the terminology, or the technology. Today, without making any change in the fundamental equipment in my original sound system, I can say that I have greatly improved both my sound quality and ease of music enjoyment.

 

I assume many others here are somewhere along that same journey. I also know that I still have more to learn and that the next big step will come when I upgrade my DAC to a 6-channel DSD512 capable DAC. Some of you may have suggestions to make to improve upon or correct what I have done.

 

But, the one thing that would have helped me along significantly in this journey, was a simple diagram of what all the parts are and how they actually fit together. So I have attempted to create one for the benefit of those travelling along the same route.

 

Do feel free to comment, improve upon or correct me, as this thread is intended as an ongoing learning experience (and already newer technologies are arriving that could be used to update some of the parts I purchased as then "state of the art" only a few months ago).

 

[Nikhil]

Outstanding representation of a computer audio based network.

If anything, I would suggest a left to right or top to down "flow" ...

 

Source > Switch > Network / Interface > USB Device > DAC > Stereo

 

Regards.

[r_w]

It's a good start but for me it crucially misses out powering everything with LPS, using W4S recovery over the REGEN and adding Intona USB isolation.

[crenca]

Thanks for the post and diagram - gives me a couple of things to think about concerning my own audio playback chain...

[Allan F]

Please don't take this the wrong way, but I think a newbie looking at that diagram would have the (expletive deleted) scared out of him.

[kumakuma]

Please don't take this the wrong way, but I think a newbie looking at that diagram would have the (expletive deleted) scared out of him.

 

I'm not a newbie and it scares me.

 

It's real purrty though.

[sdolezalek]

It's a good start but for me it crucially misses out powering everything with LPS, using W4S recovery over the REGEN and adding Intona USB isolation.

 

You are correct that adding in more LPS (I'm using a couple of the iFi iPower Power Supplies to power the Regen and the SonicOrbiter) is another next step. I have been thinking about the Intona, but may see what the Sonore MicroRendu does as a step up from the Sonicorbiter first.

 

Except for the fact that it gets even harder to read, maybe I'll do a version of the diagram that identifies a set of popular choices for each "node" in the system, even if i haven't yet tried them.

[sdolezalek]

Please don't take this the wrong way, but I think a newbie looking at that diagram would have the (expletive deleted) scared out of him.

 

Allan: I don't disagree, but think about trying to follow all the stuff that gets talked about on these threads without some kind of a roadmap. It took me months to figure out just what many of the acronyms meant, never mind where they fit in the system.

 

But, I will say that for not a lot of expense you can get as much or more improvement out of all this than pieces of equipment I paid 10X that for.

[yanlute]

well,using W4S recovery over the REGEN and adding Intona USB isolation.

[guerph]

I've been using Pi2 (moode) as WIFI streamer connected via USB to my Peachtree nova220se integrated w/DAC. Files are all stored on Synology NAS on home network. It has handled everything I've thrown at it so far nary a glitch (up to and including 24/192). I have been alternating between the standard power supply that came with the Pi and an Anker battery. I was quite impressed with the the sound quality. Not as impressive as using my MacBook Pro w/Audirvana, but impressive for its size, etc.

So last night, I took delivery of W4S Recovery. Connected it straight away using the supplied power supply. I have a Furutech ADL Formula 2 USB cable from Pi to Recovery and an Audio Sensibility Silver Statement USB (which is tremendous value USB cable folks) from Recovery to Peachtree. The sounds, out of the box, was transformative. I have to do a little more comparison, but it has taken the Pi to next level sonics. I may end up leaving the Pi in my chain and retiring the MacBook to the office.

I have new Furutech receptacles on the way. But I am very happy with out of the box results of the Recovery.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Computer Audiophile

[guerph]

I don't know that this is the right forum, but I am looking for LPS advice. I was hoping to find a single LPS solution to power both the Pi2 and the Recovery. Is it possible? Is it advisable?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Computer Audiophile

[speavler]

I'm not sure I'm getting any benefit from my optical switch, FMC's, LPS's to power them, script optimizations, etc since i introduced an aries mini which is streamed wirelessly. It's really simplified the goal of isolation.

[sbank]

 

Except for the fact that it gets even harder to read, maybe I'll do a version of the diagram that identifies a set of popular choices for each "node" in the system, even if i haven't yet tried them.

That would be a great public service. One suggestion is to list popular examples of each main type of software such as Windows music players, OSX music players, control point software for tablets and phones.

[PopPop]

Forwarded this to SWMBO suggested as stocking stuffers. [emoji106]

[sdolezalek]

 

Constructive criticism and additions highly welcomed

[PopPop]

For now, I have my music stored in a laptop that sits on a shelf with my audio components. It is hooked to a USB/SPDIF converter with a 1m USB cable. The PC fan comes in occasionally and it is annoying. So I'm looking for a way to move the PC that avoids using a long USB cable. This looks like a solution but seems a bit complicated for what I want to achieve with my laptop. And, for all the time I have been lurking here, I still feel computer-infantile.

[tboooe]

First of all, great work OP on this. I will say that in all my years of enjoying this maddening hobby the two biggest improvements for me came from clean power and room treatments. Messing around with room treatments is never as fun as getting some new piece of hardware and I have largely ignored my room for years. When I recently added panels to my ceiling I was shocked how much more clarity and realism I was getting from my system. I know these items may not be the focus of your awesome diagram but at least for me, I think its most important to get the room right before you can truly appreciate what you system is capable of. Once you do this, you can more easily hear what little tweaks like cables, usb cards, etc does.

[YashN]

First of all, great work OP on this. I will say that in all my years of enjoying this maddening hobby the two biggest improvements for me came from clean power and room treatments.

 

Add vibration isolation and you have a sort of holy trinity of audio.

[sdolezalek]

I wouldn't disagree with that formula. Fortunately, I had the advantage of being able to build a dedicated room and that helped on the first two. As to vibration, I'm a believer, but I still struggle to understand exactly what we are doing inasmuch as so many of the vibration solutions seem to consist of vertical coupling plus horizontal isolation. Only Barry Diament seems to have constructed a system that seems focused on both (inner tubes for vertical and roller bearings for horizontal). But then, that would be a whole different thread...

[YashN]

As to vibration, I'm a believer, but I still struggle to understand exactly what we are doing inasmuch as so many of the vibration solutions seem to consist of vertical coupling plus horizontal isolation. Only Barry Diament seems to have constructed a system that seems focused on both (inner tubes for vertical and roller bearings for horizontal). But then, that would be a whole different thread...

 

Vibration isolation is more complex than that. Proper isolation would require it to be done around several axes, not just two, three actually.

 

Additionally, one should also consider internal isolation of components (e.g. capacitors which can be subject to vibrations), as well as air-borne vibrations.

 

Coupling is the opposite of isolation in ideal terms. This said, you can sometimes couple to a larger mass and drain energy (what we do in speakers + stand arrangement sometimes).

 

Barry Diament only repeated things done by others earlier than him, he didn't invent these, and actually misunderstood the concept of horizontal isolation.

 

I made a thread on vibration isolation which probably has more information than you could ever wish for since some papers on actual earthquake vibration isolation are in there

[sdolezalek]

Vibration isolation is more complex than that. Proper isolation would require it to be done around several axes, not just two, three actually.

 

I made a thread on vibration isolation which probably has more information than you could ever wish for since some papers on actual earthquake vibration isolation are in there

 

Yes, I've read that entire thread in detail. Unfortunately the conclusion I came to was that there were very few solutions that both met the "WAF factor" (something that doesn't make you think of Rube Goldberg or look like the anti-vibration tools were larger than the components they were isolating) and met the reasonableness in price factor. Given the general consensus that these things do have meaningful positive benefits you would think there would be a giant market for a good device at the $100-$200/component price range.

[YashN]

there were very few solutions that both met the "WAF factor"

 

Ah, you mean the OSMWP factor! (Oops-I'm-Stuck-in-a-Marriage-with-the-Wrong-Partner)

 

I don't have this issue.

 

I think there is a bigger issue with the ball-and-cup arrangement though, especially when used either at the bottom of tall speakers of at the top of a stand just underneath bookshelf speakers, and that is physical stability.

 

However, in that same thread, I shared a design which solves it.