A novel way to massively improve the SQ of computer audio streaming

[The Computer Audiophile]

Nice work on this thread @austinpop!

[The Computer Audiophile]

Just tried to fix it, but can't do it from my phone. Will get it tomorrow. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

@austinpopAs the new curator of this thread, it's up to you if you want the title changed or the conversation to get back on the topic of the title. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

19 minutes ago, austinpop said:

 

How about we change the title to "A novel way to massively improve the SQ of computer audio streaming"? Are people OK with that?

I'm OK with whatever you decide. You've done great work in this thread!

[The Computer Audiophile]

All links automatically redirect. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

On 12/15/2017 at 7:38 PM, Speed Racer said:

Sad.

 

"We don't like what you say therefore we aren't going to allow you to say it."

 

Snowflakes....

Bye Speed Racer. You’ve proven you can’t tolerate others’ opinions and you don’t respect the rules of a site that allows people to engage in conversations without sophomoric bahavior. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi Guys - Several posts removed to keep this on topic. Future off topic posts will also be removed. Save your keystrokes. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

1 hour ago, Superdad said:

 

Well do you have a great power supply for it?  I know where you can get one that matches perfectly.  

Alex, this isn’t allowed. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

3 minutes ago, rickca said:

Apple has already denied this story.

The company has nothing to gain by giving the story credence. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Knock off the BS. Post have been and will continue to be removed. Save your time and keep the thoughts in your head. 

 

Now back to the regularly scheduled program. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Hi Guys - I know everyone's time is valuable and I'd hate to see anyone waste it by crafting comments that will only be deleted. Our policy at CA has always been to allow the OP to control the thread. This works very well. If you disagree with something said in a thread and the OP wants your comments removed, you are 100% free to start your own thread and dictate the terms. 

 

I've given @austinpop moderator privileges to remove comments that don't follow the guidelines set out for this thread. 

 

If you have a problem with any of this please take it up with me. I created the rules. Those who have made this thread so successful are using the rules wisely to increase their enjoyment of this wonderful hobby.

 

 

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

32 minutes ago, romaz said:

Personally, I have no problems with dissenting or contrasting views and I think skepticism is healthy.  As a published medical researcher, everything we publish is subjected to a peer review process for the sake of the health and safety of the population at large but this thread is different.  This thread is about expressing subjective observations with the intention of furthering the enjoyment of our music.  

 

The problem I have is with the manner of dissent and the lack of respect and cordiality afforded by certain posters.  I feel that nobody here should feel a burden to prove what they are hearing and that anyone expressing their observations about pieces of equipment should be taken as sincere until proven otherwise.  If there are those who demand charts and graphs, then you’re at the wrong thread because something like an Audio Precision APx555 costs north of $30k and so none of us are going to own this kind of equipment.  While @diecaster should have the freedom to express his views, certainly, his post on another thread makes his intentions here very suspect:

 

https://www.computeraudiophile.com/forums/topic/35129-a-novel-way-to-massively-improve-the-sq-of-the-microrendu-ultrarendu/?page=26&tab=comments#comment-892419

 

With regards to the “flat-earthers” comment, the irony of this statement is that it is the overly technical, chart demanding, engineer-types who are generally the flat-earthers since they hold fast to their old and tired theories and insist that this or that can’t possibly make a difference instead of actually taking a listen for themselves to see if their theories should be revised.  For better or worse, this closed-mindedness has never been the mantra of this thread.

 

As for the longevity of this thread, it has exceeded any expectations I ever had for it and as Rajiv posted, it is indeed surprising to note how many people have participated and how many tune in, whether it be for entertainment reasons or otherwise.  If I may be so bold to offer my own reasons for its longevity, I believe it is due to:

 

1. Rajiv’s very capable stewardship.  Any way you slice it, this thread is a jumbo hot mess with no real direction except to find any and all means possible to improve our audio setups and so I take some responsibility for this as I chose to look this thread as a personal think tank when I first started it.  Regardless, keeping this thread flowing to have kept the interest of so many has been no easy task and Rajiv has done a better job with it than I ever could have.  Furthermore, the index Rajiv created has been invaluable.

 

2.  This thread is not really about the OP or any one person, it’s about the collective contributions of the CA community at large and I know of no other thread anywhere like it.  While not everything that has been discussed here has passed muster or has passed the test of time, I do believe it is because of the open-mindedness of its participants to try new things and share their findings that our audio setups today are better than they were before this thread was started.  

 

3.  Cordiality and respect.  No one wants to tune in to a thread full of haters.  While this thread can be criticized for being over-exuberant at times, I think most of us enjoy seeing someone else succeed in their audio journey and in so doing, hopefully, we all learn something new along the way.  The day this thread becomes about “no way that would work” or “no way you’re hearing what your hearing” is the day this thread should be retired.

Great post romaz. Like I told diecaster in a PM after he messaged me, free speech around CA is like the Supreme Court has interpreted it. You can say whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want wherever you want. That's why we enable dissenting voices to start their own threads. 

 

I also look at it this way - A group of lung cancer survivors went out for coffee and sat at the same table in a non-smoking area of the coffee shop. Then a guy sat down next to them and started smoking, claiming he should be able to do this despite the wishes of the cancer survivors that he please smoke in the designated smoking section. Does anyone thing the smoker's behavior is OK? I doubt it. Bring this same concept to a party where one guy is a jerk. He shouldn't ruin it for everyone. He can have his own party. 

 

Now bring this concept to CA. It works fine to have people start their own dissenting threads if asked to do so.

[The Computer Audiophile]

51 minutes ago, k-man said:

@lmitche @romaz @austinpop

 

Guys, I would love to see a homepage article on this NUC venture. CAPS and Geek speak articles don’t come by often, and I reckon this will fit in well (that’s if anyone does care to write the whole thing)

 

@The Computer Audiophile Your thoughts?

This could be a really cool article. The challenge is to make it accessible for people who don't want to get too into the weeds. The front page articles are usually much less technical than the forums. 

 

I'm all for it though.

[The Computer Audiophile]

On 1/4/2018 at 6:36 AM, seeteeyou said:

Apparently Gemini Lake (Celeron N4100 and N4000 with 6W TDP / 4.8W SDP) should be coming soon

 

https://ark.intel.com/products/128983/Intel-Celeron-Processor-N4100-4M-Cache-up-to-2_40-GHz

https://ark.intel.com/products/128988/Intel-Celeron-Processor-N4000-4M-Cache-up-to-2_60-GHz

 

No Pico-ITX and Mini-ITX boards yet, though we could pay less than CA$150 for a pocket-sized board that might (or might not) materialize in May 2018

 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/139108638/lattepanda-alpha-soul-of-a-macbook-in-a-pocket-siz

https://www.cnx-software.com/2017/12/08/lattepanda-alpha-delta-kaby-lake-gemini-lake-development-boards-support-windows-10-pro-or-linux-crowdfunding/

 

Has anyone tried the LattePanda Alpha yet?

 

https://www.dfrobot.com/product-1728.html

[The Computer Audiophile]

14 minutes ago, jabbr said:

 

If we are going with coffee flavored NUCs then this has more caffeine  

 

http://macchiatobin.net/product/macchiatobin-single-shot/

Wish it supported Windows. I'm working on an article and need one that supports Windows.

[The Computer Audiophile]

2 minutes ago, Jud said:

 

Not for audio, but this guy put it on a test bench. (Perhaps you've already seen it?  Not to worry, the hard-hitting headline turns out to be about Arduino, which I'm assuming you don't much care about.) https://www.mickmake.com/post/lattepanda-alpha-the-big-mistake-review

Just saw it as well. Th headline is very NY Post-esque. 

 

This board could be really cool fo audio.

[The Computer Audiophile]

@andervt This is your warning. Put your industry affiliation in your signature and stop advertising your own products on the forum. You can answer a question about your products if someone asks, but other than that you can't bring them up.

[The Computer Audiophile]

1 hour ago, andervt said:

 

Before writing my post yesterday a read Austin Pops excellent intro to orientate me in this enormous thread. Readers are told to focus on direct listening test, and that is what i did.

 

As agreed, after this was commented, it is a good thing to identify that you are in the trade, but did not think of it when I wrote the post and agree that this is something the readers should know when they read my listening comparisons.

I do think someone in the trade also should be allowed to write their listening impressions in this forum. If not this forum will become poorer.

 

My commercial gain from what I wrote yesterday is hard to see. My name, contact info, webpages or other was not revealed before an other poster wrote my name and webpage url in a comment. That a potential buyer should find me in my frosen corner on the earth and buy products from me based on this post was not very realistically until my name and webpage url was published in the thread.

 

After 35 years as audio enthusiast I am not afraid to put my head forward and tell others of  my experiences and listening impressions even it they do not correspond with others. 

My impressions of the LPS and SOTM powersupply was commented as suspect since they were different. Next time I do a listening test and the result is different from others, I will still tell my version because it is the only one I know. If all tests have to have the same result this forum has now value. 

I am not the maker or distributor of Sotm, but have choosen to offer some of the products for sale since they are the best I have tested in their class.

I think this result is most interesting for readers, and showing that 2+2 is not always 4 in hi-fi encourage to test themselves.

My intensions with this test is totally misunderstood, and I stand 100% by the listening impressions i wrote yesterday.

 

There have been a NUC "wave" in this thread, and people have replaced a full package of Sotm units including masterclock with their NUC.

So when the NUC owner and I should compare SMS-200UN and tx-USBultra with the AL NUC we almost expected it to wipe the floor with the Sotm boxes. It did not.

I think it is interesting for readers to know that there are different experiences with NUC`s.

My intensions with this test is totally misunderstood, and I stand 100% by the listening impressions i wrote yesterday.

 

Informing that I experienced good results with Strange Attractors feet under Sotm and NUC made someone meen that I was misleading readers and dishonouring the forum since I sold these feet. In the next sentense I encouraged to try with small aluminium feet or other stiff alternatives. These can be found in your home or garage and cost nothing. Try a small shot glass or something like that 🙂  This is not very commercial , and is not misleading but informing, and a good advice to improve the sound in your system.

As this thread is so big I am not aware if this has been discussed here, but placing the SA feet under NUC when doing the test made an important improvement to the sound if you see it with an audio enthusiast eyes.

This tip is absolutely misunderstood and I stand 100% by this.

 

Trust me, things won’t work out well for you if you keep talking about products you sell. Over the last 11 years this has happened countless times. People try to massage their language into something beneficial for the forum, but I can tell you it never works. You will turn readers against you and leave a trail of evidence that’s forever searchable. 

 

I can’t recommend strongly enough that you stop writing about products you carry. If you can’t stop you will be banned. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

@the_doc735 Please tone it down. Nobody needs to be SCREAMED at by you. This is audio. Nobody is killing puppies or saving babies. Step back, turn up your volume and listen to some music rather than get angry at people.

[The Computer Audiophile]

2 hours ago, Iving said:

@The Computer Audiophile pse check your facts

Please help me help you guys. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

1 hour ago, the_doc735 said:

why don't you try reading the question:

with NUC/AL is the O/S & music loaded into RAM on the endpoint or not. It's simple enough! Yes Or no? There's no need to get all superior on me! It;s just a straight forward question, before I buy a NUC! As you have quite obviously done loads of work with NUC;s yourself you should know if both the O/S & music are in RAM or not?

@the_doc735 Nobody is getting paid to offer you advice or information here. It's all people giving their time and expertise. If you can't get along with others, without YELLING and being abrasive, you'll have to leave. 

[The Computer Audiophile]

3 minutes ago, cool_chris said:

I am impressed by the knolage of Romaz and Austinpop.

I am scientist and part time audiopile. Was building my servers for many years and 

latency was always my „drug” to the point I was unable to boot the optimised W12server anymore.

I was modifying my W12server root , motherboard and thausends of other things.

I quit few years ago due to the unstability of the system.

 

I know the field has changed a lot. It is impressive how much more we know this days.

Could you please think and post the ultimate server / endpoint solution ?

 

I was thinking to get the Taiko Extreme but wondering if this will be the best for the totaldac tvelve system ?

 

for that kind of money I could think of building the optimum system myself based on Euphony ?

what parts will be the best setup in your opinion ?

no ssd ! Optane for music library and system ?

I  say cost no object for this build.

 

Any guy who goes by Cool Chris is OK in my book.

[The Computer Audiophile]

2 hours ago, seeteeyou said:

Hey @The Computer Audiophile just wondering if you're gonna keep turning a blind eye on vested interest that's poisoning the well, even though no sponsor's card could be played in this particular case?

I don’t read every post, so please keep the accusations to yourself. 

 

Have you used the report post function ?

[The Computer Audiophile]

22 hours ago, ray-dude said:

The Daiza by itself is pretty good.

 

Arrived this morning via FedEx 😁

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

11 minutes ago, RickyV said:

I am wondering about Rajiv’s upcoming review of the HSA1, SR1 combo paired with the Dave and the Extreme that must be absolutely phenomenal. I wonder if you have to have cat or dog hearing to keep up with that speed.

Has it been done before an Extreme and a SR1 in the same system? 

Rajiv will have the newly announced HSA-1b amp from RAAL-requisite.