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


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Most important: please realize this thread is about bleeding edge experimentation and discovery. No one has The Answer™. If you are not into tweaking, just know that you can have a musically satisfying system without doing any of the nutty things we do here.

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@MrUnderhill - great information above, thanks for posting.  Just one tiny point to pick up - is the sMS-200ultra you used for comparison the "Neo" or "original" version?

 

I certainly agree with respect to the importance of decent power supplies.  At the moment I have a pair of SR4's on order, not quite the SR7, but I am certainly looking forward to seeing if they improve things over the sPS-500.

 

And good luck with the NUC......:)

Windows 11 PC, Roon, HQPlayer, Focus Fidelity convolutions, iFi Zen Stream, Paul Hynes SR4, Mutec REF10, Mutec MC3+USB, Devialet 1000Pro, KEF Blade.  Plus Pro-Ject Signature 12 TT for playing my 'legacy' vinyl collection. Desktop system; RME ADI-2 DAC fs, Meze Empyrean headphones.

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5 hours ago, MrUnderhill said:

The DUAL CAT involves doing some DIY on a PoE distribution box to use all eight CAT wires, and then use one cable for +ve and one for -ve.

 

Those boxes cost less than $6 a piece when we buy 10 of them, though obviously international shipping might kill the deal

 

https://szzq.en.alibaba.com/product/60642235496-220283424/8_Port_Passive_PoE_And_802_3af_at_Injector_Universal_PoE_Midspan_For_MikroTik_Accessories.html

https://szzq.en.alibaba.com/product/60774003276-807012204/Multi_Port_PoE_Injector_with_8_Ports_for_Power_and_Data_To_8_Devices_for_Ubiquiti_camera_Add_Power_over_Ethernet_To_Any_Switch.html

 

And the whole point of getting so many boxes is building DUAL CAT TESSERACTED PoE DC 3.1, as DUAL CAT SQUARED PoE DC 3.1 required 4 of them

 

NMjKhw9.jpg

 

Finally an Intel NUC with Celeron J4005 would cost only $120, that's why it shouldn't be such a big deal to try hardwiring the DUAL CAT according to @romaz

 

On 11/7/2016 at 5:11 AM, romaz said:

Finally, the barrel connectors themselves will add resistance. I specified the Oyaide gold-plated brass connectors (2.1mm x 5.5mm) because they are the best I could find but they will not be better than directly hardwiring the LPS-1 to your mR.

 

Soldering that last DC cable from the final box to the power input of NUC should beat either DC connector or 2x2 Molex connector. Both the plug and the jack came with relatively poor conductors in the first place.

 

 

Since silver is a better conductor when compared to copper, it would be quite interesting to try these wires from Nimak Audio

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/0-5mm-AWG-24-Solid-Core-1m-3-3ft-Ultra-Fine-Pure-SILVER-Audio-WIRE-in-TEFLON/123415773114

https://www.ebay.com/itm/0-5mm-AWG-24-Solid-Core-1-Meter-3-3-ft-Ultra-Fine-Pure-SILVER-Audio-BARE-WIRE/123455399146

 

Then terminate 4 pairs of them with REVConnect as shown in the video embedded above, it seemed to be fairly different from a "plain vanilla" RJ45 connector so those stringent requirements might not be even necessary

 

https://www.falcontech.com/REVConnect-Core-Pack-Belden-REVConnect-50-Pack-p/rvucoew-b50.htm

https://www.falcontech.com/REVConnect-Termination-Tool-Belden-REVConnect-p/rvutt01.htm

https://www.falcontech.com/Modular-Plug-Belden-REVConnect-CAT6A-p/rvafpubk-s1.htm

 

Still much cheaper than other pure silver Ethernet cables such as Audioquest Diamond or Wireworld Platinum Starlight

 

https://www.soundhelpers.com/PROD/PSEF000.html

 

Not to mention that IBRA was sounding fantastic for its price tag despite such laughable build quality

 

https://www.computeraudiophile.com/forums/topic/42959-iso-regen-performance-improvement-cheap/?page=2&tab=comments#comment-821855

On 5/15/2018 at 12:03 AM, wushuliu said:

You guys must have missed my post in the main thread where I already opened up several different cables to inspect, including IBRA, Vandesail, and Amazon Cat7s. The IBRA was the WORST of the bunch in terms of build quality. The individual shielding is half-assed, the mesh braid felt so light and thin I thought it was fake. I laughed when I cut the thing open. Hell *I* could make a better cable with one hand. And scotch in the other.

 

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are most of these observations purely subjective?   ...with no graphs or charts or blind tests to back up the NUC theories? e.g. bit more bass. bit less bass. bit brighter, a little less cluttered, a bit wider image, a little clearer in complex passages; each with a change of a few cables, capacitors, clocks, psu's etc. etc.

Doesn't seem to be anything earth shatteringly devastating, no WOW! - OMG! moments?

 

Does anyone have any objective (fact) based evidence regarding this NUC phenomena ?

 

What would be a WOW! moment is if there was proof that a £120 NUC produces a result as good as dCS £20,000+ equipment!

 

I am a potential NUC purchaser! Just wanted to know?

 

...is it Chinese by any chance?

 

Many thanks to all.

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14 minutes ago, the_doc735 said:

are most of these observations purely subjective?   ...with no graphs or charts or blind tests to back up the NUC theories? e.g. bit more bass. bit less bass. bit brighter, a little less cluttered, a bit wider image, a little clearer in complex passages; each with a change of a few cables, capacitors, clocks, psu's etc. etc.

Doesn't seem to be anything earth shatteringly devastating, no WOW! - OMG! moments?

 

Does anyone have any objective (fact) based evidence regarding this NUC phenomena ?

 

What would be a WOW! moment is if there was proof that a £120 NUC produces a result as good as dCS £20,000+ equipment!

 

I am a potential NUC purchaser! Just wanted to know?

 

...is it Chinese by any chance?

 

Many thanks to all.

Hey Doc,

 

If you've come for measurements, you've come to the wrong place. We use our ears here.

 

If I could I'd refer you to a place that does these things with measurements. I haven't found one.

 

Larry

 

 

Pareto Audio aka nuckleheadaudio

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19 minutes ago, Johnseye said:

 

You'll find that the observations are mostly subjective.  Experiments followed by listening sessions, either solo or group, take place and the results are shared.  Those interested will often follow suit with a similar application to their own listening environment and share their subjective opinion.

 

Most of us don't have access to an anechoic chamber or the analyzers which could produce graphs or charts.  Blind tests do take place when multiple people are involved.  There are facts regarding the NUC specs discussed.  We're a bunch of hobbyists but there are some engineers and scientists who share their info from time to time.  People do share when there is a WOW! moment.

 

For $120 it's easy to test yourself, especially if you have that $20k piece of equipment already.  Then share your subjective experience.

many thanks for the info! Yes, true enough! for £120 I could test that and even get most of that back on here? No, I don't have the dCS stuff. I am more of a souped up ford focus guy, that likes to beat the Ferrari's! Same with Hi-FI (LOL)! Someday next year compare my set up to a top shop set up and see what the difference is with my EARS & 'blind' - of course! take care!

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19 minutes ago, Superdad said:

 

Are you just trolling?  A NUC is a brand name of Intel Corporation and stands for "Next Unit of Computing."  

Is it Chinese? Really?  I don't know where every part of a NUC is produced, but so what if some parts are made or assembled in China?

?  Good grief.

not trolling, just asking.

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45 minutes ago, austinpop said:

 

No worries. Not rules - call them guidelines. On CA the OP has the option to declare them. it just keeps us from going down ratholes!

So, can different threads have different guidelines?

Also, do some threads not have any guidelines diffined? (in the initial post)

 

cheers!

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9 hours ago, dtossan said:

Great experience summary.

Where do you get your R-Cores?

Den

In my case via ebay, following a bit of research.

 

I have favourably compared the ones I have bought to:

Uptone LPS-1;

SBooster; and

iFI SMPS.

 

I have NOT compared them to JS-2; HD-Plex; Paul Hynes or Sean Jacobs. The last two of which I suspect I will explore once I have a setup I feel I will settle in for a few years .....unless it is the DCS NB, in which case I can avoid all this jiggery pokery!

 

Anyway:

 

NUC - arrived;

AudioLinux - bought & downloaded;

Memory - arrived;

USB - arrived.

 

.....and 19v R-Core LPSU bought. I may well have to adjust this down to 18V, to accommodate 15V LT3045s in due course; unless I can find some 19V 1A LT3045s, don't seem to exist.

 

M

 

 

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