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

[seeteeyou]

For owners of Chord DACs who don't have HMS yet, it doesn't hurt to give HQPlayer 4 a try since this HMS owner reported similar performance between the hardware and software solutions recently

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hugo-m-scaler-by-chord-electronics-the-official-thread.885042/page-650#post-15365237

 

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hugo-m-scaler-by-chord-electronics-the-official-thread.885042/page-652#post-15369740

 

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hugo-m-scaler-by-chord-electronics-the-official-thread.885042/page-653#post-15370054

 

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hugo-m-scaler-by-chord-electronics-the-official-thread.885042/page-653#post-15370114

Quote

Especially Mojo users. I can’t believe the improvement especially at 768k.

 

HQP settings were already linked above, though @ray-dude and others might also share their own experiences at some point?

 

It's getting more affordable than ever, one NUC for running Roon Core, another NUC (i3/i5/i7 ones are working just fine according to @dmance) for running HQP, and then add RPi 4 (or even Allo USBridge Sig) as NAA. Just get rid of the battery inside Chord Mojo and use it as desktop DAC.

[seeteeyou]

This ASRock EPC621D6I could be such an enticing Mini-ITX option with LGA 3647 and 6 SO-DIMM slots for ECC DDR4 RAM

 

https://www.asrockrack.com/general/productdetail.asp?Model=EPC621D6I

https://www.servethehome.com/asrock-rack-epc621d4i-2m-motherboard-review/asrock-rack-epc621d6i-block-diagram/

 

Ideal candidate for 10-core Xeon Silver? Though the VRM part ain't necessarily all that hot due to space constraints.

[seeteeyou]

5 hours ago, iCarus said:

Thanks for the suggestion. My preference for these motherboards is relatively low processing power, integrated processor (Celeron, Atom etc.).

 

Quite expensive for its specs, though it's a tried and true motherboard that's also found inside Innuos ZENith SE

 

https://www.amazon.com/Supermicro-X10SBA-L-B-Celeron-Mini-ITX-Motherboard/dp/B00F0YJC28

[seeteeyou]

1 hour ago, mourip said:

Looks like a very capable board. It might take a bit of care to find a fanless case for it due to the placement of the two groups of memory slots.

 

They do have a similar version with two M.2 slots replacing a pair of SODIMM slots, though we're losing the advantage of six-channel memory with Xeon Scalable

 

https://www.asrockrack.com/general/productdetail.asp?Model=EPC621D4I-2M

https://www.newegg.com/asrock-epc621d4i-2m-intel-xeon-scalable-processors/p/N82E16813140032

 

Quite a bit cheaper in China

 

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=599171457411

 

Linking two identical fanless systems together could be an interesting setup since the endpoint is having a much lower CPU utilization, no room for unnecessary ports and that could be a plus.

[seeteeyou]

Even SGM Extreme could be further improved by the latest version of Intona

 

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/intona-usb-2-0-3-0-isolators-2019versions.28439/

https://www.hiendy.com/hififorum/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=130406

 

The cables on both ends seemed to matter, though.

[seeteeyou]

Unless we absolutely must run x86 version of Windows while having access to PCI-Express slot, IMHO it's a much better deal to go for stuff like Allo USBridge Sig that's "proven" to sound pretty awesome without having to pay so much for an expensive PSU. For instance, @bobfa should have ordered two of them from Allo and then he's actually saying goodbye to that $3,745 Product of the Decade on this site.

 

For Mini-ITX motherboards to sound great, we're gonna need decent VRM according to @romaz and then add a powerful i7 / i9 processor so that CPU utilization will remain as low as possible. Stuff like the PCB as well as the amount of copper also make a difference.

 

Besides, it's fairly easy to get Apacer DDR-4 RAM (with wide temperature) that would provide fantastic results while older DDR-3 ones for consumer-class Atom might be somewhat tricky to find. Only motherboards with server-class Atom C3000 series are compatible with DDR-4 RAM.

 

In the end the key to good sound is still having one of those excellent PSUs from the usual suspects, provided that we're also adding nice AC and DC cables. Not saying that quality of the motherboard ain't important, though we might wanna wait until SOtM to announce their own motherboard in 2020 before making a move.

[seeteeyou]

For industrial-grade wide temperature memory, @Marcin_gps and @Nenon showed us what we're able to get from Apacer with fantastic results.

 

Recently I placed an order for Dela / Melco S100 when there's an awesome 15% off discount, it turned out to cost me roughly 900 quids / 1050 Euros (151,800 × 0.85 = 129,030 yen + international shipping) instead of the £1,999 / €1,999 MSRP in Europe

 

https://media.buyee.jp/campaign/rakuten191219/en/

 

Of course I could very well be a fool to pay so much for S100 instead of ER but we'll see how it goes

 

https://devialetchat.com/Thread-Audiophile-Grade-Ethernet-Switches-The-new-generation?pid=89318#pid89318

 

That's why I started doing my homework in order to figure out what kinda aerospace-rated (e.g. EXTREME temperature that's ranging from -65 to 200 °C) Ethernet cables could be found online. Someone in Japan was going for some cables from Gore, an audiophile in Taiwan bought one of his USB cables and that turned out to be a winner

 

http://asoyajiaudio.jp/usb.html

http://asoyaji.blogspot.com/2018/12/usb.html

http://asoyaji.blogspot.com/2019/11/usb_24.html

http://asoyaji.blogspot.com/2019/12/lan.html

http://community.phileweb.com/mypage/entry/2408/20191008/

http://blog.livedoor.jp/bluejay01-review/archives/56144224.html

http://www.my-hiend.com/vbb/showthread.php?5404-走向超值而極緻的-HI-FI電腦訊源（連載）&p=237520#post237520

 

Someone else in Japan made DC cables from Oyaide FTVS-910 and sent that to @austinpop before, most likely he could try both USB and Ethernet cables from Asoyaji Audio

 

http://asoyaji.blogspot.com/2019/08/usb.html

 

Here's a list of cables available from Gore and their distributor in US should be WireMasters

 

https://www.gore.com/hdrsampleflyer

https://www.wiremasters.net/about-us/company-news/wiremasters-now-a-distributor-of-gore-bulk-wire-and-cable-products

 

---

 

USB 2.0 cable with the largest gauge here (480Mbps)

 

RCN8800-22D-22P-H

https://www.gore.com/resources/usb-cables-aircraft-drawing-rcn8800

https://www.gore.com/sites/g/files/ypyipe116/files/2018-01/rcn8800f.pdf

 

US etc.

 

https://www.aircostcontrol.com/en/?q=RCN8800-22D-22P-H

https://www.netcomponents.com/sitemap/RCN8800-22D-22P-H.html

https://www.wiremasters.net/product/productname/rcn8800-22d-22p-h

 

For Ghent (China)

 

https://www.aiboco.com/News/detail/id/3086.html

 

---

 

USB 3.1 cable here (5Gbps)

 

GSC-03-84761-24D

https://www.gore.com/resources/drawing-gsc-03-84761-24d-gore-tm-usb-3-1-aerospace-cables

https://www.gore.com/system/files/2019-10/USB 3.1 Cables - Drawing (GSC-03-84761-24D)_Rev C.pdf

 

US etc.

 

https://www.aircostcontrol.com/en/?q=GSC-03-84761-24D

https://www.netcomponents.com/sitemap/GSC-03-84761-24D.html

https://www.wiremasters.net/product/productname/gsc-03-84761-24d

 

For Ghent (China)

 

https://www.aiboco.com/Stock/index/id/447109.html

 

---

 

For Ethernet cables, I'm assuming that we're supposed to focus on the ones with "4 shielded pairs" and therefore I'm only listing 5 of them that could be found on WireMasters

 

US

 

https://www.wiremasters.net/products/grid?category=w-l-gore-ethernet-cables

https://www.wiremasters.net/product/productname/rcn9047-26-wl-gore-ehternet-data-cable

https://www.wiremasters.net/product/productname/rcn9034-24-wl-gore-ehternet-data-cable

https://www.wiremasters.net/product/productname/rcn8966-26

https://www.wiremasters.net/product/productname/rcn9034-28

https://www.wiremasters.net/product/productname/rcn8966-24

 

For Ghent (China)

 

https://www.aiboco.com/News/detail/id/66.html

https://www.aiboco.com/Stock/index/id/447160.html

https://www.aiboco.com/Stock/index/id/447158.html

https://www.aiboco.com/Stock/index/id/447157.html

https://www.aiboco.com/Stock/index/id/447159.html

https://www.aiboco.com/Stock/index/id/447156.html

 

Other links for Ghent to take a look

 

https://www.1688.com/store/BC1EA79A48F198A6E172D1C762EED987.html

https://detail.1688.com/offer/593135946775.html

https://detail.1688.com/offer/593135550835.html

 

---

 

I have absolutely no idea how much those bulk wires from Gore would actually cost as well as what the minimum order is supposed to be, therefore I could only show everyone the price tag of similar offerings (-65 to 200 °C) from TE

 

https://www.te.com/global-en/plp/high-speed-digital-and-data-cable-raychem-cat-5e/Y30x6Xr87m9.html

 

1' for $15.49 (Minimum: 500)

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/TE-Connectivity/C5E-24C424-B24-6X?qs=PqoDHHvF649q8lqggj1U4Q%3D%3D

 

1' for $33.63 (No Minimum?)

https://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/EJ2426-000/C5E-24C424-814-9-01-ND/9826301

 

Official site is showing -65 – 200 °C[-85 – 392 °F] despite what's listed above

 

https://www.te.com/global-en/product-EJ2426-000.datasheet.pdf

 

---

 

The ones from Gore could either cost less or cost more, not exactly the most affordable options for sure while this is what we're paying for Wireworld and Audioquest

 

https://www.soundhelpers.com/CTGY/ETHERNET8.html

https://www.futureshop.co.uk/audioquest-cat7-carbon-rj-e-ethernet-cable-custom

 

Cheaper ones from QED / Supra / ViaBlue

 

https://www.futureshop.co.uk/qed-qxcat6-cat6-ftp-data-cable-custom-length

https://www.futureshop.co.uk/qed-qxcat6-cat6-utp-data-cable-custom-length

https://www.futureshop.co.uk/supra-cat8-flame-retardant-ethernet-cable-custom-length

https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/cables-hautparleur-conducteurs/viablue-ep-7-cable-ethernet-rj45-silver-plated-ofc-copper-o-8mm-p-6698.html

https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/cables-hautparleur-conducteurs/viablue-ep-7s-cable-ethernet-rj45-solid-core-ofc-copper-o-9mm-p-8051.html

 

The minimum order part could be somewhat tricky to deal with, therefore I hope that someone like Ghent could find a way take care of that for all of us.

[seeteeyou]

On 12/27/2019 at 2:23 AM, Energy said:

https://www.chiphell.com/thread-2170925-1-1.html
 

pretty insane

 

Yet another impressive build with Asus TUF B360M-E GAMING and those Duelund / Mundorf caps looked surreal, supposedly it took an entire year to get things done

 

https://www.hiendy.com/hififorum/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=132977

[seeteeyou]

Once again the signal integrity really saved the day, going industrial seemed to the trick

 

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/an-unexpected-champion-intona-ultimate-usb-cable.26248/#post-597317

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/an-unexpected-champion-intona-ultimate-usb-cable.26248/page-2#post-597574

Quote

The Intona Ultimate USB cable is a helpful data point for me. Aside from a good shield (which is extremely important for any digital cable), its only claim that sets it apart is a 90-ohm differential impedance that measures to an EXTREMELY tight tolerance. To so significantly better my previous USB cable that was already making such a claim (and to so significantly better Intona's own Reference USB cable) suggests to me that this 90-ohm impedance is the most critical aspect of an "accurate" USB cable.

 

https://pro.intona.eu/en/company/about

Quote

Signal integrity is most important when it comes to high speed data transmission. Intona has strong expert knowledge in designing multi-gigabit transceivers at provably ultra-low phase-noise (jitter).

https://www.gore.com/products/protective-braids

Quote

Gore offers protective braids installed over cable bundles that provide durable protection in extreme temperatures, and enhanced EMI suppression for reliable signal integrity.

 

Article: Flex cable adds muscle to signal integrity

https://www.gore.com/resources/article-flex-cable-adds-muscle-to-signal-integrity

Quote

When designers are busy building machine vision systems, cable is often an afterthought. It shouldn’t be this way. If your signals can’t get from here to there in one piece, your application is running blind. To prevent that, think about cabling early in the design process, especially the metallic shields that stand guard against noise-induced signal error.

 

For those of us who could get away with 1.5A, combining this CelAudio PSX with DXP-1A5S / DXP-1A5DSC could give us a double-regulated / triple-regulated rail respectively while staying off the grid

 

http://www.celaudio.com/psx.html

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=599790236545

 

5V / 2A = 1,780 RMB

9V / 2A = 1,980 RMB

12V / 2A = 2,180 RMB

 

Basically it's a complete linear PSU with 18650 batteries, LT3045 regulators, and WIMA caps.

 

Here are some pictures

 

http://www.headphoneclub.com/thread-734234-1-1.html

http://www.headphoneclub.com/thread-734750-1-1.html

[seeteeyou]

I dunno man, pairing USBridge Sig with this upcoming DC4 from Dr. Sean Jacobs could be such an interesting combo by saving money on the endpoint while getting one of the best PSUs out there

 

http://www.custom-hifi-cables.co.uk/home/power-supplies/dc4-power-supply

Quote

The DC4 uses a much larger case than the DC3, and can be fitted with 1, 2 or 3 outputs. If you require more than 3 outputs, then you will need to order multiple DC4 units. In some configurations, it may be possible to build hybrid DC3/DC4 PSUs to suit specific cost/performance requirements.

 

That might / might not be able to meet + beat single-regulated SR7 but we'll see, of course the $64,000 question is how double-regulated SR7 rail(s) would stack up.

[seeteeyou]

FYI - here's a comparison among Cybershaft Limited2 OP20 / Mutec REF10 SE-120 / Cybershaft OP21A

 

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/reality-is-cruel-cybershaft-new-ultimate-ocxo-10m-clocks-shootout-op20-vs-op17.26610/page-9#post-621445

[seeteeyou]

https://www.soselectronic.com/articles/apacer/the-most-reliable-memory-for-industries-2177

Quote

Series 75 uses chips rated to temperatures from -40 to +95°C, 1% resistors, 125°C rated capacitors and 30um gold fingers plating.

 

75.B93ET.G000C
https://ipc2u.com/catalog/75_b93et_g000c

 

75.B93ET.G010C
https://ipc2u.com/catalog/75_b93et_g010c

 

Not that many choices for ASRock H87M-ITX are available to begin with, just send them an e-mail and find out what the lead time is.

[seeteeyou]

FYI - here's something new for 100 bucks that could work with either DXP-1A5S or DXP-1A5DSC

 

https://fccid.io/RR-iFi-iPower-X-001

https://fccid.io/RR-iFi-iPower-X-002

https://www.price.com.hk/product.php?p=438876

https://www.facebook.com/sk.storehk/posts/2537748199816889

https://www.hkepc.com/forum/viewthread.php?fid=124&tid=2539565

 

 

For instance, get the 15V iPower X and DXP-1A5DSC for something that needs a double-regulated 12V / 1.5A rail so that we'll have 15V → 13.5V → 12V

 

12V iPower X → 10.5V → 9V

 

9V iPower X → 7V → 5V

 

It's somewhere between the price tag of POWERADD PP2 & PP5 (i.e. $89.99 & $105.99 respectively)

 

https://www.amazon.com/POWERADD-Pilot-23000mAh-External-Smartphones/dp/B015OAJFOC

https://www.amazon.com/POWERADD-Delivery-30000mAh-Smartphones-Chromebook/dp/B07WVTKTYD

 

According to @str-1 both PP2 & PP5 should sound the same

 

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/hugo-m-scaler-by-chord-electronics-the-official-thread.885042/page-657#post-15387361

 

Just another option for those of us who might find it somewhat difficult to get PP2 & PP5 because of issues related to shipping batteries etc.

[seeteeyou]

I didn't link to iPower X since it's still password-protected at the moment

 

https://ifi-audio.com/products/ipower-2/

 

Previous gen could only deliver up to 18W while the latest ones could reach as high as 24W depending on the voltage. And then previous ones would have some kinda claims like "Up to 10x quieter than the original iFi Ultra-Low Noise AC/DC Adapter" printed on the side of the box while it should be changed to 20x this time. Though not exactly sure if that were just theoretical number or something

 

 

And then I didn't mention this clip below since it's only available in Cantonese without English subtitles, the part about iPower X should begin around the 11:30 mark

 

https://www.facebook.com/CASWorkshopHK/videos/911580552594520

 

Basically they're asking for $100 while we'll get fewer accessories in return, different removable plugs for multiple countries used to be part of the package deal while there's only one plug now. And then most likely we won't be able to reuse those plugs from previous generation. The adapters for DC connectors are still included, though.

[seeteeyou]

@justubes already talked about SE-120 before, that official upgrade for REF10 was provided by Mutec

 

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/reality-is-cruel-cybershaft-new-ultimate-ocxo-10m-clocks-shootout-op20-vs-op17.26610/page-8#post-612931

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/reality-is-cruel-cybershaft-new-ultimate-ocxo-10m-clocks-shootout-op20-vs-op17.26610/page-8#post-615223

[seeteeyou]

Some audiophiles in Taiwan actually went all out to power their components with (used) industrial power supplies from Daitron / Cosel / ETA etc. They're reporting tremendous improvements after going for the 600W (12V / 50A) or even 1200W (12V / 100A) ones despite having those always-on cooling fans

 

https://www.ptt.cc/bbs/Audiophile/M.1546187053.A.9FC.html

https://www.stsd99.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=61&t=2722&start=60

http://www.my-hiend.com/vbb/showthread.php?5404-走向超值而極緻的-HI-FI電腦訊源（連載）/page485

 

Things were getting even better once they added 3 (also used) giant caps such as Electronicon E50.N23-185N50 but they're well aware of the potential risks involved

 

http://img.alicdn.com/imgextra/i1/136635359/O1CN011pSSyzLgeQx2FfO_!!0-item_pic.jpg

http://img.alicdn.com/imgextra/i2/136635359/O1CN011pSSyxxr1HQUayd_!!0-item_pic.jpg

http://img.alicdn.com/imgextra/i4/136635359/O1CN011pSSyyAWZN8418l_!!0-item_pic.jpg

 

It's kinda like a recurring theme of some sort, industrial-grade stuff (even though they're SMPS instead of LPS) might tend to perform on a quite different level IMHO. Of course none of them seemed to be familiar with Paul Hynes / Dr. Sean Jacobs etc. so it's hard to tell if they're actually the "real deal" or otherwise.

[seeteeyou]

16 hours ago, Nenon said:

1. For those of you following my 'Building a DIY Music Server' thread, you may know that I switched the AsROCK Z390 Phantom Gaming-ITX/ac to the ASUS Z390-I ROG Strix Gaming Intel LGA 1151 mini ITX motherboard. I compared the two, and I liked the ASUS better. It goes on the top of my recommendation list for Intel Core ITX motherboard.

  

4 hours ago, Nenon said:

I am very tempted to compare the two ASUS ROG motherboards. Asked the person I am building the computer for. It's his call and it seems like he is open to it. Keep you posted.

 

Since SOtM should be announcing their own motherboard in the (near) future, it's gonna be interesting to compare the differences between SOtM and ASUS ROG.

 

Besides the challenges of acquiring a fanless chassis for a relatively large EEB motherboard, how about (partially) replicating SGM Extreme with WS C621E SAGE and Xeon Silver @ 85W TDP? It won't boot with UDIMM for a config with dual processors, though a single CPU should still work with D31.23185S.001 that's recommended by @Marcin_gps

 

https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Apacer/D3123185S001?qs=Cb2nCFKsA8prqNusSnCNZw==

https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/30376-a-novel-way-to-massively-improve-the-sq-of-computer-audio-streaming/page/603/?tab=comments#comment-995194

 

Emile attempted to design his own motherboard for SGM Extreme but it just wasn't as good as WS C621E SAGE, therefore SOtM must have done something special or else it might not be able to beat that particular server board.

[seeteeyou]

FYI - @hols just shared his impressions with SGM Extreme here

 

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/taiko-audio-sgm-extreme-the-cr%C3%A8me-de-la-cr%C3%A8me.27433/page-132#post-623029

[seeteeyou]

FYI - @hols just shared his comparison between fully-loaded SOtM sNH-10G (with Cybershaft's flagship model OP21A for > $6,000 & Habst Digital clock cable for another $1,000) and Melco S100 (mine should cost roughly $1,300 as I mentioned before, no inputs for any external clocking options) here

 

 https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/melco-s100-audiophile-switch.29828/page-2#post-625788

Quote

So a small summary for the early impression of S100. It is well worth its price being comparable to a clocked SOtM. the two have very different character and the two can be combined together to get a good synergy. The S100 is still not yet burned in and the sound is expected to become more smooth after burning in and the use of ethernet cable can also be used to tweak the sound. At this juncture a SOtM + S100 seems to be a better alternative than 2 SOtM to both of us.

 

Quite a few reviewers in Taiwan also talked about their own impressions after comparing the differences between SOtM and Melco, it's written in Chinese and therefore please give machine translation a try

 

http://my-hiend.com/wp/?p=33234

 

Other reviews of Melco (written in Chinese / Japanese) also looked quite positive to me

 

http://my-hiend.com/wp/?p=33194

https://review.kakaku.com/review/K0001204484/ReviewCD=1286778/#tab

 

I was able to find quite a few owners of Melco out there and they also liked it

 

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/melco-s100-audiophile-switch.29828/#post-624513

Quote

First 24hrs with the S100 and I already prefer it to a single upgraded SoTM non-clocked. IMO, the sound is less colored/more natural, more detailed, and seems to originate from a quieter background. More to come....

 

https://devialetchat.com/Thread-Audiophile-Grade-Ethernet-Switches-The-new-generation?pid=89323#pid89323

Quote

Hello, of course we heard all the switches. Unfortunately, the Bonn N8 didn't make it to the end. The Melco has a better detail, more clarity and calm. As i said, all personal perceptions. 😉

 

Best sound, but only 100MBit output !!!

 

[seeteeyou]

It should be no secret that Buffalo and Melco (or called "DELA" in Japan) are basically the same guys

 

http://www.melcoinc.com

Quote

All rights reserved, Copyright(C) MELCO HOLDINGS INC. & BUFFALO INC.

 

https://www.melco-audio-masters.com

Quote

Our audio grade internal architecture is built in Buffalo's specialist division to meet our industry leading performance requirements for extreme Hi-Res Audio playback.

 

BSL-WS-G2108M/A was the 1st generation

 

https://www.hiendy.com/hififorum/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=94358

 

BS-GS2016/A was the 2nd one and obviously the design of S100 should look pretty darn close

 

https://www.hiendy.com/hififorum/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=107184

 

Another audiophile here in Hong Kong already got his BS-GS2016/A modified by replacing the original clock with an OCXO, therefore that (25 MHz) clock should be simply hidden under the heat sink since it's placed somewhere close to where CPU could be found
 

https://www.audioshark.org/lumin-169/lumin-x1-home-visit-14384.html

https://www.hiendy.com/hififorum/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=118513

Quote

- Ethernet switch - Buffalo BS-GS2016/A modified with LPS and OCXO, and all LED connection cut

 

While Buffalo couldn't even hold a candle when compared to those giants like Cisco, they're still gaining quite a bit of experience after manufacturing a fairly wide range of products over the years. Therefore I could only speculate that catering to the audiophile market should be a piece of cake since they're already having access to plenty of resources to begin with. Maybe they could simply find a way to get the job done without relying on fancy clocking solutions?

 

If the audiophile market weren't so niche in the first place, it's hard to imagine what we're gonna get from Cisco since their Catalyst 2960 Series seemed to perform reasonably well without even trying. Pretty much the same deal with motherboards, Asus didn't have to do anything special for their WS C621E SAGE and then Emile had to opt for that one since he couldn't really design a better motherboard for SGM Extreme.

 

Even Antipodes Audio got what they're looking for

 

https://web.archive.org/web/20180129153435/http://antipodesaudio.com/server-upgrades.html

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The V4 technology in our current line-up is sourced from a specialist team within ASUS and, through that relationship, we are adapting boards that are based on ASUS boards. We consider ASUS to be the best manufacturer of computer motherboards. The boards we use are industrial grade boards that perform beyond the equivalent consumer boards and the boards are adapted to employ our noise reduction and management techniques.

 

Speaking of industrial grade products, it's easy to get a "Cisco compatible" SFP without breaking the bank but one of those genuine Cisco products (NOT the ones from Linksys) could very well cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars

 

https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/collateral/interfaces-modules/gigabit-ethernet-gbic-sfp-modules/datasheet-c78-366584.html

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The GLC-BX-D-I and GLC-BX-U-I are the Industrial temperature rated (IND) counterparts of GLC-BX-D and GLC-BX-U SFPS. This allows link operation in harsh environmental conditions where the module case temperature can be in the range -40°C to 85°C.

 

These guys are actually refurbished and we're still talking about more than 300 bucks a piece

 

https://www.m4l.com/GLC-BX-U-I-Cisco-Transceiver

https://www.servers4less.com/networking/transceivers/cisco-glc-bx-u-i

 

And then here's something else with a fake S/N and it's off by 5°C

 

https://edgeoptic.com/products/nortel/nttp07ffe6/

Quote

Temperature:Industrial -45°C – +85°C

 

So many brands were claiming to be industrial grade with the right temperature range, there's no telling what / who could be trusted.

[seeteeyou]

On 1/4/2020 at 4:13 PM, austinpop said:

If price is not a concern, the Ultimate is a no-brainer, and I can see why Roy was so impressed with it. For those like me who struggle to justify the lofty expense, the Reference is a great option, and this is likely the one I'll keep.

 

FYI - Roy compared Intona Ultimate to the latest 2020 model of Sablon Audio Panatela Reserva Elite

 

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/sablon-usb-cable-2020-model.29912/page-2#post-625197

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Upon inserting it into my system, I was quite surprised to find that both detail and depth resolution of the new Sablon essentially matched the mighty Intona Ultimate. If there is a difference, the difference is extremely small and not distinguishable based on blind testing. To match the Intona Ultimate at its greatest strength is really a win for the Sablon by virtue of its much lower price point.

 

It's starting at $650 for the unpowered version and $750 for the power version respectively

 

http://www.sablonaudio.com/index.php/signal

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/sablon-usb-cable-2020-model.29912/#post-622874

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Since the digital cable segment is somewhat price sensitive (yes, the ones-and-zeros mentality lives on…), I will leave the pricing unchanged from the old model and an upgrade service will be available for older models, with concessionary rates for original owners.

 

[seeteeyou]

WS C621E SAGE might / might not support Optane DCPMMs but let's take a look together.

 

I know what's going on in China these days but 128GB Optane DCPMMs should cost about 185 bucks a pop over there

 

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=591150702088

 

6 DIMM slots for each CPU and therefore we'll get 12 slots then, could we actually allocate 1 RDIMM (8GB - CTO only from Table 10) plus 5 DCPMMs (i.e. 8GB + 640GB for each CPU) by any chance?

 

https://lenovopress.com/lp1066.pdf#page=10

 

Instead of 10-core Xeon Silver 4114, we'll have to go for 8-core Xeon Silver 4215 instead

 

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/193389/intel-xeon-silver-4215-processor-11m-cache-2-50-ghz.html

 

Granted the latency of RDIMM should be FAR superior to Optane DCPMMs for obvious reasons, though we could actually take advantage of Optane for storage purposes in terms of OS / music library / Roon database etc.

 

Is 6-channel memory support for Xeon Scalable family really THAT important? Most of those slots could be saved for storage if Optane DCPMMs were a higher priority.

[seeteeyou]

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/taiko-audio-sgm-extreme-the-crème-de-la-crème.27433/page-132#post-623214

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We have tested HQPlayer version 3.x with the Extreme, DSD upsampling using the most taxing filter back then, polysinc-xtr (non -2s), it can run on 1 CPU up to DSD256, for DSD512 you need both CPUs, at which point it draws about 330 watts from the wall. The EC modulators in HPlayer 4 use even more resources, this is really beyond reasonable assuming using a linear powered server. HQPlayer 4 does do better with higher individual core clock speeds and large caches, the current AMD offerings which we are also testing can do a better job here (at least for value), though not for bit perfect playback as there is some inconsistency between CPUs and even between cores on the same CPU, which we may be able to solve though. The bottom line is we have not given up on HQPlayer.

 

Passive cooling for a setup like that while it's drawing 330W from the wall? Just wondering if that were such a good idea even though meticulous detail could be observed in terms of heat dissipation etc.

 

CUDA offloading could be another avenue, though passively cooled GeForce might not be able to much.

 

Besides, not sure if Intel C621 were compatible with Pink Faun I2S Bridge since other Intel chipsets should be no good.

[seeteeyou]

Foxconn sees full China production resuming late-February: source
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-health-foxconn/foxconn-sees-full-china-production-resuming-late-february-source-idUSKBN1ZZ10B

 

China blocks restart of Foxconn plants due to coronavirus: sources

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Coronavirus-outbreak/China-blocks-restart-of-Foxconn-plants-due-to-coronavirus-sources

 

China's Shenzhen denies blocking Apple supplier Foxconn from resuming production

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-health-foxconn/chinas-shenzhen-denies-blocking-apple-supplier-foxconn-from-resuming-production-idUSKBN2030I3

 

As the plot thickens, it's hard to tell if we're gonna face a certain degree of shortages while even Apple (reaching $1 trillion market cap at some point) might / might not have to think about a "Plan B" of some sort. IMHO it could very well be a gamble to resume production ASAP since numerous Foxconn employees will be packed inside the same factories. Pretty much the same deal for just about any other companies around the globe who must depend on the production capability / affordability over there.

 

When a country's debt notably rose to 310% of GDP, let's imagine how tricky it could be to keep the ball rolling since they're dealing with that kinda $13 trillion economy. If they're actually losing the bet, one could only speculate what's gonna happen to the supply chain once we begin to feel the pain of (major?) cascading effect.

 

Just some food for thought if we're planning to build something new this year, where do we (as well as the vast majority of manufacturers) source the parts after SHTF in China? Personally I might have to focus on food for the stomach at the moment since many items are constantly flying off the shelves every single day.

[seeteeyou]

Here comes another trifecta FTW

 

https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/melco-s100-audiophile-switch.29828/page-2#post-627616

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And then we came up with the idea of can we do 3 switches to further isolate the HQplayer server from endpoint NAA. And so we added the SOtM as the last switch with the NAA connected to it. And WOW WOW everything just comes out naturally with big and wide soundstage and with very accurate timbre and focus. It is a triple jump in SQ and is the best I have heard from the Linux server system. It actually become very close to SGM extreme though of a different character.

 

Each Melco S100 should cost about $1,300 shipped (through "From Japan" with 10% off) when it's imported from Japan directly, that's like $2,600 for a pair of them while we don't get any kinda warranty outside Japan.

 

Stock SOtM sNH-10G is $800, add $200 for the upgrading internal wires and EVOX caps.

 

For upgrading its 25MHz clock instead of going for sCLK-EX plus another external clock with Habst clock cable, base price (without VAT for customers outside EU) should be around £125 and the grand total (without VAT again) is £375 plus shipping

 

https://www.fidelityaudio.co.uk/network-switch-upgrade-4616-p.asp

Quote

Major improvement!

 

That clock upgrade is a major improvement. Sound is decluttered and tightened up. Much improved treble, general clarity and musicality. It even sounds better after a couple of days burn in

 

The difference between C4 and C5 (without VAT) should be about £125 (i.e. 375 - 249.17) so the grand total for modifying a switch with C5 (without VAT) should be around 500 quids plus shipping if that were actually available in the future

 

https://www.fidelityaudio.co.uk/clocks---precision-low-jitter-143-c.asp

 

Roughly $1,650 plus shipping for that modified SOtM sNH-10G, finally we should be able to keep everything under 4,500 bucks. Then each Melco S100 requires 12V / 1A rail, maybe it's a good idea to power SOtM sNH-10G and C5 with separate rails? Audiophile Ethernet cables seemed to be indispensable, stuff like Shunyata Research Sigma should be starting at $900 for 1.5M while we'll need quite a few of them since there are 3 cascaded switches

 

https://shunyata.com/products/digital-cables/ethernet-digital-cables/ethernet-cables-venom-alpha-sigma/

 

Not too shabby IF we're able to get a glimpse of what SGM Extreme could offer?