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

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4 hours ago, BigAlMc said:

 

I dunno if this is system dependent, YMMV or my incompetence but for me the Aqvox SE defo improves the SQ for Tidal. 

 

Last weekend based on the advice on a couple different threads I powered the Aqvox with a spare LPS-1 and heard a slight improvement again. 

 

However when I tried the John Svensson shunting techniques on my previous switch and bought the recommended Netgear model - nada!

 

Could not hear a difference at all. But everyone else was waxing lyrical about the transformation. Its entirely possible I just screwed it up. But that was a couple weekends wasted (not that there is such a thing when I'm messing around with my system ) as I just didn't hear a difference. 

 

Very intrigued by the prospect of an SOtM switch!  

 

Much as I like my Aqvox SE the question/prospect of having the switch and my TX-USBultra running off the same clock is intriguing. (I bought the TX-USBultra long after I bought the Aqvox for anyone wondering why I didn't get the SOtM modded switch). 

 

Fascinating times for Tidal/streaming peeps! 

 

Cheers 

Alan 

Likewise Alan my Aqvox switch now powered by an SR4 gives one of the most significant improvements to my system. Tidal out performs local files and the grounding shunt has no effect. 

 

Definitely shows what better clocking can do ...

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2 hours ago, seeteeyou said:

 

Tidal outperforms local files? Now THAT would be mighty interesting or even paradigm shifting IMHO.

the paradigm has shifted then...  @Cornan confirms the same as we have similar components.

I think this is significant given that I have an Antipodes DXe server, which leads me to conclude that the difference is between music coming from SSD V reclocked by Aqvox switch. On my (long) list of tests to do is to power the Antipodes SSD with the SR4 and separately to build or source a stripped down SD card player.. .. plus a Sparky Roon streamer to see where next best improvement will come from.

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17 hours ago, lmitche said:

This all came about after one of my Lps-1 energizing El Cheapos literally flamed out last week. Happily the fuse blew.  The stink still lingers.

I had one go into meltdown too and trip the mains. The smell lasted for months...

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On 09/04/2018 at 6:24 AM, seeteeyou said:

DirectStream might have an edge if we're feeding its I2S input with a spectacular source. We could also replace its Crystek CVHD-957-22.57920 with something like Pulsar Clock or Neutron Star 2 etc.

Yes, Thats what I'm exploring with I2S into my PS Audio Junior DAC, certainly sounds spectacular with a diy I2S network streamer (Sparky running Dietpi plus Ian Canadas McFifo & McDualXO reclocker and Isolator boards).

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2 hours ago, austinpop said:

It was a great set of conversations. These face-to-face interactions are really the best part of going to these shows!

Invaluable input, many thanks Rajiv!

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16 hours ago, seeteeyou said:

I would love to get something from http://www.pulsarclock.com myself if I were looking for a word clock, its compatibility with DIL14 clock sockets should be fantastic for stuff like Vanity203 HD or Ian Jin's McFIFO + McDualXO etc. 

Yes Im considering a pulsar for 44.1 frequency down the road when I’m clearer how they fit with Ian’s boards....  hoping some one can verify what they add to the mix over the Crysteks. 

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On 29/04/2018 at 4:55 PM, seeteeyou said:

That wasn't even end of the story, here's yet another example with PS Audio DirectStream fed by the Toslink output of this $50 USB DDC

 

On 29/04/2018 at 8:08 PM, seeteeyou said:

In other words, nobody even got halfway serious about optimizing those sources in the first place but the results for those jitter-agnostic DACs from Chord / PS Audio should already speak for themselves. That $50 USB DDC turned out to have DIL14 clock sockets, we could take advantage of some clocks with fantabulous phase noise (such as Pulsar Clock) without much degradation when both clocks could sit right on top on the clock sockets

 

http://www.pulsarclock.com/ENHome.html

 

I tried my MacBook Pro > optical > PS Audio Junior DAC last night and it sounded excellent, but then all the inputs to Junior DAC sound superb. I also tried the Optical input via a cheap DDC and it also sounded very good. Last time I used my Laptop as a source was a long time ago, but that was with USB, I can still feel the bleeding ears effect!

 

I never thought to use the Optical input for serious listening and from a laptop for that matter. The common understanding 5 years or so ago was that Optical was inherently jitter prone. However this conversation on HeadFi does raise some puzzling and interesting questions.

 

I am in the meantime working on a project to get the best streaming I2S source using Ian Canadas boards. I2S to my ears is the best input on the PS Junior DAC.

 

Thanks for pointing this out @seeteeyou !

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21 hours ago, seeteeyou said:

That could very well be the "strangest" part if you will, there are so many great things out there while they don't always cost that much to begin with. LT3045 from Alexey (0.5A and 1A) and Michael (3A and 5A) are fantastic as long as we don't need anything more than 15V / 5A.

 

Recently Bob also discovered the transformational power of passive PoE with quite a few shielded CAT 7 short cables, they almost cost next to nothing and we're good to go as long as the current draw ain't too high.

Depending on the setup, I have found the LT3045s and PoEs offer surprising increases in sound quality, the PoEs especially are puzzling given they are passive and inexpensive cables.

 

Taking the long view though I have to admit that since I paired my PS Audio Junior DAC with a pair of Decware SE84UFO3 mono blocks and Omega SAMs, any new tweaks I attempt are diminishing returns and now only account for a few percentage of difference if at all, so I am having to accept the possible end to my upgrade journey unless I spend another £10,000 (which isn't likely anytime soon).

 

The other realisation is that some of the things I have been trying very hard to iron out are just inherent in the recordings production quality. Take Van Morrison recordings - the voice is pretty much always smooth with no sibilance whereas King Creosote recordings for example nearly always sound edgy to me. There really is no point in spending time and funds on this.

 

My last project is the build the best I2S input for the PS Junior....then its seeking out the best recordings... or maybe those Pulsar clocks.. 

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6 hours ago, BigAlMc said:

 

Yeah +1 on this. I look forward to seeing some sort of bake off when these are available.

 

I know our friends at UpTone are busy in research mode. Does anyone have any info on the SOtM timeline? 

 

Also selfishly speaking I'd like to know how the Aqvox switches compare. 

 

Cheers, 

Alan 

Yep, this is the next hot development.. Looking forward to the results. I have the original Aqvox switch and probably one of the best purchase Ive made, so much that I gave up on local files..

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1 hour ago, soares said:

I also gave on local files stored in an USB hard disk. Not sure if I need to get a NAS to have the same SQ that I get from a switch. Any views? Tks.

 

I don't have any experience with a NAS, and wouldn't have any need personally as I only have a small local library and now only listen to Tidal/Roon. With a high quality switch/router the SQ quality is superb, so I am interested in potential for upgrading this with the upcoming products.

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15 hours ago, BigGuy said:

And there was this just posted review...

https://audiobacon.net/2018/07/11/paul-hynes-sr4-the-worlds-best-audiophile-power-supply/

 

“There are many enthusiasts who have started to power their Chord Electronics Qutest DACs and Intel NUCs with the SR4 – resulting in very surprising gains.”

yes these are great power supplies, I have 2 and in my opinion I don’t really need to add LT3045s after them unless to step down the voltage. There is no long waiting time for these as they are made in monthly batches. 

Great news that PH is going to outsource the production of the SR7s too and ‘other goodies‘. 

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1 hour ago, seeteeyou said:

Too late to edit my post above, here's a little something

 

https://youtu.be/0BMk_dBIQjY

 

DC input is exactly 15V so that's perfect for the output voltage of LT3045

 

cool, thanks @seeteeyou, I s**t my pants!

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On 8/8/2018 at 4:18 PM, austinpop said:

I believe the key to Roy's findings may be related to the use of an SR-7 DR rail, and the use of eMMC.

This is the key I think (along with the modded/reclocked switch of course).

The NUCs with EMMC card may well be what I have been waiting for. For the past 6 months or so I have been using a simple and cheap SD card player which only has one clock - a very simple and cheap system for I2S out with stunning results - thanks to the TirNaHifi thread. 

http://www.tirnahifi.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4541

 

Not so convenient as the music files have to be loaded on cards but once you get used to it and cleanly powered, without question the best sounding source I have heard by a long shot. This is the main reason I have not been tempted to try more expensive paths. 

 

These NUCs running on a card however could provide all the SQ benefits of a card player with access to Roon and Tidal streaming as well. Worth a look as Roon Rock could probably run on an 32gb card. I think I'm going to have to give it a try, so I'm adding this to my list of experiments.

 

What great thread that I keep coming back to! Many thanks Rajiv for continued curating and sharing.

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4 hours ago, seeteeyou said:

 

That certainly looked like a thumb drive after an accident in the kitchen

 

 

https://tenor.com/view/lol-cry-laughing-gif-7506946

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Hope I'm not adding to the  360˚ fatigue...

 

I understand how the original JSSG and JSSG360 work as I have implemented them at different stages and now have a bewildering array of cables in various stages and combinations of these techniques, but wondering if anyone has tried just 2 layers of Tinned Braid over  any cables without insulation between?

 

For convenience at the weekend I added a second layer of braid to a set of original JSSG-ed DC cables (not having the time to fully redo the cables as JSSG360s) and got a nice improvement, so I'm wondering if the insulation between the 2 braid layers is needed....

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3 hours ago, lmitche said:

Tapatrick,  your addition of the second outside layer thickens the skin and covers more of the minute holes in the first braid, further reducing emmision or/and entrance of emi/rfi into the cable. The mumetal company has a writeup on the effectiveness of braid vs. solid conduit suggesting braid works at 85 to 90 percent of the solid material effectiveness, depending on the level of braid stretching and damage during installation.

 

I have not tried one or more layers of braid without insulation.

Thanks @lmitche, I thought the extra layer would add that bit of extra shielding. I'm going to have to add to my tweak list a comparison between the double (2 layer thick) shielding and the JSSG360... that list is getting longer by the day...

 

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16 hours ago, seeteeyou said:

Obviously I'm not Larry but here we go

 

NUC without eMMC
https://www.provantage.com/intel-boxnuc7cjyh1~7ITSP1N8.htm

https://www.amazon.com/Intel-NUC7-Celeron-Mini-BOXNUC7CJYH1/dp/B07B79CS8N

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1401554-REG/intel_boxnuc7cjyh1_intel_nuc_kit_nuc7cjyh.html

 

NUC with eMMC

https://www.provantage.com/intel-boxnuc7cjysal1~7ITSP1NQ.htm

https://www.amazon.com/Intel-BOXNUC7CJYSAL1-Essential-Mini-Windows/dp/B07BJT463H

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1428648-REG/intel_boxnuc7cjysal1_celeron_j4005_2.html

 

Case
http://www.cartft.com/catalog/il/2487

http://www.performance-pcs.com/akasa-newton-jc-fanless-case-for-intelr-june-canyon.html

https://www.amazon.com/Akasa-Fanless-Pentium-Processors-NUC42-M1B/dp/B07G9Y3YG3

 

RAM

https://www.provantage.com/crucial-technology-ct2k8g4sfd824a~7CIAL7J0.htm

https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-PC4-19200-Unbuffered-SODIMM-260-Pin/dp/B01BIWMWVS

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1233407-REG/crucial_ct2k8g4sfs824a_16gb_2_x_8gb.html

 

AudioLinux

http://www.tophifi.it/html/paypal/index.html

thank you for listing @seeteeyou! you are a star with google. I hope to try the NUC route shared by Larry after I'm back from travels.

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On 9/20/2018 at 12:18 PM, lmitche said:

Andrew,

 

Yes indeed, you are right. Coincidentally I ordered a copy seconds before reading this. It may even sound better.

 

Regular Audiolinux will run very happily in 4gb. Ramboot takes the larger 16gb footprint. Headless should Ramboot with 8gb.

 

Larry

@lmitche 

Hi Larry

 

Thanks for sharing your experiments with your NUC setup and congratulations on achieving the superb results.

Can I double check with you about the above - that AudioLinux headless Ramboots with 8gb. Does this mean Roon core can be run adequately in this scenario without using the 16gb option...?

 

Cheers Patrick

 

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1 hour ago, lmitche said:

Patrick, I haven't tried it as two 8gb boards are in my nuc. However I would be very surprised if headless Audiolinux didnt run roonserver ramboot with 8gb

Great thanks Larry.

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I downloaded Audiolinux today to test it out on a MacBook pro laptop before solving the riddle of which PC/NUC to buy run it on as I’m not clear yet due to the Bios issues.

 

I have it booting off a USB drive and all loaded in Ram. Using Roon server/Tidal and sending to my Diy reclocked  roonbridge streamer it’s sounding really superb, very clean, with deeper and wider soundstage, and subtle additions to instruments and voices.  Very happy with results so far and seems running in ram boot gives a big leap in SQ. I’m going to try headless mini version next also in Ram.

 

So conclusion is it’s fine running on a Mac which fundamentally runs on a linux core and easy to set up. Thanks @lmitche for sharing your experiments.

 

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 A warning for those in the UK if you are looking for a fanless case for your NUC7CJYH don't buy from amazon as its 2x the price of the same one here: https://www.scan.co.uk/products/akasa-newton-jc-fanless-low-profile-case-8th-generation-intel-nuc-june-canyon-25-hdd-ssd

 

NUC7CJYH can be found here.. for £109

https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/intel-nuc-kit-nuc7cjyh-celeron-j4005-mini-barebone-pc-boxnuc7cjyh3/version.asp

 

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14 hours ago, Middy said:

Thanks mate,  I sold 2 old phones and jumped the gun.

     I made the mistake of Using Ebuyer, not the best in UK but god they use Yodel as thier delivery firm. Thier working model is deliver when you are out, not weekends and have the nearest depot 30 miles away.  Next try Wednesday the wifes in...

At least its via Amazon....

 

I ordered 4G ram do i need the full 8G for the celeron NUC? No rush for answers just having fun going under the radar ish.... learning new tricks 

Hoping my 13v Sbooster can drive it as mentioned..

 

Keep smiling all

Dave

 

I only ordered 4gb RAM too which should be enough. I got my NUC and ram from https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk with next day delivery. Hoping to set it up with headless today. Should be fun!

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2 hours ago, tapatrick said:

I only ordered 4gb RAM too which should be enough. I got my NUC and ram from https://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk with next day delivery. Hoping to set it up with headless today. Should be fun!

 

I've got my NUC running now headless from USB stick with no heard drive needed. Not much trouble to set up.

 

I will comment later on sound of NUC as its just a basic setup without good PSU yet. But sounding very good. I am very curious if it will beat my current streamer. This is heavily modded Sparky/Dietpi setup with Ian Canada reclocker/isolator boards. This sounds excellent and been running for  year and could easily live the rest of my time with. It was harder to set up than the headless NUC. So I am very curious to compare the 2.

 

I set up my NUC from a mac if any one needs advice and I can list the steps later.

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22 minutes ago, tapatrick said:

 

I've got my NUC running now headless from USB stick with no hard drive needed. Not much trouble to set up.

many thanks to @romaz @lmitche for sharing your ongoing experiments/discoveries and @austinpop for keeping this massive thread on track and for all other who have contributed here..

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49 minutes ago, Narcissus said:

 

Pat, I'll hit you up on that later next week when my NUC arrives.

Okay doke ?