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

[seeteeyou]

15 hours ago, mozes said:

Yes there is a business opportunity to grab there. I like how you already named it “mini scaler” 

 

While Chord Blu Mk. 2 might cost more than a custom motherboard plus various components / PSU / clock upgrades, what if we all chip in to share the costs of acquiring that for the sake of M-Scaler? Blu Mk.2 couldn't be (physically) shared by any means but we just need to record its dual BNC coaxial outputs.

 

I just checked their manual below

 

https://chordelectronics.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/BLU-MKII-User-Manual.pdf#page=4

Quote

BLU MK II can output up to a 384kHz data stream using its single BNC output, a total of 192kHz via the dual AES outputs, or 768kHz by using the dual BNC outputs. You can pair Blu MK II with any DAC that accepts a 384kHz BNC input, but we recommend pairing BLU MKII with a Chord Electronics DAC such as DAVE or Hugo 2, to accept the full 768kHz signal.

 

And then there's something from a company in Taiwan that does support 768kHz via coaxial, their 384kHz version costs only $120 (NT$3,500) so the latest model shouldn't be that expensive

 

http://goods.ruten.com.tw/item/show?21505385073199

http://www.comtrue-inc.com/index.php/products

Quote

 

• 2 playback port, and 1 record port
• RECORD: 8-channel I2S, 6-channel DSD, 2-channel SPDIF
• PCM support up to 768K/32bit through USB, I2S, SPDIF ports.

 

 

And then Hugo 2 could accept 768kHz with the right cables/adapters as shown below, most likely combining two 384kHz coaxial outputs into one 768kHz coaxial input should be feasible

 

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-electronics-blu-mk-2-the-official-thread.831343/page-129#post-13825658

 

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-electronics-blu-mk-2-the-official-thread.831343/page-9#post-13367740

 

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-electronics-hugo-2-the-official-thread.831345/page-628#post-13914653

 

They do have a path from S/PDIF input to USB output

 

 

Here's the deal. Let's say we could either borrow Blu Mk.2 from a dealer for 30 days or get in touch with an existing owner, we'll find out if those boards from ComTrue were actually capable of recording dual BNC outputs from Blu Mk. 2 while its USB port is connected to any computers. Once we've got those 705.6kHz / 768kHz *.WAV files recorded, we could send them to any owners of Blu Mk. 2 + DAVE combo for comparisons.

 

Those recorded *.WAV files will be played when a music server of some sort is directly connected to DAVE via USB. If those files weren't sounding any worse than the other music server → Blu Mk. 2 → DAVE path, it's gonna be a game changer since we'll only need one Blu Mk.2 to rule them all.

 

BTW, ComTrue is the real deal since their products could be found inside this $4,499 integrated amplifier

 

http://www.micromega.com/downloads/white-paper-UK-v2.pdf#page=7

https://www.dedicatedaudio.com/products/micromega-m-one-integrated-amplifier-with-dac-phono-airplay-bluetooth-and-lan

 

Of course the challenge is finding a trustworthy member with a reliable high-speed Internet connection who's willing to be the "host" of our Blu Mk. 2. We'll simply need to find a way to automate the upscaling process smoothly so that very little to no interactions should be required. Then those of us who are sharing the costs could upload our own files and then download the upscaled ones afterwards. We've got only 24 hours a day but the upscaling must be done in real-time.

 

Maybe it sounds more like a stretch for now but that wouldn't be exactly impossible. If more and more members here were interested after listening to the astounding power of M-Scaler, maybe we might get our second or even third Blu Mk.2 as long as Chord could keep us with the demand.

 

Obviously it should be much easier if future standalone M-Scaler were having USB output but it's hard to tell how many years we've gotta wait.

[seeteeyou]

9 minutes ago, ray-dude said:

Blu2 owner here, with symmetric gigabit fiber to the home and no data caps   Happy to help however makes sense

 

Me and my buds have been day dreaming similar schemes: they're addicted to mScaler, but at their budget ceiling with their Hugo2's.  It would be worth the disk storage and bandwidth to save my wine cellar

 

That's fantastic. Do you think that Rob Watts would answer any questions on Head-Fi via PMs or forum posts?

 

At some point we should be able to post some "before" (*.FLAC) and "after" (*.WAV) files for comparisons. We should be allowed to use these copyright free files according to Public Domain Mark 1.0

 

https://archive.org/details/MusopenCollectionAsFlac

 

https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

Quote

This work has been identified as being free of known restrictions under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights.

 

You can copy, modify, distribute and perform the work, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.

 

[seeteeyou]

Awesome.

 

Since each and every 384kHz coaxial input of Mojo / Hugo 2 / Quetest / DAVE should accept the coaxial outputs of any devices, that means even each coaxial output from Blu Mk. 2 is supposed to be non-proprietary.

 

Now the only question is whether a board from ComTrue is able combine two separate 384kHz streams into one or otherwise. If ComTrue weren't able to handle that, we'll have to figure out what BNC adapters are best for combining dual BNC outputs into a single connection.

[seeteeyou]

Good Lord, this stuff costs even more than LPS-1.2 / a switch with 50Ω reference clock input + sCLK-EX combo / Cybershaft OP14 *COMBINED*

 

http://audioexotics.vanillaforums.com/discussion/12008/the-dalbys-corner/p7

 

  

 

Yes, we're actually talking about HK$25,000 or more than 3 grand

 

http://www.hiendy.com/hififorum/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=114970

[seeteeyou]

Just an FYI - for those of us who do miss the presence of @romaz here, he posted something about Rob Watts (from Chord) who visited his home in California recently

 

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-electronics-blu-mk-2-the-official-thread.831343/page-188#post-14084325

Quote

Because a few of Rob's prototypes are involved, neither Jay nor myself will be making any public comments about what we have heard although I don't think Rob will mind if I say that we have compared (and are still comparing) the impact of various USB cables, BNC cables and even line conditioners and in my system, they absolutely make a difference.

 

IMHO that would be EXTREMELY interesting since we could most likely speculate what's on the horizon, especially a little something with a million taps.

[seeteeyou]

The "energizer" for both LPS-1 and LPS-1.2 should look somewhat similar

 

https://www.meanwelldirect.co.uk/product/22W-7-5V-2-93A-Energy-Saving-Desktop-Power-Supply/GS25A07-P1J/default.htm

 

 

 

We could swap the power cable of that "energizer" as shown in the pictures below

 

 

 

[seeteeyou]

1 hour ago, Bruce Orr said:

First, I’m under the impression the power supply for the LPS-1.2 is new, improved vs. what came with the LPS-1. Is that right?

 

https://uptoneaudio.com/products/ultracap-lps-1-2

Quote

As before, we are flexible with regards to the voltage of the charger—but the charger voltage times its current capability MUST equal 36W or greater.

 

The words were somewhat similar because I couldn't show you a picture with the power cable disconnected from this new version as follows, that's why my previous reply only included picture from the original LPS-1

 

 

Both of them should look pretty much like a brick with this C14 connector on one end, that's why the (detachable) power cable could actually be swapped

 

https://uptoneaudio.com/products/ultracap-lps-1-2

Quote

Standard IEC plug one end, USA wall plug at the other—international buyers can cut and put a local plug on or just use any standard power cord.

 

[seeteeyou]

Bruce

 

You're very welcomed. It's gonna sound so funny because that would be totally overkill for sure, we could even try some kinda "fancy" filters and see if there were any differences

 

https://positive-feedback.com/high-fidelity/acoustic-revive-ras-14-triple-c-rpc-1/

[seeteeyou]

I could find something called Karma Kable on Amazon, wouldn't that have great synergy with Suptra?

 

I did not have signal relations with that... never mind.

 

Seriously, let's wait for @Cornan 's report and we'll find out how LPS-1.2 would sound with LT3045 @ 3A as an energizer.

 

That's gonna be 6 pieces of LT3045 on one end plus 2 more pieces on another.

[seeteeyou]

54 minutes ago, mozes said:

I found that the most important aspect to SQ is gauge, go for the largest gauge you can regardless whether it is solid core or stranded.

 

 

When the opening of DC plug (i.e. the diameter) is 8.5 mm, the area should be 56.75 mm²

 

https://www.sensorsone.com/circle-diameter-to-area-calculator/

 

Let's say we just wanna go totally nuts and we're giving 6 AWG a try. The diameter of each wire is 4.11 mm while the area is 13.3 mm² accordingly to this link

 

https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/awg-wire-gauge-d_731.html

 

Could we actually fit two pieces of 6 AWG wires inside a modified Elec plug? If so, could those unusually thick wires be super difficult to solder?

 

http://www.elecaudio.com/en/hi-fi-connectors/286-elecaudio-dc-21g-jack-dc-connector-5525mm-gold-plated.html

https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/connecteurs-jack/elecaudio-dc-21g-gold-plated-connector-jack-dc-55-21mm-p-9822.html
https://www.computeraudiophile.com/forums/topic/31554-diy-dc-power-cables/?page=8&tab=comments#comment-658536

 

On 5/3/2017 at 10:09 PM, Michael-Elijah Audio said:

Standard vs. modified Elac plugs - opening now 8.5mm - big enough for almost any cable...:)

Cut with hacksaw, then careful filing with flat bastard and finished with wet & dry paper

 

[seeteeyou]

2 hours ago, Confused said:

This makes me wonder, how much of the improvement is due to the Habst cable itself, and how much due to the shorter length.

 

It wasn't the length, at least according to @romaz who tested his Mutec REF 10

 

https://www.computeraudiophile.com/forums/topic/30376-a-novel-way-to-massively-improve-the-sq-of-computer-audio-streaming/?page=147&tab=comments#comment-722848

On 9/25/2017 at 2:55 AM, romaz said:

Moreover, as I have tested identical length clock cables with my REF10 from companies like Pasternack ($40), Blue Jeans Cables (<$20), and Black Cat ($250) against the 700 Euro Habst clock cables that I purchased with my REF10, unfortunately, the differences are quite significant with respect to HF harshness and a very flat sound.  Not that the cheap cables sound horrible but when you replace them with the Habst, there's simply no wanting to go back to those cheap cables.  This is where those external clock doubters have a leg to stand on when they make their claims that external clocks don't add anything.  Cable length and cable quality DEFINITELY matters.

 

2 hours ago, Confused said:

Also, how much of an influence does the Habst ground connector make?

 

FWIW - even for analog cables, a separate ground connector seemed to result in much darker background according to multiple users of Han Sound Venom.

 

 

 

Balanced 2.5-mm connector for signal, and single-ended 3.5-mm connector for ground in this case.

[seeteeyou]

On 3/8/2018 at 4:17 AM, mfin said:

Pure sliver hookup wires seem to stop at 22 AWG (£33/m) for solid and 20AWG (£56/m) for multi-strand (both Neotech). 1 metre will do to make the 50cm lead I want to make.

 

Are you suggesting multiple runs?

 

Neotech could go up to 12 AWG but nobody would sell them

 

http://www.neotechcable.com/product9.php

https://diraudio.pl/diraudio-jako-autoryzowany-partner-marki-neotech/

 

18 AWG as follows

 

https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=15985627183

http://www.fruitofthetube.com/neotech-stdst-18awg-silver-multistrand-wire-up-occ/

http://www.soniccraft.com/product_info.php/neotech-stranded-upocc-silver-in-teflon-18-awg-blue-p-1882

 

18 AWG for OCC silver

 

https://www.vhaudio.com/wire.html#vhsilverhookup

 

Up to 14 AWG here

 

http://ccsilver.com/silver/fines.html

 

And then up to 12 AWG here

 

http://ccsilver.com/silver/superfines.html

 

They're listing 10 AWG for regular orders 6 AWG for special orders below

 

http://www.tempoelectric.com/cables.htm

 

I also mentioned that on page 271

 

https://www.computeraudiophile.com/forums/topic/30376-a-novel-way-to-massively-improve-the-sq-of-computer-audio-streaming/?page=271&tab=comments#comment-788780

 

Another choice would be Rio Grande

 

https://www.audioasylum.com/cgi/vt.mpl?f=cables&m=172040

 

6 AWG for 3N silver

 

https://www.riogrande.com/product/999-fine-silver-round-wire-dead-soft/105310gp

 

0 AWG for sterling silver

 

https://www.riogrande.com/product/sterling-silver-round-wire-dead-soft/100304gp

 

Somewhere between 16 AWG and 14 AWG for silver/gold

 

https://www.hificollective.co.uk/catalog/mundorf-99silver1gold-wire-15mm-bare-wire-p-6087.html

https://www.hificollective.co.uk/catalog/mundorf-99silver1gold-wire-15mm-p-6086.html

[seeteeyou]

If 0.5m Habst might seem to be expensive, here's another Viard Platinum HD Master Sync Clock 1.0M for $2,500

 

https://post76.hk/news/2017/11/viard-platinum-hd/

http://my-hiend.com/wp/法國線材專業品牌-viard-audio-ceo-訪談/

 

[seeteeyou]

37 minutes ago, Confused said:

Apparently, the Shunyata Sigma & Alpha clock are as good as anything, at the bargain price of £2K and £1K respectively.

 

The best part about Shunyata should be the availability of BOTH 50Ω and 75Ω versions

 

https://www.thecableco.com/venom-s-pdif-5349.html

https://www.thecableco.com/venom-s-pdif-5350.html

https://www.thecableco.com/sigma-clock-50.html

https://www.thecableco.com/sigma-clock-75.html

 

We could also pay $100 and $50 to borrow the Sigma and Alpha respectively

 

https://www.thecableco.com/lending-library

 

BTW, they also have ground cables that are terminated with RCA plugs etc.

 

https://www.thecableco.com/venom-cgc-sgc-ground-cable.html

https://www.thecableco.com/alpha-cgc-sgc-ground-cable.html

https://www.thecableco.com/sigma-cgc-sgc-ground-cable.html

[seeteeyou]

http://www.audioaficionado.org/showthread.php?t=31846&page=11

Quote

It would be interesting as 50ohm cables are sine waves.

 

Is the nature of 50 ohm much more sensitive than 75 ohm using square waves or the typical spdif coax interface from transport to dac.

 

As such the conclusion seems for 50 ohm use, it is more sensitive.

 

I have a coax which cost at least the same as Sigma level cables, BUT ... looking at the construction definitely not a coaxial cable is the least bit, but sounds better than the even my Acrolink DA6100 (true 75ohm), which incidentally also cost more when used for the 75 ohm taps.

 

Many audiophile cables meant for digital are NOT coaxial cables under the hood.... handmade etc.... Yes, a belden 75ohm cable doesnt compare even to these offerings.

 

As 50ohm / 75 ohm can only be achieved by very precise spacing between the conductor and shield, there is absolutely no other way or amount or twisting / braiding that will allow this correct characteristics.

 

But again, there are arguments that unless running hundreds or thousands of meters any deviation affects transmission losses and in some case total loss of signal over the distance.

 

What are the characteristic sonic outcome when using precise cables for digital transmission? Are there any prominent characteristics not obtainable of any non compliant audiograde digital transmissions cables no meeting this strict standard? 

 

What do we listen for, this will be highly enlightening for the audiophile community.

 

http://www.audioaficionado.org/showthread.php?t=31846&page=8

Quote

10M sine waves would obviously benefit form using the 50 ohm variant and 75 ohm for PLL signals now that there are many new clocks being marketed.

 

Quote

TESTING STORY (50 versus 75-ohm, proper cables,"does it matter...?");

 

I was lucky enough to participate in 4+ month dedicated test with several audiophiles around the world, all with different equipment stacks (DCS, Esoteric, Aurender, and several other vendors' products) and different clocks (DCS, SRS, BVA, Esoteric, Cybershaft) during which time we had no idea of each others' identity, location or equipment and clock equipment lists. We were all sent the same, uniform-looking cables with only colored tags on them to tell them apart. All cables were 1.5 meters in length. The only thing that was different on some of the cables were the use of 50-ohm versus 75-ohm BNC connectors which are easily discernible as to which is which due to a key visual difference regarding the dielectric around the center tap. As it turned out though, the vendor lead for the testing had mixed different cable specs (50 and 75) with different connectors so at the end of the test among other things we found that there were pure 50-ohm cables, pure 75-ohm cables, 50-ohm cables with 75-ohm connectors and 75-ohm cables with 50-ohm connectors. Clocking also spanned 'word clocks' as well as 'master clocks' and clocks that had taps for both word clock outputs as well as master clock output frequencies...
We were instructed to test against our local ‘reference’ cables; in my case it was against WW Platinum Starlight 75-ohm BNC, a Kubala-Sosna EMOTION 75-ohm and a custom-built EMOTION 50-ohm which has its own interesting history and contents that I will not go into here, and an Esoteric 8N-A2000 with
The 8N-A2000 arguably the acknowledged heavyweight champ for years in the world of true 50-ohm clock cables. Not all digital cables are meant to be or suited for clocking purposes as has been noted before.
As an aside, all testers came from some of the same but also different forums. We were given strict instructions not to mention we were testing anything related to cables for 50 or 75-ohm clocking or any other aspect of the test. To remove any potential bias from the equation, the cables tested were NOT production cables or prototypes contrary to what we thought. They literally were telecommunications high-speed quality cables from a major OEM rated for 50-ohm or 75-ohm with BNCs applied as mentioned about also from high-bandwidth telecom cables/parts suppliers. All test cables were enclosed in simple black tech-flex with no markings at all beyond the color tags.

 

In each and every case, all testers would summarize their multi-week testing with each cable (long enough to ensure day 1 through day n and "n+" impressions (i.e. from initial connection through full 2-week burn-in and beyond privately to the test lead and what material was used to test (RBCD, SACD, streaming, etc...) and the cable color-tagged under test.
We were all asked to test across different source types (and all did...). The surprising thing when all was said and done 5 months later was that the notes of each tester were copy-pasted verbatim into a single doc and sent with only first names mentioned. Some started the test of the opinion that 50 versus 75 should matter and be adhered to (why else would high-end vendors like Esoteric go to such lengths to cover this in their markings, manuals, etc... after all?!?) and some started predisposed to the common forum/vendor-speak of the last year or so,...("as long as you are not using long cables it does not matter,...they won't operate like a transmission line at short lengths,..."). 
 

Summary: The way I read the testers’ output and my own is that without exception all testers' experience was more or less of the form that 50-ohm cables on 50-ohm circuits result in the best overall sound quality, precision of the overall musical experience and note-by-note precision, duration, size, color, musicality, etc.....AND using 75-ohm on a 50-ohm circuit resulted in degraded sound quality, less precise and accurate imaging, bass articulation in particular, etc...Furthermore, using a proper 50-ohm cable on a 75-ohm circuit actually sounded better in several ways that a proper 75-ohm cable BUT not the reverse config.
There were interesting results with 50-ohm cables with 75-ohm BNCs on a 75-ohm circuit BUT the reverse (75-ohm cable with 50-ohm connectors on a 50-ohm circuit) was to be avoided due to detrimental effects on the sound, imaging, etc....In short, through this exhaustive test seemed to prove that despite what even Esoteric is saying today, 2 years after the discontinuation of an Esoteric 8N-A2000 pure 50-ohm cable which is still one of the finest in the world (during whose manufacturing & sales years Esoteric was singing a VERY different tune and advised clients that it DOES matter), it seems that using the properly rated cable on a given circuit DOES make a difference regardless of length due to the frequency at which these signals occur.
 

Footnote: After the testing as well as before had me using various high-end 50 and 75-ohm cables from 3 different manufacturers including 2 coveted and rare Esoteric-Mexcel 8N-A2000s but also a couple of high-end custom builds and 2 stock builds from 2 different/other manufacturers. In all cases before and also after the above 5 months of testing I admit that I always heard a difference and preferred the 'match the specs and RTFM approach with cables and gear but in the last 5 months I've had the good fortune of being able to move to the best 50-ohm cable I've used ever, the Shunyata SIGMA “CLOCK 50” and have concluded once and for all that 50-ohm very much matters where it's called for.
 

I will also say that my last day in testing labs or other 'very specific places' where I had any hands on or desire for that level of details for engineer-level tests, specs, etc....was in the early 1980s. For audio, and the testing above, the results I'm talking about come from the ear/hearing level of focusing only the music. For my money, I'll stick with what I heard, i.e. that where 50-ohm is called for and the same for 75-ohm in clocking or other applications, the best thing to do for the best and most musical and accurate result is to match cables to connection types and make sure you have components from manufacturers that also properly implement the spec in each case as this is all for naught if they don't stick to a tight implementation of 75-ohm versus 50-ohm for each application where it's called for.
 

All FWIW and IMO..

 

 

[seeteeyou]

IMHO it's also worth noting that nobody ever tried any great 50Ω cables (e.g. Esoteric / Shunyata / SOtM etc.) with Cybershaft OP-14 yet, the gap between both clocks might be narrowed if a level playing field could be achieved.

[seeteeyou]

FYI - TEAC NT-505 and UD-505 seemed to be good for either rectangular (same as square?) or sine wave

 

https://teac.jp/int/product/nt-505/spec

https://teac.jp/int/product/ud-505/spec

Quote

Rectangle wave: equivalent to TTL levels
Sine wave: 0.5 to 1.0 Vrms

 

Then I checked the manual of NT-505 as linked below, 10MHz reference clock input turned out to be only applicable for Ethernet and USB inputs (as USB DAC as well as reading files off USB drives)

 

https://teac.jp/downloads/products/teac/nt-505/NT-505_OM_J_vA3.pdf#page=9

 

No Ethernet for UD-505 so reference clock would only kick in when USB input is used

 

https://teac.jp/downloads/products/teac/ud-505/UD-505_OM_J_vA.pdf#page=9

 

In other words, we just dunno which part(s) of both DACs could actually benefit from 10MHz reference clock.

[seeteeyou]

Both SOtM dCBL-BNC50 and dCBL-BNC75 should cost $700 per meter, though we really need something like 0.5m instead

 

http://www.sotm-audio.com/sotmwp/english/shop/dcbl-bnc/

 

Still a good deal if they're performing even better than those top dogs from Shunyata Research.

 

BTW, it's gotta be mighty interesting to compare €700 Habst @ 0.5m versus $700 SOtM @ 1.0m IMHO. Both of them are terminated with 75Ω BNC connectors, though Habst should benefit from its separate ground while SOtM just happened to have a better filter as usual.

[seeteeyou]

10 minutes ago, mozes said:

Thanks, still at $700 it is around 50% of the cost of the OP-14.

 

If a larger gauge were beneficial for both DC and clock cables, maybe we could give 10 AWG ones such as Belden 7810A or 9913 a try?

 

https://catalog.belden.com/techdata/EN/7810A_techdata.pdf

https://www.markertek.com/product/bl-7810a/belden-7810a-coax-low-loss-rg-8-or-lmr400-type-per-foot

 

https://catalog.belden.com/techdata/EN/9913_techdata.pdf

https://www.pacrad.com/belden-cable-bulk-video-9913-500.html

 

BNC connectors for RG-8

 

https://www.amphenolrf.com/112562.html

https://www.markertek.com/product/112562/amphenol-bnc-50-ohm-coaxial-connector-for-rg-8-rg-213-rg-393

[seeteeyou]

29 minutes ago, zoltan said:

But why do they sell the first 1m for $700? As you can see, I am a little confused here.

 

I'm more than just a little confused here as well, why do Shunyata Research sell the first 1m for $1,000 (Alpha Clock 50) and $2,000 (Sigma Clock 50) respectively?

 

BTW, they do have distributors throughout Europe and let's see if they're charging more than how much SOtM would ask for

 

https://www.sotm-audio.com/sotmwp/english/support/distributors/

 

Maybe blame EU or whatever officials who decided to set those rules up for imported goods? Or you could persuade SOtM to relocate their business instead. LOL

[seeteeyou]

A Stunning Improvement in Computer Audio Sound Quality - the Samsung 960 EVO SSD
https://positive-feedback.com/audio-discourse/computer-audio-sound-quality-samsung-960-evo-ssd/

 

Could that be more hype than anything else?

[seeteeyou]

ASUS PRIME J4005I-C Gemini Lake Mini-ITX Motherboard is Selling for around 80 Euros

https://www.cnx-software.com/2018/03/07/asus-prime-j4005i-c-gemini-lake-mini-itx-motherboard-is-selling-for-around-80-euros/

 

Look, we've got both 24-pin ATX and 4-pin ATX 12V connectors again (just like Supermicro X10SBA-L)

 

https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/PRIME-J4005I-C/

Quote

• 1 x M.2 Socket 1 with E Key, type 2230 WiFi/BT devices support or PCIe/USB mode
• 1 x M.2 Socket 3 with M key, type 2260/2280 storage devices support (PCIe x 2 mode)
• 1 x 24-pin EATX Power connector(s)
• 1 x 4-pin ATX 12V Power connector(s)

 

[seeteeyou]

1 hour ago, lmitche said:

Nice find, I have a friend that could use this. He will be delighted!

 

Yeah, that board seemed to check all the boxes. We're talking about SoC (i.e. no PCH whatsoever) here so both M.2 slots are getting their PCIe lanes directly from J4005 itself.

 

For those of us who prefer something similar with 3 PCIe slots, Asus also made J3455M-E (Micro-ATX) with both 24-pin ATX and 4-pin ATX 12V connectors

 

https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/J3455M-E/

 

All sellers @ Amazon.com should be located in Japan, therefore the prices are way beyond insane

https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B01LYCDG4H

It's somewhat difficult to track them down in US now, most places should be backordered

 

http://www.zones.com/site/product/index.html?id=104503320

https://www.pcnation.com/web/details/6F2064/Asus-J3455M-E-Desktop-Motherboard-Intel-Chipset-Intel-Celeron-J3455-Quad-Core-4-Core-1-50-Ghz - J3455M-E - 00889349539170

They're offering worldwide shipping for free but unfortunately they specifically don't ship to US

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Asus-J3455M-E-Mainboard-Hardware-Electronic-Asus-NEU/112850320094
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Asus-J3455M-E-Mainboard-Hardware-Electronic-Asus-NEW-/362260073163

Thankfully we could still order them from either Germany or Italy, international shipping wouldn't cost that much to begin with so those of us who live in US could still get them for 100 bucks or less

https://www.amazon.de/J3455M-Mainboard-Intel-Celeron-DDR3-Speicher/dp/B01MQ5OAN1
https://www.amazon.it/ASUS-J3455M-motherboard-motherboards-DDR3-SDRAM/dp/B01MQ5OAN1

[seeteeyou]

Just an FYI - some of us should have already read these posts by @romaz and IMHO they're great for explaining why system clocks do make a difference

 

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-electronics-blu-mk-2-the-official-thread.831343/page-196#post-14103668

 

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/chord-electronics-blu-mk-2-the-official-thread.831343/page-199#post-14107124

 

The parts about USB cables as well as ZENith SE versus laptop were so interesting. An SMPS inside Blu Mk. 2 or DAVE might not really "hurt" the M-Scaler or the DAC itself but even Rob Watts agreed that other components were still affected. No wonder some of us would prefer a linear rather switching PSU as the "energizers" of either LPS-1 or LPS-1.2.

 

We've got so many different ways to reduce / eliminate all that noise while sometimes we could have prevented that to be generated in the first place. SOtM is well known for their filtering while both sCLK-EX and 10MHz master clock are great for replacing noisy clocks. Of course the weakest link inside sCLK-EX should be those 50Ω RF cables that are terminated with tiny little U.FL connectors. We just don't have (much) better choices unless we're willing to cut those expensive 50Ω clock cables up before they're reterminated.

 

Speaking of clock cables, 75Ω ones that are designed for 12G-SDI / 4K UHD should have lower signal attenuation (loss) even though Belden and Canare etc. are pricing those products so competitively. Of course their best models 4731R and L-8CHD should work even better than the rest but we'll have to make an effort to acquire them. BTW, it would be interesting to try those 4K UHD media patch cords such as Belden AV2183R but so far none of us seemed to be interested.

 

Thankfully 3M EMI/RFI absorbers don't cost that much and they could be useful for the mitigation of noise. Similar stuff called PULSHUT and PULSHUT MU are also available from the DAC chips maker Asahi Kasei. We could find them inside Oppo BDP-105DJP, an audio PC called ADIVA from Abee and Onkyo, or even HDMI / LAN / USB cables from AIM Electronics. Acoustic Revive also added something else called FINEMET (from Hitachi) to their products for suppressing the noise, of course we could also find some FINEMET beads and sheets on Amazon or Rakuten ourselves. Some audiophiles already quite a few positive reviews on Amazon etc. Even transformers could be made from FINEMET, we could get them from Noguchi, Samizu Acoustics, and Teramoto etc.

 

Electrolytic filter caps from Mundorf etc. are found inside some products from Innuos and they're designed by Sean Jacobs of Custom HiFi Cables. Innuos actually tested dozens of motherboards by measuring the noise patterns with a very detailed oscilloscope. Isolation transformers could be found on those Ethernet ports of Supermicro X10SBA-L but not sure if they're customized / modified etc.

 

Regarding Ethernet cables and connectors, M12 should work much better than RJ45 in terms of EMI/RFI shielding

 

 

 

Let's see who's gonna be the first one who would like to give M12 a shot by sending that kinda switch to SOtM.

[seeteeyou]

21 hours ago, tapatrick said:

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 ...

 

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

 

Since SOtM is gonna offer 2 SFP ports, I might have to think about Intel NetEffect NE020 and then how to power Netgear Nighthawk X10 properly because of iWARP

 

Adventures In RDMA – The RoCE Path Over DCB To Windows Server 2012 R2 SMB 3.0 Glory
https://blog.workinghardinit.work/2013/08/28/adventures-in-rdma-the-roce-path-to-windows-server-2012-r2-smb-3-0-glory/

 

Windows Server 2016 Networking – Part 1- RDMA, DCB, PFC, ETS, etc
http://www.darrylvanderpeijl.com/windows-server-2016-networking-rdma-dcb-pfc-ets-etc/

Quote

RDMA is optimizing the network by placing data directly into the host destination memory thus bypassing the memory and CPU bus. This way the overhead for network traffic is minimal and helps a lot latency wise.

 

Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) and Switch Embedded Teaming (SET)
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/virtualization/hyper-v-virtual-switch/rdma-and-switch-embedded-teaming

 

Windows Server 2016 NIC and Switch Embedded Teaming User Guide
https://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/Windows-Server-2016-839cb607