best sounding storage & access to local files - USB, RJ45, WiFi, SATA

[jaynyc]

Hi all.  It's January 2019 and I'm trying to figure out what the general consensus is for storing and accessing WAV files to optimize playback sound quality via Foobar on an AO Win2016core server.

 

(a) via USB 3.0 - external hard disk (assume HD powered by LPS)

(b) via USB 3.0 - external SSD (assume SSD powered by LPS)

(c) via RJ45 - a different server on the LAN mapped SMB

(d) via WiFi - a different server on the LAN mapped SMB

(e) via SATA - internal SSD

(f) via SATA - internal hard disk

(g) _________

 

Thanks for any guidance

 

--jay

[Ralf11]

There will be no difference in SQ.  Use the most reliable, easiest, & cheapest.

 

What you may want to do is to ensure the interface is galvanically isolated from the DAC (unless the DAC itself 'deals' with issues that can be caused by EMF noise transmitted along the interface).  Both WiFi & optical cable solve this problem.

 

There are existing and forthcoming products from several manfs. to solve this (and maybe other) issues when using wired Ethernet or USB.

 

 

[AudioPhil]

On 1/15/2019 at 2:54 AM, jaynyc said:

Hi all.  It's January 2019 and I'm trying to figure out what the general consensus is for storing and accessing WAV files to optimize playback sound quality via Foobar on an AO Win2016core server.

 

(a) via USB 3.0 - external hard disk (assume HD powered by LPS)

(b) via USB 3.0 - external SSD (assume SSD powered by LPS)

(c) via RJ45 - a different server on the LAN mapped SMB

(d) via WiFi - a different server on the LAN mapped SMB

(e) via SATA - internal SSD

(f) via SATA - internal hard disk

(g) _________

 

Thanks for any guidance

 

--jay

(e) via SATA - internal SSD

[FelipeRolim]

For a long time I used the internal storage of a single computer to play music. After I bought an audio grade SATA cable, what was good got even better. The computer alone has always worked very well and has always been by far better than all the other alternatives I've tested. An external server never looked so good. I tried to set the computer as an "end point" and also make it search for files on the network to play, tried to put a linear power supply on the router and use better network cables. Nothing was as good as the computer itself.

 

The computer continued to reign supreme until I did two things: (i) set up JPLAY in dual-PC mode and (ii) remove any kind of router/switch from the audio path. Only through direct connection between the computers (via fixed IP, not network bridge) and with JPLAY was that I got two computers to work better than one. But, the first computer in this combination always uses internal storage. I don't know how I could rate this, but this is the perception I have. I don't like to use the files on a separate computer or an external storage, and for me, the SATA connection is still far superior, with the SSD, compared to M.2 or another kind of connection, for music storage.

[AudioPhil]

i've done intensive research and testing during many years and countelss parts on this topic. My take on it is this:

 

Internally connected SSD's sound best. CF cards sound even better, but setting up windows might be too complex for some and you need a 600$ CF card if you want it to last for years. The commonly available cf cards mostly break down within a few months of usage, they are just not made for the load running an operating system puts on them. So SSD's are the way to go in my opinion. They are insanly fast, use almost no power, generate very low noise floor and are way cheap enough nowadays.

 

Interestingly an M.2 drive should sound better than SSD. But in my opinion a good SSD connected using an audiophile grade SATA cable still brings the best results by far. That's also the reason why we offer a collection of excellent SATA cables in our shop -> https://shop.highend-audiopc.com/en/sata-cables

 

Since those cables aren't cheap one needs to know where to put them first. If for example two SSD's are used to separatly run the OS and store the music data (which is highly recommended!) then two cables are needed. The cable on the OS SSD has way more impact on sound quality than the cable connected with the SSD that actually stores the data. So always connect the best sata cable to the OS drive and the lesser one to the music drive.

[Audio]

 

Best SSD I know of.  Samsung PM1725A.  Uses 8 PCI-e lanes.

 

(Audio)