CORE AUDIO DAIDO Barebone Entry Music server

[PhilG]

Hello (from France) to you all,

 

This is my first post here and I wanted to dedicate it to my newly acquired Music server, the entry level at Core Audio, which this Hungarian company calls "DAIDO Barebone Entry".
It is actually a linear ATX power supply (8 circle full analogue low noise power supply) powered by 2 toroidal transformers (160va and 100va), the whole installed in the popular Streacom FC-10 enclosure. After several more or less successful attempts to make my own ATX power supply, I finally chose this solution which suits my  needs with an "all-in-one" concept.  I also  wanted something  different from what can be commonly found on the market in terms of ATX power supply.

This solution (and this is not the least of its benefits) allows me to build my own music server and customize it according to my needs. it offers a lot of flexibility when it comes to the choice of architecture (mATX server board with Xeon or gaming board with i7 or i9T…) and devices, accessories (cards, wires… ).
It's pricey, yes, but I think it's worth every penny, especially considering the above observation, as well as the global quality of this cleverly designed  PSU, not to mention that it makes it possible to do without the previously required power supplies, especially DC/ATX converters and other pico PSUs. I was able to get rid of a 12v psu for motherboard, another 12v for cpu, a pico psu, two dc and power cables, an extra power strip needed to connect all that, etc. I made two exceptions, however (more by curiosity than because of need):  I kept my  Bakoon BPS-02 battery to power the OS SSD and for the FEMTO USB card I kept the Uptone LPS-1 power supply (more precisely the LPS-1 set to 7v followed by 2 little MPAUDIO power supplies in series  (respectively 6v and 5v) for an ultra clean, ultra low noise 5v). But honestly it was more by coquetry and because I can hide these tiny little boxes behind the Streacom case, I could easyly live with the 5v from the Core Audio power supply without feeling any loss in SQ .   
 
I finished the build two weeks ago (see attached pictures). I only made one modification to the rear of the FC-10. The  Streacom box is certainly aesthetically pleasing but it has the drawback of not having any vertical expansion slots (only 2 large horizontal slots, only one of which is actually usable in practice because they are too close together). As a result it requires the use of a riser cable, which I wanted to avoid as it seems to degrade the sound quality a bit. So I cut the back of the FC-10 as well as the back of an old FC-9 (a useless spare case that had ugly wear marks on the cover) and assembled the two parts in order to have 2 usable vertical slots.  Not so easy but nevertheless fully achievable with the help of simple but good tools, good eyesight and... a little patience! The result of this "organ transplantation" (with a high risk of rejection) was a kind of FC-9 XXL (or FC-11?). This allowed me to use two USB cards: one FEMTO JCAT and another (normal, not FEMTO). The latter is currently used to receive data from an external HDD housed in a Lacie case), but I could as well use this second slot for a FEMTO NET card for instance.

Now, let's talk a little bit about the SQ:  ( I deliberately kept the best for the end !).
As I said earlier, I only recently finished my build and so I haven't been able to listen to much more than about 40 hours, yet we know that a music server, like most audio devices, requires a break-in time. A power supply such as the one installed in this music server is no exception to the rule, (all the more so since it has no less than 31 capacitors on board). Despite this, I had enough time to quickly glimpse the potential of this PSU. First impressions are very positive.
What immediately caught my attention is that this PSU is totally silent, the illumination of the white LED on the front of the Streacom and the green LEDs of the PSU are the only signs that it has been switched on. There is no noise, no parasitic vibrations, nothing.
It is probably a too soon to analyse the listening in detail. I could use expressions like "soundstage is very wide, 3D, airy," and so on, or "I could hear a lot of musical details previously hidden", the kind of words inevitably used in the reviews. Sure, they would be quite appropriate in this case, but perhaps  not credible enough given the short time spent listening. At this point, and  more importantly, I  would rather say that I really, really like what I hear. I found myself listening to all kinds of music (Jazz,  and instrumental and vocal, Classical, Folk, French songs...) until late at night with curiosity and a certain greed.  There are albums that I know by heart (or at least I thought I knew) and that I rediscover. It's real delight
The Core Audio power supply, whatever its qualities is not the only one responsible for these results, the JCAT FEMTO usb card, the SATA JCAT Reference and USB JCAT Reference cables that I reinstalled are of course an important part of it.

As a last comment, I must point out that I get these listening results with  a rather modest motherboard and CPU. No Supermicro server board or fancy ITX gaming board here, no Xeon or last gen I7 or I9 CPU. I only have an old mATX Asus with Haswell (i7 4770T) CPU.  As you can see, it's not the latest in state-of-the-art technology!
I can hardly imagine the result I could get with one of these new motherboards/CPUs.
It is therefore not that difficult to guess what the next step of upgrading my Music server could be ! 
Perhaps it will be another story...  For now I am very happy with my new toy 

 

 

 

[PhilG]

Core Audio has made a spreadsheet that provides information on this question, it can be downloaded from the product page on the Highendaudiopc website (the shop), since Core Audio is part of its product selection. You will find the PDF to download under
"CORE AUDIO DAIDO DAIDO Barebone Entry Music Server", just next to the product description (you must login).

From memory, the amperages for each voltage are:
- Motherboard:   12v 8A
                             12v 5A
                               5v 5A
                             3.3v 5A
- CPU:                   12v 5A

The 3 outputs (shown in the pictures) for USB, SSD and HDD cards provide respectively:
- USB:                    5v 5A
- SSD (2):              5v 5A
- HDD:                12v 5A

 

Feel free to contact Viktor Varady at Core Audio. He is very helpful and will be able to provide you with all the information you may need.

[PhilG]

I am pretty sure that there is no correlation between Core Audio, a Hungarian company, and the late Core Audio Technology, except for the similarity of name, which indeed may lead to confusion. However, the best I think, you're right, is probably to check this with Viktor Varady.

[PhilG]

For me, the warning stated is clear and unambiguous. It says "Maximum 65W TDP processor recommended  (reason: Streacom FC10 passive cooling limit) "
Which in my opinion is rather a healthy recommendation from Core Audio as I doubt the 4 heatpipes of the Streacom are able to properly remove the heat from, for instance, one of these super powerful last gen CPUs.

[PhilG]

1 hour ago, StreamFidelity said:

 

That's exactly why I use the FC9 Alpha Fanless Chassis. Respect! A really successful conversion.

 

JCAT USB Card FEMTO is a very good supplement to the JCAT NET Card FEMTO. 😉

 

Thank you. I share your opinion about the FC-9 Alpha. I think it is the best-designed in the Streacom range, precisely because it integrates several vertical slots.
For those who need more internal volume, the FC-10 would be near perfect if it used the same design for the rear panel. Too bad Streacom made a different choice

 

The JCAT NET Card FEMTO is already on my wish list

  .

[PhilG]

Not sure, but I'm not the one who can best answer you. I think it's better to ask Viktor at Core Audio.
It should  be remembered that this power supply unit requires proper cooling, in this respect, the large heatsink of the Streacom case does its job quite well.

[PhilG]

Ok, I see you also have a JCAT (Bakoon) battery for your SSD
Can I ask you which PSU you use to power the two Uptone LPS-1.2 ?