Building a DIY Music Server

[John769]

51 minutes ago, seeteeyou said:

https://www.audioexotics.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/TAS-Wadax.pdf#page=3

 

Thanks and ordered!  Needed something for listening to tunes while doing occasional jobs in the garage. Will report back with findings.

[John769]

7 hours ago, Gavin1977 said:

p.s. anyone looking for an LGA1200 motherboard... MPG Z490 GAMING EDGE WIFI seems like a good choice and mATX format.

Isn't it ATX?  Can't find a block diagram unfortunately.

[John769]

On 5/4/2022 at 2:58 AM, Superdad said:

 

 

Thanks guys. We are advancing on several paths--with a couple very unique techniques/technologies--but the global ship shortages have made it very slow going. In fact, we probably have stock of about $40K in chips for new products--but just can't get the rest!  

EtherREGEN was a huge seller for us so right now we are near completely focused on the redesign of it so we can get back into production.  There will be one other, completely new product delivered this year--one that we know you will all love--but it won't be anything to do with USB. 

 

By the way, I have been enjoying the Monoprice SlimRun Optical USB (branded by them but actually a spin-off from a Taiwan chip company) between my streamer and DDC. But it uses DC-DC converters (at both ends) to send 12V (or did I measure 18V, can't recall) along with the fiber to the far end, I don't find using the 5V microUSB power port at the computer end has much effect.  

For several years there has existed a variation--using the same Taiwan translator chip--marketed by FIBBR (Yangtze Optical Fibre and Cable Joint Stock Limited Co., aka ‘YOFC’), called the Alpha USB.  It is bus-powered at the computer end and entirely externally powered at the downstream (DAC/DDC end)--oddly they don't include any 5V PS though you need one for it to operate.

Up to now the darn thing has been near-impossible to find/buy--and supposedly the full list price was $400. But today I managed to find it for sale, from a FIBBR set up sales web sire of all places--at just $199.  https://fibbrcable.com/products/alpha-usb-a-b-optical-fiber-digital-audio-cable

I could not resist so I ordered one. Hope it comes. And I'll let everyone know how it stacks up.

 

Now to be clear, like the Monoprice--and like all the other USB over fiber optic boxes discussed (including those using either SFP or internal transceivers)--this thing does not have anything special in the way of voltage regulators, good SMT caps, clocking, USB hub chips, or any such.  But it does share the same USB3>USB2 translator chip (a difficult to obtain, very poorly documented, one-of-a-kind part--which I happen to have bought 500 of last year on speculation, for one of the now back-burnered development projects).

 

 

 

 

Hi. Just wondering how the fibbrcable stacked up in the end? 

[John769]

The Opto USB is something like £633 it appears ...so somewhat over budget unfortunately. Did the Monoprice have at least some audible benefit?  Presumably it did -)

 

I tried it a couple of years ago and found it incompatible with my ADI-2 dac but I read (on AS) that it works with a Matrix SPDIF 2, so might give it another go.

[John769]

So the prevailing wisdom is to populate all C621e Sage memory slots with 4gb ram (presumably for better SQ). Does that carry over to any motherboard in that it's best to fill all available slots rather than leave any empty?  nb. my build doesn't use that particular motherboard and only has four slots, ECC compatible, with just a single non-Xeon CPU socket. 

 

Just curious..