Building a DIY Music Server

[MarkusBarkus]

Happy Holidays, @Nenon. Looking forward to some good new DIY and more excellent reading!

Mark

[MarkusBarkus]

IMO, you wouldn't know exactly without testing, but fewer holes in some areas (underneath) can increase cooling in other/target areas as the air currents move across and up/out of the cabinet top openings. 

[MarkusBarkus]

I recognize this is a DIY thread, but FYI on a commercial version of this concept on various ICs and USB from Anti-cables. Does it "validate" the concept commercially? I have not used them re: SQ.

 

[MarkusBarkus]

58 minutes ago, genvirt said:

question regarding AC power cords that better to use with PC and external supply like SJ.

@genvirt I have been using a few of the Shunyata Venom products the past year or so. 
 

I recognize you will have folks looking at much more expensive options, and I have some of those in my system too.
 

For digital devices, the Shunyata Venom V 14 Digital cables seem to work well. They are from Shunyata's medical group. 
 

I have the NR10 on my SJ DC4 and a NR12 on my Aurender ACS10. 

I read around quite a bit, including one of the online sites where Caelin Gabriel posts. He recommended them over his much more expensive products.

 

I could be cynical and think maybe he has overstock or bigger margins on the Digital cable, but he seems like a knowledgeable, OK guy, to me.

The Venom V14 Digital is a spin-off from our our Clear Image Scientific medical division. The Venom V14 Digital literally eliminates parasitic noise generated by music server, computer devices and network peripherals.

The result is a significant increase in the resolution of audio and video signals!

BTW: I have to get a power cable soon and may be getting the Triode Wire Labs Obsession for a new "streamer/CPU." I like the TWL products very much, and I think they are worth checking out. Good Luck!

https://triodewirelabs.com

 

 

[MarkusBarkus]

@genvirt I have two Oyaide PCs and I like them a lot. Their connectors and cables are very good. They love them in the Japanese market. Good luck with the build!

[MarkusBarkus]

...of course modern (and not so modern) US homes have 220V to the panel...but it's not metric. 😉

[MarkusBarkus]

...well, you can't call it an "Extreme" (although it sounds extremely cool). Maybe "Absolute Kelvin" would work! Very trick build, K.

[MarkusBarkus]

...sorry I cannot recall the thread(s), but some have stated that saving your "best" device and perhaps optical "leg" for the end of the line into your dac was the most efficient and effective method of sonic hygiene. 

[MarkusBarkus]

...I suppose then, neither could the comments from a competitor be considered objective. 

[MarkusBarkus]

As I understand the more recent thrust of this thread, it was to build a high-level DIY music server, which has luckily evolved to include support from the Taiko group. That has been transparent from the start. 
 

@Nenonkind of took the reins on this, coordinating details with Emile, Sean J., etc. to source parts and to get technical/manufacturing help.

 

My take is that many people (I do) feel the Extreme to be an excellent product, but with a price to match. If builders could get (I'm making this number up) 90% of the Extreme performance for a smaller cost, it would be attractive to many. It was attractive to me.
 

All that said, one of the key aspects of the Extreme's performance is the "voicing" of the server. In this case, the Extreme is the definition of synergy, where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. 
 

If you believe component selection and testing/voicing plays an important role, then it makes sense (to me) that the more you deviate from the build/component concept, the more difficult it will be to get the product that was originally envisioned. 
 

I can see that happening in the thread already, and I think that is normal and good for the community.
 

Some builders will substitute components for their own reasons/objectives. And for the fun of experimenting. 
 

But, the objective, as I understood it, was to develop a plan and a BOM that would yield a server of a very high level for those that wanted to be guided by the "recipe." So, some products are not part of the recipe, although some manufacturers/people want them to be. You can't test every permutation...you gotta make a decision and move forward.

 

I am *not* building a server. I do not have that skill-set at the level this build would require, IMO. But I am a dedicated reader of the thread. 
 

I really agonized over trying the DIY myself, but I felt I would be constantly bothering all of you with elementary questions, and slowing the train...so I took a deep breath and a second... and I bought an Extreme. And if this DIY gets even 80-90% of the Extreme's "voice" it will be a huge success for the DIY group here. And a source of fun and pride. I love this thread! 

[MarkusBarkus]

38 minutes ago, exeric2 said:

 

It works really well to cool the components that are in there right now.

@exeric2 that is a creative, thoughtful solution. Well done.

 

Do you run it seasonally to dissipate heat, or any time you're running?

[MarkusBarkus]

On 4/25/2021 at 7:49 AM, Pablooo said:

But perhaps results can be achieved by simply untightening the screws of the mobo, usb and nic. Worth trying. 

The videos about mechanical tuning are interesting, and food for thought. Checking the tightness/over-tightness of equipment screws and fittings seems worthwhile. And the Naim folks are really working on the details (see video). 
 

A year or so ago, I bought a pair of Revel Studio2s. I decided to check the fasteners for the drivers and the platform pillars.

 

I emailed Revel to ask for torque settings, which I assumed would be in play. Nope. Whaaat? 

 

Wow! The platform fasteners were very loose. Very loose. And the driver hardware was all over the map, from barely engaged to tight. 
 

I have bike mechanic skills dating from the 70s. Bolts get set to spec. Period. Absent an engineering value, I set the Revels to an "experienced" uniform degree of tightness, appropriate for those thread sizes/pitches.

 

One place I would question on the board tuning is the guy tapping on the boards to determine degree and uniformity of tightness. Parts closer to board edges/mounts, I would expect to sound different if you tap them, compared to those more central.  That seems a bit more whimsical. Still, good stuff. This is such a cool thread...

[MarkusBarkus]

20 minutes ago, Gurkel said:

I stumbled across the description of one of these prebuild HQ servers (Takio? Taiko?), had a look at the product details and was a bit amused to see that someone really gets away with this and actually sells these computers.

...what's really amusing is how good they sound! It's amuses me every day. 😉

[MarkusBarkus]

...if you find you repeatedly kink the pipes when you bend them, you may consider filling them with sand, and packing it tightly in the tube.
 

Some of this kinking depends upon your wall thickness.
 

Packing them keeps the walls from kinking as you *slowly* draw them around the mandrel.
 

You can pull a small piece of rag through or use compressed air to clean any residual grit. 

[MarkusBarkus]

I tested the Omega USB here and found it to be excellent. It is very clear, very dynamic across the spectrum...not boosted bass, or accented highs...just great clarity of sound. It's soberingly expensive for a USB cable, but it is very good.

IMO one should prop or sling this cable, as those two "gas-line filters" have a bit of weight to them, FYI. 

[MarkusBarkus]

...not ferrites as far as the Shunyata literature seems to imply. I don't want to suggest that, or to over-stimulate folks on the weight of that cable. It's not heavy overall.
 

I have one end supported near the entry device. I have an elastic band supporting the end near the source.

 

Frankly, I support or hang all cables to ensure there is little or no bending or twisting forces on the connectors. Based on pics, looks like many folks ignore this and I think that is not best practice. 

[MarkusBarkus]

1 hour ago, ASRMichael said:

Does anyone know what temperatures Taiko Extreme runs at?

Mine is about 98F. RT = 73F. Reading externally on top/center of case.

[MarkusBarkus]

If there weren't so many fasteners, I would gladly shoot the CPU too! Sorry!

[MarkusBarkus]

@MarcelNLI ran the Taiko all night and removed the top. Just for you!

 

Temps were taken with IR thermometer, not via any software tools, FYI.

I shot the top-side of the transformer, since I had the top off. Ambient room temp = 72F.

[MarkusBarkus]

4 hours ago, derBen said:

So it's kind of DIY cases...

...kind of awesome DIY cases!

[MarkusBarkus]

...awesome post @Nenon

Terrific summary. Thanks.

[MarkusBarkus]

1 hour ago, di-fi said:

Taiko put 3 under the server and 3 under each platform

...the server itself has four feet, and those panzerholtz feet also have a metal disc on the bottom. The Daiza platforms do have three feet, as you described.