Building a DIY Music Server

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@Nenon, terrific write up. This is the post many of us have been waiting for. THANK YOU.

 

Do you have a JCAT USB XE around to compare to the Extreme w/ Taiko USB card? Since none of us will have access to the Taiko USB card it would be useful to have a more direct comparison. Obviously with the JCAT fed with a DC4.

 

Cheers!

-Rob

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Excellent. This is what I was hoping you would say. I don’t have ARC6 but I’m happy to know I’d be somewhere in the neighborhood of that level of performance with a diy attempt. As glorious as the Euphony 4 beta sounds, I am ready to embark upon the dual CPU journey and transition to Windows. Thank you. We’ll keep this thread alive! 😎

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19 minutes ago, Nenon said:

I've heard that the Taiko DIY chassis is ready. I should be getting some photos and details to post soon. 

Initial feedback is that it looks great but it's not cheap to manufacture. Keep you posted! 

Really exciting news! We’ve waited a while for this 😎.

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28 minutes ago, ASRMichael said:

I usually don’t call people out but to be honest all you ever post is your subjective opinion in favour of Taiko. You also don’t list your system here. If we can keep this thread to diy & actual listening experiences that would be great. 
 

Thank you

Speaking of actual listening, I’ve done just that with the Mundorf Angelique 15awg solid core wire over the last 24 hours. It is currently used between the ULPS (V3) and Taiko DC-ATX module.

 

There have been some changes over the last two days. I will say outright that the breakin process has been nothing but pleasant and it extracts a bit more detail than the Solid core Neotech Teflon insulated wire it replaced. Where it really walks away from the Neotech is dynamics. I am not saying the difference is night and day but worthwhile. Overall, the sound is more enjoyable with this wire.

 

Do I suggest replacing all Neotech with this wire? No, but in critical areas there are definitely some benefits in doing so. The Oyaide wire I’m using with the ULPS works really well but I have not compared it to other solutions in that usecase. Neotech Teflon Insulated solid core 15awg wire sounded better than the Oyaide wire in The few DC cables I built.

 

Do I think the Angelique dethrones Mundorf Sg? I can’t quite answer that yet since I do not have the right cables to test this yet. Keep you posted!

 

I am comfortable giving it a recommendation if SG is out of your league price wise and you want a taste of the magic sauce lol.

 

Also a pleasant surprise: Mad Scientist Graphene contact enhancer. I prefer it to the Furutech Nano Liquid. Particularly with my unplated copper contacts. I know others have suggested silver contact enhancer but I forget the brand. Will need to do some digging.

 

Happy listening folks! Let’s all listen and enjoy.

 

@matthias - what are you listening with these days? Do you have an Extreme? You know a lot about their gear 😎

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3 minutes ago, Nenon said:

Sounds pretty bad to my ears. Don’t waste your money on a taiko atx if you plan feeding it with hdplex. Seriously. 

I’ve fed the HDPlex DC-ATX 800w with the HDPlex AC-DC 400w smps and it sounded ok until I heard a high quality LPS (in my case PHSR7T) feeding it. I wouldn’t even think of feeding the Taiko DC-ATX with it, given how transparent the Taiko is.

 

I think people are confusing what will work with what will sound good.

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7 minutes ago, Dev said:

just to change on the topic a bit - folks with the Taiko ATX, what are you using with the CPU frequency, Turbo and Hyper-threading settings ?

i9 9900k

Turbo and Hyperthreading on.

 

No upsampling.

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2 hours ago, Dev said:

did you fix the cpu freq to 5Gz or its free swinging.

The cpu governor set to “performance” keeps the speeds anywhere from 4.9-5ghz. I tried locking in voltages and turning off all voltage regulation features, C states etc but ended up right back at default with unnecessary onboard devices disabled.

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30 minutes ago, BOBO said:

have you tried to edit the bios and remove the cpu microcode patches that they`ve added to handle exploits like spectre and so on?

they do tend to mess with the performance and sound quality 

Really interesting question I hadn’t thought of. Will look into it.

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10 minutes ago, Gavin1977 said:

Tip with the Angelique - purchase the bare wire and ptfe sheathing separately.  Way cheaper than factory insulated.

 

Also have a look at Antrans.

I would have done this if my supplier offered the uninsulated version. Good tip!

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4 hours ago, ciccio1112 said:

Hi friends. my Taiko Do it yourself is being born.  I wanted to ask everything for Windows LTSC 2019 as per project by Nenon which are the best optimizations to do and the software to install, to make the best of the best.  Thank you.

Hey, which ram modules did you go with?

 

Also, I don’t think the guide is available yet.

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4 hours ago, Nsxturbo said:

So it looks like there’s room for the full ULPS and the Taiko ATX inside the chassis. Is that correct?

It also looks like with a different backplate full-size PCIe cards would fit in the MB slots, for those of us that use the full-size Asus HyperX m2x4 HD PCIe card.

 

It might seem kind of silly with a Taiko Extreme on order, but I kind of want to see this project through!(Trying to fight my ADHD tendencies😆)

Id love to hear a similar DIY vs SGM extreme comparison from you. You’re using a Xeon scalable pair with more cores right?

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16 hours ago, Nenon said:

based on this one http://www.tubes4hifi.com/pre11.htm#SP14

I plan to start this project next year (now). The version with remote is only $1400? Sounds like a steal! Can slowly max our the parts over time. I really wish they sold a barebones version with PCB and chassis for the SP14. Knowing how lazy I am and how far away my system is, I will have to go with the remote version. @Gavin1977 thanks for raising this to my attention again!

 

6 hours ago, Gavin1977 said:

The amp I built myself.

https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/modulus-686-380w-4o-220w-8o-balanced-composite-power-amp-with-extremely-low-thd.318372/post-7046197

 

I haven't really written about the Neurochrome 686 yet, but I have owned AHB2, Jeff Rowland, Pass Labs Aleph 3, F7, SIT3, XA25, Musical Fidelity, Naim, NCore, Purifi, FirstOne and have had lots of others in my system. 686, as I have built it, is the best yet.  I do mean to write an article with tips and tricks for a build.

EXCELLENT. Very much looking forward to this write up. I had been looking into going solid state amp again and this sounds very interesting. Many of the other options you owned were on my "to try" list. May as ell jump straight to the 686 instead! I love a good DIY challenge.

 

As someone with a serious box situation in his living, the formfactor of the SMPS solution is incredibly awesome.

 

 

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19 minutes ago, MarcelNL said:

After a few hours I can recommend this Dynamic range extender that comes with an additional detail editor!

 

very natural presentation, think along the lines of exchanging an underpowered amp for a more powerful amp that is more detailed at the same time

Awesome, can you please share a picture of how you've mounted it? I’m excited to no longer require a PCB. 

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5 minutes ago, drjimwillie said:

Also, what would the Taiko 220,000 uF cap replace? Would it be the (3) 22,000 uF or the (2) 47,000 uF or all (5) Capacitors?

It would replace the caps after the last choke.I am currently using 5x 22,000uF Mundorf HC caps after the last choke.

 

22,000uf>L>22,000uF>L>220,000uF is what you would end up with, using the custom Taiko Capacitor.

 

 

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1 minute ago, prinz said:

Guys, have you tried going with only one CAP in PSU? Transformer+bridge+cap

I did and like the sonic benefit of not paralleling capacitors. 20-40kuf of capacitance is really enough even for very power hungry server.

This sounds a lot like “V1” of the unregulated lps. 

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15 minutes ago, prinz said:

"enough' means that from both engineering and empirical point of view adding more capacitance does not bring improvement.

 

First I played with PSU DESIGNER tool to simulate the beheviour of PSU and tried to design one with less ripple. Result was CLCLC with overall ~~200kuf and two chokes. Almost zero ripple, so technicaly perfect, but sound wise - too slow, low frequencies dominant, I also heard a bit of distortion due to effect of paralleling the capacitors.

 

Then I started to modify and listen. Several atteempts were made. Transformer and bridge, then the following:

 

1/        2x 33.000uf --> choke --> 100.000uf --> choke --> 66.000uf

2/        2x.33.000uf --> choke --> 100.000uf

3/        2x33.000uf --> choke --> 66.000uf (mlytic)

4/        1x33.000uf mlytic -->choke --> 1x 33.000 mlytic

5/        1x 33.000 uf mlytic

 

last one I found the best. Flat frequency response without any frequency dominant, faster transient response, dynamic, sharp presentation with very high resolution and much less distortion.

Well, to be honest this does not surprise me as in the best when I owned many SE tube amplifiers like audio note, kondo, verdier, sun audio , I modified, DIY, and designed my own amplifiers. Every time the result was the same - simple PSU - better sound, single cap (no paralleling)= better sound.

 

it worked for me, doesnt have to work for you. But I am pretty sure many of you here building your power supplies, just blindly follow posted instructions without doing your own tests, research and evaluation.

I believe its worth to check if "less is more" or if such complex PSU's which are posted here are REALLY needed for top level performance.

 

 

There were three flavors and what you’re describing appears to be V1 with a cap before the output. Definitely worth trying! I  do not find V3 to be slow or “distorted” sounding. V2 was not as expansive as V3 in my setup. Will try what you’re suggesting and report back what I’m hearing. 
 

I have a two unused 47,000 100v Mundorf HC caps hanging around.

 

Its always best to experiment and stick with what sounds best to your own ear! For me, that has been v3 (to date).

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1 hour ago, Nenon said:

@prinz I just found my old post from over an year ago:

I think I agree with that description :). 

BTW, the reason you don't see a capacitor mentioned here is because there is one on the Taiko rectifier PCB board. 

Does this mean we’re all missing a cap in Saligny based V2/V3 builds?

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1 hour ago, RickyV said:

Thanks 🙏.

If I remember correctly you are using a ogonowski choke with 159ZJ specs. Was that a worthwhile upgrade and how much was it?

Interesting idea. Checking their site, it would appear to be a custom built choke since the ones listed do not handle up to 5A.

 

I have also been in talks with Terry Kwok from http://poshanhk.com/ who apparently makes high-quality (and NICE looking) chokes that can meet the 5A, 10mH specs.

 

Speaking of specs, which specs do we most certainly need to match to stay true to the design? Also, if given the opportunity which specs should we improve upon?

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12 hours ago, MarcelNL said:

The way I read it is that the Taiko active rectifier has a capacitor on board, so technically it's a transformer-rectifier-capacitor PSU when connected straight to the Taiko ATX module.

 

The Saligny recifier does not include a capacitor and specs say it needs at least like a 1000uF (do check)...so to compare apples to oranges we would have to add that minimal capacitance and stick the Saligny output into the Taiko ATX and listen. Lacking the Taiko rectifier that would be a exercise in futility.

 

 

 

Yup, agreed. I need to go back and check the original V1/2/3 recipe post for clarity. I remember there being a slight difference between the recipes that were posted. The details sre fuzzy. 
 

Doubt we’re missing anything crucial… just seeking an opportunity to experiment with a potential upgrade/tweek. 

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5 minutes ago, MarcelNL said:

get the power Saligny, and sit back and enjoy...highly recommended upgrade!

I’ve got two on the way! Good catch on your part. I’m usually on top of these things.

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4 minutes ago, MarcelNL said:

did you get a chance to compare the taiko rectifier vs the saligny, or know of anyone who did?

the power version of the Saligny is no slouch!

 

I am going to test both.

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At this point, I have enough parts to build a V2 ULPS using the Slimline 3U chassis (or something else?) so I am considering building it up and selling it to recoup some funds from this wild adventure!

 

I don't have a chassis yet but if anyone is interested I can put this together and sell it for a reasonable price. With a few more parts, it can be changed to V3. Please let me know if there is interest. It would take some time to obtain the chassis and choke (or chokes for V3). I'll even include an Acme Audio fuse I have laying around.

 

Shameless plug for my Sablon 2020 USB cable up for grabs as well (price is negotiable).

 

Cheers,

-Rob

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4 minutes ago, Nenon said:

Received a nicely packed packed from Oldenzaal:

Exciting!

Can I get in queue for 1 of each item shown above? Interested in why there is a lone 22,000uf 40v Mundorf AG there besides the rectifier board.

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1 minute ago, Nenon said:

Someone else will have to do this test. I think @Exocer volunteered. 

FWIW, Taiko's rectifier uses massive mosfets capable of 180A. 

I did volunteer. The test will compare the high power Saligny to the Taiko. Ill also compare them all to the Saligny standard we’ve all used up until now. Looking forward to it!

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25 minutes ago, Nenon said:

I highly recommend you try the Mundorf Copper Angelique wire for this.

@Nenonthanks for all that you do for the DIY community. 

 

I found Mundorf CAW myself and stopped looking for it since it wasn't available anywhere I shop, then you mentioned it and I had to try it. So glad i've re-built the ULPS with this wire. I highly recommend this wire. The break-in is lengthy, and can be a bit sinewave like (wow one day, what the heck the next) but after several weeks i'm incredibly happy with the results. So happy with it that I've picked up 12M of it to play with. 

 

Those cap boards look slick! 

To go dual AG array or Custom 220,000uF cap is the question. Knowing me, I will find a way to try both! 

 

It is beyond exciting to see how the components fit within the Taiko DIY chassis. Bravo. Great update.