Gavin1977 Posted October 26, 2020 Share Posted October 26, 2020 https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/30376-a-novel-way-to-massively-improve-the-sq-of-computer-audio-streaming/?do=findComment&comment=1044866 Now with SGM Extreme (x86 based). Link to comment
Gavin1977 Posted October 29, 2020 Share Posted October 29, 2020 18 hours ago, ASRMichael said: I was thinking this also the other day. Having old JCAT card for mobile connection (WAP), and new JCAT for receiving music directly connected to NAS. I’m using Euphony so my options are limited. Killer features, I hope @Marcin_gps is taking note :-) Link to comment
Gavin1977 Posted November 5, 2020 Share Posted November 5, 2020 3 hours ago, Soul Analogue said: so for the computer environment, the ground of the PC will be connected to the -6V, -2.5v and -1.65v? ... I am not sure if multiple rails can be connected this way ... there are many ways to deal with ripple noise in DC... this balanced supply theory looks like more complicated than necessary just to deal with noise...and the output impedance would be added up by the use of multiple transistors Surely for 'balanced' connection to work you need to have AC current? This is how amplifiers work AC-> Power Supply -> DC -> Amplifier Module -> AC to Speaker + & -. Interconnects are also AC. No sure of it's application to DC? By the way, for signal transfer, this is by far the best paper I ever found on it. Balanced and SE output AudioXpress.pdf Link to comment
Popular Post Gavin1977 Posted November 17, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted November 17, 2020 On 4/15/2020 at 7:56 AM, Nenon said: Okay, what's next? JCAT USB XE Card. It's really good and keeps getting better and better over time. I really like it, and it's an easy recommendation. I can't tell how it compares with the PinkFaun USB bridge with ultraOCXO clock, but (besides the PF) I can tell you that it's better than any other USB card I have tried. It would be interesting to do an A/B comparison between the PinkFaun with ultraOCXO and the JCAT card. Has anyone posted a comparison on the PinkFaun USB ultraOCXO vs JCAT USB XE yet? Having just listened to a Mola Mola Tambaqui, the inbuilt Roon endpoint actually sounded better than my music server (power is not yet optimal though)... main difference was in timing IMO. So I'm wondering if a ultraOCXO clock would narrow the gap. Another experiment - single ultraOCXO clocked motherboard perhaps removing the need for JCAT USB XE and also the need for new NET XE? Could a single centralized motherboard clock be the way forward? Töki and Exocer 2 Link to comment
Gavin1977 Posted November 17, 2020 Share Posted November 17, 2020 1 hour ago, Nenon said: I have. Both are really good and really a matter of personal taste. The question is which nuance of good do you prefer. It's also dependant on the synergy with the rest of your server components and the entire system. Sorry I don't have a clear answer saying X is better than Y by this much, but that's how many things in audio are. There is however a significant price difference that needs considering too... The PinkFaun USB ultraOCXO is almost double the price of the JCAT XE. I have done some of these experiments too. I replaced the chipset clock with an ultraOCXO clock. There are USB ports that are directly connected to the CPU and USB ports that are connected to the chipset. Before the clock upgrade, the CPU USB ports sounded better. After the clock upgrade, the chipset USB ports sounded better. Much better. But adding a good external card with good power was still better. The onboard NIC on this motherboard had a different clock. I did not try replacing it, but I am sure it would be an improvement. This is what Innuos did in the Innuos Statement. I have similar experience with Sean Jacobs DC4 LPS, which is using very similar but larger transformers (6 times larger I believe). I guess it still depends on what you are feeding with the power supply. Feeding a JCAT Net Femto and a JCAT USB XE cards with two rails from the same transformer vs. two different transformers would be very difficult to hear. But feeding something like the Chord Electronics Hugo M Scaler, which is a noisy device, would make an audible difference. A good quality transformer is certainly playing a big role in the power supply and that shiny transformer used by Marcin and Sean is the best I have heard so far. I am a big fan of good quality components, and it makes me sick when I see 5-figure audio components using the cheapest parts possible and making false claims about how they were specifically "voiced" with them. Actually that's the main reason I got into DIY audio. @Marcin_gps When is the JCAT XE Network card coming up? I think a lot of the readers on this thread are interested. Extremely helpful - many thanks Link to comment
Popular Post Gavin1977 Posted November 23, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted November 23, 2020 25 minutes ago, genvirt said: Good news comes from JCat: https://jcat.eu/featured/net-card-xe/ Ordered! Exocer and genvirt 1 1 Link to comment
Gavin1977 Posted January 4, 2021 Share Posted January 4, 2021 21 hours ago, seeteeyou said: https://www.diretta.link/download/ https://www.diretta.link/download/ASIODriver.pdf https://www.diretta.link/download/diretta_usb_bridge_x64_limited-forumhifi.zip FYI - @Patatorz wrote this nice article about Diretta here http://patatorz.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=46 http://patatorz.com/2021/01/02/english-diretta-protocol-an-improvement-in-digital-streaming/ https://mixi.jp/view_bbs.pl?comm_id=6253388&id=78749654 Audio over Ether could bypass the entire TCP/IP stack, it's acting pretty much like RDMA from Mellanox. So far the beta testers who gave AoE a try would praise its wonderful sound, one of them also compiled that for x86 machines already. Anymore info on audio over ether? Link to comment
Popular Post Gavin1977 Posted January 8, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted January 8, 2021 I think it should be affordable... in reality not many will go for a dual CPU option and all those banks of expensive RAM. The budget necessary would stretch into thousands. Those people who can do this might as well buy an Extreme. A chassis with an integral multi-rail linear PSU capable of accepting and powering single CPU's upto 120w, with dual molex 5v outputs to power a pair of JCAT cards would better fit my bill. Price £1500? Perhaps it might be better to view the product as a multi-rail linear power supply, but with the bonus of it including a chassis? I'm also not against some limited zero noise / vibration isolated fan assistance if it cuts down costs & size. Go over £1500 and I'd rather start looking at commercial offerings to be honest. I agree with comments about the enclosure size - 480mm width is a bit too much for most. MarcelNL and blueninjasix 2 Link to comment
Gavin1977 Posted January 8, 2021 Share Posted January 8, 2021 +1 @MarcelNL I bought a load of Salas L-adaptor pcbs... but you know what I just can't be bothered to solder them all up... it just takes too much time. Good quality connection wire is also expensive, as are the right crimping tools. Modular completed components is better for me and less likely for me to end up swearing at them. I love the HD Plex chassis I have, I would certainly consider paying more to have a 'deluxe' version of this with an integral psu. Love Paul Hynes and Sean Jacobs stuff, the prices are fine if you just want to power a single rail NUC, but count me out on based on multi-rail prices. Perhaps I'm HDPlex's target audience, price of the H5 chassis and their new 500w linear is what I'm comfortable with. 87mpi 1 Link to comment
Gavin1977 Posted January 11, 2021 Share Posted January 11, 2021 15 hours ago, Nenon said: A suggested list of parts and schematics will be provided to make the unregulated AC to DC linear power supply. It would consist of: Transformer —> Rectifier —> Choke —> Filtering capacitors; or to be more complete: IEC inlet/fuse --> SoftStart module -->Transformer —> Rectifier —> Choke —> Filtering capacitors. That unregulated LPS will be tweaked to work with Taiko's ATX module. The output of the unregulated LPS goes to the input of Taiko's module. And we would have: IEC inlet/fuse --> SoftStart module -->Transformer —> Rectifier —> Choke —> Filtering capacitors --> Taiko ATX. The Taiko ATX module has two 8-pin EPS connector outputs, one 24-pin ATX connector and an Auxiliary connector with (+5V and +12V output) for future use. You will need one or two EPS cables (depending on the motherboard used) and one ATX cable to connect the Taiko ATX to your motherboard. That is the entire power supply. The Taiko ATX is super transparent. Tweaking the unregulated power supply has a significant impact on the overall sound. This is one area where we can tweak things. This is also an area where we can have different versions - a more affordable version and a more exotic version. We can potentially add a solderless option to make things easy for those who like building computers but would like to stay away from soldering. I am sure that would be a popular request. This unregulated power supply is something that people can do on their own with parts of their choice. Or use the recommended parts. Taiko would try to arrange stocking the transformer I really liked, to make that more accessible (you have to order hundred(s) to get it). That would be the recommended transformer but you can get whatever transformer you like. The rest is still work in progress. Now the Taiko ATX module is a product I would be interested in and would purchase. NanoSword 1 Link to comment
Gavin1977 Posted January 12, 2021 Share Posted January 12, 2021 11 hours ago, RickyV said: Ah, okey. I thought about using a Hypex SMPS to feed a HDPLEX DC-DC converter, however there is also an additional hitch in that these SMPS are untested in this application and are only used to power amplifiers which obviously only have high transient power peaks. Providing a continuous 60w+ from a Hypex SMPS might cause it to fail pretty quickly. RickyV 1 Link to comment
Gavin1977 Posted February 20, 2021 Share Posted February 20, 2021 Is the Asus ROG MAXIMUS XI GENE a decent upgrade from AS Rock z390 phantom itx for 1151 processors? I have the same M2->PCI adaptor that Nenon uses, but am wondering if it's worth me switching motherboards to remove this. Link to comment
Gavin1977 Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 Thanks will keep my eye out for a GigabyteDesignare Z390 Link to comment
Gavin1977 Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 ASRock Hyper BCLK Engine II - is this feature worth having. I can't find anyone who's tried on Audiophilestyle. Seems to be a more accurate clock, but no details of what it actually is. Link to comment
Gavin1977 Posted February 21, 2021 Share Posted February 21, 2021 Where is blck clock usually generated on Intel 1151 / Z390 - do they always have external clocks? Looking at my existing ASRock Phantom Gaming ITX I don't think I can see an external clock. Link to comment
Gavin1977 Posted February 24, 2021 Share Posted February 24, 2021 I wonder is there is any merit to considering SuperO motherboards: https://www.gdm.or.jp/review/2017/0626/211110/4 Apparently better signal transfer than FR4 based PCBs... anyone tried or has technical comment? Link to comment
Gavin1977 Posted February 26, 2021 Share Posted February 26, 2021 With regards to AX1600i etc.... By the way, I moved on from NUC to a custom server - I now use a Corsair SFX750. Sounds pretty good to me, but I bet you that the better quality power supply still wins. Corsair SFX750 is just a decent stopgap to true linear IMO. Link to comment
Gavin1977 Posted February 28, 2021 Share Posted February 28, 2021 11 hours ago, seeteeyou said: https://audiophilestyle.com/forums/topic/58164-building-a-diy-music-server/page/72/?tab=comments#comment-1107076 FYI - pretty interesting results since 4️⃣ (optical USB 2.0 isolator as I quoted above) looked quite stellar to me? 1️⃣ (PC) = direct output of USB port 2️⃣ (Iso-1) = unknown isolator added to 1️⃣ 3️⃣ (SCHIT) = Schiit Wyrd added to 1️⃣ 4️⃣ (BW) = optical USB 2.0 isolator added to 1️⃣ https://www.l7audiolab.com/f/usb-5v-measurement/ Already sold out at the moment, it ain't too bad for roughly 225 bucks plus another $50 for the Chakra 5V PSU http://www.erji.net/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=2218628 That audiophile in China was totally impressed by the microdynamics and layering etc. I nearly purchased the opto-usb, but I found optical out of a Matrix x-spdif 2 to sound sublime (only when fed USB/power from JCAT USB XE and Sablon 2020) a bit like the idea of daily chaining network devices. The improvement was not subtle. Link to comment
Gavin1977 Posted February 28, 2021 Share Posted February 28, 2021 19 hours ago, seeteeyou said: FYI - here's another Gallium Nitride (GaN) option with 500W / DC 28V output to either Taiko ATX or HDPLEX 800W DC-ATX etc. https://product.tdk.com/info/en/catalog/datasheets/pfh_e.pdf https://product.tdk.com/info/en/products/power/tec_data/ps_pfh.html https://www.transphormusa.com/en/news/tdk_lambda_pfh500f_power_module/ 250 bucks for the module and 500 bucks for the evaluation board respectively https://power.sager.com/tdk-lambda-pfh500f-power-supply.html https://www.digikey.com/catalog/en/partgroup/pfh500f-series/79643 https://www.digikey.com/catalog/en/partgroup/pfh05w-evaluation-test-boards/83877 Very interesting - $500 for the evaluation board kinda kills it though. Link to comment
Gavin1977 Posted February 28, 2021 Share Posted February 28, 2021 15 minutes ago, seeteeyou said: It doesn't have the right connector (i.e. 6-pin for HDPLEX etc.) but replacing the entire DC cable should be OK for this $150 PSU https://www.coolgear.com/product/300watt-24v-gan-switching-power-adapter That is a very high quality power brick - but it's ripple and noise are still way higher than a Paul Hynes or Shaun Jacobs. If the Taiko DC-DC ATX is as good as described with regards to noise and ripple rejection then it will be interesting how it performs with a SMPS like this. Like Nenon says though, the Taiko DC-DC is so transparent it will sound different depending upon what is used to power it. Will the Taiko ATX be supplied with a set of cables? I'm just thinking that many people are awful are crimping cables, I still prefer premade ones to avoid any poor connections. MarcelNL 1 Link to comment
Gavin1977 Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 So options for running two PCI cards without a flexi extender / riser... Maximus XI Gene Z390 seems to be my favored option - but the 1x PCIe slot goes through the Z390 chipset and is not direct to CPU. Anyone got any ideas on how this might affect the performance of JCAT USB XE? I have to attach the solarflare to the full speed PCIe slot. Other options: MPG Z390M GAMING EDGE AC matx - does have direct CPU 8x/8x slots, but likely no 2oz copper. Otherwise it's full size ATX like the Z390 DESIGNARE as previously mentioned. or just use the M2 to PCI cable with my existing ITX as originally planned (1x PCIe will be routed through Z390 again) Difficult to know which would sound best! A mini-DTX motherboard would be great - but zero opportunity there. Link to comment
Gavin1977 Posted March 3, 2021 Share Posted March 3, 2021 4 hours ago, Exocer said: Hi Gavin, The Asus WS Z390 Pro seems to fit the bill although it isn't cheap. Probably one heck of a Motherboard. The block diagram suggests all devices in the larger PCI-E 16X slots go CPU direct per the block diagram here: https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/socket1151/WS_Z390_PRO/Manual/E14958_WS_Z390_PRO_UM_V2_WEB.pdf There is the QSW though. I am not sure what the SQ impact would be with the QSW in the chain. You can avoid whatever the QSW introduces by using only the 1 and 3 PCI-E 16X sized slots: Here is the Asus Sage C621 in comparison, no QSW on CPU 2 but there is one on CPU 1: Not sure if the general consensus is to avoid it. Cheers Good find. I wasn't aware of QSW. Apparently it adds latency so you can see the benefit to the C621 MB approach. I have decided to go for the Maximus XI Gene Z390, it has an additional phase on the CPU VRM compared to my existing ASROCK Phantom ITX. As per the ASROCK it also doesn't use doublers, which could be a good thing in my experience (C621 also doesn't use doublers it's a true 7 phase design). It also has a single phase of VRM on VCCSA and VCCIO. These features put it, in theory, ahead of the other choices. The other feature which is quite unique is that the motherboard sacrifices two channels of RAM to allow the use of the DIMM.2 M.2 slot which supports PCIe 3.0 x4 directly from the CPU. In theory (again!) this could also allow M2 to PCIe flex to be used and compared against the onboard PCIe x1 that goes through the Z390 chipset. My optane M2 drive can only be routed through the Z390 chipset, so cannot be installed in the DIMM.2 M.2 slot. So, Maximus XI gene can allow everything other than my Optane drive to be directly attached to CPU and also leaves a bit more space in my HDPlex enclosure for things like wall mounted regulators in the future. Exocer 1 Link to comment
Gavin1977 Posted March 3, 2021 Share Posted March 3, 2021 p.s. anyone looking for an LGA1200 motherboard... MPG Z490 GAMING EDGE WIFI seems like a good choice and mATX format. Link to comment
Gavin1977 Posted March 3, 2021 Share Posted March 3, 2021 1 hour ago, John769 said: Isn't it ATX? Can't find a block diagram unfortunately. You can get it in both ATX and mATX. I asked MSI directly and it can do 8x/8x direct to CPU - it’s relatively affordable as well. John769 1 Link to comment
Popular Post Gavin1977 Posted March 3, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted March 3, 2021 7 hours ago, genvirt said: Hi! Just curious if using this adapter with M.2 ssd - will perform good or better to avoid it? I think this anyway better than external or sata option, but I want get a best performance and SQ as possible, so if here is some suggestions - many thanks!:) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07WQ447MN/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=AN43ZP96D1535&psc=1 Intel Optane PCI ssd is abnormally expansive for now:) As you may have gathered - best answer is usually connecting direct to CPU for lower latency. This PCI to M2 adaptor may allow you to do that, but equally M2 port in your motherboard may also allow direct to CPU connection as well removing the need for the adapter. You’ll need to look in your MB specs to see what is best. genvirt and Exocer 1 1 Link to comment
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