Building a DIY Music Server

[MarcelNL]

29 minutes ago, SK8 said:

Is there a new Pink Faun PCIe I2S Bridge board? I have their existing bridge board and have a plan to connect the I2S signal output lines directly to a BD34301 DAC board.

there will/may be one...yet at the price level they are pointing with the new USB card I'm not sure it'll win many friends...

I have the ultra OXCO I2S bridge and love it, even when already expensive but doubling that price the new one needs to be a MAJOR MAJOR improvement...

[drjimwillie]

I’m sure you all have seen this already.

 

I know which software I will be installing on my DIY Extreme server. (I guess being painfully slow has its perks.)

 

considering it will be on the extreme and the Olympus, it should make the DIY extreme more compatible with the I/O😎🎶

[JackJohnson316]

On 6/14/2024 at 11:10 AM, MarcelNL said:

there will/may be one...yet at the price level they are pointing with the new USB card I'm not sure it'll win many friends...

According to their website, the new PF ultra usb bridge is only exclusively available to those that already own a server they sell. So even if they make a new I2S card, there’s a chance you can’t buy it without buying their server. 
 

We need someone to offer some new I2S pcie cards for the DIY community. Surely there is some company, or individual, that can produce them. We could make a mass order like we did the recent DIY chassis.

[seeteeyou]

So far the only viable solution to extract I²S audio via PCIe should rely on this, though C-Media already replaced the entire page with a completely blank one at some point

 

https://www.cmedia.com.tw/products/PCI_PCIe_AUDIO/CM8888

https://whatsbestforum.com/threads/taiko-audio-sgm-extreme-the-crème-de-la-crème.27433/page-48#post-587839

Quote

The problem is that the CM8888 chip they are using is extinct and those cards don't support DSD.

 

FYI - CM8888 could still be found here

 

https://www.cmedia.com.tw/support/download_center

https://linux-hardware.org/?id=pci:13f6-5011-13f6-5011

 

Other than that, it's just a matter of using the HDMI audio outputs of any CPUs with integrated graphics, then convert that kinda stuff into I²S with some random boxes

 

https://www.psaudio.com/blogs/copper/an-exciting-and-inexpensive-device-to-improve-sacd-playback-well-maybe-not

 

In the end none of that would be considered an "ideal" situation for we audiophiles, at least according to Emile that is

 

https://whatsbestforum.com/threads/taiko-audio-sgm-extreme-the-crème-de-la-crème.27433/page-48#post-587827

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The choice of interface comes down to where you'd want your sensitive I2S signal to be generated. It is our opinion the best location for this is inside the DAC. The MSB Pro USB is an innovative and unique solution, halfway Server and DAC. I am a fan and the results cannot be denied.

 

https://whatsbestforum.com/threads/taiko-audio-sgm-extreme-the-crème-de-la-crème.27433/page-48#post-587878

Quote

As for vassils I2S comments, I don't think it's a particularly good approach to generate an I2S signal, consisting of data, word clock and a bit clock line, and transfer all of that over long sensitive copper interconnects with a multitude of impedance mismatches along the way and a general strong sensitivity to transmission line quality. What I admire about the MSB Pro solution is they generate I2S external to the server, convert and transfer these over fiber, using 1 fiber for data and the other for clock signals, this is much more insensitive to disturbances then copper based interconnect systems. Let's call it I2S done right.

 

---

 

Nothing actually materialized for this guy as well, despite whatever the heck they're "promising" at the very beginning

 

https://forum.up-community.org/discussion/4416/up2-i2s-audio

https://forum.up-community.org/discussion/4085/up2-supports-i2s

https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/up-squared-i2s-audio.359456/ 

 

Once again we're back to square one, maybe listen to @Nenon and call it a day

 

https://whatsbestforum.com/threads/introducing-olympus-olympus-i-o-a-new-perspective-on-modern-music-playback.37939/page-26#post-932997

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A well implemented USB like the Taiko USB card - Taiko USB driver - driven by XDMS-NSM to a JLSounds USB to I2S interface on the DAC, gets you much further than I2S. It's on a completely different level than the most you can squeeze out of the maxed out pinkFaun I2S implementation. And it's already better than my vinyl.

 

For those of us who aren't interested in any DIY DACs, a stack like this could still be combined with JLSounds

 

https://iancanada.ca/products/19d-receiverpi-ddc

https://iancanada.ca/products/17b-hdmipi-pro-flagship-hdmi-transport-interface

https://iancanada.ca/products/1d-fifopi-q7-flagship-i2s-dsd-dop-fifo-with-isolator-re-clocker-and-low-phase-noise-xos

 

Here's an example without RPi

 

https://www.superbestaudiofriends.org/index.php?threads/diy-streamer-in-search-of-one-ultimate-streamer.14333/page-2

 

JLSounds

↓
ReceiverPi DDC
↓
FifoPi Q7II Flagship I2S/DSD/DoP FIFO with isolator, re-clocker and ultra-low-phase noise XOs
↓
HdmiPi Pro II Flagship HDMI transport interface

 

---

 

BTW, I don't think anyone would be interesting in modifying PCIe sound cards like ASUS Sonar since that might be a bit too hardcore?

 

http://mimizu.atwebpages.com/articles/articles030.html

https://kkuma.mydns.jp/ppBlog/index.php?UID=1662858118

[tuochongle]

At Munich Hi-End 2024, one of the room has a DIY Server. 

 

[sakso136]

Guys, 
Let s put it this way, the dxpwr new hybrid ulps is off the chart!
I m using 2 of them powering my server and my clock and swich!
They replace paul hynes sr5t dual 12v output and ferrum hypsos ulps without any regrets!
Speed transparency and clarity are amazing! 
You have dual output in each unit, wich can be configurable to any voltage you like make this ulps an amzing option for the price!
I love  mine!
Bravo alex!
https://dxpwr.com/

 

[drjimwillie]

I am still laying out my wires for my DIY Sage Taiko clone. 
I have a question about the 24 pin ATX

Which are the pins that are not used?

I know this was covered here before, but I cannot find it. 
also, I am going to be using two different wires. I have the white Oyaide that Tokyo uses in their server, but only enough for 14 runs out of 24. The rest, I will be using the stranded Angelique wire.

I am planning to use the Angelique wire on the 12 V pens. Do you know which are the corresponding ground pins?

Will you please recommend which pens to use the Angelique wire on?

I am assuming that all 24 pin ATX connectors are the same. Does this picture look great for the sage?

Thank you

[Nenon]

5 hours ago, drjimwillie said:

I am still laying out my wires for my DIY Sage Taiko clone. 
I have a question about the 24 pin ATX

Which are the pins that are not used?

I know this was covered here before, but I cannot find it. 
also, I am going to be using two different wires. I have the white Oyaide that Tokyo uses in their server, but only enough for 14 runs out of 24. The rest, I will be using the stranded Angelique wire.

I am planning to use the Angelique wire on the 12 V pens. Do you know which are the corresponding ground pins?

Will you please recommend which pens to use the Angelique wire on?

I am assuming that all 24 pin ATX connectors are the same. Does this picture look great for the sage?

Thank you

 

-5V and -12V are not used. 

[abase]

So guys – today you hear something from a happy diyer ;-)

My ULPS is up and running (forgot to take pictures), but I have to replace the chokes in a few days (I`m still waiting for the Mundorf Chokes) and then I will take some pictures.

The case is now 24hours running  and two things surprise me:

First:
I have a sensor on my power supply line and I know how much watt the stereo need.
In the past weeks I was running the DIY-Server with a 1500 Watt ATX Power supply and my DIY ULPS needs about 15 watt less current than the ATX-Power supply (the opposite was expected)
second:
The processor stays about 5 grad cooler then it was with the ATX-Power Supply.

After 24hours running the ULPS gets not even hand warm (I`m not upsampling)
Everything works fine nothing is burning ;-)

My first conclusion:
Is it worth the money and the work? Yes, yes

It was not a difficult task for me – the biggest challenge was to get all parts together..
I have ordered the V-Caps by  ELTIM but they don`t deliver, not even answer any mail so I ended up by open a case at PayPal (the money is already back)
I have the Jupiter caps now in my ULPS to my they sound good

[abase]

In the ULPS-Case I have found room for the sls-05-030-1t (5Volt LPS) - it was suggested by exposer - this thing is fantastic it is powering my JCAT-Xe it sound better then the plixir...

[Todd H]

4 hours ago, abase said:

In the ULPS-Case I have found room for the sls-05-030-1t (5Volt LPS) - it was suggested by exposer - this thing is fantastic it is powering my JCAT-Xe it sound better then the plixir...

That's impressive. Especially for $100.

[Exocer]

6 hours ago, abase said:

In the ULPS-Case I have found room for the sls-05-030-1t (5Volt LPS) - it was suggested by exposer - this thing is fantastic it is powering my JCAT-Xe it sound better then the plixir...

those Solas are a true steal. All you need is some wire, an Iec inlet, output connector. I had an extra chassis so I just moved it into that:

 

[abase]

1 hour ago, Exocer said:

All you need is some wire, an Iec inlet, output connector

in my case that are two birds with one stone - My DIY-Server has a good inlet, a good power cord and a audiograde fuse (master fuse)
So no money needed for that twice ;-)

[Exocer]

Early shots of the new server and ULPS chassis:

 

Yes I am building a completely separate rig for this effort so I can more easily compare the impact of a proper chassis on SQ.

 

Thanks again for bringing this to fruition @AngeloVRA

[AngeloVRA]

On 6/22/2024 at 9:57 AM, Exocer said:

Early shots of the new server and ULPS chassis:

 

Yes I am building a completely separate rig for this effort so I can more easily compare the impact of a proper chassis on SQ.

 

Thanks again for bringing this to fruition @AngeloVRA

 

Hi @Exocer ! You are most welcome!

 

Just Sharing below is a pic of a version of the Copper CPU block for my SOTM build with 8mm heat pipes.

 

 

It does seem to have improved temps.

- 100% copper CPU block (top and bottom) with no fins to release heat inside the chassis

- 4x 8mm heat pipes, 250mm length (will upgrade 2x heat pipes to 300mm later)

- Heatsink with 8mm grooves and vent space between fins adjusted.

 

Below are some temp readings taken at ambient temperature of 25C and 29.1C

 

 

 

[Gavin1977]

Sweet builds guys

[MarcelNL]

@AngeloVRA I believe the heatpipes should be mounted as A, with the pointy tip at the CPU. Read in some spec sheet that is the preferred direction.

[AngeloVRA]

40 minutes ago, MarcelNL said:

@AngeloVRA I believe the heatpipes should be mounted as A, with the pointy tip at the CPU. Read in some spec sheet that is the preferred direction.

Hi @MarcelNL

Thanks for the tip!

On my part:

- I usually prefer the blunt tip at the CPU since that would have the least amount of protruding length that may interfere with other MB components. Somehow, I felt that the blunt tip would be more appropriate at the hot end which had higher pressure.

- In the case of "A" above, I used the pointy end (tail end) as it gave me a bit of clearance above that MB capacitor.  As I stated above, for this install, 250mm heat pipe towards the rear was a tiny bit too long so the excess length had to protrude at the CPU side.

 

But thank you for the suggestion.