Building a DIY Music Server

[zerung]

On 2/14/2020 at 1:54 PM, vhs said:

 

 

Great Post, Nenon!

 

Sharing my build with you as shown in the pic below. 🙂

Hi VHS,

On the MSI MB, is that the clock socket next to the 's' of the MSI branding? If not can you share a some more detail about clock wiring. Do you solder the signal to the MB soldering point and then ground elsewhere? As wiring both of them to the tiny point is very hard.

Thanks

 

 

[vhs]

11 minutes ago, zerung said:

Hi VHS,

On the MSI MB, is that the clock socket next to the 's' of the MSI branding? If not can you share a some more detail about clock wiring. Do you solder the signal to the MB soldering point and then ground elsewhere? As wiring both of them to the tiny point is very hard.

Thanks

 

 

I had it replaced by a local shop in Hong Kong.

 

The original clock underneath the heat sink of chipset was replaced by using two silver wires connected to the new OXCO PCB board. See the pics.

 

 

[Solstice380]

1 hour ago, vhs said:

reducing the voltage from 1.8V to 1.2V

 

Thanks for the info!  I had seen that the read/write was faster on +, but had read elsewhere that they were using 2 different layer structures - but not according to this chart.  Your red highlight is an important point I did not know!  Thanks again!

[Solstice380]

Sorry about the repeat posts - strange iOS app behavior!  @Nenon Would you please delete the 2 repeats above and this post?  TIA 🙏

[auricgoldfinger]

3 hours ago, vhs said:

The original clock underneath the heat sink of chipset was replaced by using two silver wires connected to the new OXCO PCB board.

 

What are the two silver wires connected to for power?  What kind of connector is used?

 

EDIT:  Is the PCB purchased separately?  Do you happen to know the manufacturer and model number?

[vhs]

18 minutes ago, auricgoldfinger said:

 

What are the two silver wires connected to for power?  What kind of connector is used?

 

EDIT:  Is the PCB purchased separately?  Do you happen to know the manufacturer and model number?

Two silver wires are only for clock signal and there are no connectors.

 

I had the clock replaced by a local shop in Hong Kong and can ask whether he can sell the PCB separately.

[StreamFidelity]

23 hours ago, Solstice380 said:

General question about Samsung M.2 drives

 

Why not 970 PRO NVMe M.2 SSD?

[Blackmorec]

Well this has been an excellent week for me regarding matters audio, both thanks to this forum. I was introduced to the music and artistry of Anoushka Shankar and I tried a pair of  Mundorf Silver Gold DC cables (NMSGs) very kindly built and supplied by Nenon. 

For the past 30 or more years, an argument has raged between objectivists and subjectivists about the degree to which cables can impact sound quality.  The argument was already hot during the late Analog era, but the advent of digital data streams added more coal to the fire. How can a cable possibly affect a bit stream, especially one that is filtered and retimed downstream of the cable, resulting in a so-called bit-perfect stream arriving at the DAC? Well unfortunately I don’t have that particular answer and all I have is yet more anecdotal evidence that cables do indeed have an effect of SQ. Objectivists may claim that confirmation bias is responsible and I will admit to being positively disposed to these NMSG cables. So if you think that conformation bias is what’s responsible for what I hear, that’s fine by me, but for those who’ve proven for themselves that cables make a difference, read on. 

Nenon has already described in detail how his DC cables are built, which are essentially a JSSG360 screened twisted pair of Mundorf Silver Gold wires with Oyaide plugs to order.  I have already described my system, but for completeness, it comprises a highly optimised network based on a dedicated 500Mbps 5GHz wi-fi band,  Sean Jacob’s DC3s LPSs and Synergistic Research Atmosphere X ethernet cables throughout, feeding an Innuos Statement and Devialet 440 Expert Pro CI DAC and amps. The network is essentially ethernet cables with wi-fi isolation between the dedicated router and hi-fi room. 

My system employs 4 DC3 LPSs, so 4 DC cables....DC3 to Modem and Router are Sean Jacob’s extremely competent twisted pair with ferrite filter while the DC3 to TPLink RE650 wi-fi receiver/ethernet and DC3 to AQVox SE were recently upgraded from Sean Jacob’s cables to a pair of Ghent Audio Neotech JSSG360 7N UPOCC cables. In its initial state with 4 SJ cables handling the network’s DC, my system sounded awesome....tick all the hi-fi boxes of extended shimmering tremble and deep mellifluous bass, soundstage based entirely on the recording venue and its ambient clues. There was nothing about the sound I didn’t like. PRaT was SOTA, timing was exquisite, detail sounded ‘complete’, clarity and purity were reference level and listener involvement was of the highest order.  In other words there were no sonic problems to solve and the music was entirely thrilling or moving, depending on genre. Initially I also had a rather competent analog front end, but this digital system eventually trounced the analog set-up so thoroughly that it got traded, no longer worth the fuss and bother of playing LPs. 

As I discuss these new DC cables, the first very valid question must be of course; ‘how much can 2 DC cables powering upstream network components actually affect sound quality?” Intuitively I and probably most of you would likely believe “not much”, but that is absolutely not my experience. In fact, “a great deal” is far closer to what I hear.  Why?  No idea, other than the fact that the digital stream is in fact modulated DC so any DC characteristics that do contribute to sound quality will likely make it through the stream, along with the timed bits. 

So let’s discuss the NMSGs. 

The cables are solid core, beautifully easy to form and hold their shape 100%. There is no springiness at all so its just a matter of smoothly bending them to fit the exact installation requirements, curving smoothly around other cables and orientating the plugs perfectly, with no strain. LIke all cables, I have noticed some running-in anomalies.  I normally listen to my system at a volume setting of -14.5dB. With the new NMSGs I need to increase that to -9dB to achieve the same SPL. Some may say its lower noise and distortion that means I can listen louder, but that’s not what’s happening. I noticed exactly the same thing with the Neotechs...the missing 5dB returning after about 2 weeks of being constantly powered up. I also notice a slight attenuation of dynamics and perhaps slightly less treble shimmer and sparkle....I’m pretty certain that like the Neotechs, this will all return in due course.  

Running-in deficits not withstanding, the NMSGs significantly outperformed the Neotechs although I can’t really report any typical audiophile improvements..... frequency extremes were already extended and rich in timbral detail, soundstage was, as mentioned, as big or small as what is on the recording, there is NO listening room identity, only the recorded venue and music is 3 dimensional, and sounds like its being played by the instruments....so from an Audiophile perspective, not much room for improvement. However there were some major improvements, just that they related entirely to the music rather than to its presentation. 

The first thing you notice is that the music gains in finesse, inner detail, inner warmth, ease and ‘humanness’. Things like mouth and breath sounds became a lot more complex, detailed and real. 

The music is mesmerising, almost hypnotically so, sending shivers of pleasure down your spine. 

The harp in Andreas Vollenweider’s Cosmology sounded lively, vibrant and sparkling, with gorgeous decay, that extends down into complete silence....what makes this all the more amazing is that you  can sense the silence even while other instruments are playing. 

The system seems to have far greater, finely delineated spacial resolution, which makes the soundstage all the more engaging, precise (not etched) and clear, so you can easily follow 2 or more closely related instruments by virtue of their spacial differentiation. This is especially important when sounds differ markedly in amplitude....loud sounds don’t swamp quiet sounds because they are positioned differently in space so don’t interfere. When you increase spacial resolution you hear more low level detail and greater low level detail creates a greater feeling of reality as sounds are revealed that you would normally only hear live. 

The soundstage itself is also affected. Lower noise and greater low level detail give the entire sound stage a presence, a shape, texture, dimensions, even when there are no instruments playing....the size and shape of the recording venue becomes easier to hear...there’s atmosphere and air ....space that has a presence...an ‘eyes closed’ illusion that you’re sitting listening in an entirely different space with no relation whatsoever to your room. 

The music itself has greater bounce and buoyancy.....with more shape and body to the instruments. Instruments positions are very precisely defined in terms of depth and height within the soundstage. Again this makes individual instruments far clearer in the mix, without any analytical characteristics. 

With the NMSG cables, the music has an inner glow and a richness. The music sounds like it is energising the venue....grand piano for example can have a beautiful percussive hammer strike, after which the music blooms out and expands to energise the room, before decaying according to how long the sustain pedal is held. Timbral detail (tone and texture) has always been excellent but with the NMSGs it now remains stable and present down to absolute silence. That soesn’t sound like a big deal, but it again makes things sound more realistic. 

Rhythmic flow often feels like a strong undercurrent, subtle but powerful and irresistible, pulling you along with it. Instruments sound beautifully consolidated, woven together to form a glorious whole. Even when they’re only subtly involved in the mix, their contribution can be powerfully intoxicating. 

Then there’s the music’s ability to generate feelings. We often speak about emotions, but this goes well beyond that as the feelings are unique to the music....the music changes how you feel, and how you feel changes how you hear the music.....amplifying its atmosphere and your reaction to it.  

Take for example Malia’s Celestial Echo. Extremely atmospheric, extended bass with beautiful warmth, tremendous finesse....very pure, very precise, beautifully timed. The bass is round and bounces from note to note.Tomtoms ‘pop’ with dynamic accuracy, even when played quietly. The system creates acoustics that literally play with your mind,  making you feel spaced out, because that’s precisely what you’re hearing and experiencing in your ‘head space’ 

In my system at least, the NMSG cables make the music live and breathe....they bring the music to life.  Songs I wasn’t that fond of suddenly blow my mind with their detail, depth and presence.  The spatial precision results in improved clarity, purity and the fundamental rightness of the sound. The music creates an atmosphere, which generates feelings that you ‘hear the music through’.

For example the music may make you feel spiritual and other worldly, so your feelings reinforce  the music....which is why the listener involvement is so incredibly high....the music and your inner feelings become inextricably linked. I hope I’m explaining this clearly?

Last week I was introduced to  Anoushka Shankar’s album Rise. The music, predominantly Sitar, Voice and Pecussion sounds exotic, eastern and literally soaking in spiritual essence. It is beautifully resonant with super long note decay. The music is highly atmospheric....with some tracks having a rhythmic undertow of riptide proportions . On one track the musician playing tabla percussion sounds like he’s only five or six feet away from the listening chair......its not loud, but includes all the clues to make the music extremely ‘present’ and intimate. The music and instruments suit each other perfectly and the pace of the music and development of the Sitar’s notes are so beautifully coordinated they’ll bring tears of joy at their sheer beauty.

Another album that demonstrates the NMSG’s prowess is Jan Garbarek’s Legend of the 7 Dreams. Voy Contando is spacious, airy, hauntingly beautiful. There’s a simple drum beat.....but what makes it very special is the astounding clarity and complexity. The system weaves magical spells in the air,  with instruments floating in huge spaces that always puts me in mind of northern larch forests and huge open, cold and lonely wilderness. 

 

At some time I’ve got to stop upgrading my system and instead just enjoy fully what I have. I sense that time may be just around the corner. Nenon is kindly making 2 more cables for my Modem and Router. With the right recordings my system can already present the music in a way that rocks or moves every fibre of my being, takes over my consciousness and creates my mood. More than that I don’t need. 

What I find truly amazing about this is that this final touch, the last step that convinces me that I’ve reached the place I want to be sonically, is brought about by 2 DC cables. Even I can sympathize with the objectivists who would poopoo such subjective nonsense....how do 2 DC cables add the atmosphere, the finesse and the beauty that I’m reporting here? 

So 5 days in and 2 more cables on the way we’ll see where this leads...suffice to say, if you’re pursuing audio perfection and you’re able to solder competently, you should make at least one of Nenons NMSG cables. I’m pretty certain you’ll very much like what it brings. 

Finally, to close this initial assessment a big thank you to Nenon who went to a lot of trouble to buy, build and ship these cables for me to try.  They are certainly a surprisingly key component in reaching my own personal sonic nirvana. 

 

[Blackmorec]

Another little snippet regarding the NMSG DC cables. One of the best ways I have found to QC and kinda quantify my system’s network performance is Internet Radio and specifically Radio Swiss Classic. The low bit rate and lack of resolution obviously provide a challenge in terms of sounding perfect with all the necessary fidelity. The music has a very consistent quality, both in terms of performances (uniformly excellent to vituoso) and recordings, with most of the required audiophile qualities present.  But as soon as my system is slightly off colour it shows up immediately in the announcements, with voices exhibiting slight anomalies. When my system is perfect, so are the voices, but all it takes is a cable running in and the voices become either slightly bassy, or sibilant, depending on what’s currently going on. With the NMSG cables, which are clearly still running in after 5 days,  the announcements are already perfect, with no anomalies....in fact they sound better than they’ve ever sounded. More natural, more accurate and with more of the announcer’s individual voice character.  Once the cables are fully run in and the amplitude and dynamics have returned to where they should be, the announcer’s voices should sound spookily real....at least that’s what my confirmation bias is expecting, so let’s hope that’s what it hears. 

[Solstice380]

5 hours ago, StreamFidelity said:

 

Why not 970 PRO NVMe M.2 SSD?

 

I’ve been using the PRO SSDs but the M.2 PRO is just a bigger $ jump than the SSDs were.  The M.2 EVO+ is listed to be faster, but I wonder about the longevity.   

 

The mobo I’m considering has a M.2 heatsink and I’m not going fanless.  How is everyone’s M.2 temperature doing?  Anybody need/have an add-on cooler?

[elan120]

On 2/15/2020 at 3:16 AM, Solstice380 said:

I have an i9-9900KS arriving early next week.  I’ll be using the ROG RTX2080 that’s in my current build.

Nice high power build.  What power supply would you be using in this server?

[Solstice380]

@elan120  Not ready to piece together LPS for everything so will stick with a Seasonic Titanium 850W or 1000W as it may get another PCI-e card eventually.  With the highest efficiency for those at ~50% load this should be good.   Will use a Noctua CPU cooler this time instead of liquid cooling.   The case I’m looking at (HTPC type) won’t fit the radiator.  It will have 3 - 120mm filtered fans for positive pressure and there is room for another if needed.   

[elan120]

5 minutes ago, Solstice380 said:

@elan120  Not ready to piece together LPS for everything so will stick with a Seasonic Titanium 850W or 1000W as it may get another PCI-e card eventually.  With the highest efficiency for those at ~50% load this should be good.   Will use a Noctua CPU cooler this time instead of liquid cooling.   The case I’m looking at (HTPC type) won’t fit the radiator.  It will have 3 - 120mm filtered fans for positive pressure and there is room for another if needed.   

That sounds like a good place to start.  I ran mine with Seasonic Titanium 850W on mine to get it going at first before moving to a pair of Keces P8's using the same CPU without graphic card at the moment, but does have JCAT net card, running AL/HQPe.

 

I experimented using just a single P8 to CPU with Seasonic on ATX, and the SQ improvement over just Seasonic is very evident.

[TheAttorney]

On 2/16/2020 at 11:49 AM, Blackmorec said:

... and I tried a pair of  Mundorf Silver Gold DC cables (NMSGs) very kindly built and supplied by Nenon. 

 

 

I'm a fan of "silver with a bit of gold" cables, based on past experience of Siltech phono cable and Toxic headphone cables.

But one thing puzzles me regarding use as a DC cable:

 

Adding say 1% gold to a silver cable is known to increase its resistance by a proportionally much larger amount. I can't track down the exact values at the moment, but I remember that it increases resistance to significantly higher than copper. A while back, some "sound scientists" were giving the Toxic designer a hard time on this topic.

 

And for DC power supplies it's understood that lower resistance is better (all else being equal). So if this silver gold DC cable sounds so good, then there must be something else going on that trumps the negative aspects of increased resistance?

[Nenon]

On 2/16/2020 at 5:49 AM, Blackmorec said:

Well this has been an excellent week for me regarding matters audio, both thanks to this forum. I was introduced to the music and artistry of Anoushka Shankar and I tried a pair of  Mundorf Silver Gold DC cables (NMSGs) very kindly built and supplied by Nenon. 

For the past 30 or more years, an argument has raged between objectivists and subjectivists about the degree to which cables can impact sound quality.  The argument was already hot during the late Analog era, but the advent of digital data streams added more coal to the fire. How can a cable possibly affect a bit stream, especially one that is filtered and retimed downstream of the cable, resulting in a so-called bit-perfect stream arriving at the DAC? Well unfortunately I don’t have that particular answer and all I have is yet more anecdotal evidence that cables do indeed have an effect of SQ. Objectivists may claim that confirmation bias is responsible and I will admit to being positively disposed to these NMSG cables. So if you think that conformation bias is what’s responsible for what I hear, that’s fine by me, but for those who’ve proven for themselves that cables make a difference, read on. 

Nenon has already described in detail how his DC cables are built, which are essentially a JSSG360 screened twisted pair of Mundorf Silver Gold wires with Oyaide plugs to order.  I have already described my system, but for completeness, it comprises a highly optimised network based on a dedicated 500Mbps 5GHz wi-fi band,  Sean Jacob’s DC3s LPSs and Synergistic Research Atmosphere X ethernet cables throughout, feeding an Innuos Statement and Devialet 440 Expert Pro CI DAC and amps. The network is essentially ethernet cables with wi-fi isolation between the dedicated router and hi-fi room. 

My system employs 4 DC3 LPSs, so 4 DC cables....DC3 to Modem and Router are Sean Jacob’s extremely competent twisted pair with ferrite filter while the DC3 to TPLink RE650 wi-fi receiver/ethernet and DC3 to AQVox SE were recently upgraded from Sean Jacob’s cables to a pair of Ghent Audio Neotech JSSG360 7N UPOCC cables. In its initial state with 4 SJ cables handling the network’s DC, my system sounded awesome....tick all the hi-fi boxes of extended shimmering tremble and deep mellifluous bass, soundstage based entirely on the recording venue and its ambient clues. There was nothing about the sound I didn’t like. PRaT was SOTA, timing was exquisite, detail sounded ‘complete’, clarity and purity were reference level and listener involvement was of the highest order.  In other words there were no sonic problems to solve and the music was entirely thrilling or moving, depending on genre. Initially I also had a rather competent analog front end, but this digital system eventually trounced the analog set-up so thoroughly that it got traded, no longer worth the fuss and bother of playing LPs. 

As I discuss these new DC cables, the first very valid question must be of course; ‘how much can 2 DC cables powering upstream network components actually affect sound quality?” Intuitively I and probably most of you would likely believe “not much”, but that is absolutely not my experience. In fact, “a great deal” is far closer to what I hear.  Why?  No idea, other than the fact that the digital stream is in fact modulated DC so any DC characteristics that do contribute to sound quality will likely make it through the stream, along with the timed bits. 

So let’s discuss the NMSGs. 

The cables are solid core, beautifully easy to form and hold their shape 100%. There is no springiness at all so its just a matter of smoothly bending them to fit the exact installation requirements, curving smoothly around other cables and orientating the plugs perfectly, with no strain. LIke all cables, I have noticed some running-in anomalies.  I normally listen to my system at a volume setting of -14.5dB. With the new NMSGs I need to increase that to -9dB to achieve the same SPL. Some may say its lower noise and distortion that means I can listen louder, but that’s not what’s happening. I noticed exactly the same thing with the Neotechs...the missing 5dB returning after about 2 weeks of being constantly powered up. I also notice a slight attenuation of dynamics and perhaps slightly less treble shimmer and sparkle....I’m pretty certain that like the Neotechs, this will all return in due course.  

Running-in deficits not withstanding, the NMSGs significantly outperformed the Neotechs although I can’t really report any typical audiophile improvements..... frequency extremes were already extended and rich in timbral detail, soundstage was, as mentioned, as big or small as what is on the recording, there is NO listening room identity, only the recorded venue and music is 3 dimensional, and sounds like its being played by the instruments....so from an Audiophile perspective, not much room for improvement. However there were some major improvements, just that they related entirely to the music rather than to its presentation. 

The first thing you notice is that the music gains in finesse, inner detail, inner warmth, ease and ‘humanness’. Things like mouth and breath sounds became a lot more complex, detailed and real. 

The music is mesmerising, almost hypnotically so, sending shivers of pleasure down your spine. 

The harp in Andreas Vollenweider’s Cosmology sounded lively, vibrant and sparkling, with gorgeous decay, that extends down into complete silence....what makes this all the more amazing is that you  can sense the silence even while other instruments are playing. 

The system seems to have far greater, finely delineated spacial resolution, which makes the soundstage all the more engaging, precise (not etched) and clear, so you can easily follow 2 or more closely related instruments by virtue of their spacial differentiation. This is especially important when sounds differ markedly in amplitude....loud sounds don’t swamp quiet sounds because they are positioned differently in space so don’t interfere. When you increase spacial resolution you hear more low level detail and greater low level detail creates a greater feeling of reality as sounds are revealed that you would normally only hear live. 

The soundstage itself is also affected. Lower noise and greater low level detail give the entire sound stage a presence, a shape, texture, dimensions, even when there are no instruments playing....the size and shape of the recording venue becomes easier to hear...there’s atmosphere and air ....space that has a presence...an ‘eyes closed’ illusion that you’re sitting listening in an entirely different space with no relation whatsoever to your room. 

The music itself has greater bounce and buoyancy.....with more shape and body to the instruments. Instruments positions are very precisely defined in terms of depth and height within the soundstage. Again this makes individual instruments far clearer in the mix, without any analytical characteristics. 

With the NMSG cables, the music has an inner glow and a richness. The music sounds like it is energising the venue....grand piano for example can have a beautiful percussive hammer strike, after which the music blooms out and expands to energise the room, before decaying according to how long the sustain pedal is held. Timbral detail (tone and texture) has always been excellent but with the NMSGs it now remains stable and present down to absolute silence. That soesn’t sound like a big deal, but it again makes things sound more realistic. 

Rhythmic flow often feels like a strong undercurrent, subtle but powerful and irresistible, pulling you along with it. Instruments sound beautifully consolidated, woven together to form a glorious whole. Even when they’re only subtly involved in the mix, their contribution can be powerfully intoxicating. 

Then there’s the music’s ability to generate feelings. We often speak about emotions, but this goes well beyond that as the feelings are unique to the music....the music changes how you feel, and how you feel changes how you hear the music.....amplifying its atmosphere and your reaction to it.  

Take for example Malia’s Celestial Echo. Extremely atmospheric, extended bass with beautiful warmth, tremendous finesse....very pure, very precise, beautifully timed. The bass is round and bounces from note to note.Tomtoms ‘pop’ with dynamic accuracy, even when played quietly. The system creates acoustics that literally play with your mind,  making you feel spaced out, because that’s precisely what you’re hearing and experiencing in your ‘head space’ 

In my system at least, the NMSG cables make the music live and breathe....they bring the music to life.  Songs I wasn’t that fond of suddenly blow my mind with their detail, depth and presence.  The spatial precision results in improved clarity, purity and the fundamental rightness of the sound. The music creates an atmosphere, which generates feelings that you ‘hear the music through’.

For example the music may make you feel spiritual and other worldly, so your feelings reinforce  the music....which is why the listener involvement is so incredibly high....the music and your inner feelings become inextricably linked. I hope I’m explaining this clearly?

Last week I was introduced to  Anoushka Shankar’s album Rise. The music, predominantly Sitar, Voice and Pecussion sounds exotic, eastern and literally soaking in spiritual essence. It is beautifully resonant with super long note decay. The music is highly atmospheric....with some tracks having a rhythmic undertow of riptide proportions . On one track the musician playing tabla percussion sounds like he’s only five or six feet away from the listening chair......its not loud, but includes all the clues to make the music extremely ‘present’ and intimate. The music and instruments suit each other perfectly and the pace of the music and development of the Sitar’s notes are so beautifully coordinated they’ll bring tears of joy at their sheer beauty.

Another album that demonstrates the NMSG’s prowess is Jan Garbarek’s Legend of the 7 Dreams. Voy Contando is spacious, airy, hauntingly beautiful. There’s a simple drum beat.....but what makes it very special is the astounding clarity and complexity. The system weaves magical spells in the air,  with instruments floating in huge spaces that always puts me in mind of northern larch forests and huge open, cold and lonely wilderness. 

 

At some time I’ve got to stop upgrading my system and instead just enjoy fully what I have. I sense that time may be just around the corner. Nenon is kindly making 2 more cables for my Modem and Router. With the right recordings my system can already present the music in a way that rocks or moves every fibre of my being, takes over my consciousness and creates my mood. More than that I don’t need. 

What I find truly amazing about this is that this final touch, the last step that convinces me that I’ve reached the place I want to be sonically, is brought about by 2 DC cables. Even I can sympathize with the objectivists who would poopoo such subjective nonsense....how do 2 DC cables add the atmosphere, the finesse and the beauty that I’m reporting here? 

So 5 days in and 2 more cables on the way we’ll see where this leads...suffice to say, if you’re pursuing audio perfection and you’re able to solder competently, you should make at least one of Nenons NMSG cables. I’m pretty certain you’ll very much like what it brings. 

Finally, to close this initial assessment a big thank you to Nenon who went to a lot of trouble to buy, build and ship these cables for me to try.  They are certainly a surprisingly key component in reaching my own personal sonic nirvana. 

 

 

Big THANK YOU to @Blackmorec for taking the time to write this review.

The best thing is none of us has any financial benefit to promote this cable. Hopefully that makes us somewhat trustworthy. We are just trying to spread some awareness.

 

I have published everything you need to know to be able to make those cables yourself in this thread already. If you can't solder, you can probably find someone who can do it for you. I have tried many different wires, materials, geometries, shieldings, etc. This includes Neotech 7N pure copper, Gotham, VHAudio starquad and many more. The only other cable that might be very close to this is the AudioSensibility OCC Solid Silver. I have not had it in my system. But a member who has both reported he liked the Mundorf better

 

 

4 hours ago, TheAttorney said:

Adding say 1% gold to a silver cable is known to increase its resistance by a proportionally much larger amount. I can't track down the exact values at the moment, but I remember that it increases resistance to significantly higher than copper.

 

I think adding 1% gold to pure silver would still have just a little bit less resistance than pure copper. But that's just on primitive calculation using resistance coefficients of 1.6 for silver, 1.7 for copper, and 2.4 for gold. With these coefficients, we end up with:

100% pure silver - 160

99% silver / 1% gold - 160.8

100% pure copper - 170

 

It seems like the resistance would still be less than pure copper. But of course we are looking at just one variable of something quite complex that no one really understands why it even makes a difference. @Blackmorec powered up his network devices with this cable, not his streamer. Granted, the effects of powering the CPU are even bigger. But I was able to hear differences between DC cables or even different shields powering up my cable modem. I have absolutely no explanation about that.

 

The other thing I tried was different pure silver wires with different gauges and purity. None of those silver cables sounded good to my ears (as DC cables).

I've had similar results with silver wires for analog signal. Way back in my audiophile journey I thought that I could buy silver wire for jewelry from ebay and make interconnects that would sound as good as some of the top cables out there. Wrong! Then I thought maybe I need to be buying better purity silver, and I bought 9999 silver. This did not sound good either. After trying many different silver cables for analog signal, I found one silver cable that sounded excellent (after 1000+ hours burn in time). And it was not from the eBay's jewelry department. It was a meticulously perfected wire by a high-end audio company. That tells me there is a lot more than the resistance of the wire. And I guess whatever Mundorf is doing with this wire is just right. I also think that the 1% gold might be just enough in the mix to "fix" some of the brightness associated with silver. 

 

But be careful how you read all these reviews and comments. So far everyone who tried this wire was impressed. Most of the people, just like @Blackmorec replaced their Neotech 7N copper cables from Ghent. But you need to have a resolving system to hear those differences. That wire is not going to fix other bottlenecks in your system, and unless you are at the point where you've done almost everything else and trying to squeeze out the last few bits of performance, your money can be better spend somewhere else. It's hard to quantify exactly how much difference DC cables make - in my system, I would say subjectively that the difference is somewhere between a power cord and a fuse. If you can't hear differences between power cords and fuses, don't waste your money on this cable. 

[Nenon]

On 2/2/2020 at 9:02 AM, adamaley said:

Any feedback from the owner? Hope he/she is loving the musical fruits of your labor. Any idea what they had before and how it compares?

 

He just told me he is about to post some feedback. Keep an eye for it.  

[TheAttorney]

I've found a link (not the original one I had in mind) to a thread about silver/gold resistivity: here

 

It's on the audiotruth site, which is enough said for many if us. But it does claim that resistivity is not linear to the % gold added.

But apart from that, this Mundorf wire is likely to be top of my list for the next time I decide to make another DC cable 🙂

 

[gererick]

The prior digital source going into my TotalDAC D1-Direct DAC was new on 10/13/19.  So the technology being replaced is almost brand new.  It is a two-box setup built for me by a CA contributor.  Power to the prior server was an HDPlex 200-watt LPS.  I will be putting this prior setup up for sale soon. It is no longer in use, though it was quite good.

 

The prior server and endpoint were designed to sound best with lower-power-use, with the philosophy that lower power consumption means less noise which means better sound.  The prior server had an 8 core AMD Ryzen 2 processor and a mini ITX mother board.  The prior endpoint had an Intel Core i7 8650U Quad-Core processor and motherboard.  The prior endpoint was powered by my Sean Jacobs supply at 19v.  It now powers Nenon’s server’s CPU, at 12v (voltage is easily adjustable on the SJ PS)

 

For a setup with high power consumption, power supplies are ostensibly in shorter supply with longer waiting times.  I don’t think the Sean Jacobs PS is in short supply and it is very, very good especially with the dual-regulation.

 

Roon software was moved to Nenon’s server.  I had the full Euphony software on the endpoint of the prior two boxes; it was also moved to Nenon’s server.  So Nenon’s server has both Roon and Euphony, and it is simple to switch back and forth.

 

My listening comparison is mainly with Roon playing on the prior server and Euphony on its endpoint, versus Euphony Stylus playing on Nenon’s server.  My friend Bob and I also listened to Nenon’s server with Roon Core and StylusEP for an apples-to-apples comparison (same software on different hardware), which I’ll summarize later.

 

The comparison was not a quick A/B, because the Nenon’s server and power supply needed break-in, as did all of the cables.  They probably have 300 hours+ of burn-in now.  The Pink Faun USB card with the ultra OCXO clock has considerably less break-in than this, as it had a soldering issue near the DC jack that Nenon easily fixed.

 

The comparison is not a straight two-box to one-box comparison.  For example, Nenon’s server has Mundorf silver/gold wire inside the server, in the DC cables, and in Nenon’s power supply, built from Sean-Jacobs-supplied components.  Nenon’s server has six DC inputs and wires, five coming from

Sean Jacobs / Nenon equipment, and they were all JSSG360’d, while the prior server was supplied by an HDPlex via stock DC cables, not JSSG360’d.  I don’t think the HDPlex PS is dual regulated (not sure), but the four outputs from Nenon’s / Sean Jacobs PS are dual regulated, as is the SJ PS that powered my endpoint which is now powering the Intel i9-9900K.  My network card is powered by an LPS 1.2.

 

My prior server had a 19v input, plus a 12v input for the CPU.  The 19v input went inside the prior server to the HDPlex DC-ATX, which then converted the 19v to 3.3, 5 and 12v, I believe.  This converter is a $62.50 part.  Soon after the prior server was installed, I contacted Nenon about his surplus power supply that he’d built from SJ components (he had advertised it for sale), because I thought it made more sense to have the conversion done outside of the server, which then led me even further than that to having Nenon replace everything I had just bought.  Crazy stuff, but it worked out extraordinarily well in the end, and I am extraordinarily pleased with the final result.

 

Between my two prior boxes, I had a long run of Cardas ethernet cable.  That is gone in a one-box setup.  Between the prior endpoint and my DAC, I had two Lush^2 cables, an Uptone adapter, an ISO Regen, and an upgraded SOTM Tx-USB Ultra (and two LPS 1.2’s).  The SOTM was being master clocked by a Mutec Ref 10.  Now the only thing between my server and DAC is a 0.3 meter Lush^2.

 

With Nenon’s server, the Pink Faun USB card with the ultra OCXO clock and the SJ PS makes the aforementioned unnecessary, and I will be selling all but one of the two Lush^2 cables.

 

I am somewhat hearing impaired, so I can’t hear high frequencies well.  I asked my friend Bob over, so the below is mainly his description that I agree with.  We heard the same things, but it seems appropriate to have a second pair of ears given my hearing.

 

When Bob listened a few weeks ago, he said the system now sounded like vinyl but maybe needed to burn in as it was lacking in the bass region (which I agreed with).  It turned out to indeed need to burn in.

 

Yesterday, Bob and I listened again.  We didn’t listen for long, and only listened to two parts of two tracks.  The first was the first couple of minutes of Hotel California on Hell Freezes Over (live) with much of the listening focus on the bass drums.  The second was Warren Zevon’s Please Stay, from his last album/CD, The Wind.

 

These were Bob’s words, to the extent I could keep up with my pen.

 

Sounds really nice.

Really sounds lovely.

Sounds more fleshed out. 

More micro detail.

More decay.

More texture of the drums.

More accurate.

More natural.

Very organic.

Very natural.

Non-digital.  You do not get that flatness.  It sounds like real, live music.

I mean, you got a winner.

The bass does not have as much weight or emphasis, but it sounds more accurate.

 

Then we played the same portion of the same track using Roon Core + StylusEP.  Again, Bob’s words, and again, which I again agree with.

 

More digital / harsher / more etched.

With Euphony Stylus, it sounds like somebody singing.

With Euphony Stylus, you were just listening, you weren’t coming up with stuff.

Roon is a little more forward with the bass drums.

The drums are louder, and heavier, but you are losing the micro detail.

Roon does have a little bit more of an impact.

But it doesn’t have the same depth, resonance or decay.

Roon is flatter, it doesn’t have the fullness.  It’s flatter sounding.

 

It is my understanding, in speaking with Nenon, that Euphony Stylus performs better in a high-power situation, i.e. a processor that uses a lot of power.  I have read some posts where listeners like the way Stylus sounds, but they stick with Roon because it is a better user interface.  On Nenon’s server, you can throw the ‘user interface’ preference wherever.  It just sounds far better on Euphony Stylus, far far better.  It is not close.  

 

Then we listened to Please Stay, as discussed above.  Again Bob’s words, which again I agree with.

 

Very natural. 

Everything sounds natural especially the voices.

 

I then discussed the parts of the song when Emmylou Harris comes in to join Warren for the chorus.  On the prior setup, it was still mostly Warren singing those parts; you could barely make out Emmylou’s voice even being present.  Now, her presence is not only distinct from his, it is just as loud as his – there is no difficulty hearing her whatsoever.  And it makes the song much more beautiful (not just that item, but that item really stood out versus the prior setup).  This was my observation, with Bob agreeing with me.  Bob replied that before, you could barely distinguish the background singer, now there is a distinct female background singer.  It sounds totally different, much more like it should sound.

 

I live in the NY area between the Bronx and Connecticut, and have hosted a couple of Westchester Audiophile Society gatherings.  Perhaps in connection with one of those, I can do another hosting which would include some folks from this site.  I am not sure how to do that safely (strangers and all), but feel free to PM me if you might be interested.  I am close to an I95 exit.

 

Below is a picture of my setup.  Nenon's builds are shoved toward the back of the rack because the DC cables are short.  The Sean Jacobs power supply for the CPU is next to Nenon's server on the second shelf with the blue light.  Both Sean Jacobs power supplies are plugged into a Topaz isolation transformer with .0005 pf interwinding capacitance, and that isolation transformer is plugged into a long Tripp Lite power strip that everything else is plugged into, and that power strip draws power from another .0005 pf Elgin transformer.  As I understand it from the mains isolation transformer thread, each of these has 146 dB of common mode noise reduction, so the SJ power supplies are getting clean power, and they cost only a few hundred (or less) on eBay.  The Tripp Lite also has a High Fidelity Cables MC-1 Pro Helix Plus plugged into it, and a Prana Wire Ruby grounding plane hard wired to it..   

[StreamFidelity]

Hi @Nenon and others 😉

 

I am thinking about a build with a ROG MAXIMUS XI FORMULA mainboard. Can I connect the 4-pin connector (EATX12V_2) directly to a 12V / 8A Keces P8 or other LPS?

 

[Energy]

@StreamFidelity

 

Yes, you can. I recommend using a GX16-2 chassis mount male connector attached to the back of the case nearby the EPS connections with four 16AWG wires running from the GX16-2 to the 4-Pin EPS. Two wires for positive and two wires for the negative. Strip the wires with a wire stripper and crimp it to a gold plated female dupont 2.54mm connector that is made from copper (most are brass).

 

The crimp tool, dupont connector, and EPS housing (8-pin) in black or white:

 

 

The more wires used lowers the impedance thus decreases the chance of voltage sag which ultimately improves voltage tolerance.
 

What I do is crimp the wire to the dupont connector, add some flux, and quickly solder the two together to create a better conducting joint. The teflon insulation should still be grappled by the bottom part of the Dupont connector with a 1/32 heatsink going over it to help add flexibility so when the wire bends after it is inserted into the plastic EPS shell, it can move freely without ripping into the wire’s strands or it’s insulation. For those wanting to add JSSG360 shielding, I recommend putting the 16AWG wire through a small cotton tube or paracord type I before adding the shield as this adds physical distance which helps reduce cable capacitance. Both material help with the accumulation of tribolectric charge (static charge) although cotton would be more optimal than the nylon found in paracord since cotton is considered neutral while nylon by nature has a negative charge.

 

My question for @Nenon is whether or not it is possible to use two different 12V power supplies of 10A if there are two 8-Pin connectors used for EPS or will the combination cause a short?

[adamaley]

To those like, scared of replacing clocks on their motherboards, it appears Pink Faun has a new service to do the mods for you:

 

[Nenon]

19 hours ago, gererick said:

The prior digital source going into my TotalDAC D1-Direct DAC was new on 10/13/19.  So the technology being replaced is almost brand new.  It is a two-box setup built for me by a CA contributor.  Power to the prior server was an HDPlex 200-watt LPS.  I will be putting this prior setup up for sale soon. It is no longer in use, though it was quite good.

 

The prior server and endpoint were designed to sound best with lower-power-use, with the philosophy that lower power consumption means less noise which means better sound.  The prior server had an 8 core AMD Ryzen 2 processor and a mini ITX mother board.  The prior endpoint had an Intel Core i7 8650U Quad-Core processor and motherboard.  The prior endpoint was powered by my Sean Jacobs supply at 19v.  It now powers Nenon’s server’s CPU, at 12v (voltage is easily adjustable on the SJ PS)

 

For a setup with high power consumption, power supplies are ostensibly in shorter supply with longer waiting times.  I don’t think the Sean Jacobs PS is in short supply and it is very, very good especially with the dual-regulation.

 

Roon software was moved to Nenon’s server.  I had the full Euphony software on the endpoint of the prior two boxes; it was also moved to Nenon’s server.  So Nenon’s server has both Roon and Euphony, and it is simple to switch back and forth.

 

My listening comparison is mainly with Roon playing on the prior server and Euphony on its endpoint, versus Euphony Stylus playing on Nenon’s server.  My friend Bob and I also listened to Nenon’s server with Roon Core and StylusEP for an apples-to-apples comparison (same software on different hardware), which I’ll summarize later.

 

The comparison was not a quick A/B, because the Nenon’s server and power supply needed break-in, as did all of the cables.  They probably have 300 hours+ of burn-in now.  The Pink Faun USB card with the ultra OCXO clock has considerably less break-in than this, as it had a soldering issue near the DC jack that Nenon easily fixed.

 

The comparison is not a straight two-box to one-box comparison.  For example, Nenon’s server has Mundorf silver/gold wire inside the server, in the DC cables, and in Nenon’s power supply, built from Sean-Jacobs-supplied components.  Nenon’s server has six DC inputs and wires, five coming from

Sean Jacobs / Nenon equipment, and they were all JSSG360’d, while the prior server was supplied by an HDPlex via stock DC cables, not JSSG360’d.  I don’t think the HDPlex PS is dual regulated (not sure), but the four outputs from Nenon’s / Sean Jacobs PS are dual regulated, as is the SJ PS that powered my endpoint which is now powering the Intel i9-9900K.  My network card is powered by an LPS 1.2.

 

My prior server had a 19v input, plus a 12v input for the CPU.  The 19v input went inside the prior server to the HDPlex DC-ATX, which then converted the 19v to 3.3, 5 and 12v, I believe.  This converter is a $62.50 part.  Soon after the prior server was installed, I contacted Nenon about his surplus power supply that he’d built from SJ components (he had advertised it for sale), because I thought it made more sense to have the conversion done outside of the server, which then led me even further than that to having Nenon replace everything I had just bought.  Crazy stuff, but it worked out extraordinarily well in the end, and I am extraordinarily pleased with the final result.

 

Between my two prior boxes, I had a long run of Cardas ethernet cable.  That is gone in a one-box setup.  Between the prior endpoint and my DAC, I had two Lush^2 cables, an Uptone adapter, an ISO Regen, and an upgraded SOTM Tx-USB Ultra (and two LPS 1.2’s).  The SOTM was being master clocked by a Mutec Ref 10.  Now the only thing between my server and DAC is a 0.3 meter Lush^2.

 

With Nenon’s server, the Pink Faun USB card with the ultra OCXO clock and the SJ PS makes the aforementioned unnecessary, and I will be selling all but one of the two Lush^2 cables.

 

I am somewhat hearing impaired, so I can’t hear high frequencies well.  I asked my friend Bob over, so the below is mainly his description that I agree with.  We heard the same things, but it seems appropriate to have a second pair of ears given my hearing.

 

When Bob listened a few weeks ago, he said the system now sounded like vinyl but maybe needed to burn in as it was lacking in the bass region (which I agreed with).  It turned out to indeed need to burn in.

 

Yesterday, Bob and I listened again.  We didn’t listen for long, and only listened to two parts of two tracks.  The first was the first couple of minutes of Hotel California on Hell Freezes Over (live) with much of the listening focus on the bass drums.  The second was Warren Zevon’s Please Stay, from his last album/CD, The Wind.

 

These were Bob’s words, to the extent I could keep up with my pen.

 

Sounds really nice.

Really sounds lovely.

Sounds more fleshed out. 

More micro detail.

More decay.

More texture of the drums.

More accurate.

More natural.

Very organic.

Very natural.

Non-digital.  You do not get that flatness.  It sounds like real, live music.

I mean, you got a winner.

The bass does not have as much weight or emphasis, but it sounds more accurate.

 

Then we played the same portion of the same track using Roon Core + StylusEP.  Again, Bob’s words, and again, which I again agree with.

 

More digital / harsher / more etched.

With Euphony Stylus, it sounds like somebody singing.

With Euphony Stylus, you were just listening, you weren’t coming up with stuff.

Roon is a little more forward with the bass drums.

The drums are louder, and heavier, but you are losing the micro detail.

Roon does have a little bit more of an impact.

But it doesn’t have the same depth, resonance or decay.

Roon is flatter, it doesn’t have the fullness.  It’s flatter sounding.

 

It is my understanding, in speaking with Nenon, that Euphony Stylus performs better in a high-power situation, i.e. a processor that uses a lot of power.  I have read some posts where listeners like the way Stylus sounds, but they stick with Roon because it is a better user interface.  On Nenon’s server, you can throw the ‘user interface’ preference wherever.  It just sounds far better on Euphony Stylus, far far better.  It is not close.  

 

Then we listened to Please Stay, as discussed above.  Again Bob’s words, which again I agree with.

 

Very natural. 

Everything sounds natural especially the voices.

 

I then discussed the parts of the song when Emmylou Harris comes in to join Warren for the chorus.  On the prior setup, it was still mostly Warren singing those parts; you could barely make out Emmylou’s voice even being present.  Now, her presence is not only distinct from his, it is just as loud as his – there is no difficulty hearing her whatsoever.  And it makes the song much more beautiful (not just that item, but that item really stood out versus the prior setup).  This was my observation, with Bob agreeing with me.  Bob replied that before, you could barely distinguish the background singer, now there is a distinct female background singer.  It sounds totally different, much more like it should sound.

 

I live in the NY area between the Bronx and Connecticut, and have hosted a couple of Westchester Audiophile Society gatherings.  Perhaps in connection with one of those, I can do another hosting which would include some folks from this site.  I am not sure how to do that safely (strangers and all), but feel free to PM me if you might be interested.  I am close to an I95 exit.

 

Below is a picture of my setup.  Nenon's builds are shoved toward the back of the rack because the DC cables are short.  The Sean Jacobs power supply for the CPU is next to Nenon's server on the second shelf with the blue light.  Both Sean Jacobs power supplies are plugged into a Topaz isolation transformer with .0005 pf interwinding capacitance, and that isolation transformer is plugged into a long Tripp Lite power strip that everything else is plugged into, and that power strip draws power from another .0005 pf Elgin transformer.  As I understand it from the mains isolation transformer thread, each of these has 146 dB of common mode noise reduction, so the SJ power supplies are getting clean power, and they cost only a few hundred (or less) on eBay.  The Tripp Lite also has a High Fidelity Cables MC-1 Pro Helix Plus plugged into it, and a Prana Wire Ruby grounding plane hard wired to it..   

Thank you for taking the time to write this review @gererick. I am glad you like the overall result. Give it another 3 months, and it would open up even more. Everything is still burning in and as you have already noticed it keeps improving. The big Mundorf caps, the big toroidal, the OCXO clock, and the silver/gold wires in teflon all take good couple of months to break in. This computer will shine at its best around around mid-April.

 

[Nenon]

 

8 hours ago, Energy said:

My question for @Nenon is whether or not it is possible to use two different 12V power supplies of 10A if there are two 8-Pin connectors used for EPS or will the combination cause a short?

My guess is that the two EPS connectors are connected in parallel. It's easy to check with a multimeter. 

If the two connectors are in parallel, and you use two power supplies, you are essentially connecting two power supplies in parallel. It is hard to predict how well that is going to work. You can think of it as connecting two batteries in parallel.  It would not cause a short (unless you do something wrong). But you may not get 20A if that's your goal. 

 

 

1 hour ago, adamaley said:

To those like, scared of replacing clocks on their motherboards, it appears Pink Faun has a new service to do the mods for you:

 

Or you can wait for my guide. I have done some good progress on it and have been trying to give it the usual level of attention to details. Short wires, good power, and vibration control are not easy problems to solve when you change the clocks as an afterthought, rather than implementing them on the motherboard as part of the original PCB design. All three are very important key items. 

[adamaley]

On 2/17/2020 at 4:44 PM, gererick said:

The prior digital source going into my TotalDAC D1-Direct DAC was new on 10/13/19.  So the technology being replaced is almost brand new.  It is a two-box setup built for me by a CA contributor.  Power to the prior server was an HDPlex 200-watt LPS.  I will be putting this prior setup up for sale soon. It is no longer in use, though it was quite good.

 

The prior server and endpoint were designed to sound best with lower-power-use, with the philosophy that lower power consumption means less noise which means better sound.  The prior server had an 8 core AMD Ryzen 2 processor and a mini ITX mother board.  The prior endpoint had an Intel Core i7 8650U Quad-Core processor and motherboard.  The prior endpoint was powered by my Sean Jacobs supply at 19v.  It now powers Nenon’s server’s CPU, at 12v (voltage is easily adjustable on the SJ PS)

 

For a setup with high power consumption, power supplies are ostensibly in shorter supply with longer waiting times.  I don’t think the Sean Jacobs PS is in short supply and it is very, very good especially with the dual-regulation.

 

Roon software was moved to Nenon’s server.  I had the full Euphony software on the endpoint of the prior two boxes; it was also moved to Nenon’s server.  So Nenon’s server has both Roon and Euphony, and it is simple to switch back and forth.

 

My listening comparison is mainly with Roon playing on the prior server and Euphony on its endpoint, versus Euphony Stylus playing on Nenon’s server.  My friend Bob and I also listened to Nenon’s server with Roon Core and StylusEP for an apples-to-apples comparison (same software on different hardware), which I’ll summarize later.

 

The comparison was not a quick A/B, because the Nenon’s server and power supply needed break-in, as did all of the cables.  They probably have 300 hours+ of burn-in now.  The Pink Faun USB card with the ultra OCXO clock has considerably less break-in than this, as it had a soldering issue near the DC jack that Nenon easily fixed.

 

The comparison is not a straight two-box to one-box comparison.  For example, Nenon’s server has Mundorf silver/gold wire inside the server, in the DC cables, and in Nenon’s power supply, built from Sean-Jacobs-supplied components.  Nenon’s server has six DC inputs and wires, five coming from

Sean Jacobs / Nenon equipment, and they were all JSSG360’d, while the prior server was supplied by an HDPlex via stock DC cables, not JSSG360’d.  I don’t think the HDPlex PS is dual regulated (not sure), but the four outputs from Nenon’s / Sean Jacobs PS are dual regulated, as is the SJ PS that powered my endpoint which is now powering the Intel i9-9900K.  My network card is powered by an LPS 1.2.

 

My prior server had a 19v input, plus a 12v input for the CPU.  The 19v input went inside the prior server to the HDPlex DC-ATX, which then converted the 19v to 3.3, 5 and 12v, I believe.  This converter is a $62.50 part.  Soon after the prior server was installed, I contacted Nenon about his surplus power supply that he’d built from SJ components (he had advertised it for sale), because I thought it made more sense to have the conversion done outside of the server, which then led me even further than that to having Nenon replace everything I had just bought.  Crazy stuff, but it worked out extraordinarily well in the end, and I am extraordinarily pleased with the final result.

 

Between my two prior boxes, I had a long run of Cardas ethernet cable.  That is gone in a one-box setup.  Between the prior endpoint and my DAC, I had two Lush^2 cables, an Uptone adapter, an ISO Regen, and an upgraded SOTM Tx-USB Ultra (and two LPS 1.2’s).  The SOTM was being master clocked by a Mutec Ref 10.  Now the only thing between my server and DAC is a 0.3 meter Lush^2.

 

With Nenon’s server, the Pink Faun USB card with the ultra OCXO clock and the SJ PS makes the aforementioned unnecessary, and I will be selling all but one of the two Lush^2 cables.

 

I am somewhat hearing impaired, so I can’t hear high frequencies well.  I asked my friend Bob over, so the below is mainly his description that I agree with.  We heard the same things, but it seems appropriate to have a second pair of ears given my hearing.

 

When Bob listened a few weeks ago, he said the system now sounded like vinyl but maybe needed to burn in as it was lacking in the bass region (which I agreed with).  It turned out to indeed need to burn in.

 

Yesterday, Bob and I listened again.  We didn’t listen for long, and only listened to two parts of two tracks.  The first was the first couple of minutes of Hotel California on Hell Freezes Over (live) with much of the listening focus on the bass drums.  The second was Warren Zevon’s Please Stay, from his last album/CD, The Wind.

 

These were Bob’s words, to the extent I could keep up with my pen.

 

Sounds really nice.

Really sounds lovely.

Sounds more fleshed out. 

More micro detail.

More decay.

More texture of the drums.

More accurate.

More natural.

Very organic.

Very natural.

Non-digital.  You do not get that flatness.  It sounds like real, live music.

I mean, you got a winner.

The bass does not have as much weight or emphasis, but it sounds more accurate.

 

Then we played the same portion of the same track using Roon Core + StylusEP.  Again, Bob’s words, and again, which I again agree with.

 

More digital / harsher / more etched.

With Euphony Stylus, it sounds like somebody singing.

With Euphony Stylus, you were just listening, you weren’t coming up with stuff.

Roon is a little more forward with the bass drums.

The drums are louder, and heavier, but you are losing the micro detail.

Roon does have a little bit more of an impact.

But it doesn’t have the same depth, resonance or decay.

Roon is flatter, it doesn’t have the fullness.  It’s flatter sounding.

 

It is my understanding, in speaking with Nenon, that Euphony Stylus performs better in a high-power situation, i.e. a processor that uses a lot of power.  I have read some posts where listeners like the way Stylus sounds, but they stick with Roon because it is a better user interface.  On Nenon’s server, you can throw the ‘user interface’ preference wherever.  It just sounds far better on Euphony Stylus, far far better.  It is not close.  

 

Then we listened to Please Stay, as discussed above.  Again Bob’s words, which again I agree with.

 

Very natural. 

Everything sounds natural especially the voices.

 

I then discussed the parts of the song when Emmylou Harris comes in to join Warren for the chorus.  On the prior setup, it was still mostly Warren singing those parts; you could barely make out Emmylou’s voice even being present.  Now, her presence is not only distinct from his, it is just as loud as his – there is no difficulty hearing her whatsoever.  And it makes the song much more beautiful (not just that item, but that item really stood out versus the prior setup).  This was my observation, with Bob agreeing with me.  Bob replied that before, you could barely distinguish the background singer, now there is a distinct female background singer.  It sounds totally different, much more like it should sound.

 

I live in the NY area between the Bronx and Connecticut, and have hosted a couple of Westchester Audiophile Society gatherings.  Perhaps in connection with one of those, I can do another hosting which would include some folks from this site.  I am not sure how to do that safely (strangers and all), but feel free to PM me if you might be interested.  I am close to an I95 exit.

 

Below is a picture of my setup.  Nenon's builds are shoved toward the back of the rack because the DC cables are short.  The Sean Jacobs power supply for the CPU is next to Nenon's server on the second shelf with the blue light.  Both Sean Jacobs power supplies are plugged into a Topaz isolation transformer with .0005 pf interwinding capacitance, and that isolation transformer is plugged into a long Tripp Lite power strip that everything else is plugged into, and that power strip draws power from another .0005 pf Elgin transformer.  As I understand it from the mains isolation transformer thread, each of these has 146 dB of common mode noise reduction, so the SJ power supplies are getting clean power, and they cost only a few hundred (or less) on eBay.  The Tripp Lite also has a High Fidelity Cables MC-1 Pro Helix Plus plugged into it, and a Prana Wire Ruby grounding plane hard wired to it..   

 

I may have missed it, but did you expand on what the rest of your system is? Amplifiers, speakers?

[mikicasellas]

I'm just waiting for the HDPLEX 800 DCATX which is supposed to arrive next week and will begin with the build...

 

That would be another journey for me when setting BIOS the right way, ONLY Euphony Stylus or Euphony Stylus Ep - ROON will be in this machine.

 

Im still deciding which PCIE USB card will be using with this server.

 

Exciting times 😊