Who Knew?

[StephenJK]

I wanted to try the streaming input from my laptop to the Devialet Expert Pro monoblocks. I’ve done a lot of tests over the years with laptop vs network player but never had the streamer option. 
 

The monoblocks were recently upgraded to being able to stream from the laptop. 
 

OK, now it’s a network issue. The Bell fibre network and the WiFi pucks do give a network connection, but they didn’t seem to allow the laptop to directly connect to the monoblocks.  Meaning, in technical terminology, it just didn’t work. 
 

 Being persistent, the answer for the technical types is to throw in a switch and let the laptop talk to the monoblock. The issue now is that the existing fibre connection is wireless to a hub in the basement. 
 

Maybe a wireless solution?  Yup, D-Link something or other setup as a Media Bridge and finally, after months of trying this and that, I can stream from the Dell laptop to the Devialet monoblock using their AIR driver to make the monoblock the soundcard. 
 

The difference in the sound quality is stunning, the speakers disappeared. 
 

Now I have to go back and edit twenty years of posts where I said that a laptop as a music server was just fine. Well, it is, but streaming is definitely better.  
 

Who knew?

[AudioDoctor]

I have switched to streaming and have not looked back. I was a proponent of keeping things as simple as possible and having stuff hardwired together, and that worked great. It worked even better when I replaced the Mini with an Aurender server. Using the Mini as a server for Roon to a Sonore Optical Rendu Signature SE though, that's way better and ROON is a great interface for that. No going back for me.

[StephenJK]

On 1/31/2020 at 5:56 PM, AudioDoctor said:

I have switched to streaming and have not looked back. I was a proponent of keeping things as simple as possible and having stuff hardwired together, and that worked great. It worked even better when I replaced the Mini with an Aurender server. Using the Mini as a server for Roon to a Sonore Optical Rendu Signature SE though, that's way better and ROON is a great interface for that. No going back for me.

Roon is the next test instead of the media player I'm using now.  I may try that over the weekend.  I had a trial from Roon that I cancelled with a hardware change - they were kind enough to reset a trial period for 30 days so I can do a test with the Devialet hardware.

[Scubafish]

I have a number of raspberry pi streamers around the house, all coupled to a Roon lifetime subscription and a high definition Tidal subscription.  Loving it...  

 

For those that are interested I have the following pi DAC’s -

 

IQaudIO Digi amp+ connected to a Bose acoustimass 5 system

Allo Boss 1.2 connected to a demon amp and Monitor Audio BR5 speakers

Audiophonics ES9038Q2M connected a Cyrus VS8 amp and B&W 702 s2 speakers (currently awaiting a Kali reclocker)...

 

 

[Rexp]

On 2/8/2020 at 3:17 AM, SJK said:

Roon is the next test instead of the media player I'm using now.  I may try that over the weekend.  I had a trial from Roon that I cancelled with a hardware change - they were kind enough to reset a trial period for 30 days so I can do a test with the Devialet hardware.

Any update on your player preference? 

[StephenJK]

The Roon sound was better, both my wife and I preferred it.  The difference was subtle, but noticeable with better definition and slightly improved soundstage in the midrange.

 

It wasn't a cost issue, I was prepared to buy a lifetime Roon subscription.  I missed the folder structure that I had established with JRiver, but was warming to the multimedia experience that Roon provides.

 

I let the Roon trial period lapse without buying it.  The issue with 100% startup volume was something I wasn't living to live with.

 

While I can appreciate how many will run Roon headless on a server, I run from a laptop that connects directly to the stereo with either USB or now that I'm streaming to a switch with Ethernet.  

 

I never leave things on that I'm not using, so the laptop and stereo get shut down every night.  On startup, Roon goes to 100% volume!  I know - hard to believe.  They have settings for min and max dB, and now with a plus button push only a 10 dB increase, but no startup volume.

 

I just can't take the risk.  If I did a Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) like we do at work, the result would be High Risk and Highly Likely Event, meaning it's not going to happen.  

 

It's not just me I worry about, and I know that at some point I will forget.  There's also my wife and house guests who look after our cats on occasion.  And it doesn't matter how much the stereo gear is worth, nobody wants to see their stuff blow up.  With amplifier capacity of 440 W a side it would be a mess. 

[mjb]

On 3/13/2020 at 5:04 PM, SJK said:

I never leave things on that I'm not using, so the laptop and stereo get shut down every night.  On startup, Roon goes to 100% volume!  I know - hard to believe. 

 

I don’t know why you are experiencing this, I certainly don’t. I can share my settings with you, but I’m pretty sure things are basically set at defaults. Roon and Devialet work very well together, over ethernet/Wifi, USB won’t give the signal path or volume setting feedback (to Roon).

[StephenJK]

Agreed.  But the sound quality between using the USB input to the Devialet as opposed to streaming from Roon is significant.  I used the USB for quite some time and yes, you're setting the volume control from the music player where with the streaming you control the Devialet volume directly. 

 

As an update, I did finally purchase a lifetime subscription from Roon, so much for making grand pronouncements to the contrary.  

 

The difference in sound quality between Roon and a competitive product I've been using for years was just to great to ignore.  It's all about the music. 

 

I'm developing some workarounds for that initial volume jump and will come up with something that will work reliably.