DIY Project High Performance Audio PC with high quality wiring

[Zauurx]

I am thinking of updating my configuration if my HDPlex V3 box is compatible ?

Roon/HQP server under windows (10/11 or 2022 server)

 

Intel Core i9-11900F (2.5 GHz / 5.2 GHz)
Gigabyte Z590 AORUS PRO AX
G.Skill RipJaws 5 Series Noir 32 Go (2x 16 Go) DDR4 3200 MHz CL14

 

Or any other proposal for this CPU which seems interesting for its power and PTD.

[BCRich]

5 hours ago, Patatorz said:

Thanks a lot. Where can I find information about sound analog ?

for the Netcard XE I use an optimo nano feed by the taiko extreme. 

I believe his username is SoulAnalog, he is a member of this Forum. 

I also had a Keces powering my Taiko ATX, huge difference after building the ULPS V3…..

[StreamFidelity]

17 hours ago, Zauurx said:

Intel Core i9-11900F

 

Intel's 11th generation processor has received a few bad reviews. Essentially, it was about the poor energy efficiency. Not good for a passive cooling system.

 

When it comes to cost, go for an i9-10900 or i9-10850. When it comes to maximum performance, choose a 12th-core.

[luisma]

23 hours ago, Zauurx said:

Or any other proposal for this CPU which seems interesting for its power and PTD

Follow @StreamFidelityadvice, for a passive design you'll be better off with a 12th gen chip than 11th

Ryzen 5X00X is pretty decent and good thermals, but not the same performance as 12th gen intel

[Louie]

On 11/30/2021 at 2:41 AM, StreamFidelity said:

Today the time had come: The assembly of the fis Audio PC i9-12900K could begin.

 

Intel® Core ™ i9-12900K Processor

 

This is what the 1,700 pins look like. Sometimes there are quality problems. That's why I'm looking at it enlarged.

 

 

Motherboard MSI MPG-Z690-EDGE-WIFI-DDR4

 

And they have to fit exactly onto the pins on the motherboard.

 

 

This heat sink made of solid copper from HDPLEX is supposed to cool the CPU.

 

 

HDPLEX has a plastic plate on the back to hold the spring holder for the CPU cooling. It didn't quite fit and was made to fit.

 

 

Now the CPU could be attached to the motherboard. Two triangles help with insertion so that there is no short circuit.

 

 

The motherboard has numerous aluminum heat sinks.

 

 

Here you can see the massive heat sinks for the CPU VRM power supply.

 

 

H5 Fanless PC Case

 

I prepared the case with the side walls and the spacers for the motherboard.

 

 

This is what the CPU heatsink looks like when mounted. The grooves accommodate the heat pipes, which transfer the heat to the side wall.

 

 

The first function test is always exciting. Great! There is immediately disco lighting with the msi dragon. 😂

You can turn that off.

 

 

It will continue shortly.

@StreamFidelityI am starting to plan to upgrade my current HQPE that is running with i7-7700k on HDPLEX H5.

My target will be i9-12900K or i7-12700K, it seem 12700K has higher core-frequency, but less number of cores than 12900K. Thus, I am looking for upscale to DSD512, which CPU that you will suggest?

Also, do you have idea on which Z690 mainboard that have better SQ? It seem you are using MSI, how is your feeling on SQ?

[Patatorz]

Dears,

 

i ‘m waiting the new H5 case from HDPlex and for the first time i was thinking in replacing the 4 feet provided in the package by more impacting ones. Today i use 3 rollerblocks from symposium but your feedbacks/recommendation  could be very useful before i start to put in place the Motherboard.

 

Thanks a lot

 

[StreamFidelity]

2 hours ago, Louie said:

Thus, I am looking for upscale to DSD512, which CPU that you will suggest?

 

In my opinion, it is always better to have more power reserves. The i9-12900 enables DSD512 / ASDM7ECv2. I'm not sure if a weaker CPU can be used.

 

2 hours ago, Louie said:

Also, do you have idea on which Z690 mainboard that have better SQ? It seem you are using MSI, how is your feeling on SQ?

 

msi was a positive surprise to ASUS on the part of BIOS. It runs very smoothly and enables, for example, the fan monitoring to be switched off at the push of a button. The direct phase design is also impressive. ASUS has a hybrid model.

 

At the moment I prefer DDR4 RAM due to the low latency and the selection of Z690 boards is limited. With DDR5 I prefer to wait and see how it develops.

[StreamFidelity]

1 hour ago, Patatorz said:

Today i use 3 rollerblocks from symposium but your feedbacks/recommendation  could be very useful before i start to put in place the Motherboard.

 

I prefer fis Magic Spacers. Unfortunately they are currently sold out. Decoupling sensitive electronic components is always a good thing.

 

[Louie]

1 hour ago, StreamFidelity said:

 

In my opinion, it is always better to have more power reserves. The i9-12900 enables DSD512 / ASDM7ECv2. I'm not sure if a weaker CPU can be used.

 

 

msi was a positive surprise to ASUS on the part of BIOS. It runs very smoothly and enables, for example, the fan monitoring to be switched off at the push of a button. The direct phase design is also impressive. ASUS has a hybrid model.

 

At the moment I prefer DDR4 RAM due to the low latency and the selection of Z690 boards is limited. With DDR5 I prefer to wait and see how it develops.

@StreamFidelityThanks for your advice. I will go for your suggested configuration. After that, I will go for LPS for the power input as next phase.

 

[YuriyTM]

On 8/12/2021 at 10:45 AM, StreamFidelity said:

 

 

 

 

Hello. Inspired by your project, I made my own version.

NeoZuxel project!
Compiled on the basis of Zyxel GS-108B v3.
Fitted details: clock Neutrino 2 Compact Audio Reference Clocks (http://www.newclassd.com/index.php?page=168&hv=1) 
and    
Ultra Wide Bandwidth Mk 2 Voltage regulator (http://www.newclassd.com/index.php?page=250)  NewClassD.
Power to the switch comes from a 12-volt LBP. It has a branch inside, so 12 volts go to the clock,
and 5 volts are supplied to the board through the regulator.
Everything fit into the switch case. 
From additional materials for fastening and insulating the clock and the regulator, electrical tape was needed,
a strip of double-sided tape, a bolt and a sleeve. Tools: cutter pliers, soldering iron, soldering accessories and a pair of screwdrivers.

 

 

 

[StreamFidelity]

First I would like to point out that I am a distributor of JCAT products. However, I do not recommend products that I am not convinced of. This to the classification of the following report!

 

As announced by Marcin, JCAT has developed a new linear ATX power supply: JCAT OPTIMO S ATX.

The JCAT OPTIMO S ATX LPS arrived yesterday. It was packed safe for transport in a cardboard box and shockproof.

 

 

This power supply is heavy (27kg) and very large. But it fits well on my Solidsteel rack.

 

 

The cables Molex 24 pin to Molex 24 pin ATX and Molex 8 pin to Molex 8 pin CPU are included and are really heavy. This is due to the cable material made of shielded silver-plated copper with 18 AWG.

 

 

I connected the cable ends directly to the fis audio PC. I was able to expand the Taiko DC-ATX converter because it is no longer needed.

 

 

My first test. Oversample PCM to DSD1024? No problem.

 

 

Load high-quality filters poly-sinc-ext3, ASDM7ECv2, DSD256 of the HQPlayer? The power is made available without restriction.

 

At higher loads, the LPS doesn't know limits but the temperature development of the CPU. In this setting the temperature fluctuates between 85°C and 95°C.

 

 

My favorite setting for CD format is poly-sinc-lp-2s, ASDM7ECv2, DSD256. With an average load of around 7%, this is also a minor issue for the Intel i9-12900K CPU. Incidentally, I deactivated 6 of the 8 E-Cores (efficient cores) in the BIOS, since a maximum of only 2 E-Cores were lightly loaded in all test scenarios. That saves energy.

 

 

How does that sound?

 

When something is reproduced particularly well, the volume perceives to decrease. This is because the background noise is pushed further down, i.e. the so-called blackness increases. The LPS has a ripple noise of only <25uV RMS (0.025 millivolt [mV]). Added to this is the current strength of 23A on the 12V rail. That is full power reserves.

 

The individual instruments are presented physically to touch. With this LPS, fine structures are revealed even in complex compositions, so that it is a pleasure. The timing of percussion instruments is springy and on point. One looks in vain for any sharpening.

 

The JCAT OPTIMO S ATX LPS is a game changer for me. Others probably suspected that too, because the first batch has already sold out. The next one won't come until March 2022.

 

 

 

 

[Marcin_gps]

@StreamFidelity nice report!

 

6 hours ago, StreamFidelity said:

When something is reproduced particularly well, the volume perceives to decrease. This is because the background noise is pushed further down, i.e. the so-called blackness increases. The LPS has a ripple noise of only <25uV RMS (0.025 millivolt [mV]). Added to this is the current strength of 23A on the 12V rail. That is full power reserves.

Actually 25uV is at full load. During normal use the noise is below measuring range. 

 

The PSU will show its full potential after 150 hours of use. 

 

Regards, 
Marcin

[RickyV]

6 hours ago, StreamFidelity said:

First I would like to point out that I am a distributor of JCAT products. However, I do not recommend products that I am not convinced of. This to the classification of the following report!

 

As announced by Marcin, JCAT has developed a new linear ATX power supply: JCAT OPTIMO S ATX.

The JCAT OPTIMO S ATX LPS arrived yesterday. It was packed safe for transport in a cardboard box and shockproof.

 

 

This power supply is heavy (27kg) and very large. But it fits well on my Solidsteel rack.

 

 

The cables Molex 24 pin to Molex 24 pin ATX and Molex 8 pin to Molex 8 pin CPU are included and are really heavy. This is due to the cable material made of shielded silver-plated copper with 18 AWG.

 

 

I connected the cable ends directly to the fis audio PC. I was able to expand the Taiko DC-ATX converter because it is no longer needed.

 

 

My first test. Oversample PCM to DSD1024? No problem.

 

 

Load high-quality filters poly-sinc-ext3, ASDM7ECv2, DSD256 of the HQPlayer? The power is made available without restriction.

 

At higher loads, the LPS doesn't know limits but the temperature development of the CPU. In this setting the temperature fluctuates between 85°C and 95°C.

 

 

My favorite setting for CD format is poly-sinc-lp-2s, ASDM7ECv2, DSD256. With an average load of around 7%, this is also a minor issue for the Intel i9-12900K CPU. Incidentally, I deactivated 6 of the 8 E-Cores (efficient cores) in the BIOS, since a maximum of only 2 E-Cores were lightly loaded in all test scenarios. That saves energy.

 

 

How does that sound?

 

When something is reproduced particularly well, the volume perceives to decrease. This is because the background noise is pushed further down, i.e. the so-called blackness increases. The LPS has a ripple noise of only <25uV RMS (0.025 millivolt [mV]). Added to this is the current strength of 23A on the 12V rail. That is full power reserves.

 

The individual instruments are presented physically to touch. With this LPS, fine structures are revealed even in complex compositions, so that it is a pleasure. The timing of percussion instruments is springy and on point. One looks in vain for any sharpening.

 

The JCAT OPTIMO S ATX LPS is a game changer for me. Others probably suspected that too, because the first batch has already sold out. The next one won't come until March 2022.

 

 

 

 

Wow that Jcat ATX supply is big, look fantastic. How much burn-in time did it get? 
Did you already noticed some differences between the Keces-> Taiko supply vs the Jcat or is that to early to tell?

Just for my curiosity did you try/ heard the Taiko with the unregulated supply? I do not remember.

[StreamFidelity]

58 minutes ago, RickyV said:

How much burn-in time did it get? 

 

At the time of my report, the JCAT OPTIMO S ATX was playing for about 5 hours! I usually burn in devices first, but here the improvement was so obvious.

 

58 minutes ago, RickyV said:

Did you already noticed some differences between the Keces-> Taiko supply vs the Jcat or is that to early to tell?

 

The differences are pretty big. I am trying to make a subjective assessment. I've been through a few iterrations. My summary:

 

HDPLEX 200W + 400W HDEPLEX DC-ATX

 

It was significantly better than a switching power supply. Unfortunately, this LPS went up in smoke because the load became too great. I haven't tried the successor HDPLEX 300W.

 

1 x Keces P8 + 400W HDEPLEX DC-ATX

 

That was a step forward in terms of security.

 

2 x Keces P8 + 400W HDEPLEX DC-ATX

 

The direct CPU supply was an important step towards increasing the SQ.

 

2 x Keces P8 + 500W Taiko Audio DC-ATX

 

I tried the full ATX supply via Taiko Audio. But the direct supply of the CPU with a second Keces P8 was the winner again. There has been some discussion about it here. I think 1 Keces P8 with a maximum of 20V / 8A is simply too weak to drive a Taiko Audio DC-ATX properly. It is designed for an unregulated LPS, which I have never tried for safety reasons. In any case, the combination was another step forward in my system.

 

1 x Keces P28 + 500W Taiko Audio DC-ATX

 

This power supply unit has several separate outputs but only one transformer. It got very hot and in the end I was "only" able to play DSD128 with ASDM7ECv2. Nevertheless, the sound was fantastic and the best in my system to date.

 

500W JCAT OPTIMO S ATX

 

It's amazing how the SQ has increased again. Now it has been playing for 24 hours and is getting better and better! In addition to the excellent quality of the power supply, there are also many arguments in favor of the technical principle.

 

3 independent rails for 3.3V, 5V and 12V supply the audio PC. Each of these rails has its own transformer, which reduces the power loss. This is noticeable in a significantly lower heat development, which is comparable to my mono power amplifiers T + A M10. Anyone who sees the cooling fins of my power amplifiers can imagine what I mean.

 

There are also fewer cables because there is no DC-ATX converter. The cable from JCAT are pretty good. That puts the price of the JCAT OPTIMO S ATX into perspective.

 

I am really very enthusiastic, because this fabulous transparency and instrument separation is excellent. 👍

[StreamFidelity]

Since it is possible to stream via Qobuz with the HQPlayer, I am of course also concerned with the question of what is better:

 

HQPlayer with or without Roon?

 

Roon on its own does not have a good reputation among many when it comes to SQ (sound quality). In addition to rather simple DSP algorithms, Roon, as a data octopus, is constantly busy feeding the music library with information. Roon seems to put more emphasis on the visual representation than on the rendering quality.

 

I really appreciate the user interface and diversity of Roon. That's why I previously combined Roon for music management and presentation with the high-quality algorithms of the HQPlayer. The separation only became really good when I started using a 2 PC system. The Audio Server with the Roon Core and the Audio PC with the HQPlayer.

 

HQPlayer without Roon

 

The user interface of the HQPlayer has always taken getting used to. You just have to know that the library has to choosen on the left (description diagonally) under "Album view". There the albums or playlists can be selected from the NAS or newly from Qobuz. The "Transport view" is displayed on the right. The usefulness of this representation is still not apparent to me today. I haven't figured out how to turn on random playback until today. Or how I can like or dislike titles. I close the lid of my laptop and the playback end, why? The HQPlayer Core is somewhere else entirely. So much for the negative things.

 

The streaming via Qobuz is going well and a lot (too much?) Of meta information is displayed. Even the album covers of Qobuz are loaded.

 

 

HQPlayer with Roon

 

Here Roon presents a tidy surface. For good reason, DSP is deactivated in Roon and delivers the data natively to the HQPlayer. At Roon, I really appreciate the fact that there is no difference between the albums on the NAS and on Qobuz. I don't have to switch back and forth.

 

I can name my tags any way I want and if I don't like a title in an album, this title will be disliked. This title is no longer selected when playing the album. Very pleasant. Roon Radio just continues to play suitable tracks if I haven't reloaded an album. That always brought me new, interesting albums that I would not otherwise have come across.

 

 

Which sounds better?

 

It could very well have been that HQPlayer sounds better with Roon. Because if you are streaming via the HQPlayer alone, the metadata and album art must be managed by the HQPlayer. So the HQPlayer has more to do.

 

The good news: I don't hear any difference between the two configurations.

 

Anyone who has a Roon lifetime license like me can continue to use the ingenious user interface without impairing the sound. Provided the Roon Core is running on another PC.

 

Anyone who is annoyed about Roon or only has an annual subscription can consider using the HQPlayer alone. The user interface takes some getting used to, but it performs well.

 

DSD512 with ASDM7ECv2

 

Incidentally, I carried out the test with a very high quality, which the JCAT OPTIMO S ATX power supply and the fis Audio PC are very demanding. The CPU temperature averages around 90°C.

 

The right side wall of the HDPLEX H5 v3 Chassis gets very hot, which is positive. Because the heat is dissipated very well.

 

The JCAT OPTIMO S ATX power supply is a little warmer than hand warm. 👍

[Zauurx]

I'm not sure I agree with the explanation (tag task) but I agree with the observation.
Other elements (monitoring, latency) lead me to believe that Roon upstream stabilises the process.
It acts like an HQP client with a different interface and now, certainly optimised buffer management.

 

And yes, have a lifetime license. 😉

[The Computer Audiophile]

Many who follow this thread may be interested in the new release from SOtM:

 

 

[RickyV]

3 hours ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Many who follow this thread may be interested in the new release from SOtM:

 

 

 

Ooo wow imagine that with a J🐈  Optimo ATX power supply or a unregulated Taiko power supply. Very interesting development. 

[Patatorz]

Any more information around a release date, price and specifications ? Seems nothing on sotm website 

[Zauurx]

7 hours ago, Patatorz said:

Any more information around a release date, price and specifications ? Seems nothing on sotm website 

For specifications, here :

https://www.sotm-audio.com/sotmwp/english/portfolio-item/smb-q370/

And manual :
https://docs.sotm-audio.com/lib/exe/fetch.php?media=manuals:smb-q370_productguide_v1.0b.pdf

 

But no price... 

[Patatorz]

Thanks a lot @Zauurxi missed it.

but difficult to understand in which way this MB could be considered as audiophile. Example : no ECC ram, quite old chipset,…
 

will wait for further details.

[The Computer Audiophile]

7 minutes ago, Patatorz said:

Thanks a lot @Zauurxi missed it.

but difficult to understand in which way this MB could be considered as audiophile. Example : no ECC ram, quite old chipset,…
 

will wait for further details.

ECC ram is far from a requirement, as is a new chipset. 
 

Newer or faster doesn’t equal better. I know many in this thread who slow down their processors, nearly turning them into previous generation models. 
 

We could also say that audio components with linear power supplies can’t be considered audiophile because newer switching supplies are available. Nobody in their right mind would say that. 

[Patatorz]

This is not what i wanted to say, let me correct. I just gave some examples that could make sense like ecc as i experienced myself. I fully agree on chipset and I personally own an old one with a Xeon and really happy with.
 

The question behind my remark was more to understand the rationale behind the choices of SOtM.

 

Concerning LPSU, sorry I don’t catch your point and what you mean : you should elaborate more.

[The Computer Audiophile]

16 minutes ago, Patatorz said:

This is not what i wanted to say, let me correct. I just gave some examples that could make sense like ecc as i experienced myself. I fully agree on chipset and I personally own an old one with a Xeon and really happy with.
 

The question behind my remark was more to understand the rationale behind the choices of SOtM.

 

Concerning LPSU, sorry I don’t catch your point and what you mean : you should elaborate more.

No worries. My point about the PSU was just to give an example that newer isn’t better. Old school LPSUs can be fantastic compared to some switching supplies. 
 

All good. 

[StreamFidelity]

55 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Newer or faster doesn’t equal better.

 

This is true. Another example: I am currently not using DDR5 but DDR4 for the Z690 boards. DDR4 is more mature and definitely has significantly lower latencies combined with lower power consumption.

 

1 hour ago, Patatorz said:

Example : no ECC ram, quite old chipset,…

 

ECC leads to an increase in latencies.This is technically unavoidable because of the error check. The question is which is better: fewer errors or faster processing? Fewer errors can maybe achieved with high-quality DDR4 RAMs, just my opinion.