NVMe SSD designed for audiophiles

[ASRMichael]

Wow! Love it! Especially having external psu input! Looking forward to hearing about it & price point. 

[ASRMichael]

@Exocer

[ASRMichael]

On 6/14/2021 at 8:09 PM, Exocer said:

Brief update:

First of all, thanks @ASRMichael for the tag! I totally would have missed this thread otherwise.

 

I am now providing external power to the Femto NVME and this has taken it to new heights. As I told @darkforce, all of my cables were built using Oyaide 2.5mm/5.5mm straight barrel DC outputs. With the location of this card in my machine, the barrel connector did not fit, nor was it the proper size. So, I went ahead and ordered a 90 degree Oyaide in 2.1/5.5m size and modified one of my cables to use it.

 

I thought about going with an adapter but my OCD didn't let me do so although that would have been a much easier approach.

 

Summary:

• There is great improvement in transparency and realness to the sound. The improvement is shockingly large. There will be no going back to the regular Optane at this point.
• The sound is more transparent and detailed without fatigue.
• The presentation is even more effortless
• Noise floor has dropped to some degree
• Timing and PRAT are fantastic and a bit more "real" sounding
• Greater sense of being there for the performance.
• Decay of notes, especially in some Jazz piano recordings, is so much more realistic sounding than before
• Larger and more precise soundstage

I'll just conclude this by saying the drive was an improvement to my system across the board. Without the external power, there were no notable negatives to the sound (although the sound was a bit subdued and polite at first), and obvious improvements to vocal detail. With external power it really is something special. This bodes well for the power supply and the drive itself I suppose.

 

Context:

The above feedback pertains to the Femto NVME drive vs my memory of the Optane. Many of the above benefits were obtained by simply switching to the Femto NVME without dedicated power, but, to a lesser degree.  The major benefits came after adding external power.

 

My listening spans across multiple genres but I really enjoy Jazz pianists. My playlists usually contain a lot of live Jazz performances. Other genres also displayed improvements I did not expect. For example, I stumbled upon Madonna's "Vogue" and was gobsmacked by the soundstage. I had not listened to this song since he earlier part of my computer audiophile journey and it sounded like an entirely different song this time around, in a good way.

 

Cheers,

-Rob

 

Wow! Great review! Did you compare to Ramroot? 

 

@darkforce when will these be available for sale? 

[ASRMichael]

25 minutes ago, MaxBuck said:

Classic snake oil.

@MaxBuck

 

You joined this forum in June. You’ve had 20 posts. All of which have contributed nothing! So I ask myself why did you join! 
 

Also, Objective, Subjective has it own thread. You should maybe post over there! 

[ASRMichael]

Can I ask when can I buy connectors? 90 degree? 

[ASRMichael]

Would this do the job? 
 

https://www.mcru.co.uk/product/oyaide-gold-plated-dc-plug-90-degree/

 

[ASRMichael]

8 minutes ago, Exocer said:

This is exactly what I use.

 

 

Top man! Mind actually fit that into my dimm.2 card now. Maybe! Worth a go! 

[ASRMichael]

1 hour ago, NewOldman said:

MCRU Reviews | Read Customer Service Reviews of www.mcru.co.uk (trustpilot.com)

I’ve been using MCRU for over 10 years. No issues whatsoever. Dave is a very kjnd man & is very helpful. 

[ASRMichael]

I’m not one for reviews but here I go…

 

The audiophile M.2 is being powered by SJ DC3 rail. 

 

@darkforce I’ll start by saying well done to you for identifying the need for a audiophile M.2. 
 

I’ve spent last 3 weeks comparing the audiophile M.2 against the following;

 

- Optane 32gb

- Sabrent Rocket

- Evo Plus

- Crucial

- WD Blue

- WD Black

 

As you can see I’ve tried quite a few over the last year or so. To be 100% honest as much as I preferred the Optane over the others it was hard to tell without really focussing on the music. Who focuses on music? I certainly don’t, I enjoy music. But this is a hobby so I like comparing stuff!!! 
 

@Exocer messaged me about this audiophile card, saying I’ve got to try it. I initial thought was, it’s just another M2 comparison. I held off for a few months…until I seen many reviews on here. So I got the itch and ordered the audiophile M.2.

 

I like to install things, leave for a few weeks & revert back to how it was before. This removes excitement, settling system down factors. 
 

I’ll get to the point. If an Optane rated at 2 & all other cards are rated at 1, then Audiophile M.2 is rated at 5! 
 

What I’ve learnt is no matter what M.2 card you use, Optane, Evo plus etc they all introduce a huge amount of noise intoI look forward putting a face to the name your system. The audiophile M.2 removes all the negatives.  

I recommend this card, just wish it was available a few years earlier. Then I would not have bought so many M.2’s. 😂

 

Is it worth the money? You will need to judge this yourself. What I perceive is good value might be different to you. 
 

If powering externally then don’t forget to move the jumper to different position.