Creating ultimate signal path for Qobuz

[georgios]

So I’m mainly listening to Qobuz now and trying to create the best signal delivery path. My router with 10G sfp interface is ordered, my plan is to connect it directly through sfp to pcie card in my music server. You guys don’t happen to know which card sounds the best, do you?😄 anyhoo I digged around and it seems SGM Extreme uses a startech one which has only 1g bandwidth. Finisar seems to be a good brand for cables and modules.

[ericuco]

For years now, I have used an Intel X520-DA1 card in my server running at 10Gbe. My severs have been Ubuntu based and the Intel drivers are automatically included and updated.
 

I know others here use Mellanox cards.

 

Finisar transceivers are good to use.  They make a lot of the transceivers for other well known brands.

 

As for cables, I buy them from Fibertronics but others here use fs.com. 

[Cebolla]

14 hours ago, georgios said:

So I’m mainly listening to Qobuz now and trying to create the best signal delivery path. My router with 10G sfp interface is ordered, my plan is to connect it directly through sfp to pcie card in my music server

 

Presumably you are referring to some indirect method of listening to the audio from Qobuz via the network on your music server. Otherwise, if the music server is the network device running the Qobuz client application (eg, Qobuz's own Application for PC, Audirvana, Roon Core Server, etc), then only Qobuz's audio file (FLAC) tracks are being delivered over the network directly from Qobuz's online server & therefore there is no actual digital audio signal path over the network as the digital audio signal is created by the Qobuz client application decoding and playing Qobuz's FLAC file tracks on the music server itself.    

[georgios]

On 11/3/2022 at 1:47 PM, ericuco said:

For years now, I have used an Intel X520-DA1 card in my server running at 10Gbe. My severs have been Ubuntu based and the Intel drivers are automatically included and updated.
 

I know others here use Mellanox cards.

 

Finisar transceivers are good to use.  They make a lot of the transceivers for other well known brands.

 

As for cables, I buy them from Fibertronics but others here use fs.com. 

Thanks. I saw Taiko SGM Extreme intensively use Startech SFP products. Has anyone here compared them?

[MarcelNL]

On 11/6/2022 at 2:46 AM, georgios said:

Thanks. I saw Taiko SGM Extreme intensively use Startech SFP products. Has anyone here compared them?

there are a few threads with info on SFP modules, Finisar 1475 (SFP+)in the BTL version is my fave currently.

PCIe card by Xilinx/Solarflare , the X2522 in low latency mode for the computer.

 

I'm on the lookout for a router with SFP+ capability but these mostly only have one SFP+ cage for incoming data, and I'd like to connect my audio directly using a LAN SFP+ module.

 

 

[davide256]

In theory the best signal path is one where the audio file stays a file from server to endpoint DAC.... you can't screw that up with what happens in between as

error recovery mechanisms will insure there is no difference  between sender/receiver data. Any errors that occur at that point are solely in the domain

of local hardware and software trans-coding to an internal DAC usable data stream

[MarcelNL]

1 hour ago, davide256 said:

In theory the best signal path is one where the audio file stays a file from server to endpoint DAC.... you can't screw that up with what happens in between as

error recovery mechanisms will insure there is no difference  between sender/receiver data. Any errors that occur at that point are solely in the domain

of local hardware and software trans-coding to an internal DAC usable data stream

sound theory yet what do we do in all practicality of daily life? buy all files you want to listen to? 

[DuckToller]

52 minutes ago, MarcelNL said:

sound theory yet what do we do in all practicality of daily life? buy all files you want to listen to? 

You may want to to use the offline option of services like Qobuz instead?

[MarcelNL]

1 hour ago, DuckToller said:

You may want to to use the offline option of services like Qobuz instead?

using the qobuz app that is an option, but not using Daphile (I think)

[DuckToller]

That might be correct, however, then you'll know if it's worth the money ... ;-)
For music sw like JRMC it's seems to be an option

[Markus8]

On 11/23/2022 at 10:47 PM, MarcelNL said:

Finisar 1475 (SFP+)in the BTL version is my fave currently.

I am using a Sonore OpticalModule and Etherregrn - connected via fiber cable and a Finisar SFP. I read a few prefer singlemode instead of multimode. Did you try that too?

[MarcelNL]

2 hours ago, Markus8 said:

I am using a Sonore OpticalModule and Etherregrn - connected via fiber cable and a Finisar SFP. I read a few prefer singlemode instead of multimode. Did you try that too?

The 1475 is single mode, I'm not so much after other fiber stretches in the house as an upgrade in the connection between the incoming fiber and the audio network. I just learnt that my new house will not get PON fiber so I guess I'll have to make do with the fiber to UTP converter and take things from there....Fritz!box 5590 is a candidate yet it lacks a SFP output...

[George Hincapie]

On 11/25/2022 at 12:15 PM, Markus8 said:

I am using a Sonore OpticalModule and Etherregrn - connected via fiber cable and a Finisar SFP. I read a few prefer singlemode instead of multimode. Did you try that too?

 

What's the deal with Finisar SFP? What do they do that a standard SFP doesn't?

[ericuco]

5 minutes ago, George Hincapie said:

 

What's the deal with Finisar SFP? What do they do that a standard SFP doesn't?

My understanding is that Finisar makes most (no idea of %) of all SFP’s. So if you buy a Cisco, Intel, HP branded SFP, chances are that is just a rebranded Finisar.

[Markus8]

Well they may use different chipsets etc. 

Even if SFPs are that small, there are quite some electronics used that still can make a difference. 

[MarcelNL]

21 minutes ago, George Hincapie said:

 

What's the deal with Finisar SFP? What do they do that a standard SFP doesn't?

what is the deal with audiophile caps like black gate, Mundorf, Jupiter, Duelund cast?, what do they do a standard cap doesn't?

 

What is the difference between the several single mode FSPs I tried, they all had the same wavelength.

If only these diferences were bloody obvious we would be able to attribute aspects in a much easier way.

 

 

[George Hincapie]

3 minutes ago, MarcelNL said:

what is the deal with audiophile caps like black gate, Mundorf, Jupiter, Duelund cast?, what do they do a standard cap doesn't?

 

What is the difference between the several single mode FSPs I tried, they all had the same wavelength.

 

 

 

A disappointing response. If you are grumpy then perhaps better if you don't respond at all. Clearly I was after a response along the lines of "It's better for reasons X, Y and Z."

[MarcelNL]

Just now, George Hincapie said:

 

A disappointing response. If you are grumpy then perhaps better if you don't respond at all. Clearly I was after a response along the lines of "It's better for reasons X, Y and Z."

yeah, yet I was just added the line that somehow dropped from my response...

 

If the differences were so clear they would have been identified, goes for a great many parts and pieces in this field

[George Hincapie]

I am using Ubiquiti SFP at the moment. I can't find the Finisar model mentioned in the Group Buy thread for love or money in the UK. I did find someone selling used Finisar 1324 on eBay (server pulls), so I'll try those instead and see what the fuss is about.

[MarcelNL]

try Mouser, Digikey and/or Reichelt, and go for the BTL suffix versions... I'd just wait until a couple of used ones show up for cheap, yes they make a difference but there are other combat zones where the bang for the buck is likely higher.  

[Miska]

On 11/24/2022 at 5:21 PM, davide256 said:

In theory the best signal path is one where the audio file stays a file from server to endpoint DAC.... you can't screw that up with what happens in between as

error recovery mechanisms will insure there is no difference  between sender/receiver data. Any errors that occur at that point are solely in the domain

of local hardware and software trans-coding to an internal DAC usable data stream

 

When you stream from Qobuz, you have all the error recovery mechanisms in place. Let's say your DAC has a built-in NAA, then all the error recovery mechanisms also reach the DAC too.

 

In your local network you can also check the error statistics. Looking at mine, there are many many terabytes worth of data transferred without a single error.

 

[Markus8]

46 minutes ago, MarcelNL said:

yes they make a difference but there are other combat zones where the bang for the buck is likely higher.  

What are hey?

[MarcelNL]

8 hours ago, Markus8 said:

What are hey?

they are the FSP modules we were discussing.

[Cebolla]

On 11/24/2022 at 4:45 PM, MarcelNL said:

sound theory yet what do we do in all practicality of daily life? buy all files you want to listen to? 

 

??? There appears to be some misunderstanding here. Streaming from online music services such as Qobuz does deliver the audio files over the internet and eventually to your network still as (the original) files - no theory there.

 

So, like I said in my earlier post, there is no actual digital audio signal path over the network in that case, as the FLAC files sent by Qobuz's online server are yet to be decoded by your receiving Qobuz client/file player software of choice (Qobuz's own desktop application, Roon Core Server, HQPlayer, Audirvana, Logitech Media Server, etc). 

[MarcelNL]

13 minutes ago, Cebolla said:

 

??? There appears to be some misunderstanding here. Streaming from online music services such as Qobuz does deliver the audio files over the internet and eventually to your network still as files - no theory there.

 

So, like I said in my earlier post, there is no actual digital audio signal path over the network in that case, as the FLAC files are yet to be decoded by your receiving Qobuz client/file player software of choice (Qobuz's own desktop application, Roon Core Server, HQPlayer, Audirvana, Logitech Media Server, etc). 

not sure what you are trying to say, the quote is of a post in response to someone elses post.  TS is asking for the best pathway of streaming audio data...IMO he is clearly asking about what network cards and FSP modules.