Ultrarunner

The SonicTransporter is connected to the router by a single Ethernet cable. I might try optical Ethernet instead, but Andrew hasn’t verified if this will work. My STi9 has 4TB SSD, so I don’t need to worry about external storage. I have tried a few SFPs, based on the reports of others. It turns out single mode SFPs sound better than multimode. As long as both ends have the same SFP this is an easy one to try.

The first JS-2 powers the EtherRegen. The second JS-2 (in another room), the opticalRendu. I actually have a spare, third JS-2 (previously powering my STi5), which I’d planned to use for the STi9. Andrew had said it should work when I ordered the i9, but it doesn’t have enough juice. I’m toying with buying an HDPlex 300W. Overkill perhaps. But the JS-2’s were certainly a notable improvement for the ER and OR.

It’s my third server from Small Green Computer. I started before the NUC was an option. It seemed easier to stick with a system I’m used to and had such good experience with. I did have an opticalModule. I replaced that with the EtherRegen with excellent results.

I used to have my Room Core on an iMac and then iMac Pro. Moving to a SonicTransporter i5 improved sound quality significantly. Well worth it. I’ve recently swapped it for an i9. Useful for playing my ripped BluRays with Plex too.

I have had issues with 2.8. I had no problems with 2.7. One issue was solved simply by pressing Update (even though it’s already theoretically updated). Mine seems stable now but every time I make any network changes, I can’t communicate with the Rendu. If your issue is solved please report back.

View Classified SonicTransporter i5 with 2 TB SSD Great music server, but I'm upgrading to a SonicTransporter i9. One and a half years old. Excellent condition. A couple of tiny imperfections in the paint (left rear top cover), otherwise like new. Current retail price: $1,245. https://www.smallgreencomputer.com/collections/audio-server/products/sonictransporter-i5?variant=20893269828 Price includes original power supply and free shipping in Canada and USA. Some of my feedback as seller: https://www.canuckaudiomart.com/userfe

I originally powered my SonicTransporter i5 with an HDPlex unit, although not a current model. The JS-2 definitely improved the sound over the HDPlex. I just ordered an ST i9 and plan to continue to use JS-2, although I won’t power anything else with it, given the current demands of the i9.

Andrew said he has never seen any problems with Roon + HQPlayer on an SonicTransporter. He has no fix. So I guess if I want HQPlayer on a SonicTransporter, I would have to upgrade from i5 to the i9. Which is disappointing since I bought the i5 specifically to run these programs.

I was planning to use Roon playing to HQPlayer Embedded on a SonicTransporter, to get the best of both worlds. Are you saying HQPlayer without Roon sounds better?

I tried your suggestion of changing the buffer systematically, but that didn’t solve the dropouts/pauses. However, I did install HQPlayer desktop on a computer, plugged into the same router as the SonicTransporter. It plays just fine. So that isolates they problem to the SonicTransporter. Your hunch must be correct, that having Roon and HQP servers together on it has caused the issue. The next step is to contact Andrew to see if he has a fix. Thanks very much for your help!

Thanks again @bobflood. I will try your increasing the buffer from the default (0) as you suggest. If that doesn’t work I’ll get Andrew to investigate. I was getting sidetracked, being pointed in the direction of flow control and auto-negotiation.

Jussi, I should mention that I get these occasional dropouts just outputting 16/44 pcm with no conversion or filters. With the SonicTransporter operating at 1%. So it seems unlikely that my network can’t handle the data flow. Meanwhile Roon up-converting everything to DSD128 works fine.

The only switch I have is an EtherRegen. Alex has confirmed it has flow control and is compatible with HQPlayer. I don’t have control of anything related to”auto negotiation of 802.3x” on the SonicTransporter or opticalRendu.

Yes, I’ve had no issues with the EtherRegen. I’m very happy with it. The only thing I’ve changed in recent months has been an upgrade of the opticalRendu from 1.7 to 1.8 and a change from multimode to single mode SFP’s. I’ve been sending DSD128 from Roon to my opticalRendu with no problems before and after these changes, but only recently attempted HQPlayer. HQPlayer sounds great, but the occasional dropouts are too annoying for me to buy a license.