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Pursuing great digital on the bleeding edge

Good stuff Jim, thanks for posting. So far I have decided on Win7 and JRiver with the AudioNote DAC in the short term and something like the DSD capable Mytek or Sonore down the road - I love the sound of my SACDs so want this in play.

Right now I'm scouring computer sites, reviews and options with a lot of time on Computer Audiophile. Was going to just go with a clone CAPS build but that seems to be a moving target right now so waiting to see what the new version looks like.

I'm leaning towards an ITX build, probably an Asus MB and Intel i3 CPU as I want this to be fanless so a lower power CPU makes sense. Might go with something like a full size Seasonic fanless PS in a Fractal Node 304 case (without the fans) - lots of room for a big passive CPU cooler. I'll probably pony-up for the SOtM in-line SATA filter (SSD drive) and maybe the SOtM USB card (http://shop.smallgreencomputer.com/SOtM_c6.htm). I am considering Firewire as it's a lot cheaper than that USB card and seems to be recommended for that Mytek DAC I'm currently fixated on.

Getting closer. :)
 
Billfort, seems like you are on the right track. Those are great components. Use a water-cooled CPU cooler for silent operation, a big "green/Bronze rated" power supply with an upgraded AC cable. Make sure the mobo has a dedicated Firewire connection. SSD drives are cheap nowadays. Check Newegg.com for great prices and excellent gear.

Jimmy
 
JimmyNeutron said:
J. River!! Actually, J. River has an app for Android/Apple pads and phones that allows complete control of the music. You can choose where to play to, what to play from, and complete control from your chair or throughout your house - even across the world!!! Leave your music server running at home, and from any place that has a Wi-Fi connection your phone/pad will stream your library over the internet to your device. Back at home, you use the device's touchscreen for control. You don't really need a monitor on your system anymore as there are apps that allow you to stream your PC desktop to your pad. The options are limitless.

Jimmy
Click to expand...

JRiver rocks!! Best Media Center software I have ever used.

Happily, "Gizmo", the remote control app for JRiver, was ported from Android to BlackBerry OS2 so you can control your HTPC from the couch or stream music to your BlackBerry tablet, if you're lucky enough to have one.

I've got a pretty modest HTPC here with me - JRiver 17 running on Windows 7 playing through an older (but still good) M-Audio Audiophile 2496.

Computer audio is the way to go, though I still love my analog stuff too.
 
While perusing Audiocircle the other day, I came across the Hifimediy DAC that is capable of accepting DSD input also.

It is not a complete DAC - you have to put it in a case, hook up a power supply etc., but the price is very attractive.

To get DSD to the DAC, one might use this board from Amanero.

The Amanero board can output conventional PCM (up to 384kHz) and native DSD which can be fed to the Hifimediy DAC.

Just need to output DSD over the USB port from your computer.

Cutting edge, but on a budget! I will try and build this DAC sometime next year.
 
This gets fun ...

I'm late getting in on this one but I have been messing with ripped audio for well over a decade and there is a lot to consider. I like BadAssBob's VM solution and Linux. It's not for the faint of heart and I wouldn’t advise it unless you like to learn new things but VM's are a great way to get out of trouble and keep the mess away. Without diving in too deep, I set my music collection in a large NAS that’s in a closet. I agree with running 1G Ethernet - for me, it's copying the stuff that's a challenge. I have about 1.3 TB of ripped FLAC files and I am looking at ripping DSD but I’m not sure I want to mess with it. I started purchasing HDTracks and they are about as good as it gets. I have to say, a well recorded, ripped CD (FLAC) through my Mark Levinson 360s is nothing short of fantastic. I have maybe 20 SACDs, so I’m not sure it’s worth it. As far as DACs go have you seen Emotiva has released the DAC 2? I bought the DAC 1 for the garage system and its pretty great for the money. It will do everything BUT 24/96 through USB. I can do HDTracks through S/PDIF – but now for $350 the DAC2 can do 24/192 straight from USB … no sound card. The DAC 1 via USB is pretty great but again, it wont do 24 bit.

http://shop.emotiva.com/collections/processors/products/xda2

As for playback – I went with Sonos, I still use my laptop and FooBar but Sonos is so easy and I can control it with my Android phone, Xoom tablet or laptop. I have 3 zones and can tie them all together or run separate tracks in any/all rooms. I really like that as the computer room, HT/living room and garage/mancave are all in close proximity. I use DBpoweramp to rip and tag everything. The NAS is on 24/7 and goes to sleep after 15 minutes of inactivity. Runs cool and pretty quiet – 5 drives so I can have a ton of storage up to 15 TB of storage? Crazy … I’m not even at 2TB and I have more that I can listen to now. I will eventually throw movies at it but I don’t want to get too carried away. With great drive space, comes great responsibility. I don’t want to backup 15 TB of crap. I will keep the music backed up. I’ll let Netflix deal with the rest.

So my process consists of :

CD ripped by Windows box to FLAC file,

Copy FLAC file to NAS,

Playback via PC/Sonos,

Fed to one of two DACs


1. (Computer Room) Mark Levinson 360s fed by a PC (Win 7 64) with an Maudio Audiophile USB soundcard attached. S/PDIF out.

2. (HT Room) HT receiver (Pioneer) via S/PDIF in from Sonos,


3. (Mancave) Sonos to Emotive (S/PDIF) AND a small form factor PC to Emotiva DAC 1 USB input.

I haven’t pulled a CD in months … it’s that good. Check out the cave ... I spend most of the rainy winter months out here. Stop by, I'll buy you a beer.
 

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I've been taking my time on this as I would like to see where the new CAPS servers go on Computer Audiophile - especially the higher-end ones that haven't been detailed yet.

I know I will vary from this path a bit as I want to try the video-streaming angle too with this server. I'm thinking low power Intel i3 3225 cpu (integrated HD 4000 Graphics) and using JRiver's 'zones' to switch between streaming music to my real system and HD video to my HT system upstairs. I think this will work since I want to use the thing headless with a tablet remote to control JRiver anyway and would have no need to stream to both systems at the same time.

I do want to use a mATX motherboard for expansion slot flexibility and like the idea of plug-in msata SSDs so right now I'm leaning towards the Intel DH77EB or Asus Maximus V Gene. Really like what I've seen so far about the new Seasonic Platinum fanless power supplies but they are just being released and the one I'm most interested in - the 400w - is not yet out.

I did find a nice deal locally on a case and cpu cooler though - bought them from a guy who does reviews so they are 'used' for a few hours but essentially new in box and cheap. I love the layout of the mATX capable Silverstone SG09 and figure it would be a good platform for a fanless box if using the right mix of parts (or maybe just the big fan on top switched on by the MB when needed). I find the front of the thing butt-ugly though so have some ideas in mind for changing it up a bit if it lives in my listening room.

For a cpu cooler I went with this guy - the Silverstone Heligon HE02 which has mixed reviews but I think will do very nicely on that low-power cpu where load is light doing streaming duties.

Don't have any internal shots of the AudioNote but could do when I get some time.
 
That one certainly looks interesting, been waiting to read more about it. Doesn't look like it's available in the US/Canada yet but if the reviews are good, I bet it will be soon.
 
I run digital streaming in my house and one thing I have learned through the trials and tribulations is that it's very difficult to build a PC that performs well and is completely silent. I have dealt with max junction temps in boxes made from ION/Atom chipsets and the like.

I strongly recommend the Antec TrueQuiet 120 and 140 fans. They move just enough air at 600rpm to keep things from melting down and they are actually silent.

Also, for full size power supplies the Kingwin Stryker is 600W of super efficient power and completely silent. No whines, buzzing, etc.

I run a Netgear Readynas 2 Ultra which hosts DLNA and Squeezebox Server but since they only decode at 24/48khz if I want to stream up to 24/192khz I have to use a dedicated PC.

I wish I had the time to modify the Squeezebox Receiver / Squeeze Server code to send 24/192 out - the hardware is capable of it but they turned it off for compatibility (customer service) reasons.
 
I'm going to shoot for an all fanless build but will leave the 180mm in the top of the Silverstone case - hopefully the BIOS on whatever board I decide on can turn it on at low RPM only when temps require. If the 180mm is audible, I'll look into the fans you recommended - thanks for the tip.

Was considering the Stryker and good to hear it's free of buzzes and such - as much as I read great things about the Seasonics, I've seen a few comments that they can whine - I guess fanless isn't always enough. Holding out till I see some detailed reviews on the 400w platinum version which doesn't seem to be available yet.

I hate the sound of cooling fans and have a pretty quiet listening room so this is definitely a concern. I'll be punching a hole through the block wall of my room to wire the streamer to my network (already have a unRaid server) so if the thing has to make any noise while listening, I'll just put it in the utility room with the server and run a USB cable through the wall to the DAC.
 
Jesus R of Sonore and ted_b at Audio Circle are putting together a DSD database (hardware, playback software and music). It is an ongoing project, and it is nice to see information consolidated in one place.
 
Now that is nice, thanks for posting.

Looking forward to hearing what comes out of CES on the DSD front - I think waiting a little longer to see what options are out there before diving in is a good thing right now.
 
Billfort said:
Looking forward to hearing what comes out of CES on the DSD front - I think waiting a little longer to see what options are out there before diving in is a good thing right now.
Click to expand...

I agree, but I have my eyes on that Teac unit. Hopefully it shows up in North America soon. I found an online store in Japan that has it for sale at around ¥88,000.
 
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