Reccommendations / ideas for digital audio source

Mechnutt said:
I built a custom computer for music. I have 9 TB's of music stored on it and I stream from it. I remote in using a laptop and Windows Remote desk top. If you go this route, make sure you get Windows 11 pro. You cannot remote into a computer using Windows Remote desk top using Windows 11 home edition. The computer you are using to remote into the music computer can be Windows 11 home edition or windows 10.

I hand picked my parts for music. The power supply is a Corsair RMX low ripple PS. I bought a good MOBO with upgraded caps. No GPU is necessary as that will introduce noise. I used shielded cables in the computer case. I also use a Fractal Design quiet case and Noctua Quiet fans. 16GB ram will suffice. I also added an aftermarket JCat usb card which further improved the sound.

For an audio player, I use Audirvana. I just upgraded to the Studio version and it sounds great and it has streaming integration. Audirvana also has a cell phone app that you can control the program from. For $69 a year it is a no brainer.
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a consumer pc is a bad source and the fractal design cases are beautiful, but a poor choice for audio, because of the open design.

For the sound and the interference with your speakers it is much better to go for a roon nucleus, or a fanless build nuc feeded with a good LPS, even when it does not have a jcat usb card.
 
NewAlkyogre said:
a consumer pc is a bad source and the fractal design cases are beautiful, but a poor choice for audio, because of the open design.

For the sound and the interference with your speakers it is much better to go for a roon nucleus, or a fanless build nuc feeded with a good LPS, even when it does not have a jcat usb card.
Click to expand...

I love my Roon Nucleus+. No video card, no audio card, no CPU fan, case fan, and no internal PS with its fan.

I'll have more to say soon about replacing the Nucleus+ external stock power supply with a LPS.
 
mep said:
I love my Roon Nucleus+. No video card, no audio card, no CPU fan, case fan, and no internal PS with its fan.

I'll have more to say soon about replacing the Nucleus+ external stock power supply with a LPS.
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The differences between these LPS power supplies are huge. For me it was surprising what a well designed does, not a subtile change, but instantly audiable, more depth, better lows and more refined. You should be well informed before buying one.

Overall: a good LPS is absolutely an improvement.
 
NewAlkyogre said:
a consumer pc is a bad source and the fractal design cases are beautiful, but a poor choice for audio, because of the open design.

For the sound and the interference with your speakers it is much better to go for a roon nucleus, or a fanless build nuc feeded with a good LPS, even when it does not have a jcat usb card.
Click to expand...
Far too generalized statement. Sure, an off the shelf consumer PC or a Laptop are not a great choice, however you can indeed build a custom PC with very good results.
 
NewAlkyogre said:
The differences between these LPS power supplies are huge. For me it was surprising what a well designed does, not a subtile change, but instantly audiable, more depth, better lows and more refined. You should be well informed before buying one.

Overall: a good LPS is absolutely an improvement.
Click to expand...

I'm in the middle of reviewing an LPS for use with the Nucleus+ and i will post a link when I'm finished.
 
NewAlkyogre said:
a consumer pc is a bad source and the fractal design cases are beautiful, but a poor choice for audio, because of the open design.

For the sound and the interference with your speakers it is much better to go for a roon nucleus, or a fanless build nuc feeded with a good LPS, even when it does not have a jcat usb card.
Click to expand...
The Fractal Define 7 case is excellent. It is a quiet case, no noise and the Fans are all Noctua Fans including the CPU cooler. Noctua fans are extremely quiet, 11db. I use all shielded cables, the MOBO was made for audio with upgraded caps and the power supply is extremely low noise and low ripple and one of the lowest on the market at the time I bought it. I would put it up against most music servers in quality of sound. There is no noise coming from the case. My fans rarely spin up and when they do, you can't hear them. I researched and hand picked the parts for low distortion and quietness. I use mostly m.2 hard drives except for a couple of WD Reds which holds music that I rarely listen to.

I have compared mine to a nuc and mine sounded much better.

I am not sure what you mean by open design-

Fractal Design Define 7 Chassis Review: Versatility and Refinement

Fractal Design Define 7 combines a striking aesthetic design with a bevy of convenient build features and impressive performance.
www.tomshardware.com www.tomshardware.com

I am not a fan or Roon. The sound quailty of Audirvana Studio is better. Same for Audirvana 3.5. At least in my system.
 
Mechnutt said:
I am not a fan or Roon. The sound quailty of Audirvana Studio is better. Same for Audirvana 3.5. At least in my system.
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I am a lifetime license holder for Roon and have always found it to perform amazing. Maybe it is because Roon allows "hand off" to HQPlayer as it's playback engine by creating a HQPlayer zone.

What about Audirvana do you feel is better? Can HQPlayer be used with it? Are there big differences in performance of Studio -vs- Origin? It appears from research that Studio is actually a better value, for at least the first couple of years.

Another big question is does Audirvana use a server/controller model. In other words, with Roon the server core is what is running on the server and the controller is what is running on my tablet, phone, etc. Although I can log into the server and run the full system including the controller if I desire. Running only the core on the server makes for very minimal resource usage on the server (very minimal). The server CPU, RAM, M.2/SSD access is fairly minimal. With larger files such as 8x DSD (which I have always keep on M.2 drives) the HD access is a bit greater, obviously :).

How about Meta data with Audirvana? Album covers, write ups, diving into extensive information on many artist/bands, etc. How does it compare with Roon, which many feel is the finniest is this regard?
 
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Mechnutt said:
The Fractal Define 7 case is excellent. It is a quiet case, no noise and the Fans are all Noctua Fans including the CPU cooler. Noctua fans are extremely quiet, 11db. I use all shielded cables, the MOBO was made for audio with upgraded caps and the power supply is extremely low noise and low ripple and one of the lowest on the market at the time I bought it. I would put it up against most music servers in quality of sound. There is no noise coming from the case. My fans rarely spin up and when they do, you can't hear them. I researched and hand picked the parts for low distortion and quietness. I use mostly m.2 hard drives except for a couple of WD Reds which holds music that I rarely listen to.

I have compared mine to a nuc and mine sounded much better.

I am not sure what you mean by open design-

Fractal Design Define 7 Chassis Review: Versatility and Refinement

Fractal Design Define 7 combines a striking aesthetic design with a bevy of convenient build features and impressive performance.
www.tomshardware.com www.tomshardware.com

I am not a fan or Roon. The sound quailty of Audirvana Studio is better. Same for Audirvana 3.5. At least in my system.
Click to expand...
Then you still have the issue that the power supply is poor. What I mentioned above: the difference between those power supplies are gigantic! It is not a small change, you hear the improvement instantly. If you have compared with a nuc right from the box, then the nuc will sound not that great. It is not fair to compare with an Intel/Asus mini computer right from the box. SQ will really improve when it is build in a fanless case and it makes a further huge step upward when it is hooked to a good LPS.

If you really want a good case where there is space for an audiophilic output, like the JCAT, then I advise the Streacom FC9. In that case the modboard can be powered by an audiophilic one, and the audio card can be done separated. That is the way how to do it well.
 
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NewAlkyogre said:
Then you still have the issue that the power supply is poor. What I mentioned above: the difference between those power supplies are gigantic! It is not a small change, you hear the improvement instantly. If you have compared with a nuc right from the box, then the nuc will sound not that great. It is not fair to compare with an Intel/Asus mini computer right from the box. SQ will really improve when it is build in a fanless case and it makes a further huge step upward when it is hooked to a good LPS.

If you really want a good case where there is space for an audiophilic output, like the JCAT, then I advise the Streacom FC9. In that case the modboard can be powered by an audiophilic one, and the audio card can be done separated. That is the way how to do it well.
Click to expand...
It was a friends nuc and it was broken in. ( I have a group of local audiophiles and we get together a few times a year and sometimes bring gear over to audition. ) I power my JCAT card with an external LPS. I am happy with the Corsair PS which uses upgraded caps and is very low ripple.

The Fractal Case is excellent. Mine is fully insulated to remain silent. The PS's fan only comes on with heavy load and it never comes on playing music. Same for the Nocutua fans.

I am sure there is better but you would just have to hear my system with and without that computer. It was transformative and the JCAT card took it to another level. Adding the external LPS to it gave more detail, blacker background and more musicality.

Origin is a stripped down version of Studio. 3.5 has a lot of air and transparency with good detail. Studio has more body to the music, especially the midrange. The top end is also smoother and there is greater separation between instruments. Studio is also more musical and warmer without being overly warm.

As far as meta data is concerned, Studio does present that . Meta data is not important to me. When I am listening, I want no distractions. Audirvana is not server based.

If I really want even better sound quality, I can use Bug Head Infinity Blade. I still have a few versions on my computer. It is a pain to use but it sounds better than Roon, HQP and Audirvana. It is a very resource intensive program that does a lot of processing. It also clears out the RAM and sends the music to RAM. It has all sorts of settings to tailor the sound and you can set it for increased compatibility with your CPU. While loading up music, it does cause my CPU fan to come on but once it is fully loaded, the load decreases and the fans stop.

Don't get me wrong, Roon especially with HQP imbedded sounds great. I just prefer Studio with my system which has changed dramatically the last few months. And I pay just $4.99 per month. I am selling my Pass X250, BAT preamp and Magnepan 1.6 speakers. I recently upgraded my TT, phono preamp, cartridge and bought the Arendal 1528 speakers and a Mark Levinson 5805 integrated amp. Also added Duelund 16g XLR's. It is the best my system has sounded.
 
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Mechnutt said:
It was a friends nuc and it was broken in. ( I have a group of local audiophiles and we get together a few times a year and sometimes bring gear over to audition. ) I power my JCAT card with an external LPS. I am happy with the Corsair PS which uses upgraded caps and is very low ripple.

The Fractal Case is excellent. Mine is fully insulated to remain silent. The PS's fan only comes on with heavy load and it never comes on playing music. Same for the Nocutua fans.

I am sure there is better but you would just have to hear my system with and without that computer. It was transformative and the JCAT card took it to another level. Adding the external LPS to it gave more detail, blacker background and more musicality.

Origin is a stripped down version of Studio. 3.5 has a lot of air and transparency with good detail. Studio has more body to the music, especially the midrange. The top end is also smoother and there is greater separation between instruments. Studio is also more musical and warmer without being overly warm.

As far as meta data is concerned, Studio does present that . Meta data is not important to me. When I am listening, I want no distractions. Audirvana is not server based.

If I really want even better sound quality, I can use Bug Head Infinity Blade. I still have a few versions on my computer. It is a pain to use but it sounds better than Roon, HQP and Audirvana. It is a very resource intensive program that does a lot of processing. It also clears out the RAM and sends the music to RAM. It has all sorts of settings to tailor the sound and you can set it for increased compatibility with your CPU. While loading up music, it does cause my CPU fan to come on but once it is fully loaded, the load decreases and the fans stop.

Don't get me wrong, Roon especially with HQP imbedded sounds great. I just prefer Studio with my system which has changed dramatically the last few months. And I pay just $4.99 per month. I am selling my Pass X250, BAT preamp and Magnepan 1.6 speakers. I recently upgraded my TT, phono preamp, cartridge and bought the Arendal 1528 speakers and a Mark Levinson 5805 integrated amp. Also added Duelund 16g XLR's. It is the best my system has sounded.
Click to expand...
I like your audio gear. The weak point: the power supply in the pc can be improved by an audiophilic one. Maybe you can give the Pink Faun streamer a try? They are masters in computer designing.
 
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