Getting the bits from the disk to the DAC

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Aidan
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#1 Getting the bits from the disk to the DAC

Post by Aidan »

Good Morning All

Advice please!

Currently I use an SB3 to get play music wirelessly from my PC hard drive, sending the signal via the optical or coax (I can only detect the difference when I have had a glass or two) to my MF TriVsta DAC. :lol:

Sounds OK to me - better (again after a glass or two) play back than digitaly from my blue ray player.

Has anyone any other opinions on a better gadget than the SB3? All my CDs are 16bit obviously, but 192k would be a nice extra. The aim is sound quality. I can't help thinking that the bits and bobs that do this conversion and output work in the SB23 probably cost 92p...

Just in case you suggest the obvious, I've tried playing the CDs on my Gyrodec but unfortunately can't get the cartridge to track securely :P and my liver can't take the ;glass or two' boost to my perception.

Cheers, Aidan
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cressy
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#2

Post by cressy »

those new olive thingies are supposed to be good but you're looking at nearly a grand for the base model. could try the apple tv, but it needs to be connected via hdmi to a monitor or tv to use it. i half heartedly looked into the whole computer audio 'thing' (at the behest of swmbo who was apparently sick of all the discs everywhere), really looking for a unit that doesnt require a computer to run it all as i couldnt afford to get a decent computer and a unit to play the files. squeezebox touch for the money was the best compromise i could come up with but i still needed to get a new computer to get the tracks off the web or rip from cd.

i gave up on it and bought a decent cd player instead.

other option that nick posted a link for was a new audiolab cd player that would play stuff from a usb hard drive if you cared to plug one into it. unfortunately it was out of my budget
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The Stratmangler
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#3

Post by The Stratmangler »

If you want to stream 24/192 then you'll need a Linn DS.
Sonos won't touch 24/96, Squeezebox Touch tops out at 24/96.

If you're prepared to run off a computer sited in your listening area then you could ditch the Tri-Vista and replace it with a M2Tech Young DAC, which can transfer 24/192 and above down a USB cable.

My experience so far is that the mastering of the material you are listening to is far more important than the bit depth and sample rate - the "Hi-Res" thing is largely a fashionable numbers game.

I'd suggest replacing the SB3 with a Squeezebox Touch, as it sounds noticeably better than the SB3, and use the SB3 somewhere else in the house with some powered speakers.
The Touch does the business as a trasport too.
My son makes use of the SB3 in his bedroom, with some powered PC speakers at the moment.

On the Olive thing - to quote Billy Gibbons - "I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole"!
Chris :happy3:
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JackOfAll
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#4

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Aidan
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#5 so the feeling so far...

Post by Aidan »

Thanks for the opinions.


One reason I like the SB family is that there is a wireless break between the electrical gubbins gushing around the cheap as chips PC and the DAC, and that the network layer will rebuild the signal cleanly (or a little more cleanly).

And fewer wires or positioning restrictions (PC in office, sacred objects in the living room).

It would seem that that the digital out on the touch is probably better than that of the SB3... and would allow me to continue to run Slimserver...

I'll keep my eyes open for one on fleabay...

Cheers guys

Aidan
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JackOfAll
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#6 Re: so the feeling so far...

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Aidan
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#7 JackofalltraDES

Post by Aidan »

You could be right. I've a computing background (mainframe hardware in the 80's and software since) so 'bits are bits' is ingrained in me.

I was thinking more about transcription errors in converting the bits from the PC in one format into bits of another format going into the DAC including clocking.

Of course I take it that the bits read from the drive are 100% accurate - I want to make the success rate at the other end as high as I can. Not being able to convert the bits going into the DAC back into files on the PC to compare them makes me wonder if the SB3 is doing all I want it to....

Aidan
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Nick
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#8

Post by Nick »

What would be very interesting (though am offering to do it at the moment) would be to make up spdiff receiver and take the i2s from that into a CPLD or similar receiver that can convert it back into a data stream and then to push that back into a flat file. We could then compare the original to the final file and see just what was lost in the transfer.
Whenever an honest man discovers that he's mistaken, he will either cease to be mistaken or he will cease to be honest.
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JackOfAll
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#9

Post by JackOfAll »

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Ray P
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#10

Post by Ray P »

Sorry to post a little after the event but it might be worth checking out the new Cambridge Audio Sonata NP30. It's around £400 from Richer Sounds. Will handle 24bit at upto 96KHz and also has digital outputs at the same spec. It works with UPnP so won't work with your squeezebox library but it should be easy enough to use something like Asset.

If you wan't to push the boat out an alternative to a Linn solution to achieve 192KHz might be the PS Audio Perfectwave DAC + Bridge.

Ray
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Ray P
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#11

Post by Ray P »

If you want 192KHz data the product below looks interesting and is now on my shortlist of streamers to replace my squeezebox - anyone any experience of this product or others from this brand?

http://www.henleydesigns.co.uk/product. ... ductID=846

Ray
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