MikeH
Well-Known Member
I think my last upgrade was the Sutherland 20/20 in September which is pretty good for me
. I did back the fosi audio mono blocks on Kickstarter though…
The Dark Side; Digital audio equipment recommendations and setup.
- Thread starter Ed Selley
- Start date
. I did back the fosi audio mono blocks on Kickstarter though…
Joe Mac
Well-Known Member
I think my last upgrade was the Sutherland 20/20 in September which is pretty good for me
Yeah I haven’t got anything new bar consumables (replacement tubes and carts) since November 2022 when I got the streamer and cd transport.
AnthonyI
Well-Known Member
The more I listen to the Denafrips the more I'm loving it............I just had to post that, lol
mindhead1
Well-Known Member
I have been eyeing the Aries II for a while, but am now stuck in analysis paralysis with the Holo Audio Cyan 2. I may end up getting them both and keeping one and selling the other. I have realized that as much as I love listening to the music, I also really enjoy trying different gear.
MikeH
Well-Known Member
Try to get a used Ares II. I keep seeing them pop up for a good price used ($600-700) and most people sell them only because they are moving up in the Denafrips line.
MikeH
Well-Known Member
great price. i think i paid $700 for mine used. worth every penny.
mindhead1
Well-Known Member
I need to be on the look out. Last time I looked used models I saw were only $100-$150 less than new version. Or mostly the OG Ares/Enyo and not the 12th version. That said, I'm not very clear on the major difference between the versions and the impact on the sound.
MikeH
Well-Known Member
I'm not entirely sure off the top of my head what the differences between the Ares II/Enyo and 12th are. I think they changed a few small things around but the Ares II is no slouch. Seems now a few people have seen the Ares II for $600 or less. I haven't heard the Enyo/12th but if I made an upgrade, I'd go to the Pontus at this point.
Joe Mac
Well-Known Member
Digital gurus, what's the max length of a USB cable before it having issues? I've seen varying results, thought I would consult
3m is probably the median of what I’ve heard. It’s also where a lot of the audiophile cable companies tend to draw the line. I’ve not had to go longer than a metre personally.
displayname
Well-Known Member
Got go hear this streamer/dac last night and I walked away very impressed.
Owner also had an S-booster power supply, but this thing really sounded killer.
orchardaudio.com
Owner also had an S-booster power supply, but this thing really sounded killer.
PecanPi+ Streamer Premium
Immerse yourself in the pinnacle of audio streaming with the PecanPi+ Streamer Premium. Featuring the latest flagship DAC chip from AKM, this streamer delivers an unrivaled listening experience.
orchardaudio.com
Tempting. I want to build my own but the cases are always out of stock.Got go hear this streamer/dac last night and I walked away very impressed.
Owner also had an S-booster power supply, but this thing really sounded killer.
PecanPi+ Streamer Premium
Immerse yourself in the pinnacle of audio streaming with the PecanPi+ Streamer Premium. Featuring the latest flagship DAC chip from AKM, this streamer delivers an unrivaled listening experience.
MikeH
Well-Known Member
Interesting that for $1,500 it can’t even connect wirelessly. My main setup is nowhere near an Ethernet port so sadly I need a streamer with wifi.Got go hear this streamer/dac last night and I walked away very impressed.
Owner also had an S-booster power supply, but this thing really sounded killer.
PecanPi+ Streamer Premium
Immerse yourself in the pinnacle of audio streaming with the PecanPi+ Streamer Premium. Featuring the latest flagship DAC chip from AKM, this streamer delivers an unrivaled listening experience.
Joe Mac
Well-Known Member
It’s because it’s built around a pi and it’s in a metal box that blocks the chip on the board. You can generally connect a tp link usb WiFi dongle to those and add a codec and it will be.
displayname
Well-Known Member
They specifically advertise these on the site. Link to both 5G and 2.4G versions. I believe upscale advertised something similar with Lumin streamers, which also are not wireless.
AC750 Wireless Travel Router
The AC750 Wireless Travel Router is built to be small and light to effortlessly go wherever you do. Create a WiFi network via Ethernet wherever you are.
www.tp-link.com
mindhead1
Well-Known Member
IDT length should be an issue for USB it’s pushing 1s and 0s. It’s not an analog signal like speakers or RCA cable.Digital gurus, what's the max length of a USB cable before it has issues? I was thinking of going from my Plex server directly to the Ares II instead of streaming to it. I've seen varying results, thought I would consult
mindhead1
Well-Known Member
Build your own. It’s not that hard. I have done it a couple of times and they work reliably and sound great.
One is an RPi4 that streams via USB. The other is an RPi4 with a Hifiberry Digi Pro hat that can stream via optical or coax. The Hifiberry version sounds better to me. Both are Running MoOde Audio.
You can have a high quality streamer for less than $200.
Joe Mac
Well-Known Member
It’s not due to signal degradation. USB has a maximum signal round trip time limit that if exceeded will cause the host to consider the command lost. It’s debated to be between 3m and 5m for USB2 where I read. It’s much longer for USB3 and USBC/Thunderbolt which have much faster speeds. Most music streamers and dacs still use USB2.
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AnthonyI
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the input, but my run would be too long I think, over 20', so we're going to air on the side of caution and just scrap that idea. If I remember correctly, I think at one point I tried a set of USB over LAN kits that failed miserably. That said, the reason for my question is because I think, I need to do a little more checking, the Chromecast is dropping here and there and it seems to be getting worse, so I'm looking for an alternative method.
I started looking at the Bluesound Node, seems to be a favorite, but also seems like overkill for how I stream if I'm reading the features correctly. I use Spotify and my Synology server, unless the quality of the streaming is well worth the cost.
Any thoughts on the Bluesound Node, is it worth the scratch? And or other Chromecast replacement/upgrade options for my current situation?