432 EVO

Well, this seals it. Juan posted a direct reply on his own site: 

 

Short, but he makes the point. At least to me.

I think Juan should clear up what he thinks about the 432. His statements on Facebook are too vague.  He likes the Intel NUC but every NUC is going to sound different based on the skills of the person turning it into an audio streamer, so that's not very helpful.  

No response from Juan on my comment on Positive Feedback. Maybe too early for a response since it is only been a couple of days.

 

He did double down on Facebook though by saying the following:

———-

I have reviewed the Lumin T2, Lampizator Komputer, Lampizator Super Komputer and more in my system. The Intel NUC matches up well…

 

if you are not using the dedicated usb output ofthe Evo you are not going to be experiencing the evos sound the standard board connected usb ports do not have any of the technology that is designed into the server

 

the usb card is powered independtly

 

the usb on the board is for periperals like a keyboard or usb hd only

no special tuning no additional filtering basicaly you are taking away everything that the designer put in to elevate the servers performance

when used through its corect usb port it sounds amazing 

it will sound like any other decent device but in no way exceptional through the standard usb ports

Dave and Troy

Audio Intellect  NJ

US. Importer 432vo

Thanks @thyname.  I hope he clears his thoughts up.

@tomcy6 : I asked Juan that question on Positive Feedback website, under comments. It's still waiting to be approved. Hopefully it will show up there soon, and Juan can shed some light on this

I agree with david_ten that pf needs to have someone else review the 432 or have Juan C. Ayllon clarify what his opinion of the 432 is. Is it this (from the conclusion):

The 432 EVO High End Music Server is a remarkable player, making good on its promise to deliver a warmer, more pleasant listening experience via its 432 Hz tuning. It definitely takes the edge off digital files and, if you’re jonesing for vinyl playback but don’t have the bucks or inclination to purchase a good one (or a decent cartridge and phono stage preamplifier, for that matter), this might be the way to go; you get the convenience of digital with a lion’s share of vinyl’s warmth.

or this (from Facebook):

Save for the tuning and DSP, the Intel NUC with a great DAC like the Yggie is quite competitive.

Although, the Facebook post does say, "save for the tuning and DSP", well aren’t the tuning and DSP major functions of the 432? What does their inclusion in the 432 do to the comparison with the Intel NUC?

 

I did read that. But he did not specifically said this USB port was much better to his NUC than the previous USB port was using. And as he posted this on FB right after (see screenshot I posted above), that led me to believe he did not hear much difference vs. NUC USB out to DAC, period.

 

I am perhaps arriving to wrong conclusions, but that’s what I thought when I read these. Just me.

 

Maybe someone can ask him of Facebook. It's on Audio Enthusiasts Group, private group with about 57,000 members

@thyname, You left this part of the "Where's the Magic?" section of the review out:

I recalled reading a passage that warned not to use the USB 3.0 ports to connect the audio, as they were noisier than the USB 2.0 port which I couldn't seem to find. Then, spotting another reviewer's photo of their USB playback cable plugged into the 432 EVO, I found it: a single USB port with the familiar SOtM Audio name stamped sideways to the left (SOtM USB cards are specifically designed to reduce noise and maximize computer audio playback performance with its special filter circuits, low-noise voltage regulator and ultra-low jitter clock). 

Apparently using the USB 2.0 output on the 432 brought the magic that the USB 3.0 output on the 432 did not.  This part of the review was not well written or laid out with the pictures, but I think this is what the reviewer meant.  You'd have to ask him to know for sure.

I read the review last evening. My take: Positive Feedback should get an experienced (digital focused) reviewer for a second opinion. @thyname  @facten  @lalitk all would do a far, far superior job.

I agree on the historical portion of the review...perhaps the reviewer should reconsider what he's better suited for?

at first was using the wrong usb input

 

You mean the wrong OUTPUT on the EVO 432? Or the wrong USB input on his DAC?

And if the reviewer says the following on FB forum immediately after posting the review, that is all someone needs to know. Having a hard time distinguishing between USB out from a $400 NUC to DAC vs. a $5,000 server / streamer, sounds like a waste of money to me.

I have to say though, up until the actual review of the unit, the entire historical story of the 432 tuning was well written and a pleasure to read. Lots of stuff I did not know. I enjoyed that.

“The reviewer had a hard time discerning any differences between the EVO and his NUC, USB out to his Schiit DAC”

@thyname

A great DAC like Yggie; seriously 😂 It’s a decent DAC but hardly a SOTA DAC to evaluate a server like 432EVO. I bet a different result when 432EVO paired with a Esoteric DAC like yours! I agree with you on ridiculous 20-25 minutes to rip a single CD. My ACS100 takes less than 5 minutes to rip a single CD.

Thyname the reviewer at first was using the wrong usb input he switched to the correct one he  found the sound was far better now

 

As per rip times it is 8 to12 mins

 

 

He says this "

but the purported 432 magic largely escaped me. "

 

, but then his review conclusion:

" The 432 EVO High End Music Server is a remarkable player, making good on its promise to deliver a warmer, more pleasant listening experience via its 432 Hz tuning. It definitely takes the edge off digital files and, if you’re jonesing for vinyl playback but don’t have the bucks or inclination to purchase a good one (or a decent cartridge and phono stage preamplifier, for that matter), this might be the way to go; you get the convenience of digital with a lion’s share of vinyl’s warmth. Moreover, if you prefer your downloads, ripped files and streaming served straight up, you can do that, as well; with a click of a setting, you can listen in 440 Hz. But, wait, there’s more! You can also rip CDs via its built-in ripper. There’s also the upsampling options, but that does not appeal to me, so I didn’t bother and, hence, cannot comment on that.

Either way, the 432 EVO High End Music Server is a great value; teamed-up with the likes of the Schiit Audio Yggdrasil OG DAC, Pass Labs amplification, Straight Wire cabling, Usher Audio Mini Dancer 2 tower speakers, and a good acoustical space, it delivers a musical experience that entreats you to listen to just one more song, again and again! Moreover, it is fully upgradable to their $7500 432 EVO Aeon model. Bottom line, it gets my thumbs up."

Fairly negative review of the EVO High End on Positive Feedback site:

 

The reviewer had a hard time discerning any differences between the EVO and his NUC, USB out to his Schiit DAC:

 

"

Where's the Magic?

After making all the connections with the Sbooster power supplies, USB cable to my DAC and external hard drive (which stores over 4 TB of ripped and downloaded music), I fired it up. Using the Roon Labs app on my iPhone to control it, I could not access music on my external HD, which was disappointing. I later read on their online manual that the music could be streamed from Roon, Qobuz, Tidal, and Internet radio stations or played from its internal 2 TB hard drive, but that ripped or downloaded files needed to be moved there via a controller such as iPeng or their online portal. Additionally, when I played music on it, I noticed a slightly warmer presentation than my Intel NUC Roon Optimized Core Kit music server, but the difference wasn't quite what I imagined; it still sounded very good, but the purported 432 magic largely escaped me. "

 

 

He also mentioned this in one of FB comments:

 

"All this said, I had the input of a computer engineer who built his own DACs encourage me to go the route of having a simple computer server linked up to the Yggdrasil for excellent results. And he was right. Save for the tuning and DSP, the Intel NUC with a great DAC like the Yggie is quite competitive."

It also looks like it takes 20-25 minutes to rip a single CD, which I find outright outrageous

@thyname  Yes, that makes sense.

I, however (being factual; not negative), believe you can do better than the Zenith Mk3...fwiw.

I have not updated my system recently here under Systems. I am back to the ZENith MK3. My DAC also has a network bridge built in. So I have a couple of options. As it is.
 

I am really hesitant to make additional changes as everything sounds very good as it is. All the commotion, hassles buying and selling, money, and all that. I am a bit tired doing all that honestly. Sometimes we just have to sit back and enjoy what we have. Even if not permanently. I hope this makes sense 

@thyname   Can you elaborate on "I don’t want to do that before I am sure this is something I needed for my system"?

You list the Roon Nucleus + in your system...so I'm confused by the above statement.

I'd expect the 432 Evo to be a step or two above the Nucleus, depending on the level you choose.

@lalitk : cannot say it never crossed my mind to ask. But really I don’t want to do that before I am sure this is something I needed for my system. It’s only fair

“Naah… Lalin is fine”
@thyname

You should ask him to send you a 432 EVO for audition. Your feedback would carry a lot of weight versus a dealer’s tireless shilling!

thanks thyname

 

We have two pieces out for review so far bothreviewers are quite impressed with the sound of the servers

😂🤦‍♂️, Naah… Lalin is fine

“I have yet to meet someone who has one.”

@thyname,

Sometimes the folks promoting the product can be a detriment, it sure seems the case for 432 EVO :-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was hoping you did. I have yet to meet someone who has one.

I am still around and no, I have not tried one.

@falconquest : if you are still around, did you try one of these?

@divertiti you got the facts wrong:

"This 432 EVO for example is a PC with a $160 MSRP CPU, a $135 MSRP motherboard, $80 worth of 8gb DDR4 ram, ..."

ASRock J5040-ITX SoC motherboard comes with Intel Gemini Lake Refresh SoC already soldered and passive heatsink included for about $150.  Availability is a problem though.

I am a DIY builder too.  While I agree that DIY is a cheaper option, do not forget to include the cost of Streacom or HDPLEX casings (HDPLEX more expensive), external LPSU, cabling, and special tools to crimp Molex connectors used by motherboard, SSDs, LP4 connector in USB card, plus ATX power supply tester to ensure we don't blow motherboard when first time powering up.

Divertiti is correct, but then there is a whole lot of equipment where price of components doesn't come close to adding up retail price. And so diy route is the value route, especially if we don't pay ourselves for time spent researching, procuring, assembling projects. Then take marketing, distribution costs into account, I assume most know what they're paying for.

@divertiti I'd gladly buy a chassis and hire you to build a DIY version if you were so inclined?

@djones51 Satanic tuning is the one that always gives me a chuckle.

As someone who has built a lot of computers, it's really hard to match up the price of these servers with what they actually offer. This 432 EVO for example is a PC with a $160 MSRP CPU, a $135 MSRP motherboard, $80 worth of 8gb DDR4 ram, a free open source operating system and...a USB card with clock along with a linear power supply, and it's stilling for $6000 to $13000...where does the money go?

I heard HQPlayer cannot be loaded in ROON core residing in 432 Evo Music Servers to upsample to DSD. Is this true? 

Better then the Antipodes EXCX?

At this point we have a good number of us clients with units and they are all thrilled and they are all reliable

As per service the major parts are from a few very large industrial suppliers so parts are easy to source also the servers are totally modular seperate main.cpu board outboard linear power supplies seperate sound card and clock

The modular nature of the servers allow for easy upgrades from model to model which means you can easily increase sound quality by by improving the sophistication of the isolation of the data as you move up to the higher end models


Dave and troy
Audio intellect nj

Us importer 442 Evo music servers

Congratulations! Glad to hear from someone that has one. Please keep us updated on your impressions.

For those of you that have been waiting, I am the happy owner of the Evo 432 High End.  I don't have any experience with streamers, but I do own a very well thought of server.  I was happily surprised at how much better the Evo was than my previous server.  Yes, its a little more expensive, but I believe it to be good value.  I expected the streaming to be significantly worse than my carefully ripped cds, but the difference is quite small, depending on the recording.  The 432hz tuning does make a subtle improvement, and you have a wide choice of tunings from 444hz to 415hz.  The bottom line is that it sounds great.  

Yes, I too have been waiting. Hey @audiotroy anything new going on with the Evo? It's been pretty quiet.

I was watching this thread with interest. Hoping someone would chime in with direct experience. 

You know what they say... there is only one way to know: try for yourself 😉

I would like everyone to know that I started this thread based on my research into this streamer and wanted to get an idea if there was anyone else out there that had heard of it or had one to offer information. I knew that audiotroy would be the U.S. importer of this product but that's of no consequence to me. I have no skin in the game one way or another. I was just interested in hearing feedback from others about the product, not the distribution chain. It seems to be quite a popular streamer in Europe and my guess is, it will take the USA by storm as well. I could be wrong, who knows? So if we could keep the conversation focused more on the product as opposed to the distribution, I would certainly appreciate it. Thank you.

@audiotroy I personally don't have an issue with you pitching your products here. This is your livelihood so I understand. But if you're going to put a brand down like this, I think it's fair to ask for some proof. Can you share the names of the European distributors who are dropping Innuous? 

arafiq it is comming from europe

thyname why would we continue to 
work with innous when 
432 evo offers so much more:


 advantages over innous

432evo makes up gradeable products at any time the consumer can upgrade to an even higher level of audio performanance

432 evo is tuneable 

we give you 2tb standard no extracharge vs innous 1TB

the 6k aeon competes with a 14k statement or a zenith plus phoenix

all service done direcctly in the usa no shipping back to spain

a greater range of models  to better accomodate clents: 3k, 4k,6k,15k

we sold innous for years because their products were and are excellent 

we pursued 432 evo because the word in europe was 432evo was an even better ptroduct so we jumped at the chance to become their us distributor


hope that helps thyname

dave and troy
audio intellect NJ
usa distributor 432evo servers, mj acoustics subwoofers and jern monitors

Hey @arafiq    It’s whatever Dr. Dave is selling right now. Likely terminated Innuos dealership, so.... you get the gist

@audiotroy Do you have any statistics, news, studies, etc. to show that Innuous distributors are dropping Innuous? And why?

Guys dave lalin owner audio intellect here we are the us importer of432 evo servers we will be doing all service here in our Nj offices

So no shipping to europe just a quick return to nj

We have a very liberal home trial

Thyname in Europe every innous distributor is Droping innous and picking up 432 evo

The 432 evo master is even better designed then a statementand it costs less 

Dave and troy
Audio intellect Nj
Us importers 432 evo servers

Hi @falconquest : you probably haven’t got the Memo on Dow Jones. He is not here to discuss how any product brings something to the table. He is here to proclaim that NO product brings anything to the table. It’s all Snake Oil, a China anything works just as well, etc. etc. Literally ALL his posts about how something possibly do anything, everyone is being duped, a fool and his money. Typical anti Audio crowd, who detest Audiophiles with all their cheap hearts 

@djones51,
Thank you so much for hijaking this thread and making it all about you. You must be pleased to have so much attention. Were it not about attention you could have simply stated "I don't see the significance of 432hz so I don't get the relevance of the product" and that would have sufficed. The reality is, this streamer allows one the ability to operate within a range of selected tunings. However, that is just one aspect of the device. It is also getting very favorable reviews. Add to that the ability to rip a disc by simply inserting it into the slot and (which I know you can also do with Innuos) that makes for a pretty slick package. Since the mid-level unit can be upgraded in the future to the top level there are additional advantages. Is it the absolute best streamer in the world? Well, that would be a subjective point of view wouldn't it?


So going forward we get your point all too well. I will not address you again and ask that you kindly keep your comments more product focused or move on.

I sincerely wish you participated in ASR exclusively!! But it gets boring doesn’t it? Everyone being in full agreement about “audio bullschiit”

I am not a member of those other forums or FB. The only other forum I use is ASR.

Why 432hz? Why can't it be switched to 435hz or 430.5hz? I have no interest in conversing with conspiracy theorists on the merits of 432hz. If it was something more than twaddle then this device would be able to switch to any preferred Hertz instead of 432 only. The fact this Hertz was chosen isn't by accident but a continuation of the nonsense surrounding it. It would be no more productive than discussing the spherical shape of the earth with flat earthers.