Benchmark LA4 vs. Anthem STR Preamps

@jhajeski  If he is using the Parasound and likes it (I owned the A23 once) the Anthem STR will like be preferred by him. I own the HPA4 (same as the LA4) and I think it is the best component in my system. The Anthem will have a nice warm sound. The Benchmark will have no sound to it.

I also find that having an all Benchmark stack (DAC3B | LA4 | AHB2) is the way to go when using Benchmark. Otherwise, you are limiting the Benchmarks advantages by mixing with other brands.

BTW - I think hardware based DSP is not as good as the DSP I use with my Benchmark stack and ROON. However, that is a different conversation.

@audiotroy When you say you have experience with ROON I have a feeling you are saying that you have made adjustments via the ParametricEQ settings.

What I am taking about is this.

https://audiophilestyle.com/ca/bits-and-bytes/what-is-accurate-sound-r923/

This is using very expensive software, in my case AudioLense, to first measure my room with a mic and then create Convolution files that are installed into my ROON Core. The person that did my Convolution DSP is the man who wrote the article linked above. He is a professional acoustic engineer. The results are incredible. 

I have considered hardware based DSP such as:

- ARC
- Space Optimization
- Room Perfect
- DecWare (sp? from Australia)

I would rather use the immense processing capability of my cheap computer versus the limited and fixed processing ability of an audio device.

@mapman I agree that what I have done is not the easy way. There is no way I would attempt to create the files myself. I am computer literate and that makes me realize my limitations in using this complex audio software. 

Using a audio hardware approach is likely easier and good enough for most DIY'ers.

@mike_in_nc A little background on how I got to my current software setup.

I got into the Convolution stuff because I wanted to figure out how to use DSP for my small office with big floorstanders. At first I looked at the hardware based options that I listed previously. Then I did more research on A'gon and came cross posts about ACCURATE software from Germany. The comments on that software were all saying that this was the most powerful DSP software available and would provide the best DSP results.

As I looked into that software I realized I would not be able to use it properly, it was too complex. I am a software developer with close to 30 years of experience so I should have more ability at this software than most. However, I took a pass. I was happy to later find a professional engineer who wanted to fill-in to this niche market to remotely create DSP Convolution filters using the complex ACCURATE or AUDIOLENSE software.

As an FYI to anyone interested in ROON Core | Convolution | PowerLine Network | ROON READY Zones.

My current setup is running a ROON Core with DSP Convolution filters on a cheap but powerful PC. It could have been the ROON appliance that ROONLabs sells or any other device that runs ROON. My ROON Core machine is located in my wife’s office, which has no audio equipment. It is connected to the home Ethernet network by a PowerLine network which uses the house’s copper wiring. I currently have 4 ROON READY Zones in 3 different rooms, the guest bedroom (soon to go away), my son’s playroom, and my home office (with 2 Zones).

In my office, I have 2 Sonore OpticalRendu’s connected to a Ubiquiti Networks switch with 2 Fibre cages. So I use direct Fibre from the switch to my 2 OpticalRendu’s and these 2 Rendu’s are connected to a Benchmark DAC3B and a Audio Mirror Tubadour III SE DAC. I have headphones and floorstanding speakers in the office. Whenever, I listen to the floorstander I select the ROON DSP option and then select from a drop down list the DSP option containing the Convolution DSP. When I listen to the headphones I use a DSP filter with everything disabled (I named this option NoDSP). So in my office I have 2 ROON READY DACs (via the Rendu’s) and 2 DSP options for a total of 4 listening options.

My other 2 ROON READY Zones have DAC’s with built-in ROON READY RJ45 streaming. My son’s playroom has a KRELL K-300i integrated with Ethernet coming from a PowerLine Adapter to the RJ45 input. The bedroom is has a Matrix Mini-i-3 Pro DAC connected by wired Ethernet to the RJ45 input. Neither of these use the Convolution DSP options though I could if I wanted to. In fact, yesterday the system sounded awful in my son’s playroom. That was because I had accidently select the Convolution DSP option for the ROON Zone connected to the KRELL. Not sure how I managed to do that screwup. That Convolution file is specifically designed for the home office, not other rooms.

The great thing with the KRELL system is that my babysitter and another person for my son both can connect to the KRELL and play music using their iPhones using the ROON Client. Including adjusting the volume with the ROON app. Only the KRELL supports this volume adjustment.

Anyways, just some info on my computer networking | audio streaming | software based DSP for anyone interested.

BTW - I will checkout the EtherRegen for the KRELL streaming on the 30 day home trial.

I should have added that the secret sauce that makes my ROON setup sound incredible is the fibre streaming. All that noise I have in my network is tamed (maybe all eliminated) by the fibre (at least in the office DACs).

Now that is not the case for my RJ45 streaming DACs, but I am getting rid of one DAC next week and the other RJ45 streaming is in a noisy room that does not need to be "audiophile". 

The EtherRegen was metioned previously by me as a potentially simple way to clean up the RJ45 streaming.

@mike_in_nc The Anthem STR is supposed to be amazing for setting up DSP and subs, There was a huge review of the DSP features of the STR on SoundStage Global by Diego.

SoundStage! Hi-Fi | SoundStageHiFi.com - Anthem STR Preamplifier -- "Extraordinary" . . . or Not?

See I brought my post back on topic.