New custom streamer goes in, great attention to noise and latency issues. Revelatory is only word I can apply to what I'm hearing, much greater sense of ease, I simply relax into music, its like the music has slowed down and come into its own natural flow, far more like the top tier vinyl setups I've heard. There has been substantial reduction in noise floor as well, but the newfound sense of ease is the revelatory thing.
@sns Very well said as to the incredible improvements that can be achieved by upgrading to better components in the streaming chain.
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Point is not to generalize about inputs/outputs, each case is different...blathering objective statements only further confuses people.
@sns Oh, you mean blathering like this?
USB inputs are optimized in many dacs, preferred by many.
Really? Where’s your proof? Didn’t think so. Of the hundreds of posts I’ve read on the subject yours is the ONLY one I recall where USB was preferred to i2S with the exception of Holo DAC owners where it’s well known that those DACs are optimized for USB, which seems to be much more the exception than the rule. By contrast, I’ve read many, many posts where i2S and/or AES/EBU were superior to USB or SPDIF. Maybe your DAC sucks and can’t realize the benefit of an i2S connection, or maybe you used an HDMI cable that was too long — I dunno, but I think you’re in the distinct minority on this unless you can quote others preferring USB over i2S besides, apparently, people with your specific DAC (or Holo, obviously) because I sure ain’t seen them but can cite many (including me) who’ve found i2S to be vastly superior to USB. Your move chief.
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Individuals use usb because it has best SQ vs other inputs/outputs available to them. I've observed many trying coax, AES/EBU, I2S inputs on dac, finding them inferior and returning to usb
@sns IME no…just, no. That may be your individual experience and can always be gear dependent, but other than Holo DACs I don’t know of any other DAC manufacturer that recommends USB over i2S or AES/EBU. For example, I fed my Musician Pegasus DAC via a high-quality USB cable and then bought a Denafrips Iris that let me use the Pegasus’ i2S input and it was a whole new world of performance and I ain’t no way going back to USB. What USB versus i2S or AES/EBU connections have you tried personally and with what equipment? You can cite “other people’s” experience all you want, but unless you’ve done it yourself, as I have, you’re just propagating hearsay and nothing more. Back up your, frankly, controversial contentions with actual experience or this is just audio flimflam based on nothing and counter to what most have experienced here.
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@navyachts Just as he did with the Sueezebox, he left out the qualifier “for the money,” but he did say it’s not on the level of better/pricier streamers. Just highlighting a few words from his review without context is misleading.
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@classdstreamer I haven’t compared Ethernet cables yet. I have a Wireworld Starlight 8 I’m gonna run from a TP-Link extender to my streamer when I get situated, but I’m also gonna try a generic and a CAT7 cable to see how it stacks up for less $$$. I’ve heard Ethernet cables, like everything in streaming, make a big difference and that’s been my experience too thus far, but if a CAT7 outperforms my WW cable at less cost so be it. The Supra 8 has a lotta supporters so not surprised you’re happy with what you’re hearing. I’m agnostic and just use my ears to make my decisions.
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@classdstreamer Interesting. I would’ve thought upgrading to a better power supply would’ve made a bigger absolute difference, not that the improvements you noted are at all insignificant. I might try something like a Teddy Pardo LPS in the future, but given your impressions I’m not in all that much of a rush. BTW, what Ethernet cable are you using into the ZS and what switch?
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@classdstreamer Wondering if you’re using an upgraded power supply with your ZS? Also if you ever went hard wired from a switch/router to the ZS? Both are supposed to yield significant improvements. BTW, I also own the ZS with upgraded iFi iPowerX power supply.
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But the Node is not only a streamer/file-player, it’s also a DAC. It can be used for volume-control, too. I’ve seen reports that it’s quite good when used only as a streamer (feeding digital output to a downstream DAC). If that is our baseline, how much SQ improvement can one expect by switching to a much more expensive stand-alone streamer (such as the Auralic Aries G2.1)?
@tk21 A ton of improvement is possible. Reports that the Node is “quite good” should not be inferred to mean that it’s anywhere near even not much more expensive alternatives. Example, an Innuos Mini Mk3 with LPS power supply upgrade is near the upscale Zen Mk3 in performance (and no one would put the Node, even with upgraded power supply on the level of the Zen Mk3), and even its DAC does a very good job with the LPS. Innuos has trickled down tech from its upper models that the Node can’t match even with an external power supply, and the Zen Mini will scale up much better if/when you upgrade to a better DAC. Yes, it costs a bit more, but you’re also getting a lot more. Underestimate the role/impact of a streamer at your peril. Here’s Darko’s review of the Zen Mini both with and without the upgraded external power supply and with/without its internal DAC FWIW…
https://darko.audio/2019/11/innuos-zen-mini-mk3-review/
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I did a quick search for Darko's streamer reviews. Not sure I found the one @soix cited. Anyway, Darko's highest praise seems to go to the Logitech Squeezebox Touch.
@tk21 The title of the Darko Squeezebox video is unfortunate and misleading. If you watch the video he compared the SBT to a Bluesound Node 3 and finds them comparable — hardly high praise in the scheme of things. Here’s the video I was alluding to in my prior post that is a bit dated but still relevant for pointing out differences between streamers…
https://darko.audio/2019/02/a-short-film-about-the-innuos-zen-mk3/
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@tk21 I know it can be tough to accept that streamers make a big difference, and I applaud you for at least keeping your mind open as opposed to many here who just close their minds based on their beliefs rather than just listening. Most experienced listeners here observe significant differences between streamers and that they’re at least as important as the DAC they feed. Darko did a head-to-head comparison of several streamers a while back and found significant differences in sound quality so might be informative searching that review out. My advice: Trust your own ears and come to your own conclusions because that’s really all that matters. FWIW…
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