Antipodes

Barry

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Jan 7, 2012
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...I really am not a computer audio natural...there are Japanese WW2 fighter pilots lost on an isolated Pacific island that have more computer skills than me. My current $12.5k cdp is truly making some great sounds, and I'm actually miffed that the world has gone to dump physical media so comprehensively. Btw, how many TB are standard on the DX, and how much for each extra TB?

LOL. Not to fear. Those last few fighter pilots are all in the their 90s and will soon be resting in peace. I'm at least at 4th grade level, but agree that learning all there is to know about servers is truly daunting. I feel the same way about my cdp and the thought of spending days on end ripping hundreds of them to a file server is not my idea of a good time either.

The USD MSRP prices for the standard DX Gen 3 model I saw were $7,750 for 1TB ranging to $17,200 for 8TB so interpolate for anything in between. A little hard to believe the pricing since you can buy an 8TB external computer hard drive here for $200.

I'm in the same boat as you and hoping it doesn't sink before I reach the Promised Land....
 

Sablon Audio

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May 22, 2015
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A little hard to believe the pricing since you can buy an 8TB external computer hard drive here for $200.

The SSD type storage previously referred is rather more expensive than HDD spinning discs and currently costs @£300 per TB.
 

spiritofmusic

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Jun 13, 2013
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Actually, I'd prob order any server with a minimum of ssd storage.
I love my cdp so much that I'm not going to rip any, or only v few, cds
I'll stick w playing my current 1.5k cds on my Eera, and new Tidal searches on the new rig
Since they're on Tidal, there'll be no need to have to rip.
So extra ssd storage for me is unnecessary.
For me a decision to go Antipodes DX is whether it's the right choice over Aurender W10 on the basis of my favoured aspects of sound reproduction ie organic, textured, palpable mids and upper bass, and analog like jump factor in good recordings
I certainly get this w my current Eera cdp
And much of this is evident on the lovely SGM server I'm v familiar with
But w Antipodes at half cost of SGM, my decisions are based on organic sound and user friendly interface, and the latter is esp well served by the SGM
 

christoph

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Dec 11, 2015
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Hi Marc

Is the LampizatOr SuperKomputer already out of the race?
 

abeidrov

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Dec 17, 2015
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Actually, I'd prob order any server with a minimum of ssd storage.
I love my cdp so much that I'm not going to rip any, or only v few, cds
I'll stick w playing my current 1.5k cds on my Eera, and new Tidal searches on the new rig
Since they're on Tidal, there'll be no need to have to rip.
So extra ssd storage for me is unnecessary.
For me a decision to go Antipodes DX is whether it's the right choice over Aurender W10 on the basis of my favoured aspects of sound reproduction ie organic, textured, palpable mids and upper bass, and analog like jump factor in good recordings
I certainly get this w my current Eera cdp
And much of this is evident on the lovely SGM server I'm v familiar with
But w Antipodes at half cost of SGM, my decisions are based on organic sound and user friendly interface, and the latter is esp well served by the SGM
The Antipodes interface is the same as in SGM: Roon minus HQplayer. And although the latter is an excellent product, after extensively testing it on the Lampi SK, I felt that Roon by itself provides the same sound quality with a much better interface and ease of use. First I was really excited to try different HQplayer setting, upsampling, filters. But after a month of continuing fiddling with various settings and reading different forums to find the best one, I got really tired. In the end, I decided to stop any upsampling and conversion of PCM to DSD and now I listen to all formats in its native forms.
 

abeidrov

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Dec 17, 2015
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Hi Marc

Is the LampizatOr SuperKomputer already out of the race?
This is another good contender especially taking into account the fact, that the new model with an upgraded power supply is coming out soon.
 

spiritofmusic

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Jun 13, 2013
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Nothing's out in particular.
I have in depth regular exposure to SGM, and this has been such a positive experience, it's swung me twds streaming, and is technically in pole position, despite it's price tag.
There's some interesting developments that may take it even further, and I love it's synergy w T&A Dac8 esp at upsampled 512dsd.
For £16k it's a great first and last step.
I'm one of the few on here who's not a Lampi fanboy, feeling GG on SGM was beaten easily by Dac8 on SGM at the same demo.
Not everyone in the room agreed, but Heck, I'm the consumer, and only my opinion matters to me.
I've never been convinced by TotalDac either, so I'm not convinced I want tubes in my digital.
Or analog for that matter.
For me I'm looking at a few levels.
Oppo Sonica £1k.
Innuous Zenith/Yggy or La Voce £5k.
Antipodes DX/La Voce £10k
CAD/CAT £15k.
Antipodes DX/Formula £20k.
SGM/Dac8 £20k.
Lampi may not make my shortlist
 
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BMCG

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Oct 1, 2016
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if you're contemplating 20k territory...then might be useful to benchmark the dCS Rossini DAC (GBP17k)..it is a Roon endpoint...and if you want to predominantly stream....a straightforward install.
 

spiritofmusic

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Jun 13, 2013
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BMCG, I can't contemplate spending more than $20k on a server/dac option
That would mean pairing this DCS with a $3k server
TBH, DCS have never done it for me re midrange tone density and upper bass texture
Uber detail and pin sharp imaging, yes
But those aren't my objectives
 

BMCG

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Oct 1, 2016
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Marc - got it - no prob. happy hunting!
 

awsmone

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Apr 6, 2014
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Hi

Can I suggest baby steps rather than all out assault

Many of the features you need are contained in average servers now

The option to upgrade and swap out components is important as in any computer interface

Hard drive capacity power supply USB interface and software are important as well as user interface

I would go with killer dac, brilliant USB interface and server capable of power supply upgrades especially to USB

I love SQ player, and think if u want organic sound you need some adjustability in the filtering to suit

The difference in filters is not subtle

Just my 2 cents
 

spiritofmusic

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Jun 13, 2013
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Awsmone, I'm looking at a two stage move in this direction
A serviceable and reliable server like eg Innuous Zen at $1.5k, with a toneful and organic dac like Aqua La Voce at $2k.
I can max its performance w my current fave cables brand using a Sablon Reserva USB.
If in 12-18 months I'm seriously immersed in this new direction, then I'm looking at an end destination upgrade to SGM and a top dac like tricked out T&A Dac8 or Aqua Formula.
An option just below this could be the all Computer Audio Design CAD dac and CAT server.
 

awsmone

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Apr 6, 2014
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Awsmone, I'm looking at a two stage move in this direction
A serviceable and reliable server like eg Innuous Zen at $1.5k, with a toneful and organic dac like Aqua La Voce at $2k.
I can max its performance w my current fave cables brand using a Sablon Reserva USB.
If in 12-18 months I'm seriously immersed in this new direction, then I'm looking at an end destination upgrade to SGM and a top dac like tricked out T&A Dac8 or Aqua Formula.
An option just below this could be the all Computer Audio Design CAD dac and CAT server.

I think starting slow is good idea

I think good sounding dac is first aim

Make sure has great USB card, personally I feel this makes a big difference

A simple server with Roon and hq player

Consider USB interface like sotm ultra etc

See if you like the experience of computer

As a long term adopter ...beware that computer audio can be a frustrating experience

If as you state your a bit of a newbie, make sure you go with components that all are known to work together might save you many hours of frustration

Read all installation instructions first, will save time later

A good suggestion was made to me when I started


Start with Roon, and get used to it before trying HQ player

I found that was great advice, as hq player can be a bit daunting at first

I am in middle of starting my own company making audio servers

So feel free to pm me for advice

I find computer audio very interesting but frustrating at times

I have no financial interest in any components currently on the market

If you are ultimately interested in things like SGM which is a great product, also have a look at pink faun

A lot of what the top server people offer is very subtle stuff, not immediately obvious to newbie

If I was to make some general statements

Noise, heat, I/0 interfaces are big issues in computer audio

And, not always the fastest CPU is the best sounding

In some ways it's more like tubes than SS, it's the right components rather than the best circuit that's most important

Also, if you not doing hires downloads, but mainly ripping cds, consider this aspect!

honestly it takes a while......
 

abeidrov

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Dec 17, 2015
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You may want to consider a cheaper Antipodes model if you want to go slow. Another option is one of the Sonore devices. But the beauty of Antipodes is that it is a complete plug and play, all in one box solution, which might be a better option for someone like yourself, who is not too deep into computers.
 
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bonzo75

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sbo6

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I can vouch that the Aqua Formula is excellent. Also, any thoughts wrt an Ultrarendu and LPS1? Excellent combo for under $7K..
 

Elberoth

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Dec 15, 2012
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BMCG, I can't contemplate spending more than $20k on a server/dac option
That would mean pairing this DCS with a $3k server
TBH, DCS have never done it for me re midrange tone density and upper bass texture
Uber detail and pin sharp imaging, yes
But those aren't my objectives

The dCS has the Ethernet input in Roon Ready mode - no audiophile server is necessary.
 

bonzo75

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The dCS has the Ethernet input in Roon Ready mode - no audiophile server is necessary.

So there is a renderer inside the dCS? But does a server not improve the quality of the streaming?
 

Elberoth

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So there is a renderer inside the dCS? But does a server not improve the quality of the streaming?

Ethernet input in Roon Ready mode = Roon renderer.

I doubt an audiophile server would change anything here - there is no direct connection between the server and a DAC as with USB arrangement.
 

bonzo75

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Ethernet input in Roon Ready mode = Roon renderer.

I doubt an audiophile server would change anything here - there is no direct connection between the server and a DAC as with USB arrangement.

Lampi also has that facility now, with the roon renderer in and ability to use Ethernet. Haven't tried but possible the Server will affect the processing quality before it streams it over, though that might be more audiophile ocd and not relevant to someone who does not want to max out his digital. The roon controller is on the Server
 

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