Euphony Summus server

[spiritofmusic]

I'm finally gonna make the plunge to a Roon-based streaming solution next year. Not to replace my vinyl, or even cdp, but as an add-on, in parallel, to augment music discovery and dive deep into specialist genre searches.

There's plenty of info out there on all the usual suspects...Innuos, Roon Nucleus, Lumin, Extreme etc.

But I've just come across a neat looking contender at the €2.7k price point, highly competitive with Innuos and Roon Nucleus.

That's the Euphony Summus.

www.euphony-audio.com

I believe it's Roon Core meaning I don't have to run Roon on a computer elsewhere in the house, and the few reviews I've come across praise it for excellent SQ, one report saying it punches well above it's price point.

Any thoughts, or user experiences out there? I'd be looking to power it with a Farad Super3 lps and use it with something like the MHDT Atlantis tubed output dac, a package totalling €5k, a price point that this previously procrastinating streaming skeptic can just about handle, Lol.

 

[FredM]

Hi,
On Audiophilestyle you can find more info on the Summus. Depending on your preferences, just recently Antipodes launches a range of Roon products, perhaps have a look there. In addition Silent Angel - Rhein Z1 also offers a turnkey Roon server/player.

Ps Do you have a limit on box count? (Before you can say 1011011, you’re in the digital rabbit hole with switches, server, endpoints, DAC’s, PSU’s etc and all cables attached..)

 

[spiritofmusic]

Tbh, I wish streaming never existed...happy as Larry with my ONE box cdp.
But since I have to live in the real world...
I'm interested in the Summus purely because of the price point it inhabits.
Antipodes significantly costlier.

 

[FredM]

Hi, regarding the Antipodes, at ~ €3000 the S30 has an integrated DAC (can save a box?).

Based on your findings/preference you can use the ‘spare’ €2000 for a PSU, external DAC, switch, .. if necessary

 

[spiritofmusic]

Hi Fred, that's a good suggestion. But I'm gonna dismiss the S30 just as I'll likely dismiss the Innuos Zen Mini Mk3 one-box solution. Imho, there's too much to pack in at this price point to make the resultant unit anything other than a likely compromise.

I'd rather settle on a server that is established at it's price point like the Innuos Zenith, and then find a killer dac, like the MHDT.

I think if I was going to settle on a one-box solution, it'll be Linn I'd go for.

The Euphony Summus is my current object of interest versus super established Innuos Zenith.

 

[spiritofmusic]

Just spoken to the Euphony head honcho. He recommends Summus server w LPS to run Roon Core, but NOT Roon as Endpoint...his suggestion is Roon Core and Euphony Stylus OS as Endpoint.

And then to consider in due course a second Summus, one as server, one as renderer. I guess that means one fully devoted to Roon Core, one to Euphony Stylus OS Endpoint, to maximise computing power to both functions.

Akin to Antipodes CX and EX, or SGC Sonic Transporter and Rendu.

 

[7ryder]

Hi Fred, that's a good suggestion. But I'm gonna dismiss the S30 just as I'll likely dismiss the Innuos Zen Mini Mk3 one-box solution. Imho, there's too much to pack in at this price point to make the resultant unit anything other than a likely compromise.

I'd rather settle on a server that is established at it's price point like the Innuos Zenith, and then find a killer dac, like the MHDT.

I think if I was going to settle on a one-box solution, it'll be Linn I'd go for.

The Euphony Summus is my current object of interest versus super established Innuos Zenith.

Linn's streamers are great, but they aren't a one-box solution and you'll still need a server on your network. I own a Linn KDSM and use an i7 Sonic Transporter (Win10, running Audiophile Optimizer and Fidelizer).

 

[aangen]

I have been running a Euphony PTS server for quite some time now. The PTS is a creation of Power Holdings. Mine is equipped with a 4TB Samsung SSD, I have quite a bit of experience using it as a Roon server, and as a Euphony Stylus OS streamer. I am very, very happy with it which makes it difficult for me to consider the Summus. I have heard from Summus owners that I am a fool to not just go there.

Euphony OS is wonderful and the support has been quite good. I now keep the server in a distant place and use it just as a Roon server. I have opted to keep computer type devices away from my system if possible. I do not believe I heard a difference in my system when I moved the Euphony Server away so it my go back so i can enjoy Stylus once again. It is possible that playing files from and or streaming Qobuz and Tidal from the Euphony server in Stylus mode sounds a bit better than doing the same from the Euphony server in Roon mode. But Roon has Roo-and me so I tend to use it most of the time.

I am very confident that should you purchase a Summus, you will enjoy it a great deal. Some of the questions that you may face are should you go with internal storage or external. Some users claim it is noisier to use internal drive and oh my goodness never an SSD drive! The horror!
I am quite pleased with my internal SSD drive....

I was running a custom built NUC with Fidelizer Pro before. It sounded quite good. I think the Euphony is better, runs headless, reboots in 25 seconds or less when needed, can be configured in many useful ways and changed quickly and easily. I am a fan.

 

[7ryder]

Some stream(ing) of consciousness thoughts on streaming servers -

As I said above, I use a Small Green Computer i7. It is running Windows10 and I also have Audiophile Optimizer and Fidelizer running on it. It is using the stock Dell switching power supply that comes with it (rest of my system is in my signature) and it is my Roon server. It is connected to a switch between my Orbi satellite and my Linn KDSM.

In the past two months, I got rid of my Cisco switch and replaced it with a Melco S100 and it was a noticeable improvement. What really moved the needle was replacing the switching power supplies on both the Melco and the Orbi satellite I have in my listening room with Farad Super3 power supplies. The noise level in my room is already very low and doing these changes with power supplies for the switch and Orbi appears to have lowered the noise level further while also increasing the slam and the low end.

Back to servers - over the past 3 weeks, I've also been auditioned the Innuos Statement and currently have Antipodes' new K50 in for a demo. I decided to try these because both have direct ethernet-out connections to endpoints, such as my Linn KDSM, and both claim that using this will improve the sound. The K50 is essentially the Summus in one box - both endpoint and server and the Statement is just a server. Both cost around $15K US.

In my system with my KDSM, so far I haven't heard much, if any, difference streaming directly from the K50 to the KDSM instead of directly from the Melco S100. With the Statement, I was hearing some digital fatigue that I don't get with the Melco, so that went back to the dealer.

I've also tried using AES/EBU from the K50 to my Trinnov Amethyst using the K50 as a Roon endpoint. The Amethyst is a digital preamp with fantastic room correction and it is also a Roon endpoint.

For some reason, running the KDSM analog signal through the Amethyst's AD/DA converters sounds better than using the Amethyst as the Roon endpoint. I know - kinda crazy. It isn't a huge difference (and I haven't done blind testing), but I've listened to both for extended periods and kept the KDSM (believe me, my wallet would have appreciated it if the Amethyst sounded better).

At any rate, with the K50 as an endpoint using AES/EBU into the Amethyst (it doesn't do USB), it does not sound as good as using the Amethyst's ethernet connection.

Based upon my experience, if someone is thinking about getting a new server to improve the sound, they may want to look at the switch to their streamer first. The Melco/Farad combo is about $3K which is less than a lot of audiophile servers and, in my system, made more of an impact than the servers I have/are demoing. Glad I did that first - it's gonna save me some money!

 

[rbbert]

Just spoken to the Euphony head honcho. He recommends Summus server w LPS to run Roon Core, but NOT Roon as Endpoint...his suggestion is Roon Core and Euphony Stylus OS as Endpoint.

And then to consider in due course a second Summus, one as server, one as renderer. I guess that means one fully devoted to Roon Core, one to Euphony Stylus OS Endpoint, to maximise computing power to both functions.

Akin to Antipodes CX and EX, or SGC Sonic Transporter and Rendu.

Any further progress here?

 

[spiritofmusic]

Afraid not, no surprise to anyone aware of my procrastination on all things streaming.