Hello,
My apologies in advance if this turns into a long rambling post, but I need help from an agile mind, or two.
I’m trying to improve my digital playback. At the same time I’m trying to add digital playback to a second system in an adjoining room, hopefully with some shared resources.
In my main rig I’ve a SonicTransporter i5, UltraRendu, into a Denafrips GAIA and i2s into a Denafrips Terminator.
I’ve a 8tb USB drive plugged into the i5, with about 6tb of music in a range of formats, including DSD.
I do not stream from any services like Tidal and have no intention of doing so.
I use Roon, though I’m not married to it. In fact, dropping the monthly expense would by nice but certainly not a priority.
Problems -
1 The i5/UltraRendu crashes quite frequently. Perhaps once a week. It’s not always the same thing. Sometimes the router needs a reboot, sometimes the i5. Sometimes Roon server needs restarting, sometimes I have to unplug the power supply to the UltraRendu.
2 There’s a low-level high frequency whine audible through the speakers that’s definitely coming from the WiFi/i5/UD setup. I’ve moved things around but it’s always present when the i5 is in the chain. If I switch off the i5/UD/WiFi and just use my CD Player into the GAIA then it’s fine.
So how do I improve the sound of my system?
I could go opticalRendu to try to resolve the noise issues but that might not help with the annoying reboot issues.
I’m leaning toward a change of music server / front end.
I’d also like to add digital to a second system and be able to access the files on my USB drive in another room adjacent to my main listening room.
I’m completely open to selling everything including the GAIA and Terminator.
The thoughts I’m having include trying a Lumin U1 or U1 mini to replace the i5/UltraRendu. But will this be a step backwards in sound quality?
If I keep the i5/UltraRendu and add something like a Bricasti M5 to the second system, will it be able to access the files on the USB plugged into the i5 or will it need the files on a NAS drive?
Should I sell everything and buy a Lumin X1, then what would I need for the second system?
I guess this is probably going to be too ‘niche’ for anyone to help with, but I thought I’d throw it out there in case someone has ideas.
I suppose the succinct version of the above is-
What music server will be a step up from an i5?
How do I tap that server from a second room?
I can add around $5-7k to whatever I get from the proceeds of any sales.
Would really appreciate some help so I can move forward and not sideways or backwards!
Thanks
Rooze
My apologies in advance if this turns into a long rambling post, but I need help from an agile mind, or two.
I’m trying to improve my digital playback. At the same time I’m trying to add digital playback to a second system in an adjoining room, hopefully with some shared resources.
In my main rig I’ve a SonicTransporter i5, UltraRendu, into a Denafrips GAIA and i2s into a Denafrips Terminator.
I’ve a 8tb USB drive plugged into the i5, with about 6tb of music in a range of formats, including DSD.
I do not stream from any services like Tidal and have no intention of doing so.
I use Roon, though I’m not married to it. In fact, dropping the monthly expense would by nice but certainly not a priority.
Problems -
1 The i5/UltraRendu crashes quite frequently. Perhaps once a week. It’s not always the same thing. Sometimes the router needs a reboot, sometimes the i5. Sometimes Roon server needs restarting, sometimes I have to unplug the power supply to the UltraRendu.
2 There’s a low-level high frequency whine audible through the speakers that’s definitely coming from the WiFi/i5/UD setup. I’ve moved things around but it’s always present when the i5 is in the chain. If I switch off the i5/UD/WiFi and just use my CD Player into the GAIA then it’s fine.
So how do I improve the sound of my system?
I could go opticalRendu to try to resolve the noise issues but that might not help with the annoying reboot issues.
I’m leaning toward a change of music server / front end.
I’d also like to add digital to a second system and be able to access the files on my USB drive in another room adjacent to my main listening room.
I’m completely open to selling everything including the GAIA and Terminator.
The thoughts I’m having include trying a Lumin U1 or U1 mini to replace the i5/UltraRendu. But will this be a step backwards in sound quality?
If I keep the i5/UltraRendu and add something like a Bricasti M5 to the second system, will it be able to access the files on the USB plugged into the i5 or will it need the files on a NAS drive?
Should I sell everything and buy a Lumin X1, then what would I need for the second system?
I guess this is probably going to be too ‘niche’ for anyone to help with, but I thought I’d throw it out there in case someone has ideas.
I suppose the succinct version of the above is-
What music server will be a step up from an i5?
How do I tap that server from a second room?
I can add around $5-7k to whatever I get from the proceeds of any sales.
Would really appreciate some help so I can move forward and not sideways or backwards!
Thanks
Rooze