State-of-the-Art Digital

[KeithR]

Agreed. The issues that you cite, and my experience with servers, have made me shun servers so far. I know how much of a pain it is to get them sound right (I have experienced the drama over the years in friends' systems), even though it certainly must be possible. I stick with my truly excellent transport.

I do view my digital as a system. That is also why I paid attention to the interconnect between transport and DAC. It is an important component of the system as well, and my expensive AES/EBU digital interconnect does make a substantial difference, too.

It is more expensive than my transport, and almost as expensive as my DAC. It allows for the extraordinary resolution and natural sound from these components to shine.

(And yes, the DAC itself also provides a lot of rhythm & timing, not just the digital source.)

your digital cable costs as much your dac? I’m sorry, but that’s Lol.

 

[KeithR]

Whenever I ask this very same question people tell me that Roon adds, among other things, a lot of background information about the track and the artist and easy access to similar music.

I plan on not using Roon.

What’s nice about it is the integration of your CDs and streaming collection. I’m betting you will get it just for that.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

Whenever I ask this very same question people tell me that Roon adds, among other things, a lot of background information about the track and the artist and easy access to similar music.

I plan on not using Roon.

What’s nice about it is the integration of your CDs and streaming collection. I’m betting you will get it just for that.

Roon's value does assume a significant interest in expanding one's musical landscape.

those 'other things' include LOTS MORE MUSIC.

i recall how instrumental liner notes and reviews were in my own expansion of musical landscape and really enhanced my audiophile experience. Roon fills in the missing learning gap from digital downloads.....in this music media delivery era.

there is no wrong approach. no rules for liking new musical choices.

YMMV.

 

[Al M.]

your digital cable costs as much your dac? I’m sorry, but that’s Lol.

Hehe, until you hear the result .

 

[Kingrex]

I had Roon but was tired of the reoccurring cost so I got rid of it. I miss is for its metadata. Its pretty cool to find an album, look at the band members, then search out a great drummer and where else he is recorded.

HQPlayer is the best sound quality I have. With Roon you can set HQplayer as the output device which is also nice.

Question??? Can anyone hear a difference between HQplayer stand alone and HQPlayer as the output device on Roon????

Spotify is actually an excellent tool for finding new music. I use it all the time on weekends when my wife and I just have music playing for entertainment. Spotify finds the best of what we like. If I really like something and want to stop and listen for a while, I will turn on Qobuz and find the album I really liked on Spotify. If its there.

I also have JRiver. Its pretty good. Not great, but its only $40 or so one time fee. It catalogs my 2000 plus albums well.

I wonder if I want a new digital usb cable. Mine is an Acoustic Revive. It wasn't much better than a lesser quality digital cable I use to use. I have a hard time stomaching a $2500 spend on a cable. Friend tell me the heavens open up and gods hand reaches down full of glorious sound. Thats a tough call. I can hear power cable changes. I can hear interconnect cable changes. I'm sure I would hear a usb cable change. This is the part of audio that gets me. Just how far do you have to go optimizing to really appreciate the expensive gear we acquire.

 

[andromedaaudio]

The answer to the last question is no ( imo .)
Sounds kind of the same as those financial advisers who will say : all heavens will open up if you transfer your investment money to them

 

[morricab]

I don’t know guys, perhaps you have more time than me but I find Qobuz has WAY more music than I could ever listen to and I am finding new interesting stuff constantly...enough for several lifetimes. The BlueSound OS has many of the same features as Roon but not a lot of unnecessary stuff. My BlueSound vault running on battery pack and with optical out to a jitter reduction box is very clean as optical isolates nicely from power related jitter (as does battery) and the rest is cleaned up by the reclocker. Is it the ultimate? No but it is still very good and a fraction what I see others paying.

 

[Elliot G.]

I use Jriver and have no problems. What was better about Roon. If the sound is better I am interested.

Yes it sounds better and is easier to use. So WIN WIN

 

[chrisr]

Yes it sounds better and is easier to use. So WIN WIN

This is curious. JRiver has bit perfect ripping and bit perfect playback regardless of the file type, bit depth, or bit rate. So does Roon dither or something to make it sound "better"?

 

[the sound of Tao]

I am a Mac user and use Audrivana for playback. Roon is great if you are a metadata geek. I just pick and album I want to listen to on my iPad and go. Audrivana has excellent sound quality and easy to use. I have no need at all for a Roon.

I was also using audirvana and pure music before Roon for quite a few years, and tried HQ player as well. The others sounded great at various times and various iterations and audirvana was also reliably good sonically but all of them also tended to focus me in more in sonic performance outcomes as a primary criteria in choice along with usability.

I just find Roon to be a much, much richer experience in musical discovery and that is where it’s strength is far greater. Not sure that qualifies me as a geek at all Joe (I do like to consider myself a music lover with diverse tastes and a passion to learn more) so for me I do think with Roon the focus is more essentially on a journey in uncovering new music and musical discovery.

Not to say that the focus on a sonic sharpening with the various latest versions of players wasn’t also something and also just being comfortable with the platform you have isn’t a bad thing at all.

But purely in terms of richness of experience the others are much paler and less dimensioned for me... metadata geek I’m not sure that’s at the core of it for me, it’s more in the deeper appreciation rather than just information

 

[Joe Whip]

Fine with me Tao. Whatever floats your boat.

 

[the sound of Tao]

Fine with me Tao. Whatever floats your boat.

Thanks Joe

 

[Elliot G.]

This is curious. JRiver has bit perfect ripping and bit perfect playback regardless of the file type, bit depth, or bit rate. So does Roon dither or something to make it sound "better"?

I have no clue all I did was try both and listen. I made my choice. Enjoy

 

[audioquattr]

Well i vote for ... Taiko Extreme + Lampizator Pacific .
This is for me "State-of-the-Art-digital", soundwise.

My system is so unbelievable good sounding on this digital the last 2-3 months, i am very happy with it.
It sounds so full of energy, so dynamic, each instrument has its body, there is so much flow. So completely not like older digital, thin and shrill.
Both the Pacific and Extreme needed a long burn-in time. And the Extreme server much longer than the Pacific, at least 2 months with a big gain in performance. (much!! longer than i would have thought and longer than any other electronic component i had before).
The Pacific Dac with the Aurender W20 was good (but comfortable) but still not as good sounding as played with my transport (msb). But the Extreme is really better than with my transport.
This digital combi is so much improved the last few months, also because of several software improvements from Emile, that it is my favourite source for the moment.
Offcourse it is important, as well an advantage, to get the tubes (in the Pacific) right to fit with the system (and personal taste).
A lot of software talk lately. Ok the software is important but it works way better with great hardware imo.

 

[nonesup]

Something just happened to me that I think is interesting to comment.
For two or three days I was noticing that the sound of my system had become a bit "digital", you understand. He could not understand it because he had not modified anything and until that moment he was really happy with the sound. I, following the indications of Alan Ainsle from Melco, do not turn off my server when I finish listening to music, but I have thought that a server is nothing more than a dedicated computer and computers welcome a reboot from time to time, so I I have switched it off and on again and the good sound has returned immediately. I don't know if this will be extensible to other Servers but from now on I will do it from time to time.

 

[jh901]

I just find Roon to be a much, much richer experience in musical discovery and that is where it’s strength is far greater. Not sure that qualifies me as a geek at all Joe (I do like to consider myself a music lover with diverse tastes and a passion to learn more) so for me I do think with Roon the focus is more essentially on a journey in uncovering new music and musical discovery.

Roon functionality is the primary motivating factor for me to flip back to local and remote streaming from physical disc. Someday!

Simply put, there are a decent percent of audiophiles who seem to put gear and sound quality well before music- sort of an academic pursuit. For me, this whole hobby is all about my music collection. That's why I think some flip out over Roon and others shrug.

 

[chrisr]

I have no clue all I did was try both and listen. I made my choice. Enjoy

Fair enough I did a little digging into Roon. Both Roon and JRiver have various set up options. Both can do bit perfect if set up that way. So if bit perfect is not selected, this could make a difference for both products. Even if bit perfect is selected, other set up options such as whether one uses a ASIO driver can also make a difference.

 

[MRJAZZ]

Well i vote for ... Taiko Extreme + Lampizator Pacific .
This is for me "State-of-the-Art-digital", soundwise.

My system is so unbelievable good sounding on this digital the last 2-3 months, i am very happy with it.
It sounds so full of energy, so dynamic, each instrument has its body, there is so much flow. So completely not like older digital, thin and shrill.
Both the Pacific and Extreme needed a long burn-in time. And the Extreme server much longer than the Pacific, at least 2 months with a big gain in performance. (much!! longer than i would have thought and longer than any other electronic component i had before).
The Pacific Dac with the Aurender W20 was good (but comfortable) but still not as good sounding as played with my transport (msb). But the Extreme is really better than with my transport.
This digital combi is so much improved the last few months, also because of several software improvements from Emile, that it is my favourite source for the moment.
Offcourse it is important, as well an advantage, to get the tubes (in the Pacific) right to fit with the system (and personal taste).
A lot of software talk lately. Ok the software is important but it works way better with great hardware imo.

So if I read you correctly, you are enjoying the Digital side of your system, more (“At The Moment “), than your excellent analog front ends?

 

[Jeffy]

I’m using Ethernet connection so I don’t see how Roon could sound any better!

 

[the sound of Tao]

Why is this thread almost exclusively about DAC. Why is no one concerned about servers. Haven't any of you gone from a laptop to a top tier Aurender, Innuous, Mojo, Sound Galleries. The impact is massive.

IMO, a good to great DAC mostly gives that last bit of subtle inflection that makes the instruments more alive. More real and natural. The DAC can also make or break fatigue. The server provides a lot of the pace, rythem and timing. The server is all about getting rid of grunge, noise and providing clarity. To only chase a DAC will make it hard to ever find the top of digital. Its forgetting about the source. The source is king. Like you vinyl rig. You have to have a good record, then work from there. With digital you have to have a good file, then a good power supply, then a good server, then a good DAC. If any is wrong before the DAC, your hobbled out of the gate.


State of the Art digital is a System. Its not a component.

I agree with much of what you are saying Kingrex. I’ve swung more over towards the server as an essential fundamental of the system. I do believe there is a minimum standard wrt the dac and no amount of great server is going to hide a dac that has glare or inappropriate balance and a lack of musical fundamentals or resolution. Quite the opposite.

Also a one note dac is a really horrible place to be.

So I’d suggest that once we get to a good to very good dac that does musicality and resolution, balance, timing and presence then the real digital system pick up then becomes more about the server.

I’ve just upgraded my Antipodes Sotm combo to the Antipodes CX EX server-renderer combination and the shift has presented as a very great tipping point into a much less constrained level where both musicality and resolution, truthfulness and a strikingly natural presentation are actually now possible with a digital system. But it is within a system that includes a great deal of attention to shielding, mechanical resonance and isolation, cables and power.

This was not a realm of digital that I was considering at all possible even just less than 5 years ago.