USB Nervosa Thread Decrapifiers, pro interfaces, and bears oh my

If you follow the thread, I was politely pointing out that the Rednet response was incorrect, as you later indicate as well, I think. I'm really slower than usual, today.

 

Ah, I see now…
I was confused by the double negative…

JJ

 

@crazychile thanks for the info.

Reviews seem to indicate quality is all over the map. Glad it works and sounds great in your setup. Maybe I will borrow a similar one and give it a go.

 

Just to clarify. I thought the Sony with an old Wireworld coax sounded better than the USB input with a Wireworld Ultraviolet USB cable and a Regen. Not blow your mind better, just better. But the the interesting tidbit was that this was a prime example of a crappy spinner via coax vs. pretty good USB.

 

I just got uRendu yesterday and it is clearly the best USB source I've used with 2Qute. The two have excellent synergy and holds its own against the Rednet chain into BNC. I can echo that USB is 2Qute's best input. I need more time to flesh out what I'm hearing.



Grouping roon zones is a slick way to send the signal to both chains and enables quick A/B comparison.

Optical isolation added to the RN chain today improved the sonic image significantly. Best example so far is that I could better "see" guitar strings being plucked with my mind's eye. I felt vibrationally connected to the guitar player.

Mutec 3+ USB should be showing up soon!

 

Huh, here's a cheap member of the Rednet family that provides balanced outputs:
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/RedNetAM2

 

Yes balanced ANALOG outputs only, which means it has a DAC built in.

Just to clarify its capability.

JJ

 

Whoops, yes that's what I meant, but I suppose in the context of everything else in this thread it may be misunderstood. Just thought it'd be an option for someone to try ethernet audio without having a whole stack of gear lined up.

 

Let me ask what is an idiotic question to those who know, how does it work? You have music in a disk served someway, how does it get to that device? You run something on a server pointed to it?

 

With the Rednet devices you have to install software (Dante Virtual Soundcard). The DVS does not appear in the windows device list (its virtual! lol), but it can still be selected as if it were an actual device by audio playback programs. I used an ASIO driver for DVS when I had the D16 and both Jriver and foobar used it without issues.

 

Oh, okay. Makes sense now.

 

On a lark, I decided to pick up Wyred 4 Sound's Recovery USB reclocker while it was on sale. I liked the discrete form factor and the price wasn't too onerous, so why not? It's now installed in my system and, much to my surprise, there's definitely a modest improvement! Be damned if I could describe where/how the difference is being made with any kind of precision, but it's noticeable. Nothing sounds otherwise diminished or out of whack, either. Just a nice bump in transparency across the board.

So... yeah, W4S seems to have done a good job with their USB dongle. Go figure.

 

USB related:
http://passionforsound.lachlanfennen.com/massive-usb-comparison-test/

Do note that this seems to be a loaned equipment review from Audioquest. so do expect some reviewer bias and etc.

 

Hmm, so apparently this can be used directly as an ethernet audio device on newer Macs: http://motu.com/products/avb/ultralite-avb

 

That's interesting!
Thanks for that.

Now I need to find out what the IEEE AVB standards are, and so far they seem to be behind a paywall.
Which is much like the proprietary Danté s/w, ie. not available to us ordinary folks.

I did notice that the automotive, aviation, and a few other industries are involved with this method of signal propagation.

It certainly could be an alternative, especially if it has the same degree of SQ as the RedNet/Danté setup.

JJ

 

Right now I think the Ultralite-AVB and RednetAM2 are the cheapest commercially available direct ethernet-soundcards.

 

Yeah it looks that way, right now.

But this stuff is so new it'll be hard to predict who will 'deliver the goods' for our tweako hi-end audio 'needs'.

And what sticks out for me about AVB, is the auto industry's adoption of these protocols for communication of all of the subsystems that cars have.
And that it will be wifi compatible…

Talk about an open door for hacking your car…

JJ

 

I never thought Skynet would be sneaking in through the audio systems...

 

Well now you guys have another thing you have to buy.

http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/2016/07/all-terrain-usb-audio-with-the-ps-audio-lanrover/

 

The LANRover thing was thoroughly vetted in the infamous "xmos" headfi thread. I think the exact make and model ethernet extender that PSAudio used in their hype video was discovered. The company is ICRON I think. If memory serves that model was is around $400 for a four port version. I am pretty convinced that ICRON is PSAudio's OEM on this. PSAudio marks up a 1 port version nearly $200 after adding their sticker. I am kinda of surprised that PSAudio didn't mark their version up $400 to $500 -- that would be the audiophile manufacturer thing to do.

Any extender with USB 3.0 AND Gigabit LAN will do the same thing.