Servers / Steamers, Do they matter?!

Normally, id just go "Thats horseshit, its just a damn computer"

However, this thread/review started by romaz (the innerfidelity golden ears) who has some expertise in IT, seem to indicate otherwise.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/787020/rev...d1-server-auralic-aries-audiophile-vortex-box

"What I will say in closing is this, given the choice of a Mac Mini, TotalDac d1-monobloc and HE-1000 versus an alternate setup consisting of a CAD CAT, Schiit Gungnir Multibit and Sennheiser HD 600, I would choose the latter."

What are your thoughts?

If only schiit can somehow make this happen , i know i know, software is a bitch. Maybe use CAD CAT's method of using windows 10 as base and cutting down on all non essential processes and get a nice power supply?

 

I shall share what Jason said on Head-Fi.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/701900/sch...s-most-improbable-start-up/8730#post_12079661

And my personal belief is buy a quiet computer, and just use that. Plenty of miniature, super quiet systems out there now compared to 5 years ago.

 

yes! mac mini+linelar power supply, the best damn good source.

 

And if you're like me (all thumbs) you can buy a relatively inexpensive low powered, fanless PC running Win10 and throw Fidelizer Pro on it...there are less than 20 windoze processes running on it and it sounds pretty damn good. That CAD CAT is something like $7500!

 

Thing is, if transports make a difference, shouldnt a server/streamer make one as well?

 

Honestly after a certain point this obsession becomes OCD. It's ridiculous to try to optimise a digital source. If you're that concerned get a Wyrd and be done with it.

 

http://archimago.blogspot.com/2015/08/measurements-audiophile-sound-and.html

As suspected...save your dough.

 

I'd say, just as much as the DAC.

 

There is a thread in Changstar, but i want to remind you, my friend Panos (also a member here) did the review, i have an identical one like in the review.

http://parttimeaudiophile.com/2015/05/23/review-raspberry-pi-2-as-music-streamer/

no noise (fanless) control thru i-device or android

pure music

i am so glad i did it.

compared to a very expensive streamer no audible difference, don't waste your money on pc/mac/expensive streamers...

 

In order to answer that question, we have to ask ourselves: "What actual difference is there to make?"

Any server/streaming device is going to utilize TCP/IP to send chunks of data over the network. Those packets are not real-time steam data. They are intermittent chunks of data. Their arrival time is not guaranteed. Hell, even the order they arrive in is technically not guaranteed. Their eventual arrival and their integrity is guaranteed, however (i.e. even if a bad packet gets through, its parity checks will fail and a re-send will be initiated). They are re-ordered on the receive end by the network hardware itself.

But none of this matters, because all of the data is buffered before being spit out to the DAC and is released at a real-time rate. Your end device may buffer minutes of the song before it even plays.

The typical chorus of "well it could inject noise" is also invalid. Provided there is sufficient bandwidth, wireless streaming works just as well.

 

Well your logic seem to check out. Unless someone has a good reply, i think this thread can be closed lol.

 

It is two different worlds: audio and data. Keep them separate, and do not try to impose audio stuff on the data world.

 

Your answer makes absolute sense, unfortunately i hear differences in every player/streamer.

I have opted for the simplest/cheapest/noiseless solution because I needed an uncomplicated streamer for my main (speaker) system.

This has made a difference over my i3/Win10 laptop which, i like better (i mean the RPi2), yet the difference was marked and not subtle.

I have not experimented much with network cables, but these also seem to make a difference, and yet according to your argument (which i must admit i agree absolutely) it shouldn't make any difference whatsoever, but it seems that noise injection is a matter that has no explanation at the moment.

In general terms i tend to prefer LInux based systems and wired propagation of data (Ethernet) with at least Cat6.

 

When you hear the impossible, you have to ask yourself what's going on. You are either not hearing what you think you are or else there is another explanation for an actual difference which is not on the thought table.

I've wondered, for instance, if any completely-impossible difference between wired and wireless might not be some sort of effect of the general radiation of wireless routers. Or hey, perhaps they do something to our brain cells that makes us start to hear things differently. Once upon a time, people used to worry about all the radio waves passing through our heads. Now, we are so attached to our wifi and mobile phones that we forget to even think about it.

Where there can be no difference, but one is perceived, the spirit of enquiry suggests the next stage: remove the sight element and try to reliably report the same differences blind.

 

No, there is no difference. It's madness, psychosis to suggest otherwise.

 

I guess we would need to do A/B ing for this.

However, CD transports is in the digital domain no? Does not make sense of that there is difference between them. However there is. My cheap blueray player gets trounced easily by my esoteric.

 

You use strong words, i suggest you try and listen via a system that can show these diferences.

I sugest you listen on a high resolution speaker based reference system.

Headphones often mask some subtle high frequency differences and/or soundstage diferences.

But on the other hand if you are happy with your setup, let me be with my madness

 

I don't wanna mingle but I think there was a healthy dose of tongue-in-cheek in that comment.

 

As always, there's no need to fight over such things.

We should always strive to understand the actual underlying mechanisms of operation for all of these controversial issues, but beyond that, to each his own.