Help please .. too confused with my digital front end

[newlash09]

Hi all,

A digital newbie here. Please be gentle

I have done quiet a lot of reading on the various setups folks have here. But most of the digital chain seems to be too long and complicated to fit into my space. Besides, iam too dumb at computers to consider the various DIY solutions available out there. And I do have lots of doubts regarding the various means of connecting digital sources - usb, optical, co-axial etc.

If i do go for a roon setup, then i will down sample everything to 24/92 as that is what my amp accepts for its inbuilt dac. And considering that the 4 types of digital inputs on my amp - Co-axial, hdmi, optical & aes-ebu all accept 24/92 samples, which would sound the best with the minimal faffing around

1. Since i will not be using usb at all, will adding external clocks like the Mutec MC3+ still make a difference in sound quality.
2. Ideally my plan was to add a bluesound node 2 via co-axial and call it a day. This will add a roon end point, as well as have lots of streaming options in-built ( I do have a simple NAS ).
3. A second option would be to add a audio alchemy dmp-1 or Metrum acoustics AMORE via the aes-ebu to the amp. Both of these are roon end points with aes-ebu outs.
4. I presently use a CCA via optical out to the chord dac. Will adding the chromecast 2 via hdmi give better sonic results, than a CCA via optical in on my new amp.

Thanks for your time and suggestions.

 

[newlash09]

small correction in the above...meant i will down sample everything to 24/96 kHz in roon. And whatever roon end point / steamer i choose will sit directly below the amp, so dont need a connecting length of more than 0.5 mtrs.

 

[dheerajin]

If you want to go the roon way..then best thing available out there is ROON Necleus and add SOTM ultra , keep the USB length as short as possible.
Our FM eastofthesun has same config, you can ask him about the impressions and convenience of the setup.

 

[newlash09]

Thanks dheerajin for the suggestion.

The problem is that my amp doesn't have a USB input. So I will either have to use co axial, optical , aes ebu or HDMI port. So was wondering which would be the best

 

[dheerajin]

Thanks dheerajin for the suggestion.

The problem is that my amp doesn't have a USB input. So I will either have to use co axial, optical , aes ebu or HDMI port. So was wondering which would be the best

Para sound has Usb input...As far as I remember

 

[sound_cycle]

If you want to go the roon way..then best thing available out there is ROON Necleus and add SOTM ultra

A possible alternate to the Nucleus is maybe a fanless NUC i7 and a LPS ? For instance https://www.simplynuc.com/7i7bnf-fanless/ + https://www.sbooster.com/intel-nucs-roon-servers/

ciao
gr

 

[newlash09]

Thanks sound cycle and dheerajin..I just bought a pre loved devialet d-premier going for a really good price. So was wanting digital source options for the same. As per the devialet philosophy, they want to stick with a digital input and not analogue, except for a turntable. So was wondering which would be best amongst its inputs of aes-ebu, Co axial, optical and hdmi..thanks in advance for your time.

 

[bornfi]

I would recommend reading about Dante to introduce a Windows computer in the chain with following product.

http://www.rdlnet.com/product.php?page=886

 

[oyster]

If you have a desktop, get a pro level PCI/PCIe digital transport. It'll do coax/toslink/AES. Making USB sound good has always been a headache and a money drain.

 

[heliumflight]

newlash09, If you have a large CD collection then thera are few CD players that have built in preamp with volume control, you may check that out.

 

[newlash09]

Thanks all...iam leaning towards the pro gear with aes ebu out for now. Don't really want to faff with usb.