Sony HAP S1. I like this unit

The usual suspects... i7, lots of RAM 16 GB and more, GPU, SSD, etc.

Sound was good, just not equal to a high end CDP though. I always felt something was missing.

What did (and does) work is similar to what you've stated below.



Huge gains with...
1. NAS + Pi (running the likes of moOde and Rune).
2. Daphile on a dedicated PC.
3. 2 PC JPlay setup.

Next level gains...
Wireless streaming. Don't know if its because of isolation of electrical noise (that's my reasoning), but this finally gave me something I could live with and even say performs on par with my tape and CD setup and for digital music at 16/44 and 24/96. Haven't gone higher res than that.

You already realize that you were trying the audiophile route first. Later method were geeky and you realize do work.

I wrote about Daphile in great detail in a thread here. It didn't have many buyers, no idea why. May be because it was free (vs J River/JPlay), or may be because it was a bit geeky, or may be general public wasn't ready for two computer setup back then.

I have compared my computer against expensive CDPs; Wadia, MBL, Burmester. CDPs have an analogue output stage and their designers can make them sound whatever they like it to be. Discount the analogue output stage and, I couldn't say my computer sounded worse. Of course sound is subjective. I don't refute anyone who likes any sound over any other sound, including those blasting away Buttkickers in their cars.

Subjective opinions apart, a computer can sound as good as any other source. A computer is the ultimate in honesty (transparency); they will sound as good or bad as the files you give them.
 
Prem, how much is TotalDAC, Auralic Aries?

Of the two, from the looks of it, TotalDac looks better (better planned, high quality) to me.

There is also a AUNE S1 that you could consider. Pretty inexpensive after price cuts (it was quite expensive when it was launched).
 
Prem - sorry to butt in, the discussion is too informative to pass up for a noob like me :)

Ranjeet,
I am in a bit of a confused state with my setup.
The downstream components DAC+pre+amp+speakers are set and I am happy with them. My music is fully digital on a 2TB HDD (also hold videos).
Currently the box that is bringing it all together is an ASUS O! Play. Serving both video and audio needs, but being used heavily for audio playback.
The little niggles I have about the media player is the lack of easy playlist support, lousy UI, startup time, no networking (in decreasing order).

Can one of your digital goodies (on sale a few weeks ago) replace this player; did not see video support in them though?
Or should I be looking at an NUC unit to do justice as a simple customized Windows based audio/video player with networking?

Thanks,
Raghu
 
Raghu, the one in the sale thread will likely be a sideways move for you. The high points of that unit are good sound (low jitter) and built-in HDD, other than that your Asus is more functional. Built-in HDD means you don't need NAS, network routers, number of cables and so on.

Intel NUC kits are awesome for music playback. Video part should be good too. Flexibility, upgradability is the ultimate advantage of these units.
 
As I understand Ranjeetrain, any one box will need a controlling device, right? Technically, is it better to have an outboard storage device or an internal hard drive?

The Aries is about USD 1200 I think. They also have something called mini which is cheaper
 
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Raghupb, ask as many noob questions as you want. I too will learn in the process.:)
 
No Prem, one-box don't need a controlling device. They come with a physical remote device or a touch screen interface. The Sony you started with is a one-box. It's another thing that it also support two-device, three-device configurations. The Aune I mentioned is also a one-box. Total dac is a minimum of two device.

Why this matters is that a pure one-box solution can do away with network ability. Quest of purest music will do away with things such as Network, Wifi, Bluetooth. You want a device with lowest EMI/RF footprint and least affected by them as well.
 
Great Ranjeetrain. Now I am beginning to understand a bit:)

Have you by any chance heard the Aune S1? Any other good one box you are aware of?
 
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Thanks spiroviuos for the link. I have seen that thread. But at this point i am inclined towards a simpler solution
 
@Prem - The AURALiC Aries Mini is a great budget device. The AURALiC Aries is also an option to consider.

Likewise, Aurender has several options starting with the Aurender N100.

Pretty much as simple as they would get for music streaming.

Further details at:

Selection Guide - AURENDER - Reference Music System

Comparison Table - AURENDER - Reference Music System

Personally, I'd think the Raspberry Pi is an excellent option to consider, but obviously Ranjeet knows more about your needs.

Prem, Raspberry won't cut it for you.

If you have someone a little geeky on hand to help you then I'd go the route of a dual PC setup. Daphile pretty much does the same thing all these servers/streamers do for free or a fraction of the cost if you need new h/w. All of them take their source code from Music Player Daemon including the Raspberry Pi solutions, so performance is on par with the commercial streamers.

The AURALiC Aries Mini is a great starting point if you want to dip your toes into music servers and streamers and I do remember reading it comes with a 1 year subscription to Tidal. You'll need a VPN to sign up, but other than that it works fine. I've used mine even when travelling without issues and its a great service.
 
Thanks regeHA. So you basically get a dac of your choice with the Auralic mini and you are done with, right?
 
Thanks regeHA. So you basically get a dac of your choice with the Auralic mini and you are done with, right?

Yes. You do have option of adding internal storage, but I'd not recommend it. Better to have external HDD connected via USB or a NAS.

If the Auralic crashes then the music will become inaccessible. I'm not saying its lost, but you will need recovery tools and knowledge of standard Linux file systems.

Just speaking from experience, keep your data separate and external from the streamer.
 
Thanks regeHA. Are there any major sonic differences between the Aries and its mini version
 
Thanks regeHA. Are there any major sonic differences between the Aries and its mini version

The Mini has an internal DAC but I'm assuming you won't be using it.

To my ears the Aries has better soundstage, more bass response, and more detail.

The Mini though is an extremely capable player, especially at its price point. I'd peg it over the Bluesound Node 2.
 
All this sounds extremely complicated to do something very simple. A regular PC with a high end sound card, optimised for audio, will deliver all you are looking for at half the price. Unless I am missing something here.

In digital extraction and processing, I don't think anyone can do anything different. Unlike analog, there are a finite number of data points that need to be read and pushed forward. Very simple checksum logic will ensure you don't lose a single bit.

What happens once and after the data reaches the DAC is a different story. But upto that point, a $100 device can do exactly what a $10,000 device can or claims to do.

Cheers
 
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