Sony HAP S1. I like this unit

[square_wave]

Squarewave, thanks. Am I correct in my understanding than an Aries with a dac of my choice would be a very good option?

I certainly think it is.

I am talking about the one here :
Computer Audiophile - Auralic Aries Review

This is a player only with NO dac built in.

 

[prem]

Squarewave, I have seen that review.

Another thing I should have mentioned at the start is, I am looking at computer audio primarily for some experimental music, some new Bollywood stuff, some fusion albums. Most of the stuff I normally listen to, I already have on vinyl. I am obviously not looking at downloads or rips of the music I already have on vinyl

The new stuff I am looking at, I am not sure of the quality of the rips that I might get. So it's very important that I keep in mind the extent of usage of computer audio and the quality of software I might end up with

So at the end of the day we are probably not looking at these high quality downloads for which a high end dac might be justified

 

[square_wave]

Squarewave, I have seen that review.

Another thing I should have mentioned at the start is, I am looking at computer audio primarily for some experimental music, some new Bollywood stuff, some fusion albums. Most of the stuff I normally listen to, I already have on vinyl. I am obviously not looking at downloads or rips of the music I already have on vinyl

The new stuff I am looking at, I am not sure of the quality of the rips that I might get. So it's very important that I keep in mind the extent of usage of computer audio and the quality of software I might end up with

Good point. Maybe, then you should stay with something cheaper for a while...if you like the Sony, that is a good choice.

 

[dheerajin]

But the Sony HAP Z1 ES just appears to be way more convenient. So am at the crossroads

All these one box solutions are not for playful listeners, end of the day , you should have something to tweak the sound according to your liking...my vote would be to go with Computer based transport. With advent of 5G communication technology, you dont have to buy or store locally and with PC you can have different settings for different service providers(music servers) and what not...with one box solution all these tweaking are not possible...like this

 

[Naturelover]

The only thing that worries me in all in one boxes for computer audio is the HDD. The failure potential of disks are still too high, thus bricking the unit.

Wouldn't replacing the hard drive be easy?

 

[arj]

Wouldn't replacing the hard drive be easy?

that might work ( not sure of Sony as they are not open minded) ...but you lose your music and that is even more painful..i went through that when my HDD failed and when i connected my backup that had a motor which failed as well
The Seagate HDDs are most prone for failure..toshiba is far better- apparently

 

[arj]

This year we might see a lot more players in this segment coming up. eg Elac is launching a Streamer- Dac at 1000 USD. and esoteric is also coming up with one at maybe 10+ times the cost.
Am sure we will have almost every other DAC maker coming up with USB and a Ethernet/wireless input from a Computer and/or NAS or HDDs

A single box has its benefits but supreme If sound quality + flexibility (Tweaks ) to reconfigure in the future is criterion then a PC + USB to SPDIF converter + Dac is perhaps the most flexible as you get a choice of
The dac which has the exact SQ you are looking for
+ flexibility in a changing world of Music players and formats (eg MQA which is better than HD and each year the players only get better)
+options to move to a better converter to connect to a DAC ( USB2/3 or any other format of the future)
+ better processors in the computers -which improve latency and hence better timing

but then you add on more cables/ power supplies etc etc to the chain as well.

 

[regeHA]

Wouldn't replacing the hard drive be easy?

No. This...

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.

In fact you cannot preload your music and insert the HDD in these streamers/servers. You need to copy the files via their app interface.

Its like iTunes of old.

This year we might see a lot more players in this segment coming up. eg Elac is launching a Streamer- Dac at 1000 USD.

The ELAC is what I'm planning on checking out. The budget seems reasonable and within reason especially WAF.

 

[mpw]

This year we might see a lot more players in this segment coming up. eg Elac is launching a Streamer- Dac at 1000 USD. and esoteric is also coming up with one at maybe 10+ times the cost.
Am sure we will have almost every other DAC maker coming up with USB and a Ethernet/wireless input from a Computer and/or NAS or HDDs

A single box has its benefits but supreme If sound quality + flexibility (Tweaks ) to reconfigure in the future is criterion then a PC + USB to SPDIF converter + Dac is perhaps the most flexible as you get a choice of
The dac which has the exact SQ you are looking for
+ flexibility in a changing world of Music players and formats (eg MQA which is better than HD and each year the players only get better)
+options to move to a better converter to connect to a DAC ( USB2/3 or any other format of the future)
+ better processors in the computers -which improve latency and hence better timing

but then you add on more cables/ power supplies etc etc to the chain as well.

back to square one this is....:lol:

 

[rikhav]

With a PC it should be very easy to change hdds whenever needed. Much much easier then changing in a streamer

Secondly we can hdd in RAID so no risk of losing data as there is a mirror being made

Have to spend extra on hdds but surely the whole build will be cheaper then a streamer

Also a linux OS can even run a dsd file with 2 or 4gb ram
My raspberry pi breaks no sweat playing a dsd with 1 gb of ram

What I am trying to point out is that we don't need high number of ram chips unless the software playing the media files demands it like the bug head player

 

[Naturelover]

Wouldn't replacing the hard drive be easy?

that might work ( not sure of Sony as they are not open minded)

Found a thread or two on Computer Audiophile where some people have successfully replaced hard drives on the HAP-S1 and the HAP-Z1ES.

 

[mpw]

i doubt it would work for Prem

he is looking at something tweakable but not a heart transplant

 

[raghupb]

The ELAC is what I'm planning on checking out. The budget seems reasonable and within reason especially WAF.

LoL. That is a googly!!

 

[ranjeetrain]

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?

I tried very hard. Visited the China D/D's office. Turned out it was just an office and not a studio where it could be auditioned. They were happy to sell me 1000 units as first order though.

It uses high quality components, including AKM chipsets (same as those used in high end Esoteric players). Okay, we all know a CDP/DAC is not same as the chipset, but a good chipset is a good foundation. So...

 

[ranjeetrain]

Good discussion out there.

One-box vs Multibox disscussion. First One-box!!!

(1) Fill it, shut it.....

(2) SQ remains constant / nothing to tinker with. Poor at fighting the upgraditis virus.

(3) Not for the long term. New file formats may not play on it (until the manufacturer releases new firmware). Seriously though which audiophile stays with the same component 5-10 years???

(4) Save money (tons of it) on cables, linear power supplies. Rather spend it on buying higher quality music from authentic sources.

(5) Convenience. Noob-proof. Wife-proof. Kid-proof. Idiot proof. Audiophile proof. Did I say Convenience?!

(6) Elegance. Did you see any hifi print ad with maze of wires 'round components? No!! Now, did you see any system in real life without tons of wires? One-box really helps in keeping things looking elegant while playing soul-stirring music!


Now for the multibox !!!

(1) Tweak-ability. The ability to control every single aspect of sound reproduction is tempting. You can change something every week. The feeling of having a "new sound" never leaves you.

(2) Flexibility. You can break the whole thing down and change every single component. Converters, Cables, Power supplies. So far we have people claiming they can hear the diff between FALC and Wave, and Wave and Wave64. By 2017 we will have next generation of (C) Digiphiles who will be able to tell one brand of HDD from another. For example, some may prefer if HDD used was Western Digital, some may say Hitachi sounds better. Sky is the limit, really!

(3) Future proof. New file format? No problem! Higher data rates? No problem! Need more processing power? No problem! Just change the specific component!


Both the approaches have pros and cons. Pick your poison.

 

[ranjeetrain]

Another thing I should have mentioned at the start is, I am looking at computer audio primarily for some experimental music, some new Bollywood stuff, some fusion albums. Most of the stuff I normally listen to, I already have on vinyl. I am obviously not looking at downloads or rips of the music I already have on vinyl

The new stuff I am looking at, I am not sure of the quality of the rips that I might get. So it's very important that I keep in mind the extent of usage of computer audio and the quality of software I might end up with

So at the end of the day we are probably not looking at these high quality downloads for which a high end dac might be justified

A moment of awakening here.

High end digital is brutally revealing. A bad recording sounds worse on digital than if it were on Analogue.

Majority of the stuff being churned out today is, ummm, mediocre, Sound/Engineering quality wise. Dynamic range is non-existent, clippings will blow your ear off if you listen high SPLs. More than 2/3rd of music produced today is good enough only for DJ quality playback in a bar.

My sincere advice, for that kind of usage please don't even think high end digital. Mid-end is what will serve you the best. In fact, the less revealing the better. Even entry level digital sounds very good given good amplification and musical speakers.

 

[prem]

Hi Ranjeetrain

I completely understand the importance of a good rip. Don't worry about that. I will get the best possible rip of the music I want to listen

What I meant was hi res downloads of the music I might want to listen may not be available. So from that respect may never get to hear the full potential of a high end dac

 

[JayaRaa]

been reading with great interest as am also looking at something along the lines of what the OP started but it now seems that its best to not go all out since everything changing so fast in digital world that it makes no sense to bleed pockets.

so far so good, what next?

 

[prem]

Hi Jayaraa

I was never going to go all out. I don't think I ever mentioned that in any post

What I am trying to ascertain what will a USD 2000 all in one player give me vis a vis a more expensive two box solution

 

[ranjeetrain]

Prem, IMO you should pull the plug on the Sony. If you don't like it you can always donate it to me