moosehunt

Looking for any advice on what’s best to replace an older failing Synology DS-413 with. Have 8TB of music streaming to multiple Roon end points. Thanks!

Hello, Thanks to everybody who helped with this. I successfully ripped 8 SACDs using a Sony S100 player, but after the 8th rip, now all i get is the following error in ISO2DSD. Response result non-zero or disc opened libsacdread: Can't open 192.168.1.169:2002 for reading Has anybody encountered this? I can't figure out anything that would have changed. Thank you for the help!

I don't have the dsd version, but I do have both the HDTracks 24/192 version and the Analogue Productions LP. Both are great, but the AP LP is spectacular. I assume the DSD is from the same transfer as the LP if so, I imagine it's very much worth grabbing.

I have both an Auralic Vega for use in my main rig and an iFi iDSD Micro that I use in my secondary system. The iFi is an amazing unit for the money. I think it is very similar in sound quality to my old Benchmark Dac1 USB, though the iFi is a little bit more brittle or thin. Compared to the Auralic in my main system the Auralic adds a whole 'nother level of detail and control. Music is less flat and much more nuanced with a bigger more solid sound stage. The one area in particular where the Auralic excels compared to the iFi is low end control and balance. It was like my speakers gained an additional octave on the bottom end without being exaggerated. I can't think of any gotchas. Both work flawlessly with my Mac. For comparison my main rig is a 2012 mac mini with JRiver driving the Auralic Simudio and Arcam amps with Focal speakers

Thanks for the info. I guess I am going from very excited to very confused as to why I would use the Aries.

Wait, so I can't just point it to my NAS? I would want this to replace my Mac Mini, not augment it in some way.

Finally had the chance to A/B the new Music Matters 33/1/3 Midnight Blue with the HDTracks 24/192 download. First, both sound spectacular, and though I could live happily with either, I have to give the nod in this instance to the LP. There is just more a bit more clarity, dynamic punch and presence with the LP. I don't know how much of this is attributable to the differences between my digital and analog playback chains, and how much is attributable to the differences in mastering. While both are transferred from the original tapes, the HDTracks Blue Notes have been done by Bernie Grundman or Alan Yoshida and all the Music Matters titles have been done by Kevin Grey. Some of these differences could have less to do with the analog / digital differences and more to do with the differences between the gear of the mastering facilities and the ears of those doing the cutting. A better comparison to determine the analog digital differences might be to A/B some of the Analogue Productions LPs / DSD downloads that are from the same mastering chain. Has anybody done this?

The European site highresaudio.com has several of the newly remastered Bethlehem titles done by Naxos available for download in the US. The site has a translate to english button at the top right and is pretty easy to use. I have listened to Booker Ervin's The Book Cooks, and Dexter Gordon's Daddy Plays the Horn. In my experience sound quality on Bethlehem titles can be a little hit or miss, but the transfers of both albums seem to be well done, certainly the best I've heard them sound.

Is anybody else annoyed that none of the HDTracks Blue Notes have the bonus tracks found on the cd reissues? Oh well...A couple others that sound really good in my opinion are Curtis Fuller's The Opener, Art Blakey's Moanin, and Kenny Burrel's Midnight Blue. The only Music Matter's LP I have been able to compare to the HD Tracks is the new 33 1/3 Blue Train. However the LP is in Mono and the HDTracks version is stereo so not a fair comparison. I have a Music Matters copy of Midnight Blue coming this week and will be very interested to A/B it with the HDTracks version.

Does anybody know if these will use the original LP mixes like the Japanese SHM cd set, or the Jimmy Page remixes that were done in the 90's? I have to say I prefer the original LP mixes.

Funny that most people hate the 30th anniversary edition, I think it is the best sounding digital release of the album. (and yes I am aware this is a notoriously poor sounding record to begin with) I called Acoustic Sounds and they said that Sony didn't provide them with any mastering info for this release. As a result i am going to hold off for now. I just went back and compared BTR 30th to the Gold Master Sound Edition from the late 90's and the original mid 80's CD and I find the 30th edition to be the most detailed and least hard sounding version. For example on the title track on BTR 30th you can clearly hear how Ernest "Boom" Carter's snare and stick work differs from that of Max Weinberg. There is also more detail and texture on the vocals, and string arrangements. I think the Gold Edition has a slightly smaller sound stage and has a slightly enhanced or tipped up treble. For my money, the Columbia Half-Speed mastered LP or 30th Anniversary CD are the way to go. I do hope that the new remasters done by Bob Ludwig that were only released on iTunes show up on HDTracks / Acoustic Sounds / or heck even Pono sometime soon.