Cygnusx
-
@Firewire....I was playing around with a Raspberry Pi and Allo USBridge last year and it wasn't good so I sold the Allo USBridge and wasn't doing anything with the Raspberry Pi. I decided to dust off the Raspberry Pi and installed Moode Music server with the minidlna server running attaching the 2TB USB drive connected via Ethernet, seating in my office. Using the mconnect app from my iPhone I'm able to connect the Moode music server to the AX5/20 and play music. Although, not as good as the Aurender, the Raspberry Pi + Moode sounds better than what the Allo USBridge had to offer via USB. Pretty cheap music server with decent sound quality, if you want to give that a try.
-
I'm thinking about upgrading my current DAC to an Ayre QX-5 and I want to attached some SSD drives to the QX-5 via USB and remove the Aurender N100H out of my current chain. Do you guys see any draw backs? I mainly listen to Tidal, although I have about 1 Terabyte of music. My current chain is Aurender -> DAC via USB -> Amp. Not really interested in a NAS setup since I don't have any other reason for a NAS. Thx
-
I'm on r1.3 as well. I know that there are some r1.2 out there. I'm not sure, if the newer Codex DAC has a newer firmware version update. I'm running fully balance now playing through an Ayre AX5/20 amp and Vandersteen Treo CT speakers...all AQ cables. After upgrading my system, I noticed that the high end and low end didn't sound right so on the advice of my audio dealer, I replaced the Pangea power cable I have been using for over a year with the stock power cable and the DAC came back alive. It may have been because my new amp/speakers are much transparent and revealing than my old system. In any case, if you've changed your equipment, I suggest you go back to using the stock cable every so often. I'm no longer a believer in power cable upgrades. I sold all my all cables and is using the stock across the board. Very happy with the sound. I would rather have cleaner power into my house.
-
One option is to look at buying an Oppo BDP-105D player. Not only does it have a very nice sounding DAC for your red book CDs, it can play SACDs as well. It also has an option to work as a USB DAC which means you can connect your computer and use the player as a DAC out to your amp. It's a little higher in the budget but maybe worth it for the flexibility it will give you and the quality music. You can continue to play CDs or you play any other media file as you wish. I've listen to a a lot of DACs in my day and honestly your Marantz may still end up sounding better then most DACs in the 500 dollar range. For your budget I would try a few different ones (crutchfields return policy is excellent for auditioning audio equipment...60 day returns...flat fee return shipping...I think 10 bucks) In my view you can't go wrong with the Oppo. You maybe able to demo the Oppo at your local bestbuy. Good luck! Sent from my iPhone using Computer Audiophile
-
Why do WAV and FLAC files Sound Different
Cygnusx replied to MikePM's topic in Disk Storage / Music Library Storage
If it sounds good to you, who cares. It's all a matter of opinion in my view. I personally would invest in a great sounding dac than to play around around with lossless sound formats or wav files. Honestly, most people don't have a good enough audio system or the ear to really tell the difference. I have a $20k audio system and after many hours of messing around with different speakers, amps, DACs, sources and pre-amps, I came to the realization that a high-end dac makes a bigger difference in the sound than the bitrate or any format. How we all suffer from this endless game of looking for the perfect sound. The audiophile game is a never ending money pit. Good luck! -
Regen/Wyred first or better cable first
Cygnusx posted a topic in DAC - Digital to Analog Conversion
Guys...I need some advice on making the first upgrade in a series of planned updates. Would I get the most bang for buck getting the Uptone Regen/Wyred Recovery or getting an audiophile level USB cable? Your opinions would be appreciated. I'm using the stock usb cable that came with my Ayre Codex DAC with an AQ Jitterbug attached. Happy with the sound, but I think there is room for improvement. My current setup is an Aurender N100H -->stock usb cable --> AQ Jitterbug -->DAC. Thx -
I listen to the Codex with a set of Grado GH1. Originally, I was listening to the HPs single ended but recently had them modded to be balanced. The HPs sound significantly better in balance mode. I'm very happy with the sound. In balance mode the sound becomes about 20% louder that's my guess. The lows become tighter and the highs become clearer. The mids seem to be about the same, which is very good with Grados