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DLA123

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  1. I’m inclined to think this is what’s going on. My box allows me to choose 2 channel stereo (pcm) as sound output but that either is only applied to the analog out OR master signal that comes into that box is in 5-channel Dolby and being downconverted to stereo per my stereo selection in settings.
  2. Ive got my speakers isolated. Are you saying there could be SQ differences from lack of isolation of the xfinity box? Not doubting you, just looking for clarification
  3. I generally would agree with this sentiment, but we’re talking here about passing a digital audio signal from a cable box to an outboard DAC in order to bypass the shitty dac in the cable box and/or to take advantage of far superior DAC tech via the outboard DAC. Given where we are in digital audio, is it not reasonable to expect to be able to extract an uncompressed digital audio signal from a major internet/cable service provider in Comcast, so that I can do what I want with it? There’s something wrong here.
  4. Correct. I compared comcast > dac (toslink) > rega amp line level input (rca interconnects) vs Comcast > rega amp line level rca input (rca interconnects) then i flipped the line level inputs to be sure there wasn’t a problem w inputs. Then i I repeated the above w a different dac. Connecting the Comcast box directly to the amp always sounded noticeably bigger (Greater dynamic range and deeper/wider soundstage) than going from Comcast box to dac to amp. I’m concluding that the Comcast box is dynamic compressing the digital signal coming from the toslink output or otherwise somehow degrading that signal relative to what it’s emmiting from its rca outs. Other explanations could include a faulty toslink cable or...?
  5. MusicHall Dac 25.3 tube DAC and using a Pangea 25.00 USB cable
  6. In the process of A/B ing a Benchmark Dac1 vs a MusicHall Dac 25.3 with the objective of choosing a favorite SQ, I discovered that when going from my xfinity cable tv box directly to my amp by way of RCA stereo interconnects, the SQ was clearly superior (wider/deeper soundstage, more defined/prominent lower end, cleaner all around) to connecting that same cable tv box to both the Benchmark and the MusicHall DACs (via toslink) and then to my amp (via RCA interconnects). I'm hoping someone can help explain this to me because I'm baffled by this. I've always assumed that converting a digital signal to analog by way of a superior device such as these two dacs, would provide a value ADD to using the dac inside the cable tv box to produce the analog sound. What am I missing here? Using identical interconnects and toggling from Line 1 to Line 2 inputs on my amp, where line 1 is Xfinity>amp and line 2 is xfinity > dac> amp. I've ruled out the possibility that there could be something going on w my Line level inputs on my amp by flipping the line1 and line 2 during the test. I’ve also confirmed that the xfinity audio device settings are set to stereo audio (PCM) output for optical. Here are the only explanations I can think of: 1) Both the Benchmark and MusicHall Dac are damaged. 2) The toslink cable I'm using is damaged. 3) There is something configuration related with respect to the audio signal being put out by the xfinity box. Can someone help shine some light on this?
  7. Got my UltraRendu hooked up and currently configured in Roon output mode, running a Roon core on a hp workstation down the hall running Xeon processor. On SQ: seems on par with previous configuration which was a form factor pc running atom 330 processor and jriver, hooked up directly to usb dac and playing files from an attached spinning external drive. No noticeable improvement in SQ but perhaps I’m not the most discernible listener (not A/Btesting or anything). All this said, I didn’t purchase this urendu for improved sq, but instead for improved ux and ability to stream tidal integrated w my music library. It was easy to hookup/configure and worked out of the box without tinkering. If I never have to mess w it again it was a purchase worth making. Going to experiment w some different output configurations before settling on Roon. Want to hear what HQ player sounds like as I’ve heard great things. Maybe tinker w the DSP a bit as well. Feedback welcome.
  8. Great thread here. I just ordered a ultrarendu Ethernet >usb streamer on cyber Monday. My thinking is that if I can improve my current UX and eliminate most of all of the maintenance/tweaking/updating , while keeping SQ status quo, I’m a happy man. If I can improve in SQ then all the better. My current source is a little fanless form factor running Windows 7 with jriver mc. I never got tidal up and running bc jrmc didn’t support it so had to procure all the music I listen to on a drive that I connected to the pc. Im hoping this ultrarendu will be plug and play and require little to no tinkering while giving me ability to stream tidal. I love my current sound but there are too many dependencies involved in having the system up and running all the time and operating without any hiccups. UX is at least 75% of the equation to me when considering a source.
  9. Sure. The little form factor pc is running an intel atom 330 chip on a asus at3ionti deluxe motherboard. In that pc I have a ssd running Windows7 and jriver mc. Connected to that pc I have a 1tb spinning drive that hosts my flac/lossless digital music. The pc is connected to a MusicHall 25.3 usb dac which is connected to a Rega Mira3 integrated amp which powers 2 floorstanding Rega RS5 speakers. In my office down the hall I have a HPZ820 16 core w Xeon chipset. That room is connected to my router by cat5, as is the room where my stereo is. My thinking is that I can run something like a roon core on the office pc and access the saved music and play tidal streams through a rendu that is connected to the same router as my office pc. Would love any feedback relating to improving ux and/or sq. I generally prefer NOT to tinker w setup, config and maintenance once I complete initial setup.
  10. Sorry, should have specified. Going to host my files on either my aforementioned pc but locate in office down the hall or just use desktop in office which is a beast. Everything is interconnected connected by cat5 to router.
  11. I’m looking for a more streamlined (lower maintenance) source experience to stream losslesss digital music through my 2-channel system. I’m wondering if it may be worth dropping 800 bucks for an ultrarendu to replace the little fanless htpc I built about 8 years ago (running jriver mc now to stream music I own). It seems with the ultrarendu i’ll gain ux-related improvement and be able to easily stream from tidal which is a main goal.  My main question and reason for the thread is, what type of sonic improvement (if any) can I expect by replacing my pc (Windows7 os on a ssd, intel atom 330, fanless)- link below to product page for the mobo in my pc?https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/AT3IONTI_DELUXE/ Those of you who have compared either the microrendu or ultrarendu to custom fanless PC’s, can you comment on the sonic comparison and on any other benefits? Sell me on the ultrarendu, or tell me the difference wont be worth it. thanks in advance for feedback! david
  12. I’m looking for a more streamlined (lower maintenance) source experience to stream losslesss digital music through my 2-channel system. I’m wondering if it may be worth dropping 800 bucks for an ultrarendu to replace the little fanless htpc I built about 8 years ago (running jriver mc now to stream music I own). It seems with the ultrarendu i’ll gain ux-related improvement and be able to easily stream from tidal which is a main goal. My main question and reason for the thread is, what type of sonic improvement (if any) can I expect by replacing my pc (Windows7 os on a ssd, intel atom 330, fanless)- link below to product page for the mobo in my pc?https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/AT3IONTI_DELUXE/ Those of you who have compared either the microrendu or ultrarendu to custom fanless PC’s, can you comment on the sonic comparison and on any other benefits? Sell me on the ultrarendu, or tell me the difference wont be worth it. thanks in advance for feedback! david
  13. posted in another forum that was more relevant to topic. Mods, can you delete this post?> Sorry for the duplicate post
  14. I currently use JRiver Media as a front-end , and run on windows 7. That solution has become a little obsolete for my uses as I now stream most of what i listen to. Can someone suggest an out-of the box solution that could replace my windows7 machine/JRiver configuration, that would allow me to stream music from something like spotify, tidal or other, and also be able to access files on a local external HDD? I liked JRiver because it had a wasapi plug-in and had a particular emphasis on high fidelity playback. I'd like to stay as hi-fi as possible in terms of playback quality. I push the music through a usb asynchronous MusicHall Dac> Rega Mira3 Amp > Rega RS5 speakers. I love the current sound of my system and would like to avoid losing any audio fidelity. My budget is under 1k. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!
  15. I currently use JRiver Media as a front-end , and run on windows 7. That solution has become a little obsolete for my uses as I now stream most of what i listen to. Can someone suggest an out-of the box solution that could replace my windows7 machine/JRiver configuration, that would allow me to stream music from something like spotify, tidal or other, and also be able to access files on a local external HDD? I liked JRiver because it had a wasapi plug-in and had a particular emphasis on high fidelity playback. I'd like to stay as hi-fi as possible in terms of playback quality. I push the music through a usb asynchronous MusicHall Dac> Rega Mira3 Amp > Rega RS5 speakers. I love the current sound of my system and would like to avoid losing any audio fidelity. My budget is under 1k. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!
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