SonicTransporter vs MacMini

[hornytoad]

Having had the ST i7 up and running for 5 days i'm more than happy and SQ is definitely a step from the iMac.

 

SQ aside it is lightening fast and works perfectly.

 

I'm considering an upgrade of the switching PSU to a linear. Any thoughts or experience?

 

Interesting thought . I have not tried a linear PSU but it would be worth testing .

[alonwa]

I have a question regarding the new SonicTransporter that can run HQPlayer + Roon. Does it also run LMS, MinimServer and BubbleUPnP server? For some reason, it doesn't yet appear in the list of products (but the direct link to it works). Are there competing ready-made products for HQPlayer apart from the v.v.v. expensive Sound Galleries server (not exactly competition, because it is also a player)?

Thanks

[alonwa]

Also, why did they need to move to Windows? Couldn't they just use more powerful hardware (which they did) and add HQPlayer (which is available on linux)?

[mentt]

I have compared Sonic transporter with Windows 10 notebook, Windows 10 Dell server(Xeon cpu) and Ubuntu PC(i3) and to me SonicTransporter is clear winner

[hornytoad]

I have compared Sonic transporter with Windows 10 notebook, Windows 10 Dell server(Xeon cpu) and Ubuntu PC(i3) and to me SonicTransporter is clear winner

 

I have compared the SonicTransporter with my Imac (ssd & Yosemite ) and the SonicTransporter wins .

[flummoxe]

[QUOTE=hornytoad;584051]I have compared the SonicTransporter with my Imac (ssd & Yosemite ) and the SonicTransporter wins .

 

I fully agree and my SonicTransporter i7 walked all over my current spec iMac SSD 3.2 GHz i5.

 

What I love is it's a fit a forget solution that just works.

[uncbare]

Hi all. New here. I see the ST I5 but no ,I7. Is that a custom request for the upgraded chip? Also, I'm planning on the ST AP so I can rip to it. Any concerns with that unit? Finally, why do I want HQPlayer if I don't need multi channel and am using Roon for library playing?

[flummoxe]

The i7 version is available and suggest you contact Small Green Computers who will send you a link to purchase

[lyndonlim]

I just bought the ST i5. Andrew mentioned that the i5 probably would not benefit from a LPS as much as the microrendu. Tonight just out of curiosity, i dragged my old sbooster 12v LPS. I replaced the off ramp 4 keces LPS with the sbooster LPS as the sbooster 12v did not have enough juice to power the i5.

 

So 2 variables changed here, 1. The off ramp powered by the sbooster and 2. The i5 is now powered by keces 116 LPS replacing the switching ps.

 

To cut a long story short, i was surprised that the music playback seemed to leap alive with greater sense all around.

 

So my conclusion is either the keces was underperforming with the off ramp 4 before i made the swap or the LPS was producing good results with the i5 transporter. I woiod be interested in hearing your thoughts.

[stevebythebay]

[QUOTE=hornytoad;584051]I have compared the SonicTransporter with my Imac (ssd & Yosemite ) and the SonicTransporter wins .

 

I fully agree and my SonicTransporter i7 walked all over my current spec iMac SSD 3.2 GHz i5.

 

What I love is it's a fit a forget solution that just works.

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Greetings!

 

Been using Roon on late 2014 MacMini (2.8ghz w. 8gb mem 256gb SSD) feeding microRendu into the DAC. Using an external WD My Book USB drive for the library.

 

Wondering about the i7 ST that you're using. Is this actually smaller in size than the Mac Mini? I'm assuming the power supply is external, right? What's the OS used (I see it can run Roon server)? I believe the bigger server from SGC runs Windows. Figured that this one would run Linux or some variant, but the web page is mum on that. If that's the case is it preinstalled by SGC?

 

Reason I'm considering is that my testing of both the Roon/HQPlayer combo and HQPlayer on its own suggests that Roon does a better job in delivering music to my DAC via the microRendu HQPlayer -- that is Bit Perfect (without all the goodies that HQPlayer is known for). I favor keeping it simple and my DAC doesn't support any DSD or higher than 192kbps anyway.

 

Thanks in advance for the information and any other hints/tips/suggestions.

[jtrelin]

So my conclusion is either the keces was underperforming with the off ramp 4 before i made the swap or the LPS was producing good results with the i5 transporter. I woiod be interested in hearing your thoughts.

 

For me an external LPS has made a tremendous difference. First I tried a $160 LPS from china purchased on eBay. The improvement was dramatic. All the things you mentioned, plus increased clarity and resolution. I then upgraded to a Mojo Joule V and the performance was even better. The power cord has made a big difference as well. A high gauge, source cord works extremely well. I settled on a Tellurium Q Blue Ultra.

 

Finally, the Ethernet cable made a significant difference as well. I tested a number, including the BJC 6a. The best value was the Supra Cat 8 $47. I wound up with an Audioquest Vodka which was both the most expensive cable I tried and the best.

 

I have the standard ST. I have 12k tracks and I didn't think the extra horsepower of an i5 would improve SQ. If anyone knows differently please let me know. The rest of my system is a mRendu, Bricasti M1SE, ATC CA2 preamp and ATC 20 powered studio monitors. With Tellurium cables and cords, and the ST plugged directly into an Audience AR2p

[flummoxe]

Hi,

 

Follow this link for the i7 spec.https://microjukebox.com/collections/custom-units/products/sonictransporter-i7

 

Yes it runs a version of Linux which is preinstalled as is Roon, and is all controlled with their own software interface via your web browser.

 

I initially used Roon without HQP and it sounded great, but I found HQP provided a significant upgrade in performance. Unfortunately HQP can't be installed on the ST so I have it on an iMac.

 

I hope that helps

 

 

I fully agree and my SonicTransporter i7 walked all over my current spec iMac SSD 3.2 GHz i5.

 

What I love is it's a fit a forget solution that just works. [/size]

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Greetings!

 

Been using Roon on late 2014 MacMini (2.8ghz w. 8gb mem 256gb SSD) feeding microRendu into the DAC. Using an external WD My Book USB drive for the library.

 

Wondering about the i7 ST that you're using. Is this actually smaller in size than the Mac Mini? I'm assuming the power supply is external, right? What's the OS used (I see it can run Roon server)? I believe the bigger server from SGC runs Windows. Figured that this one would run Linux or some variant, but the web page is mum on that. If that's the case is it preinstalled by SGC?

 

Reason I'm considering is that my testing of both the Roon/HQPlayer combo and HQPlayer on its own suggests that Roon does a better job in delivering music to my DAC via the microRendu HQPlayer -- that is Bit Perfect (without all the goodies that HQPlayer is known for). I favor keeping it simple and my DAC doesn't support any DSD or higher than 192kbps anyway.

 

Thanks in advance for the information and any other hints/tips/suggestions.

[stevebythebay]

Connected with Andrew. Based on my Mac Mini configuration, he thought I'd hear no difference compared to the ST i7, though he thought the Roon interaction would be faster. That doesn't matter to me. It's quite quick.

 

I have found that using Roon on its own actually sounds better than using it in conjunction with HQPlayer. But I was running HQPlayer in "Bit Perfect" mode: no upsampling or other features turned on. Since all my source is PCM from Red Book up through 192kbps into a Berkeley DAC (no DSD supported) I'd rather not muck with the source.

 

 

Hi,

 

Follow this link for the i7 spec.https://microjukebox.com/collections/custom-units/products/sonictransporter-i7

 

Yes it runs a version of Linux which is preinstalled as is Roon, and is all controlled with their own software interface via your web browser.

 

I initially used Roon without HQP and it sounded great, but I found HQP provided a significant upgrade in performance. Unfortunately HQP can't be installed on the ST so I have it on an iMac.

 

I hope that helps

 

 

 

 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Greetings!

 

Been using Roon on late 2014 MacMini (2.8ghz w. 8gb mem 256gb SSD) feeding microRendu into the DAC. Using an external WD My Book USB drive for the library.

 

Wondering about the i7 ST that you're using. Is this actually smaller in size than the Mac Mini? I'm assuming the power supply is external, right? What's the OS used (I see it can run Roon server)? I believe the bigger server from SGC runs Windows. Figured that this one would run Linux or some variant, but the web page is mum on that. If that's the case is it preinstalled by SGC?

 

Reason I'm considering is that my testing of both the Roon/HQPlayer combo and HQPlayer on its own suggests that Roon does a better job in delivering music to my DAC via the microRendu HQPlayer -- that is Bit Perfect (without all the goodies that HQPlayer is known for). I favor keeping it simple and my DAC doesn't support any DSD or higher than 192kbps anyway.

 

Thanks in advance for the information and any other hints/tips/suggestions.

[Cyrus]

Well i had issues with cutouts on the cheaper Sonic Transporter and decided to get the I5 version .

I'm Using Roon . The I5 version has been working flawlessly . I was bumping close to the cheaper Sonic Transporter

library limit so that may have been part of the problem .

 

Anyway ,very fast and have to say I'm impressed.

 

 

I have had issues with stuttering, dropped tracks and slow load times while using the base sonicTransporter (using it paired with a microRendu for Tidal via Roon only).

 

Andrew at Small Green Computer says that I have run up against the limits of the base unit and is recommending the i5 unit. Since you went from the base unit to the i5, do you have any additional thoughts regarding sound quality, ease of use, etc. that you experienced when you made the swap and have any other issues come up since then?

 

After I removed the base sT from my system and went back to using my PC as Roon core and server, all of the stuttering, dropouts, and load time issues have gone away.

 

Thanks!

[hornytoad]

I have had issues with stuttering, dropped tracks and slow load times while using the base sonicTransporter (using it paired with a microRendu for Tidal via Roon only).

 

Andrew at Small Green Computer says that I have run up against the limits of the base unit and is recommending the i5 unit. Since you went from the base unit to the i5, do you have any additional thoughts regarding sound quality, ease of use, etc. that you experienced when you made the swap and have any other issues come up since then?

 

After I removed the base sT from my system and went back to using my PC as Roon core and server, all of the stuttering, dropouts, and load time issues have gone away.

 

Thanks!

The I5 has run flawlessly and the audio quality is better than my imac ,which is the latest version and has a solid state drive.

 

I currently have an Oyen SSD connected to the I5 .

 

It is very easy to use. .

 

I just don't think the 350 dollar Sonic Transporter has enough juice to handle larger libraries.

[Cyrus]

The I5 has run flawlessly and the audio quality is better than my imac ,which is the latest version and has a solid state drive.

 

I currently have an Oyen SSD connected to the I5 .

 

It is very easy to use. .

 

I just don't think the 350 dollar Sonic Transporter has enough juice to handle larger libraries.

 

 

Based on your experience and some of the other member's posts in this thread, I feel a lot better about upgrading to the i5 now.

 

Thanks much!

[asdf1000]

Hi guys, I'm looking to replace my QNAP 251+ NAS running Roon Server (currently running 2 x 2TB SSD's) with the fanless sonicT i5.

 

I'm hoping I can keep my 2TB SSD's and use them in the sonicT i5 I've emailed Andrew) - he does offer the sonicT i5 with 4TB internal storage, so I'm hoping that means there are 2 x 2.5-inch SSD slots in there to cater for my 2 x 2TB SSD's (Samsung EVO 850)

 

Has any here got a sonicT supplied with internal storage? And hence replaced their NAS also?

 

I'm loving Roon (I have a 2 month trial with the purchase of my microRendu).

 

Cheers

[TrivQuad]

I'm a longtime Vortexbox user and continue to be amazed at its ability to do so many things well and sound great at an affordable price.

Back to the Sonic Transporter: Michael Lavorgna of Audio Stream seemed to like it very much.

Intel NUC & sonicTransporter: A Tale Of Two Mini Computers Running Roon Core | AudioStream

[asdf1000]

I'm a longtime Vortexbox user and continue to be amazed at its ability to do so many things well and sound great at an affordable price.

Back to the Sonic Transporter: Michael Lavorgna of Audio Stream seemed to like it very much.

Intel NUC & sonicTransporter: A Tale Of Two Mini Computers Running Roon Core | AudioStream

 

Hi, yes I'm also a longtime Vortexbox user. I had seen that review - quite positive.

[udis]

 

Finally, the Ethernet cable made a significant difference as well. I tested a number, including the BJC 6a. The best value was the Supra Cat 8 $47. I wound up with an Audioquest Vodka which was both the most expensive cable I tried

 

Do you mind sharing your topology? If I understand you correctly, you are finding that Ethernet cable connecting sT to switch impacts sq.

[jtrelin]

Do you mind sharing your topology? If I understand you correctly, you are finding that Ethernet cable connecting sT to switch impacts sq.

 

Yes, it has made a difference. I am using an Arris combination cable modem, switch, wireless gateway provided by my cable company. I connect directly from the switch to the i5 SonicTransport. The ST is powered by a 12V Joule V power supply.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Computer Audiophile

[udis]

Yes, it has made a difference. I am using an Arris combination cable modem, switch, wireless gateway provided by my cable company. I connect directly from the switch to the i5 SonicTransport. The ST is powered by a 12V Joule V power supply.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Computer Audiophile

do you use AQ Diamond throughout, specifically, feeding streamer/player as well?

[jtrelin]

do you use AQ Diamond throughout, specifically, feeding streamer/player as well?

I use AQ Vodka Ethernet Cables feeding the mRendu and the Sonic Transport. I use a Curious USB cable and I use Tellurium Q Black Diamond for all other cables and Tellurium Q Black power cords for back end components and Ultra Blue for source components.

[jtrelin]

The Sonic Transport contains a 2TB solid state drive, so there is no need for an Ethernet cable to connect the NAS.

[miguelito]

No one has compared these two solutions?

My concern is that SonicTransporter costs the same as the Mini 2012 while the first is limited in it's functionality.

With a mac mini you can do Roon -> HQPlayer -> NAA -> microRendu. The processing power in the mini allows you do use HQPlayer's upsampling. I don't think you can do this with the transporter.