Roon Network Player SOtM sMS-200 (ultra) - Lumin U1

[AlterEgo]

I now received my new gear (Vitus Audio SCD-025) and am thinking about to improve sound quality of my chain.

 

First of all a description of the starting point:

 

I am using Roon 1.3. Roon Core is running on a Mac mini Server late 2012 i7 16 GB located in my workroom. For Roon remote I am using an iPad. Via wired network actual I am using a Raspberry PI Digi+ Pro as Roon endpoint located in my living room which is connected with my Vitus Audio SCD-025 DAC via coax.

 

Mac mini —> Cisco Switch SG 100-16 (workroom) —> Raspberry Pi (living room / out coax) —>  Vitus Audio SCD-025 (CD/DAC)

 

The audio specifications of the VA SCD-025 are listed below:

Digital Audio Output: 192 KHz/24 bit

Digital Audio Input:

           USB Class A/B supports up to DSD128, 32bit 384KHz PCM

           AES/EBU 1xXLR

 

Following constellations I am thinking about:

 

1. Mac mini —> Cisco (work room) —> Aqvox AQ-Switch (living room) —> SOtM sMS-200 —> Intona High Speed USB Isolator —> VA SCD-025
2. Mac mini —> Cisco (work room) —> Aqvox AQ-Switch (living room) —> SOtM sMS-200 ultra —> Intona High Speed USB Isolator —> VA SCD-025
3. Mac mini —> Cisco (work room) —> Aqvox AQ-Switch (living room) —> Lumin U1 (via USB and/or AES/EBU) —> VA SCD-025

 

The sMS-200 will be powered by a UpTone UltraCap LPS-1.

 

I am quite uncertain about an additional extension of alternative 1. with tX-USBultra or perhaps to use dX-USB HD and the AES/EBU input of the SCD-025.

 

I also will try the additional usage of HQ-Player in the next weeks.

 

Any thoughts and/or recommendations would be very welcome. Also recommendations besides the above mentioned constellations 1. - 3.

SCD025

[Elberoth]

From my personal experience, what I would recommend is this:

 

Mac mini —> Cisco (work room) —> Aqvox AQ-Switch (living room) —> SOtM sMS-200 —> Intona High Speed USB Isolator —> Wyred 4 Sound Recovery —> VA SCD-025

 

Wyred 4 Sound Recovery powered by LPS-1 (itself powered by iFi iPower)

SOtM sMS-200 powered by the second iFi iPower

 

The reason to ad the W4S unit is to recondition the USB signal after it leaves the Intona. The Intona is great at what it does (isolation) but it was not designed with things like low noise or low jitter in mind. Bundled, the W4S Recovery and Intona just sound MUCH better.

[AlterEgo]

Hi Adam,

 

thank you. What is you subjective assessment concerning the Uptone ISO Regen. As I understand the ISO Regen will be a one box solution for Intona & W4S?

 

Besides the SOtM-solution I am thinking about the Lumin U1 because of its possibility to work with every file format & the possibility to use AES/EBU input of the SCD-025. May I ask you concerning your opinion concerning the U1?