Audioengine D1 upgrade to something that can handle a more complex setup?

[Indigolight]

Hi

 

I have been listening to AAC files I bought from iTunes for the last few years through iTunes (+iTunes match) on a Macbook Pro and PC and on my iDevices. 

 

I use headphones 80% of the time and started out with a few Senn IEM's until I bought a B&O Beoplay H2 3 or so years ago... I like it so much that I started researching what makes audio sound better... I ended up buying a Philips X2 first, and last year an Audioquest Nightowl Carbon which I really like...

 

I also bought a set of Audioengine A5+'s along the way, and put a Audioengine D1 Dac + headphone amp in between (USB in, RCA out to A5+'s, 3,5mm to headphones). 

 

Recently is got Tidal HiFi sub, and discovered Roon. Another great improvement! My D1 is hooked up to a USB 3 peripheral switch I use to switch it between my pc and mac (together with a mic and mouse). The PC is a speedy all SSD / dual GPU / custom watercooled desktop, which I usually prefer over the MBPr (touch bar 15" model) when i'm working at my home office. Roon runs it's core on the pc. 

 

Playback is usually fine, but sometimes there is a slight skippy noise when I play lossless files through the D1, on the pc, using Roon. Once you notice it, it become really annoying, really quick. Also, my speakers pop loud when I switch my pc on. It's maxed at 24/96 on the USB out, and 24/192 on the optical SPDIF. I can't use the optical, because I can't switch that as easily to the mac, which also doesn't have an optical out anymore and if i plug in a toslink cable, the USB signal is shut off. I don't like fiddling with cables every time. It's a desktop solution and it has to be convenient...

 

I hear that I should have the ambition to remove the Roon core to a dedicated NUC, instead of the pc. I intend to do that one day (also haven't bought lifetime yet) and either put it in the closet with my Synology NAS where my music resides, or put it somewhere in reach of the A5+'s so I can use it as a streamer on the secondary inputs of the A5+'s, or through a new DAC that has an extra free input...

Also, the pc has to be on now to be able to do it's server function. That's annoying. I think having the silent macbook hooked up to the A5+'s through a dac when i'm properly listening would probably be better. Most of the time though, I am playing music in the background, and then the PC has to be able to output through the DAC (youtube, conf calls and sound from desktop and programs i use). Switching should be really convenient.

 

I also feel the usb-through-peripheral switch is probably degrading the signal and maybe even the cause of the skipping issues... A proper, more elaborate desktop dac that plays nicely with Roon, pc's and mac's, multiple inputs and an easy selector for them, at least one RCA (pre-amp or line out) and either a dedicated, separate stand-alone headphone amp or a good built in one, is probably a priority upgrade... I don't like the idea of a red-hot Mojo or a spider-like iDSD BL cluttering my desk. It has to fit in, look nice and be cable managed... Better sound quality would be nice, but a more convenient setup is equally important... I don't have a defined budget, but don't want to spend 1000's of euro's either... If it can be done sub 500 euro's, that would be great, but I would stretch further if there are really good reasons to do so. Up to a Questyle CMA600i I was recommended in our local HiFi shop... I'm still not sure it would a) be that much of an upgrade b) would fit in in my current set of other gear... 

 

Eventually, I'd like to work towards a pair of LS50 (W??)'s or something similar and in the meantime, upgrade the setup bit by bit, and work on the worst parts of the chain. I think it is the DAC / headphone amp right now

 

P.S.: all cables I use are generic ones, as are the power supplies.

 

Any suggestions on what to invest in? Is my reasoning ok or do I forget important aspects?

 

Thanks in advance...

 

 

 

 

 

[GUTB]

If you are a beginner audiophile:

 

1. Pick a room you can dedicate to listening, preferably rectangular.

2. Select your speakers based on room size and amp options.

3. Pair the speakers with a non-consumer, audiophile-grade linear amp (class A, A/B, triode, ultra linear etc). Integrated or with a separate pre-amp.

4. Get a non-consumer audiophile grade DAC, no toy DACs.

 

Near-field listening sucks, no need to pursue it further. Powered speakers suck. 

[Ralf11]

a pair of powered LS50s will be the biggest upgrade

 

Welcome to CA (and ignore any advice from GUTB)

[Indigolight]

7 hours ago, Ralf11 said:

a pair of powered LS50s will be the biggest upgrade

 

Welcome to CA (and ignore any advice from GUTB)

 

Thanks

 

I will likely go to either LS50w's, or the "plain" LS50's with an amp one day. Still, I use my setup 80% with headphones right now... So, that part is more important for me to upgrade... Also, I need that skipping sound gone... 

[GUTB]

If you're not an audiophile, or you can't build a listening room (coffin apartment, partner, etc) than you should look at upgrading your headphone system.

 

The Internet is packed to the brim with wrong information in regards to headphone listening. Don't bother with Massdrop, Reddit, most Headfi forums except the Summit-Fi forum, and most people in this forum.

 

Audio skipping is probably a software issue -- check buffer size. 

 

Ifi and the like are baby toy DACs. You have a decent set of mid-fi headphones that use the Fostex biocellular drivers which are characterized by their low and flat impedance curves:

 

The low resistance has a hidden downside -- most headphone amps have output circuits designed for much higher impedance in mind for all the old junk plastic drivers on the market, making amp matching more challenging than you'd be led to believe if you listened solely to non-audiophiles on places like Reddit. The output impedance of an amp should be at least 1/8th of the impedance of the headphones. In particular for these Fostex drivers, current mode amplification synergies strongly with them so that Questyle would be a very good option. The Bakoon amps which are also current mode apparently do amazingly well with Fostex headphones so I would expect similar performance with your Nighthawks -- although obviously they are much more expensive.

 

 

[Indigolight]

 

29 minutes ago, GUTB said:

If you're not an audiophile, or you can't build a listening room (coffin apartment, partner, etc) than you should look at upgrading your headphone system.

 

The Internet is packed to the brim with wrong information in regards to headphone listening. Don't bother with Massdrop, Reddit, most Headfi forums except the Summit-Fi forum, and most people in this forum.

 

Audio skipping is probably a software issue -- check buffer size. 

 

Ifi and the like are baby toy DACs. You have a decent set of mid-fi headphones that use the Fostex biocellular drivers which are characterized by their low and flat impedance curves:

 

The low resistance has a hidden downside -- most headphone amps have output circuits designed for much higher impedance in mind for all the old junk plastic drivers on the market, making amp matching more challenging than you'd be led to believe if you listened solely to non-audiophiles on places like Reddit. The output impedance of an amp should be at least 1/8th of the impedance of the headphones. In particular for these Fostex drivers, current mode amplification synergies strongly with them so that Questyle would be a very good option. The Bakoon amps which are also current mode apparently do amazingly well with Fostex headphones so I would expect similar performance with your Nighthawks -- although obviously they are much more expensive.

 

 

 

I'm not sure if I am an audiophile or not... I'm relatively new to this hobby, just like to explore what I can do to gradually improve the experience. Both from a fidelity perspective and a convenience one... I don't think it will escalate into an all out passion, but there is still room for more-or-less affordable improvement still...

 

I listen in my home office, which is adjacent to / a part of our living room. The A5+'s are indeed setup in a near field setup.  Most of my listening is not "critical" but rather part of my work-routine. Mini-breaks to enjoy a track or two, background music during work, sound from computer programs, Youtube, the odd game, etc...

 

I am debating to create a secondary space for listening in our library / atelier... Over time... I originally intended to upgrade the set in my office, and install the older (lesser) parts in that secondary space... I seem to understand you'd do the opposite and build on that listening room setup instead... Interesting perspective, which seems logical... I'll give it some thought...

 

I chose Roon for it's capability to scale to multi-room setups and understand why people care about SOtM's, MicroRendu's, Aries and other streamers... I am keeping an eye out for those as well, but need stuff to hook em up to first... But that's tomorrow... Now I have more pressing issues.

 

I'll work on getting more out of that Nightowl. Would the buffer setting be found in Roon, the OS (Windows on this machine), or somewhere else? I have no clue where to look for that.

 

I've heard about the impedance calculations, but haven't really understood them... 1300 or so euro's for the Questyle is more than I originally intended, but it would be manageable I guess... It's also the first dac/amp the owner of our Hifi shop pointed me to for my headphones without any hesitation (headphones which I also bought from him, after I listed to them on his advice... I originally intended to buy an Audeze EL-8 but the nightowls are 100x more comfortable and I really like their sound). I asked him also what he'd recommend if I had a higher budget and he pointed to a T+A DAC 8 DSD...

 

If I'd go for the Questyle, would it still be a good match if I would get a Focal Clear over time? Or are there other specific recommendations for a good open-back for that dac / amp?

 

Last question: are there make-do options below the Questyle's pricerange?

 

Thanks for your perspective.

 

 

 

 

[Ralf11]

There are many good headphone amps/DACs made, and you certainly do not have to spend $5,000 on them.

 

I would first take a look & listen to the offerings by Schiit.

 

also, people that use Roon, love Roon - there are many posts about Roon on here

 

take some time and do some searches on this site; select a few items to audition, then try them out at a dealer's or - best - at home, with a return privilege.  Schiit wants 15% to return IIRC.  Not a bad deal considering the extra work on their end, and their reasonable pricing.

[Indigolight]

10 hours ago, Ralf11 said:

There are many good headphone amps/DACs made, and you certainly do not have to spend $5,000 on them.

 

I would first take a look & listen to the offerings by Schiit.

 

also, people that use Roon, love Roon - there are many posts about Roon on here

 

take some time and do some searches on this site; select a few items to audition, then try them out at a dealer's or - best - at home, with a return privilege.  Schiit wants 15% to return IIRC.  Not a bad deal considering the extra work on their end, and their reasonable pricing.

 

Schiit looks really promising. But, our local dealer doesn't stock Schiit. Also, I've been looking at the Jotunheim Multibit but that is always out of stock in the EU webstore. The one with the 4490 DAC modules is in stock. I wonder if there is much difference. 

 

I use Roon now in Trial... It's nice...

 

 

[Indigolight]

Actually, I've just noticed the Questyle CMA600i uses the same dac IC as the Jotunheim with the normal (non-multibit) dac module...

 

The Nightowls have an input impedance of 25 Ohms.

The Focal Clear has an input impedance of 55 Ohms

The Jotunheim has an output impedance of 0,1 Ohm

Can't find it easily for the Questyle... But is does say it has a special function for low impedance headphones...

 

I am sure the Questyle's amp is in another league, compared to the Joti... Just trying to understand where the 800+ euro differences come from between the units...

 

 

 

 

[GUTB]

No on the Joutenheim, not a strong match. I have the TH900 which uses the Fostex driver and I found the Joutenheim to be nothing special with it. In terms of DACs the Joutenheim’s is just a little add-on board and doesn’t support DSD (which the 4490 supports natively), whereas the CMA600i is a real DAC. DACs are a sum of input, D/A, and output stages. The 4490 is AK’s prior generation of ICs (the latest being the 4497 and ESS’s 9028/38 family). Real DACs have not only a sophisticated input stage with high end clock recovery, noise rejection and highly regulated power supplies — more importantly they need to have excellent output stages where the tiny signal that comes out of the IC is amped to a line level signal; the CMA600i has this high end output circuitry. As an amp the CMA600i is a much stronger match due to its use of current-mode amplification.

 

Here is a more affordable option which I’ve never heard but will be much better as a DAC compared to the Joutenheim:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Latest-GUSTARD-A20H-DAC-decoding-machine-double-AK4497-XMOS-class-A-full-balance-Headphone-amplifier-support/32827922026.html?spm=2114.search0104.3.35.111f1284NLYGts&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_3_10152_10065_10151_10344_10068_10130_5722815_10324_10342_10547_10325_10343_10546_10340_5722915_10548_10341_10545_5722615_10696_10084_10083_10618_10307_5722715_5711215_10059_308_100031_10103_10624_10623_10622_5711315_5722515_10621_10620,searchweb201603_55,ppcSwitch_5&algo_expid=a1b48306-95c5-44c3-9086-ce3e0088b3a6-5&algo_pvid=a1b48306-95c5-44c3-9086-ce3e0088b3a6&transAbTest=ae803_1&priceBeautifyAB=0

 

Fully balanced 4497 DAC/amp combo.

 

What I would personally recommend costs considerably more than the budget we’re discussing here, but here are a few options for the sake of comparison:

https://ampsandsound.com/collections/headphone-amps/products/agartha?variant=12178573131857

http://vivaaudio.com/en/products/egoista/

https://www.aurisaudioshop.com/product/headonia/

[Ralf11]

Schiit does direct sales with a return privilege - people say they take a long time to burn in, so set it up and let it play 24hr/day for a couple of days at least

 

people who have the Yggy routinely say it is as good as most $4,000 DACs and it is highly reviewed in the press

 

their Gumby is said to be nearly as good

 

BTW, you aren't gonna be a DSD type guy are you?  If so, no Schiit for you.

 

Several DACs for $500 to $1,000 are well regarded, Oppo Sonica, the one from Germany I can't recall the name of, Teac, etc.

 

You could try to dump AAC and get lossless of your favorite albums.  I have > 200 songs in AAC (vs. 22,000 in Apple Lossless) and am killing them off by re-ripping CDs as I excavate them from the archeological dig that is my house...

[Indigolight]

Ah TH900's... What an iconic pair of cans. The way they are made is so special as well... 

 

I'm not into DSD and it's unlikely I will be in the near future. I have to rely on Tidal to get access to CD quality versions of the albums I bought in AAC before I knew about the format differences. I own very few physical media. Roon does make that easier as I can stream the Hi-Res versions of the low-res albums I own...

 

A CMA600i is quite a bit higher priced (allmost 3x what I was intending to spend) than the Jotunheim. Stuff like the 3 options you listed below are out of my pricerange at this time GUTB and I don't feel comfortable ordering on AliExpress.

 

The problem with a Jotunheim (apart from possible matching issues), is the fact that it does not solve my input issue. I need multiple inputs, and the Joti only has 1 USB. So, that would mean than in the Schiit range, I'd have to go for a Bifrost / Asgard or a Gungir + Asgard or one up... Putting me very close or over the price of the all-in-one Questyle anyway...

 

I have looked at the Teac UD-505, which also doesn't look bad on paper (1499 euro), the Cambridge Dacmagic Plus (349 euro), the Marantz HD-DAC1 (on sale for 539 euro's) and indeed, the Oppo Sonica (999 euro's) as possible contenders as well...

 

 

 

 

[Wilderness]

I am in a similar situation, with some differences.  I have the Audioengine D1 DAC, Audioengine HD6 powered speakers, and PSB's 450 subwoofer.  I added a Wyred 4 Sound Remedy and connect from my iMac (2010) via a good optical cable.  I use JRiver, which I have dialed in after many hours of seeing what the software can do.  I have mostly Apple AAC 256 files, but some CD 1411 and 24/96 high res albums.

 

I have the speakers doing double duty for both music and my TV, which works well.  The convenience factor is so nice.  Switching sources isn't necessary.  Just hit mute on my TV remote and click play in JRiver.

 

I find the sound quality to be very pleasing mostly, with beautiful sound when playing singer/songwriter, acoustic guitar, ambient/electronic, jazz, blues, and indie/alternative rock.  Reverb, decay of notes, and tone all are handled well.  Surprisingly, this setup will play as loudly as I would ever want.  I like that details are there without the speakers ever sounding too forward.

 

Where the setup occasionally falls short is with some complex music, such as when electric guitar, bass, drums, and vocals are all playing intensely at the same time as with some classic rock. I heard one brief moment in a song that was really bad when it all turned to mud.  A few other complex songs sound just a little muddy.  I don't want to overstate the problem, because probably 99 percent of my 5,000 tracks sound great, but I would like all my songs to sound good.

 

So, I looked online at all of the same DACs you listed and a few others.  I would like to find a DAC that would keep all of the qualities my current setup has now but that would do a better job of separating the layers in complex music.  I don't want to spend $2,000 for a DAC, which would seem like overkill for $700 speakers.  So, something less than $800 if possible.  Any suggestions, anyone?

 

I also have thought about the LS50w.  These active speakers would make more sense than would a $2,000 DAC with my speakers.  I was going to buy the LS50w speakers soon after they were released, but the many problems scared me away.  Now it seems that firmware has solved many of the problems.  If I can't find a better DAC for my HD6 speakers, I will probably purchase the LS50w speakers for music and keep my HD6 speakers for my TV.

[Indigolight]

Interesting...

 

Do you connect both your iMac (opt?) and your TV set (coax?) into the reclocker then? The D1 is said to ignore the USB input if it sees an optical signal, so I don't think you can't have them both connected to the D1?

 

You connected yourso sources> reclocker > D1 > sub > HD6's?

 

I have considered going straight for the Wireless KEF's as well. Their built-in DAC's are apparently really capable... The thing in my case is that I can't use my speakers as often as I am "stuck" with cans... I think it is 20/80% in my case. In your specific situation, you would most likely be able to skip the external dac completely and hook the opt out of your current reclocker straight into the LS50w's...

 

That's likely what I would do in your setup. Keep the dual source setup and enjoy them both through the speakers...

 

 

 

 

[Wilderness]

For music, I go JRiver on my iMac > mini Toslink optical > Wyred 4 Sound reclocker > optical > Audioengine D1 DAC > unbalanced RCA > Audioengine HD6 speakers.  The left speaker has a sub out (actually two RCA ports) and I use one subwoofer.  The HD6 speakers flank my TV on heavy stands.  The sound is amazing probably 99 percent of the time.

 

For my Sony TV, I go TV > 3.5 mm aux to dual RCA (one cable) > analog to digital converter > optical > Audioengine HD 6 speakers.  This way, my TV sound is benefitting from the HD6's built in DAC.  The sound is great this way.  Dialog is natural sounding and accurate.  I was surprised the sound is so good because I only paid $60 for the small, no-name analog to digital converter on Amazon.  I played a 4K Blu-ray, Planet Earth II, and I was stunned by the spectacular sound when a wild mouse unfurled its tail and it was so clear it sounded like a whip.  And when I played Kong: Skull Island, Kong's roar through my subwoofer literally blew my hair back.

 

You mentioned feeling stuck because you switch from headphones to speakers.  That's never an issue for me because I use a Song Walkman, the ZX2, when I want to listen to headphones.  It was pricey ($1,200) when I bought it two years ago, but I got it mostly for playing music through my car's audio system on my long commute, and it sounds much better than my iPad for that purpose.  There are a lot more options now for a portable music player in the $500 range that probably match or beat my Walkman.  Have you thought about going that route for headphone use?  That way you would never need to unplug anything with your DAC, etc.  DARKO claims that the small $200 Dragonfly Red DAC connected to an iPhone (with the camera connection kit) sounds better than the Song Walkman ZX2, so if you went that route for headphone use the cost would be fairly low and you would have ease of use and portability, too.  There are some great apps, such as Jetaudio, for the iPhone and iPad that can play high res files.

[Indigolight]

Ah... My A5+'s don't have a in-built DAC. Only A2's and HD6's do...

 

I use my headphones not only for music. I use them often for music in the backround while I work and need to be able to play different sounds as well (need to toggle them to system output instead of WASAPI to work). I want the main headphone amp to be a desktop model that I can use to play sounds, video and also high res music on without switching hardware things up all the time.

 

I have considered using a Dragonfly Red on my iPad with a 3,5mm to 3,5mm jack straight into the 3,5mm input in the A5+'s indeed. Having  super portable setup would be usefull once in a while. I also think people use old iPhones and iPads as Roon endpoint that way.

 

I won't use high res local files on the go... I have a Tidal sub and an unlimited 4g plan that I use now and iTunes match as a back-up (256kbps AAC)

 

I have, and maybe even am still considering getting me a PS audio Sprout, and buy the passive LS50's over time... 

[Indigolight]

So I bought an Audioquest Dragonfly Red to troubleshoot an issue I was having with the D1 DAC + Roon. It's affordable and can serve me on the go later. 

 

I get stuttering, weird sounds and sometimes a loud crashing static that hurts my ears, and I fear might even damage my speakers or headphones on the D1 someday... It seems the signal path from the pc to the D1 (there's a USB3 peripheral switch and a USB  hub in my monitor in between) is also part of or even the problem, since connecting the Dragonfly to that hub induces noise as well, where connecting the Dragonfly straight to my Macbook Pro doesn't have any audible noise (same track, streamed via Roon). The D1 also seems to drop out on 88.2kHz files, played through Roon most often. 96kHz and 44.1 doesn't do it as often, nor do the Tidal or iTunes apps... Very weird. The loud static happens not during Roon playback, only when I browse / watch stuff on youtube, etc... Comparing the sound between the 2 DAC's, the Dragonfly is overall better sounding as well, clearer, more controlled bass, wider soundstage... It is however less convenient without a volume control knob for me...

 

So, I guess I will remove the hub and switch out of the system, and get a new DAC for the PC that I will connect straight to the PC (the PC currently serves as a Roon Server / Remote / Endpoint. Having a secondary DAC now removes the need for having a peripheral switch between the pc and mac. If I need to use the mac, I'll use it with the Dragonfly, or maybe even a secondary input on the DAC I'd replace the D1 with...

 

So what to buy?

Native MQA support on the Dragonfly Red is nice, but I don't like the fact is doesn't have a physical volume knob so I won't use it a my primary DAC... I still have much less local High-Res files than those I can access through Tidal. I will build a library over time (I tend to buy what I really like), but right now, having MQA is a bit of a plus while I rely on Tidal so often,  I think...

 

I want a good Headphone amp, and a bit of future headroom in terms of file support. The Questyle CMA600i is a contender (1300 euro out here), the Marantz HD-DAC1 is for sale in a local webshop for 539 euro here, which seems like a steal... I wonder how much better the Questyle is compared to the Marantz for more than double the cash... Or, I could save a bit longer and go for a Hugo 2, Mytek Brooklyn DAC+ (for MQA support) or a T+A DAC 8 DSD... Knowing that investing in these pieces will delay the next upgrades quite a bit...

 

While I dislike the Hugo 2's input / output configuration (or Mojo for that matter) with as a result it's inability to be setup on a desk in a clean (cable routed) manner, it does seem te be a damn good product for it's price range...

 

In the future, I plan to remove the Roon server from the pc to a NUC in the closet, upgrade to either LS50's + matched poweramp or a pair of LS50W's and get me a Focal Clear (or other open backed higher end headphone, i'll have to audtion) and some powered sub. I don't think I will go beyond that level of gear...

 

 

 

[Indigolight]

On 5/27/2018 at 10:53 PM, GUTB said:

...whereas the CMA600i is a real DAC. DACs are a sum of input, D/A, and output stages...

 

What about the CMA400i? I don't seem to find what is different about this compared to the 600i. It's the same price as that Gustard A20H, but can be sources locally.

 

As I will likely go for LS50W's as a Roon  endpoint for critical listening, the speakers will be bypassing the DAC section in the headphone dac + amp entirely, and will only be used for non-critical sound like Youtube... A reduction in price will get me to the LS50W's faster... 

 

 

[Indigolight]

On 5/27/2018 at 11:24 PM, Ralf11 said:

You could try to dump AAC and get lossless of your favorite albums.  I have > 200 songs in AAC (vs. 22,000 in Apple Lossless) and am killing them off by re-ripping CDs as I excavate them from the archeological dig that is my house...

 

I've started to replace AAC's as well. I bought a Roon lifetime sub and with Tidal as an intermediate solution I have access to higher quality versions for local AAC albums. I prefer local files on the NAS so I am basically slowly re-building my whole library  over time, getting 24/96 when it is possible. I've never bought much on CD, I started downloading MP3's when it took over an hour per track :).

 

 

 

 

 

[davide256]

Put your music files on the same server as Roon core.  I retired my Synology NAS for  audio use after comparing NAS sourced files to same files stored

locally on the PC Roon core server.  Don't use the core machine as player, use Roons RAAT streaming protocol to a Roon endpoint to get the most out of Roon.

 

 

[Indigolight]

9 hours ago, davide256 said:

Put your music files on the same server as Roon core.  I retired my Synology NAS for  audio use after comparing NAS sourced files to same files stored

locally on the PC Roon core server.  Don't use the core machine as player, use Roons RAAT streaming protocol to a Roon endpoint to get the most out of Roon.

 

 

Oh, that is interesting... Guess I could, yes.

 

My Roon Core is on a rather fast and I presume electrically noisy desktop (overclocked 7700K, 16GB ram, dual discrete GPU's, custom watercooling). I have only SSD's in that machine and space enough for the library. I put the files on the NAS for convenience before I knew about Roon but I could as well host those locally and use the NAS just for back-ups. I'll give that a try.  

 

Currently I find that I mostly stream to the DragonFly Red on my MacbookPro (I also tend to use my speakers more often now).  It's the best SQ I have been able to get so far, but not without issues... 

 

My 2016 MBPr + touchbar doesn't seem to work with 5gHz Wifi at home, nor external USB-C ethernet adapters. The ethernet adapter cuts out regularly, switching back to Wifi. 5gHz (altough coverage is awesome) gets me really low bandwith (I have a 200 mbps down, 20 mbps up cable I can fully enjoy on the pc through a cat5e cable, even on my iPad on 5gHz but never on the MBPr)

I am stuck on the 2.4gHz WiFi band for RAAT, and when others in the household watch netflix for example, or when my timemachine kicks in, Roon drops out because the 2.4gHz is probably saturated... Something I need to solve. I suspect it's the MBPr's adapter(s) and not the TP-Link C7 router providing Wifi... I've been tempted to buy a RPi, Sonore SE or mR, or SMS 200 before I upgrade my DAC on the PC but that seems a sub-optimal order of upgrades :).

 

I've also discovered I have another (hard) requirement for a DAC:

I like the fact that I can adjust the volume through a Roon Remote when I am not near the DF. I hate it when I have to use Roon Remote when I am near the DF. A "pot" like  I can adjust when I'm near like on the D1 that can also be adjusted through Roon would be ideal. I read brands like Ressonence Labs offer this? Is this a common thing?

 

I guess a less convenient option would be to use a remote control device (I have one for my speakers, but DAC's like a CMA600i offer one as well...).

 

Also, how good is a Mytek Brooklyn DAC+? Its even more expensive compared to a CMA600i but maybe worth the stretch?

 

 

 

 

[davide256]

6 hours ago, Indigolight said:

 

...My Roon Core is on a rather fast and I presume electrically noisy desktop (overclocked 7700K, 16GB ram, dual discrete GPU's, custom watercooling). I have only SSD's in that machine and space enough for the library. I put the files on the NAS for convenience before I knew about Roon but I could as well host those locally and use the NAS just for back-ups. I'll give that a try...

 

Will respond to a few points separately

Electrical noise of the Roon server doesn't seem to matter much so long as the endpoint is electrically isolated. What Roon demands is speed. SSD for the OS/core drive is mandatory, a nice to have for the media drives. Their NUC configuration recommends M.2 SSD for OS/core

[davide256]

6 hours ago, Indigolight said:

...

Currently I find that I mostly stream to the DragonFly Red on my MacbookPro (I also tend to use my speakers more often now).  It's the best SQ I have been able to get so far, but not without issues... 

 

Mac does good hardware integration, no surprise that you like it as a Roon endpoint. I'm assuming you are using  Wifi with the MAC, that's an easy way to achieve electrical isolation from your local network. I do recommend that you put the Roon server on a wired Ethernet connection if you can as intermittent  issues with Wifi are magnified with both server and endpoint on Wifi.

[davide256]

6 hours ago, Indigolight said:

I've also discovered I have another (hard) requirement for a DAC:

I like the fact that I can adjust the volume through a Roon Remote when I am not near the DF. I hate it when I have to use Roon Remote when I am near the DF. A "pot" like  I can adjust when I'm near like on the D1 that can also be adjusted through Roon would be ideal. I read brands like Ressonence Labs offer this? Is this a common thing?

 

I guess a less convenient option would be to use a remote control device (I have one for my speakers, but DAC's like a CMA600i offer one as well...).

 

Also, how good is a Mytek Brooklyn DAC+? Its even more expensive compared to a CMA600i but maybe worth the stretch?

 

 

 

 

Go here for some DAC rankings. They are directionally correct

https://darko.audio/the-darko-dac-index/

 

 

[Indigolight]

4 hours ago, davide256 said:

Will respond to a few points separately

Electrical noise of the Roon server doesn't seem to matter much so long as the endpoint is electrically isolated. What Roon demands is speed. SSD for the OS/core drive is mandatory, a nice to have for the media drives. Their NUC configuration recommends M.2 SSD for OS/core

 

Thanks for your reply

 

What would be the best way to isolate a direct attached usb DAC? Can it be done with something on / between / before the USB connection (currently good USB cable + Jitterbug) or is it easier to just buy a streamer to do it through the network?

 

I've also played with the idea to connect S/PDIF out on my PC on my current dac for non-critical listening, and connect the USB in of the new dac (that has to have an input selector, my current one does not) to a streamer so I get the cleanest path for Roon listening, while keeping the convenience of a direct attached dac for when I use the PC for other things than listening through Roon (the PC is also the Roon Server) I would think optical cable would isolate ground and other noise. 

 

My Roon Core runs on a blazing fast Samsung NVME SSD, the media is on the NAS on 7400rpm NAS drives in raid 1. Roon is super responsive, but I think I can cut down on the time it takes to start a track from the NAS, although it does not bother me atm. Gonna look into that...