[NWRain]

I have a small form factor computer with one ethernet port, and no extra pci express slots.  Is it possible to direct connect to the internet with ethernet while also connecting to the rednet 3?

 

[jazzfan]

I've made progress with resolving the latency issues I've been experiencing with the RN3 on my Windows 10 system. Updating to the latest RealTek LAN driver used by my ASUS M5A99FX PRO R2.0 motherboard resulted in a significant improvement in performance. Dropouts are now only occasionally present with my multi-use medium tower PC. Before and After latency results are shown below.
 
Now I can change my focus from troubleshooting to listening to the music coming from my computer. Will be working on RN3 impressions as time permits.  
 
Before LAN driver update
 

 
 
After LAN driver update
 
Peak latency was reduced by almost 70% from 52.4 msec to just under 16 msec, and the average latency went from 2.3 msec to 1.9 msec.  While monitoring latency with the DPC Latency Checker tool, I also discovered peaks below 6 msec, which appear in red on the DPC Latency Checker display, are not audible.
 

 

[rb2013]

  I have a small form factor computer with one ethernet port, and no extra pci express slots.  Is it possible to direct connect to the internet with ethernet while also connecting to the rednet 3?

Yes with a GB LAN switch

 

[mourip]

  I have a small form factor computer with one ethernet port, and no extra pci express slots.  Is it possible to direct connect to the internet with ethernet while also connecting to the rednet 3?

 
Yes as Rob replied but you might consider using your built in ethernet to connect to the RN3 and then getting a $20 USB ethernet card to connect to the Internet. That is what I did on one of my two PC's that only had one ethernet port. You could also get a second PCIe ethernet card.

 

[marcblux]

Hi, first of all, many thanks for the information shared here, it gives lots of hope that digital can provide full musical satisfaction !

I did follow the 2 main threads here (this one and the usb-spdif one) as well as the microrendu ones on CA.
I bought a microrendu and a NAS and have a very first basic installation with a qnap hs-251 nas directly connected to the micro-rendu, I don't even need to run my mac pro to listen to music (lumin app on ipad controlling minimserver on qnap). Convenient and sounds good.
I have a second bigger system that I need to equip with a new source : same nas-micro rendu + spdif converter (xu1) + power supplies + + (seems never ending), I would use an old imac to connect & debug from time to time. Or build a Dante network as recommended here. (Or third option : some interest for the dante dac ...)

I have therefore a question : in such a Dante based system, is it still critical to have a powerfull optimized PC ? Is it a prerequisite or could it work well with my old imac ? Any idea of the score gap in the rb2013 scoring scale ?
Somehow I tend to conclude from my reading that Dante would be so much less influenced by computing & electrical issues on the PC (compared to USB), to a point that any PC/mac would work similarly ??

Many thanks

 

[NWRain]

 
Yes with a GB LAN switch

 
 

   
Yes as Rob replied but you might consider using your built in ethernet to connect to the RN3 and then getting a $20 USB ethernet card to connect to the Internet. That is what I did on one of my two PC's that only had one ethernet port. You could also get a second PCIe ethernet card.

 
Thanks for the information..  Unfortunately I can't get a second PCIe ethernet card because ITx boards don't have them.

 

[johnjen]

  I have a small form factor computer with one ethernet port, and no extra pci express slots.  Is it possible to direct connect to the internet with ethernet while also connecting to the rednet 3?

One additional possibility is to use WiFi for the internet and the ethernet port for the Dante network.
 
I remember someone a ways back saying it worked for him.
 
JJ

 

[alubis]

IMO you don't need any optimization for dante, just make sure your processor is powerful enough. I'm using a general purpose core I5 pc where I'm browsing the internet and doing other stuff while simultaneously using it with dante. I don't find it affecting any sq at all, which is a huge advantage of dante aoip solution compare to usb.

Hi, first of all, many thanks for the information shared here, it gives lots of hope that digital can provide full musical satisfaction !

I did follow the 2 main threads here (this one and the usb-spdif one) as well as the microrendu ones on CA.
I bought a microrendu and a NAS and have a very first basic installation with a qnap hs-251 nas directly connected to the micro-rendu, I don't even need to run my mac pro to listen to music (lumin app on ipad controlling minimserver on qnap). Convenient and sounds good.
I have a second bigger system that I need to equip with a new source : same nas-micro rendu + spdif converter (xu1) + power supplies + + (seems never ending), I would use an old imac to connect & debug from time to time. Or build a Dante network as recommended here. (Or third option : some interest for the dante dac ...)

I have therefore a question : in such a Dante based system, is it still critical to have a powerfull optimized PC ? Is it a prerequisite or could it work well with my old imac ? Any idea of the score gap in the rb2013 scoring scale ?
Somehow I tend to conclude from my reading that Dante would be so much less influenced by computing & electrical issues on the PC (compared to USB), to a point that any PC/mac would work similarly ??

Many thanks

 

[mourip]

  One additional possibility is to use WiFi for the internet and the ethernet port for the Dante network.
 
I remember someone a ways back saying it worked for him.
 
JJ

 
This is indeed another option although there has been the idea early on that you want to keep WiFi as far away from audio equipment as possible. Given that he has no space for an additional PCIe card I vote for a USB ethernet card. That is working well for me on my headphone rig which uses a very small HDPlex case with no external PCIe slot.

 

[mourip]

IMO you don't need any optimization for dante, just make sure your processor is powerful enough. I'm using a general purpose core I5 pc where I'm browsing the internet and doing other stuff while simultaneously using it with dante. I don't find it affecting any sq at all, which is a huge advantage of dante aoip solution compare to usb.

 
+1. Many of us have found that with AOIP the tweaking of our PC makes far less of a difference. Since he already has the Mini he can try without losing anything. I have used Audiophile Optimizer for a couple of years but now find that it makes little difference with AOIP
 
Actually now that I am familiar with the brilliant AOIP SQ I am about to start doing a bit of testing by putting my old SMPS supply brick back in place. It is entirely possible that one could use a normal PC and still get great results but I want to try it before running out and claiming success. That would certainly be a money saver.
 
By the way I believe that the Dante unit does the lion's share of the processing relieving that from the PC. Perhaps Rob or jabbr will correct me. In my HP rig I am using an i3 processor without issues.

 

[marcblux]

Thanks for your feedback, I am more interested in optimizing the chain starting from the Rednet than the PC itself.

 

[rb2013]

Hi, first of all, many thanks for the information shared here, it gives lots of hope that digital can provide full musical satisfaction !

I did follow the 2 main threads here (this one and the usb-spdif one) as well as the microrendu ones on CA.
I bought a microrendu and a NAS and have a very first basic installation with a qnap hs-251 nas directly connected to the micro-rendu, I don't even need to run my mac pro to listen to music (lumin app on ipad controlling minimserver on qnap). Convenient and sounds good.
I have a second bigger system that I need to equip with a new source : same nas-micro rendu + spdif converter (xu1) + power supplies + + (seems never ending), I would use an old imac to connect & debug from time to time. Or build a Dante network as recommended here. (Or third option : some interest for the dante dac ...)

I have therefore a question : in such a Dante based system, is it still critical to have a powerfull optimized PC ? Is it a prerequisite or could it work well with my old imac ? Any idea of the score gap in the rb2013 scoring scale ?
Somehow I tend to conclude from my reading that Dante would be so much less influenced by computing & electrical issues on the PC (compared to USB), to a point that any PC/mac would work similarly ??

Many thanks

Some folks have had issues with older laptops and running Dante DVS.  So it appears CPU processing power is important.  Remember the DVS is a digital virtual sound card and needs processing power.  My Haswell iCore 7 WIN10 server works great, with super low latency (Seasonic fanless high PSSR PS, Elfidfelity SATA filters, etc...).  You may not have issues running 44k or 96k - but get issues at 196k.
 
The ratings 'gap' is just the tremendous SQ leap of AOIP over my uber USB rig.

 

[marcblux]

Some folks have had issues with older laptops and running Dante DVS.  So it appears CPU processing power is important.  Remember the DVS is a digital virtual sound card and needs processing power.  My Haswell iCore 7 WIN10 server works great, with super low latency (Seasonic fanless high PSSR PS, Elfidfelity SATA filters, etc...).  You may not have issues running 44k or 96k - but get issues at 196k.

The ratings 'gap' is just the tremendous SQ leap of AOIP over my uber USB rig.

Indeed, I was forgetting this extra requirement for DVS.

Btw, you compared uber usb and AOIP, how do you position both compared to a CD drive ?
I have a resolution audio cantata that works a bit better with the integrated drive than with pure music on a mac + pont neuf + ethernet.

Many thanks

 

[gldgate]

For those experiencing AOIP latency issues there is always the option of Rednet PCIe card. Yes, it's not cheap ($1K retail - seen some $800 "b-stock") and completely overkill for consumer audio. However, I would imagine this would likely be the most optimal solution. 
 
Just a reminder for newbies. In order to get 192Khz sound, make sure you set Dante latency in DVS to 4ms. 

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

What about those $100-$300 server pci-e gigabit (even 10gbit) cards?

For those experiencing AOIP latency issues there is always the option of Rednet PCIe card. Yes, it's not cheap ($1K retail - seen some $800 "b-stock") and completely overkill for consumer audio. However, I would imagine this would likely be the most optimal solution. 

Just a reminder for newbies. In order to get 192Khz sound, make sure you set Dante latency in DVS to 4ms.