[vert]

Many thanks for the useful info. Are you able to comment on the price? Even to the nearest thousand dollars would be indicative of cost.

I believe the retail is $4k, but there may be discounts.
 
I bought the designers R&D unit for a song. That's how I stumbled upon it.
 
There was an Exemplar modified Oppo player for sale recently, but somebody snapped it up.
 
I went back to my server and I noticed CD rips sound very dry and lifeless compared to CD playback. They are unlistenable to me.
 
24-bit studio master files are dynamic and dead quiet, but they still don't have the musical flow of CD playback.

 

[romaz]

 
I believe the retail is $4k, but there may be discounts.
 
I bought the designers R&D unit for a song. That's how I stumbled upon it.
 
There was an Exemplar modified Oppo player for sale recently, but somebody snapped it up.
 
I went back to my server and I noticed CD rips sound very dry and lifeless compared to CD playback. They are unlistenable to me.
 
24-bit studio master files are dynamic and dead quiet, but they still don't have the musical flow of CD playback.

Vert, I am curious as to why you can't match your CD playback, either with your rips or downloads, especially 24-bit studio masters.  With my own A/B comparisons even against very expensive transports, I have been able to match and even exceed CD playback without difficulty although I will say once again that I have not found a server for less than $5k that has been satisfying for me.  
 
One of the things that makes A/B comparisons against CD playback difficult is the digital cabling.  CD players are generally limited to SPDIF (coax, optical, AES) which some consider superior whereas most music servers are USB, an inherently noisy format.  In my experience, the proper USB cable can make a huge difference and the better the RF shielding, the better the cable.  Having compared many USB cables including the AQ Diamond, Wireworld Plantinum 7, Synergistic Reseach Active USB SE and Light Harmonic Lightspeed, I settled on the TotalDac USB as it presented the most organic and relaxed sound, free of any digital hash.  Having stumbled upon the Curious USB a few months ago, this cable has replaced the TotalDac USB and I haven't looked back.
 
Obviously, the sound signature of the server makes the bigger difference.  Even the type of SATA cables used impacts the sound.  Furthermore, music servers which are generally computers are much noisier than CD players in my experience and respond very well to signal grounding.  While it's difficult for many to audition the CAD CAT without purchasing one on a trial basis (unless you live in the UK), to my ears, even the more basic Aurender X100 with stock PSU is as good or better than CD playback.  The N10 and W20 are better yet.  And this is with USB.
 
There is also the issue of the DAC.  Some DACs are USB-centric meaning USB is the input that sounds best on the DAC. For example, according to Rob Watts, the DAVE sounds best with USB and I would have to agree that the DAVE on USB is the best sound I have ever heard on USB.  Then there are others such as Berkeley, TotalDac, etc. where SPDIF is preferable.  This is why system synergy is so important.

 

[vert]

  Vert, I am curious as to why you can't match your CD playback, either with your rips or downloads, especially 24-bit studio masters.  With my own A/B comparisons even against very expensive transports, I have been able to match and even exceed CD playback without difficulty although I will say once again that I have not found a server for less than $5k that has been satisfying for me. 

 
I've had other audiophiles confirm my experience with rips, but my problem may be the ripping software/computer. I use a Macbook and XLD, and haven't had a chance to try other setups besides dbpoweramp.
 
My server isn't based upon a computer, and doesn't use USB. I still use SPDIF with it. 
 
24-bit studio master files are wonderful, so I don't think it's the server.
 
BTW, the Beeswax fuse in my DAC has been such a big upgrade whether I'm playing CDs or files from the server. Hard to believe a fuse was that much of a bottle neck.
 
Also, I find Essence of Music lends a musical flow to CDs that file playback just doesn't have in my setup. I know bits are bits, but my CDs just sound bright and edgy without it.

 

[vert]

 
Obviously, the sound signature of the server makes the bigger difference.  Even the type of SATA cables used impacts the sound.  Furthermore, music servers which are generally computers are much noisier than CD players in my experience and respond very well to signal grounding.  While it's difficult for many to audition the CAD CAT without purchasing one on a trial basis (unless you live in the UK), to my ears, even the more basic Aurender X100 with stock PSU is as good or better than CD playback.  The N10 and W20 are better yet.  And this is with USB.

 
My UK friend lives down the street from CAD, so he may audition their grounding box.
 
He's sold on the Entreq Olympus right now though.
 
I have my DAC, server, and CD player grounded with an Entreq box.
 
I believe grounding boxes are next frontier in audio.
 
Telos also has a new grounding box:
http://www.thecableco.com/Product/Grounding-Noise-Reducer
 
I was about to upgrade my Silver minimus to an Olympus, but the Beeswax fuse has been such a big upgrade I've held off.

 

[romaz]

   
I've had other audiophiles confirm my experience with rips, but my problem may be the ripping software/computer. I use a Macbook and XLD, and haven't had a chance to try other setups besides dbpoweramp.
 
My server isn't based upon a computer, and doesn't use USB. I still use SPDIF with it. 
 
24-bit studio master files are wonderful, so I don't think it's the server.
 
BTW, the Beeswax fuse in my DAC has been such a big upgrade whether I'm playing CDs or files from the server. Hard to believe a fuse was that much of a bottle neck.
 
Also, I find Essence of Music lends a musical flow to CDs that file playback just doesn't have in my setup. I know bits are bits, but my CDs just sound bright and edgy without it.

 
I believe you when you say you're hearing what you're hearing.  My old rips don't sound as good as my new rips and my rips from the CAT have definitely been better than my rips from my Mac so there are clearly variables at play that we are unaware of but if your rips are truly bit perfect and lossless, then the rip may not be the problem and it may be your playback/decoding software? Playing back a CD I would guess is less taxing and more straightforward than having to play a FLAC file which generally has to first be decompressed and decoded to PCM before being sent to the DAC.  During this process, you also have to wonder if there is also some resampling going on which can result in playback that is not bit perfect.  This could explain what you're hearing. 
 
During our initial testing of the CAD CAT, we tested different software configurations and Simon and I drew different conclusions than Scott Berry, creator of the CAT.  Scott preferred JPLAY/JRiver, which is how the CAT came stock.  Simon preferred his NAGRA's ASIO driver + ROON server and I ended up preferring JPLAY + ROON server over the TotalDac's ASIO driver.  We each preferred uncompressed files (WAV or AIFF) as this leaves the server with one less chore to accomplish before playback.  With each iteration, there were sonic differences.  
 
As for the Beeswax fuse, based on your recommendation, I have one on order and I will compare it against the SR Red in a custom LPSU I have on order for my server.  Even better would be to do away with the fuse altogether.  I am working on a mod to replace the standard switching power supply in my Oppo 103 to a linear PSU (www.oppomod.com) and for an extra $30, Lee Jaehong, the PSU builder, will do away with the fuse and replace it with a 2A circuit breaker.

 

[romaz]

   
My UK friend lives down the street from CAD, so he may audition their grounding box.
 
He's sold on the Entreq Olympus right now though.
 
I have my DAC, server, and CD player grounded with an Entreq box.
 
I believe grounding boxes are next frontier in audio.
 
Telos also has a new grounding box:
http://www.thecableco.com/Product/Grounding-Noise-Reducer
 
I was about to upgrade my Silver minimus to an Olympus, but the Beeswax fuse has been such a big upgrade I've held off.

 
In my opinion, the key ingredients of a top server include good power (cannot be understated), minimizing jitter, and prevention of or shielding against EMI/RFI.  Having opened up the CAD CAT and examined its internals carefully, it is just AMAZING the measures Scott Berry has taken to prevent or to shield the CAT against EMI/RFI and so you would think that the CAT signal should be very clean, and it is.  However, when I connect the CAT to the Entreq, it is astounding just how much hash is still in the signal for the Entreq to strip away.  Why else would Scott create his own grounding box?
 
More and more companies are making grounding boxes and so these companies are realizing there is a legitimate market here but the price being asked for many of these boxes is a tough pill to swallow.  The asking price of the Telos is $4,500 USD although it comes with 6 grounding cables or roughly $750 to ground a component.  This could be a fair price if you have 6 components to ground and if the grounding effect is as good as an Olympus/Atlantis combo.
 
I have a Synergistic Research grounding box on order to try (I have 30 days to evaluate it) and I will compare it against the Entreq.  There is a current promotion where this grounding box is effectively selling at $200 and this box has the capacity to ground 18 components.  Grounding cables range from $100 for the basic cable and $400 for the HD cable.  To those where this matters, this grounding box is tiny and aesthetically much more pleasing than the Entreq box that I have.  SR products have not always worked out well in my system but here is a live demo at THE Show in Newport this year and you can hear for yourselves in this demo how instant the results are.  Of note, with the Entreq, it can take up to 2 days for it to take full effect:
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDpMwgonoo4

 

[vert]

 
In my opinion, the key ingredients of a top server include good power (cannot be understated), minimizing jitter, and prevention of or shielding against EMI/RFI.  Having opened up the CAD CAT and examined its internals carefully, it is just AMAZING the measures Scott Berry has taken to prevent or to shield the CAT against EMI/RFI and so you would think that the CAT signal should be very clean, and it is.  However, when I connect the CAT to the Entreq, it is astounding just how much hash is still in the signal for the Entreq to strip away.  Why else would Scott create his own grounding box?

 
Yes, the Entreq boxes are very effective at removing hash and noise (that you didn't know was there). And they do take 48 hours to settle in.
 
Another frontier that you haven't mentioned is isolation. One of the biggest upgrades in my system was the Stillpoints rack.
 
I put everything on there, including the Entreq box.
 
I would be very interested in hearing your impressions of the SR block. It's much smaller and more cost effective than the Entreq kit.
 
In regards to EMI/RFI, there are 2 UK companies that specialize in this - Vertex AQ and Ziro Audio.
 
I have the Ziro Disclosure interconnects and digital cable and I've completely stopped looking for interconnects. The Disclosures dropped the noise floor significantly and  have risen to the occasion with every upgrade in my system.
 
But perhaps more astonishing is the Beeswax fuse. I had no idea a fuse was such a source of noise and contaminants.
 
It's been an open window into the music and it's shocking how much music is actually on a CD.

 

[REXNFX]

   
I've had other audiophiles confirm my experience with rips, but my problem may be the ripping software/computer. I use a Macbook and XLD, and haven't had a chance to try other setups besides dbpoweramp.
 
My server isn't based upon a computer, and doesn't use USB. I still use SPDIF with it. 
 
24-bit studio master files are wonderful, so I don't think it's the server.
 
BTW, the Beeswax fuse in my DAC has been such a big upgrade whether I'm playing CDs or files from the server. Hard to believe a fuse was that much of a bottle neck.
 
Also, I find Essence of Music lends a musical flow to CDs that file playback just doesn't have in my setup. I know bits are bits, but my CDs just sound bright and edgy without it.

Re the Essence of Music improvement, how do your CD's sound now using the analog out of the Cambridge CD player compared to the server/DAC?

 

[vert]

  Re the Essence of Music improvement, how do your CD's sound now using the analog out of the Cambridge CD player compared to the server/DAC?

 
Hi, I don't use the analog outputs of the CD player. I use it only as a transport for an Exemplar DAC.
 
Essence of music gives a musical flow to CD playback that I find files (even 24-bit studio master) don't have.
 
I wouldn't ever listen to my CDs without Essence of music, as I find non treated CDs to sound bright and edgy.

 

[REXNFX]

   
Hi, I don't use the analog outputs of the CD player. I use it only as a transport for an Exemplar DAC.
 
Essence of music gives a musical flow to CD playback that I find files (even 24-bit studio master) don't have.
 
I wouldn't ever listen to my CDs without Essence of music, as I find non treated CDs to sound bright and edgy.

Sure just trying to get some perspective, if you felt the CD player alone now sounds better than the server/DAC at 20 times the price that would be really something.

 

[vert]

  Sure just trying to get some perspective, if you felt the CD player alone now sounds better than the server/DAC at 20 times the price that would be really something.

 
I was using a Naim NDX as as server, and it outputs a very good digital signal.
 
However my rips just didn't sound anywhere near as good as CD playback.
 
That's a $6k streamer vs. $300 CD player.

 

[REXNFX]

   
I was using a Naim NDX as as server, and it outputs a very good digital signal.
 
However my rips just didn't sound anywhere near as good as CD playback.
 
That's a $6k streamer vs. $300 CD player.

Wow! thanks for sharing

 

[bmichels]

" Essence of Music " ! What is it ?

 

[smial1966]

Here you go:-
 
http://essence-of-music.com/
 
Quote:

" Essence of Music " ! What is it ?

 

[bmichels]

Thanks