AUDIO over IP - REDNET 3 & 16 Review. AES67 Sets A New Standard for Computer Audio

[Soundsgoodtome]

Gonna plug my classified:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/820425/fs-focusrite-rednet-3-pro-audio-digital-transport

Looks like my house situation will be moving soon (in a good way) but I'll be loosing my rack/speakers for the mean time to storage so back down to a little headphone nook I go. Maybe just in time for @rb2013 to publish his Burl B2 Dante findings/mods in which I'll be ready to "move on up to the east side" of audio.

 

[estreeter]

I'll stick with RAAT and USB DACs for now, but definitely interested in seeing where this goes from here. The pro suppliers seem to be big on imagery and press releases, but remarkably light on product detail.
 
http://www.autonomic-controls.com/
 
Apparently I'll be popular AND sexy if I have a rack full of their gear - gotta love marketers 

 

[rb2013]

I'll stick with RAAT and USB DACs for now, but definitely interested in seeing where this goes from here. The pro suppliers seem to be big on imagery and press releases, but remarkably light on product detail.

http://www.autonomic-controls.com/

Apparently I'll be popular AND sexy if I have a rack full of their gear - gotta love marketers 

Looks like the Roon webpage.

 

[rb2013]

Gonna plug my classified:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/820425/fs-focusrite-rednet-3-pro-audio-digital-transport


Looks like my house situation will be moving soon (in a good way) but I'll be loosing my rack/speakers for the mean time to storage so back down to a little headphone nook I go. Maybe just in time for @rb2013
to publish his Burl B2 Dante findings/mods in which I'll be ready to "move on up to the east side" of audio.

Work is progressing nicely. Debating whether to spring for Audinate pdk, and just design a simple miniPCI plug in board for two channel AOIP. To use as an external DDC, or internal DAC module.

 

[estreeter]

Looks like the Roon webpage.

 
Minus an extensive kbase and a very active community forum where questions actually seem to get answered.
 
https://kb.roonlabs.com/Architecture
 
https://community.roonlabs.com/t/hardware-architecture-for-roon-system/5423
 
I get that Autonomic and others are under no obligation to publish details of their products, but I disagree with the inference that Roon is more style than substance.

 

[rb2013]

Minus an extensive kbase and a very active community forum where questions actually seem to get answered.

https://kb.roonlabs.com/Architecture

https://community.roonlabs.com/t/hardware-architecture-for-roon-system/5423

I get that Autonomic and others are under no obligation to publish details of their products, but I disagree with the inference that Roon is more style than substance.

Well this thread has shown that the previous gen Room/RATT may well be passe. Same for the DNLA/UpNP.

Reading where some have compared the Rednet to the MicroRendu - to quote the poster - 'No Comparison'

 

[soundquest]

Well this thread has shown that the previous gen Room/RATT may well be passe. Same for the DNLA/UpNP.

Reading where some have compared the Rednet to the MicroRendu - to quote the poster - 'No Comparison'

I would welcome the opportunity to read a few of the comments specifically comparing the Rednet to the MircroRendu. Please feel free to share some quotes or links. The MicroRendu seems to have taken off and I'm eager to rule it out to pursue the AOIP route that you have so enthusiastically and generously shared. Thank you. 

 

[mourip]

 
I would welcome the opportunity to read a few of the comments specifically comparing the Rednet to the MircroRendu. Please feel free to share some quotes or links. The MicroRendu seems to have taken off and I'm eager to rule it out to pursue the AOIP route that you have so enthusiastically and generously shared. Thank you. 

 
You might ping gldgate. I believe that he tried the uRendu also.

 

[gldgate]

   
You might ping gldgate. I believe that he tried the uRendu also.

​Here is a summary of comments from CA forum back in June. I did go back and revisited the uRendu (think it was late July or early August) -  my opinion did not change.
 
Here is my subjective assessment (rank order):

1) D16>Mutec MC3 + USB> Yggy
2) uRendu>Mutec MC3 + USB>Yggy
3) Dual PC (CAPS Pipeline)>Mutec MC3+ USB>Yggy

I went deep into last night and this morning listening, comparing and taking notes. What struck me is that while my notes for uRendu and my Dual PC set-up contained comments about frequency extention, tonality, noise floor and timing, my comments on the D16 set-up were much less technical and much more emotional. I wrote down "engaging", "immersive","fluid" and "liquid". I connected more to the music with the Rednet set-up.

All the usual caveats apply. This is one persons opinion and I'm not making any definitive declarations about products or technologies.

 

[joelha]

Today, I inserted an optical connection between my PC and D16.
 
An Uptone JS-2 powers the two optical devices.
 
Sure enough, the highs are not quite as bright, the bass is slightly more prominent, and the sound in general is a little smoother.
 
A huge difference? No.
 
But for the price of these items, you'll be hard pressed to find a better value for the improvement realized.
 
Thanks to those who suggested this idea. I didn't think it would make a difference, but it does.
 
Just one more reminder as to how counter-intuitive this hobby can be.
 
Joel

 

[joelha]

Yes - on the D16 AES (but not the RedNet 3 I understand) 176 is available in Dante Controller not RedNet Control. It is easy to (Upsample) x4 redbook in foobar (Sox) and make it work. My head told me it should be better than 192 (maths etc). But I changed back thinking 192 fuller and more polished. But I am not yet convinced and will experiment further. I can't at the moment as my system is in a second phase of suspension - last time speaker repair - this time PC replacement. (And I haven't updated firmware lately.) Will try to remember to post back whether 176 trumps 192 for redbook. Would like to hear other views. Interested in the mojo not the smoothness!

So let me get this straight. Focusrite updates their system to allow automatic sample rate changes and they leave out 176.4 as a option?

And the only choice we have until they fix this issue is to manually change the sample rate in the Audinate Controller?

If correct, has anyone contacted Focusrite about this?

Joel

 

[johnjen]

It's a bit more complicated than that.
 
There are 2 Audinate Brooklyn cards, the 1st generation (used in the RN3) doesn't support 176, while the 2nd gen card (used in the D16) does.
Rednet Control will configure and display the available sample rates based upon the Rednet box in the network it is controlling.
 
And Sample Rate Following (the new feature they just added to Rednet Control) really only works, a least thus far, in the windows platform.
At least if my Mac configuration is any indication.
 
IOW Sample Rate Following is meant to communicate to the Rednet box(es) to Follow any sample rate change based upon the track that is playing.
 
And yes both Focusrite and Audinate are aware of these 'issues' and are working on them.
 
We are living on the bleeding edge of AOIP and are dealing with Pro Audio gear, which is a 'different' world than consumer audio.
As such there are certain idiosyncrasies we are stumbling upon/over and 'helping' to resolve.
 
JJ

 

[joelha]

Thanks for the explanation, johnjen.

Joel

 

[Iving]

So let me get this straight. Focusrite updates their system to allow automatic sample rate changes and they leave out 176.4 as a option?

And the only choice we have until they fix this issue is to manually change the sample rate in the Audinate Controller?

If correct, has anyone contacted Focusrite about this?

Joel

 
No. wrt D16 AES 176.4 is available in Dante Controller both before and after firmware update (hinges on RedNet Control 1.10) - a forum friend, in a moment of AOIP forgetfulness perhaps, looked in the wrong place (i.e., the wrong place to look for 176.4 is RedNet Control instead of Dante Controller/Device View/Device Configuration).
 
All my music is redbook and gets upsampled to a common value in fb2k/Sox and, so, I don't have the frustration of variable SRs.

 

[mourip]

   
No. wrt D16 AES 176.4 is available in Dante Controller both before and after firmware update (hinges on RedNet Control 1.10) - a forum friend, in a moment of AOIP forgetfulness perhaps, looked in the wrong place (i.e., the wrong place to look for 176.4 is RedNet Control instead of Dante Controller/Device View/Device Configuration).
 
All my music is redbook and gets upsampled to a common value in fb2k/Sox and, so, I don't have the frustration of variable SRs.

 
True. On the D16 176K is available and was before the update. The thing that is confusing is that when you choose "sample rate follow" in Dante Controller then for every change in sample rate except 176.4 the change will show up in the dropdown box as the numerical value. In my system the only way I know that the rate has changed to 176K is that my Yggy clicks and the LED's change. Otherwise when 176K is being used the dropdown box is empty/blank. When playing 192K the box displays "192K". I think that this is a bit funky and confusing. It is not the end of the world however as I now know that the right rate is still being played.
 
When "sample rate follow" is turned off and you want to choose 176.4 it similarly does not show in Dante Controller. You need to go into the REDnet Control dialogue in order to choose it if you want everything to play at 176.4. Paradoxically for other rates you can choose them back in the Dante Controller window. Pretty screwy setup. The good news as always is that in all of these scenarios the sound quality is superb. 
 
I am experimenting with 176 vs 192 for Redbook also. For me I believe that I prefer 176 although it is not so much that it is better as different.
 
I still have the issue that if I have "sample rate follow" enabled and use RDP to remote my server it causes the Dante Controller window to close and I can no longer change rates. In fact for SRF to work at all I find that I need to keep the Dante Controller window open. Oddly once I get everything working again and exit RDP the SRF stays open and keeps working. I have not tried other methods of remote control. I have an open ticket to Audinate for this...