[Uncle Monty]

Must say the Antipodes is a well built server with a sound to match.CX/MS.

The Antipodes CX was recommended to me. It doesn't have an optical out - which Rob Watts seems to prefer with the MS. Any plans to add the EX, said to be an amazing combo?

 

[naynay]

The Antipodes CX was recommended to me. It doesn't have an optical out - which Rob Watts seems to prefer with the MS. Any plans to add the EX, said to be an amazing combo?

Antipodes will be releasing the P2 Module in a few months time that will add this option along with AES3 and 12S and USB clocked.

 

[ZappaMan]

The Antipodes CX was recommended to me. It doesn't have an optical out - which Rob Watts seems to prefer with the MS. Any plans to add the EX, said to be an amazing combo?

Did rob say that? I thought he may have said better to use usb as the chord drivers will ensure bit perfect transmission from your source.... who knows

 

[Deftone]

Did rob say that? I thought he may have said better to use usb as the chord drivers will ensure bit perfect transmission from your source.... who knows

I have no problems getting bit perfect with SPDIF, on Jriver i just selected 'Realtek ASIO Opitcal Output' from the list of audio devices.

 

[ZappaMan]

I have no problems getting bit perfect with SPDIF, on Jriver i just selected 'Realtek ASIO Opitcal Output' from the list of audio devices.

But chord drivers /windows / usb use the asynchronous transfer protocol to ensure no packets are lost in transit (or so)

 

[Uncle Monty]

He told me that it was sometimes difficult to get USB to sound as good as optical. The Antipodes CX / EX with an optical out would be of interest to me as I've heard they're good.

 

[Deftone]

But chord drivers /windows / usb use the asynchronous transfer protocol to ensure no packets are lost in transit (or so)

Ah i see, well i never heard any pops, clicks or otherwise from dropped data using optical. Jriver can go a bit glitchy on me sometimes but thats another issue.

 

[musickid]

I use a quad core 512gb ssd imac roon core optical direct into hms. If the optical is bit perfect (i have never heard any pops, drop outs etc from roon core audio bit perfect for mac) i challenge anyone to hear any difference between my imac £1.5K optical out and a £4K-£5K server optical out. Plus i get a gorgeous 27 inch screen to view roon.

 

[naynay]

I use a quad core 512gb ssd imac roon core optical direct into hms. If the optical is bit perfect (i have never heard any pops, drop outs etc from roon core audio bit perfect for mac) i challenge anyone to hear any difference between my imac £1.5K optical out and a £4K-£5K server optical out. Plus i get a gorgeous 27 inch screen to view roon.

Try and audition one at home i'm sure you will change your mind, its why they keep selling.

 

[Amberlamps]

I use a quad core 512gb ssd imac roon core optical direct into hms. If the optical is bit perfect (i have never heard any pops, drop outs etc from roon core audio bit perfect for mac) i challenge anyone to hear any difference between my imac £1.5K optical out and a £4K-£5K server optical out. Plus i get a gorgeous 27 inch screen to view roon.

Thats what I think also, I have a i7 6700K, 32 gig ram and 5 SSD’s and many HDD’s, the motherboard has some shielding going all around the mobo, onboard audio is disabled and I use a xonar sound card for optical out, but usually use chords usb driver.

Spread spectrum is enabled in the bios and the motherboard is fitted with solid caps. My psu is corsair ax1600i which has a crazy stable output, and I would bet anyone to do a blind test with a server against my pc to see if there was any audible differences. Even golden ears wouldn’t hear a difference.

Saying that, I still want a server as my pc’s are too noisy and I can’t have it/them turned on 24/7, which I could do with a quiet server. That was one of the reasons I bought a chrome cast audio, so I could listen to hms and tt2 without my pc being on, but, the CCA is dodgy, as it can’t play 96khz files without blowing up.

I’ve locked it to 44.1, 48 and 88.2khz via roon and it works, but I want it to also play 96khz, but google are taking their sweet ass time to fix it.

A good motherboard will be just as good hardware wise, when compared to an expensive server.

 

[musickid]

Rob clearly stated that if the audio is bit perfect and using optical he hears no difference irrespective of what the source is. That's good enough for me. I'll use my money towards a dac or HP upgrade where i can hear a difference. There are of course certain practicalities with servers such as storage etc. USB out of a server is a different consideration i'm talking about optical.

 

[Amberlamps]

Rob clearly stated that if the audio is bit perfect and using optical he hears no difference irrespective of what the source is. That's good enough for me. I'll use my money towards a dac or HP upgrade where i can hear a difference. There are of course certain practicalities with servers such as storage etc. USB out of a server is a different consideration i'm talking about optical.

I prefer Chords USB endpoint in roon, normally I choose asio endpoint, but wasapi is also good, and both USB endpoints sound meatier, have more body to the music than my Xonar soundcards 192khz optical out. There isn’t alot between usb and opt, but I can hear a slight difference in chords USB’s favour.

I could turn on the realtek onboard AC97 HD soundchip to use it’s optical port, but it’s total crap and has been on all motherboards I have used over the last 20 years, Via and Realtek need to die. As all they do is sound like a bowl of Rice Krispies, snap, crackle and pop.

All I want is a quiet server that can be powered on 24/7 and which makes no noise at all.

 

[musickid]

Have you shortlisted any likely candidates? Why not a roon bridge as a solution?

 

[rkt31]

dear rob watts, I had a chance to listen to m scaler with Hugo 2. played some 44.1khz flacs. the experience can't be described in words. It has the ability to take you to another world. you forget the surroundings and suddenly images, memories based on your past experience start coming back to you, so strong is the impact of m scaler. it has instant mood changing ability. could it be the best audio invention of all time ? I don't think m scaler with tt2/Dave can be beaten by any product at any price for so much emotional impact and realism. did anyone try the analog copies on reel to reel from this combo ?

 

[andrewd01]

Thats what I think also, I have a i7 6700K, 32 gig ram and 5 SSD’s and many HDD’s, the motherboard has some shielding going all around the mobo, onboard audio is disabled and I use a xonar sound card for optical out, but usually use chords usb driver.

Spread spectrum is enabled in the bios and the motherboard is fitted with solid caps. My psu is corsair ax1600i which has a crazy stable output, and I would bet anyone to do a blind test with a server against my pc to see if there was any audible differences. Even golden ears wouldn’t hear a difference.

Saying that, I still want a server as my pc’s are too noisy and I can’t have it/them turned on 24/7, which I could do with a quiet server. That was one of the reasons I bought a chrome cast audio, so I could listen to hms and tt2 without my pc being on, but, the CCA is dodgy, as it can’t play 96khz files without blowing up.

I’ve locked it to 44.1, 48 and 88.2khz via roon and it works, but I want it to also play 96khz, but google are taking their sweet ass time to fix it.

A good motherboard will be just as good hardware wise, when compared to an expensive server.

It sounds like you are a computer hobbyist and know what you are doing with regards to swapping out parts in a computer and adjusting software settings etc. I have no doubt it sounds good. In my opinion the dedicated audio servers are for people that don't have the knowledge or interest to get under the hood of a computer to make the necessary tweaks. I have use a modded mac mini in the past with custom power supply etc. It sounded good but I hated the user experience.