[N Quarter]

My Naim Core is a server only, no DAC inside, while my NDS streamer has a very good on-board DAC that I still use into my Cary Audio cinema 12 Sometimes.

 

[GreenBow]

ok the servers have apps that can access different streaming and other utilities but you don’t have to use them, think of it as free bees. Concerning a dac, yes most come with some type of dac, which gets by passed by a dac you are usb ing. In antipodes case they don’t advertise nor detail that there is a dac on board the primary use is to feed a high quality dac. It’s there and it doesn’t cost much (built in to price) for those that need it. So don’t get swayed at all by that.

Well to be honest, your post made me search on google for 'music servers'. I have searched similar words before, but always end up without a solid result.

The closest I found was the Auralic Aries Mini, but it requires IOS to drive it. (I saw this one ages ago, but decided no way since it requires iOS to drive it.) I am Apple phobic since I could never manage iTunes. Once it took me two hours to get my iPod to show up in iTunes. There was a setting/preference I needed to change to make it: I was livid. Plus I found iTunes not to be as intuitive in 'drag and drop'.

I do however realise that driving an Aries Mini would not require iTunes. However I remain anti-Apple products. I know that if I bought an Apple device, sometime or other music might need to end up on it. Hence no-no to Apple.

It's really hard trying to pin down just a low power filer server. Pretty much the next device in price going up was an Innuos Zen Mini Mk 3. At around £900 for only a 1TB drive it seemed steep.

It did throw up other ideas though. Like both models I mentioned include radio streamers. Since I sometimes use DAB, it would not be a bad idea to go lossless radio. I barely use my DAB though, so it's a bit only maybe.

There was another approach which I found ages ago. If you look for tuners like DAB and internet radio tuners, they come with USB docks. I think we can dock hard drives full of music. Then we could just route the sound files through the device and out via a digital port, to Chord. The last night I came across two other ideas.

The following are budget streamers from OK manufacturers. I don't want a streamer and hate the idea of paying mainly for something I won't use. However they have internet radio, and USB ports. If they can run hard disks of music files via USB, then it's a quality manufacturer budget option.

https://www.hifix.co.uk/yamaha-nps3...MIu_3O8aO25wIVKqXtCh24Tw3QEAEYASAEEgI9-PD_BwE
https://europe.yamaha.com/en/products/audio_visual/hifi_components/np-s303/index.html

https://www.hifix.co.uk/denon-dnp-8...MIu_3O8aO25wIVKqXtCh24Tw3QEAEYASAGEgIcHfD_BwE
https://www.denon.co.uk/uk/product/hifi/networkplayer/dnp800ne

 

[GreenBow]

incorrect. not all servers make you also take on a DAC or streamer.

Well please if can mention some, that would be appreciated.

@N Quarter just mentioned one, but almost £2K is not what I am looking for.

 

[supervisor]

Well please if can mention some, that would be appreciated.

@N Quarter just mentioned one, but almost £2K is not what I am looking for.

I would have suggested Innuos but it seems you have already decided it's not for you. Bluesound Node 2i is a great streamer (not a server). You would need either iOS, Android, or Roon to use it though.

 

[Whazzzup]

I have an antipodes audio thread as synapse i found the aurilic runs its own software which can be problematic. i looked at the non mini but passed. Course from antipodes you are looking at big bucks, but big quality. its custom boards and hardware, linux written roon core. It works with windows as a remote app, but yes lots of choices. Knocks most out with the quality but again, not inexpensive.

 

[tesarpa]

Well please if can mention some, that would be appreciated.

@N Quarter just mentioned one, but almost £2K is not what I am looking for.

Economic solution: Raspberry Pi with one of audio linux distribution on it? I'm using Volumio, while there are other popular choices (moode audio, DietPi). It really is easy to install and works great. Or you can get ready made solution https://volumio.org/product/volumio-mini86/.

 

[musickid]

how does using a TOTL iem as your main ear/headphone with TT2 appeal as a good idea to everyone? the iem port on the TT2 gets little attention.

 

[k3kz]

how does using a TOTL iem as your main ear/headphone with TT2 appeal as a good idea to everyone? the iem port on the TT2 gets little attention.

I use the LCD-i4 with the TT2 and it is a wonderful pairing. So much so that often times it's a toss up between it and the Empyrean. I think they sound just as good in many aspects and better in some.

 

[musickid]

what about the comfort of the i4? the hooks don't look that comfortable unless i'm wrong.

 

[supervisor]

how does using a TOTL iem as your main ear/headphone with TT2 appeal as a good idea to everyone? the iem port on the TT2 gets little attention.

Campfire Solaris SE and Sony IER-Z1R are both incredible via HMS-TT2

 

[musickid]

how is the comfort for long listening sessions on these TOTL iem's and do they compare favourably with similar priced headphones? it's new territory for me.

 

[Whazzzup]

Iem are preference thing of course. Never mind shape and size, you either don’t mind or like having something in your ear or not. The tt is a side bar to that.

 

[musickid]

with the power specs for TT2 1.15 W RMS 300Ω; 18W RMS 8Ω balanced as an example here do we assume those are for high gain and we reduce accordingly for low gain or?? and for unbalanced power 288 mW RMS 300Ω; 7.3 W RMS 8Ω do we do the same?

 

[GreenBow]

how is the comfort for long listening sessions on these TOTL iem's and do they compare favourably with similar priced headphones? it's new territory for me.

My AKG N5005 are not TOTL, but I can use them as long as I want. There tends to be inner ear warming, because the inner-ear part is almost much sealed. They sound great on the TT2 but not nearly as good as the TT2 can do.

 

[Whazzzup]

great i failed maths