[ThanatosVI]

wifi->ethernet dongle thingy

Can someone Name a few of these?
What is available on the market, might "need" one in the future

 

[canfabulous]

@canfabulous what's youre take on the Tambaquie few more months under belt? I'm considering it.. Also, how are you finding it without volume control? my use case will be heavy on headphones, of which I have many with varying sensitivities. I don't mind the connector in back (will get some short connector cable), but worried about convenience of controlling volume even through roon. Did you perhaps get the Tambaqui's optional remote?

on anothre note - if everyone has any feel for how the headphone amp of the Tambaqui compares to the Benchmark HPA4 would love your thoughts

Apologies for the snail pace of a response... work has been nuts!

All in the all, the Tambaqui is superb. It has not put a foot wrong. I'm using Roon mostly and then also an external headphone amp (a Pathos InPol Ear) so typically aren't using it in "headphone" mode. That said, if you did want to use it with a variable output and volume controls, you change a setting that makes the buttons on the right of the display act as volume controls (I use that when in headphone mode direct from the Tambaqui). Alternatively, an apple remote will work perfectly. The headphone amp is very good with most headphones. However, If you are going with something like a pair of Abyss or other hungry headphones, then you might want an external amp. I also love that you have 4 profiles that allow you to configure what inputs and output settings you want per profile; it could be a bit of a faff if you want to use lots of different settings (i.e. you'd want to use more than 2 inputs and have both a headphone mode and fixed out mode preconfigured for quick switching). That all said, the mobile app lets you change everything quickly and works over Bluetooth (oh, and you can also stream over Bluetooth). The sound you ask...? Sublime.

 

[canfabulous]

Can someone Name a few of these?
What is available on the market, might "need" one in the future

https://www.tp-link.com/uk/home-networking/wifi-router/tl-wr802n/ will do the job in "client" mode.

 

[ThanatosVI]

https://www.tp-link.com/uk/home-networking/wifi-router/tl-wr802n/ will do the job in "client" mode.

Thx, much appreciated

 

[goldwerger]

Yes, it does look pretty cool and quite functional. If past is prolog, it won't be inexpensive!

I checked and it will be around 8k so should be directly competing (and competitively price) with the Tambaqui

 

[goldwerger]

Apologies for the snail pace of a response... work has been nuts!

All in the all, the Tambaqui is superb. It has not put a foot wrong. I'm using Roon mostly and then also an external headphone amp (a Pathos InPol Ear) so typically aren't using it in "headphone" mode. That said, if you did want to use it with a variable output and volume controls, you change a setting that makes the buttons on the right of the display act as volume controls (I use that when in headphone mode direct from the Tambaqui). Alternatively, an apple remote will work perfectly. The headphone amp is very good with most headphones. However, If you are going with something like a pair of Abyss or other hungry headphones, then you might want an external amp. I also love that you have 4 profiles that allow you to configure what inputs and output settings you want per profile; it could be a bit of a faff if you want to use lots of different settings (i.e. you'd want to use more than 2 inputs and have both a headphone mode and fixed out mode preconfigured for quick switching). That all said, the mobile app lets you change everything quickly and works over Bluetooth (oh, and you can also stream over Bluetooth). The sound you ask...? Sublime.

Thanks - this is super helpful! Much appreciated seriously considering this now

 

[edwardsean]

Can the Tambaqui play files directly off of a USB drive?

 

[canfabulous]

Can the Tambaqui play files directly off of a USB drive?

I do not believe so. There’s no controls for such a feature in the app, and I’ve never needed to try.

 

[edwardsean]

I do not believe so. There’s no controls for such a feature in the app, and I’ve never needed to try.

So, it's not like the Bartok, which can function as a completely self-contained unit?

If you're not streaming, but are playing locally store files you need a separate server? There are no controls for even a NAS?

 

[canfabulous]

Correct. It’s a DAC primarily with Bluetooth and Roon streaming built in. The Bartok is a far more capable machine in terms of features. However, it is also 1.5x times more expensive and 2.5x the size. This is all not withstanding a different take on conversion. You would be happy with both in your life but think of the Mola Mola being able to give you a very high quality experience for a desktop/workstation situation and the Bartok is more dedicated hifi/listening station.

 

[mammal]

Correct. It’s a DAC primarily with Bluetooth and Roon streaming built in. The Bartok is a far more capable machine in terms of features. However, it is also 1.5x times more expensive and 2.5x the size. This is all not withstanding a different take on conversion. You would be happy with both in your life but think of the Mola Mola being able to give you a very high quality experience for a desktop/workstation situation and the Bartok is more dedicated hifi/listening station.

Comparing dCS Bartók and Mola Mola Tambaqui I would like to point out ergonomics a bit too. The placement of headphone outs on Mola Mola is a bit strange to me, why is it not on the front? Else than that, I like its form factor and that it is Roon ready. Do we know how much headphone output it has, a chart or specs seem to be missing (or I am not able to find them) even in their manual. Thanks!

 

[BassicScience]

So, it's not like the Bartok, which can function as a completely self-contained unit?

If you're not streaming, but are playing locally store files you need a separate server? There are no controls for even a NAS?

AFAIK and someone correct me if I'm wrong, the Tambaqui is a Roon endpoint and thus requires a Roon server on the same network. The good news is that a small, cheap PC can function as the latter, which then gives you full access to USB stick files, NAS files, and streaming services (if connected to the internet).

 

[mammal]

AFAIK and someone correct me if I'm wrong, the Tambaqui is a Roon endpoint and thus requires a Roon server on the same network. The good news is that a small, cheap PC can function as the latter, which then gives you full access to USB stick files, NAS files, and streaming services (if connected to the internet).

Yes, this would work, provided you have said Roon server (which can be your laptop, or a used mac mini).

 

[ThanatosVI]

AFAIK and someone correct me if I'm wrong, the Tambaqui is a Roon endpoint and thus requires a Roon server on the same network. The good news is that a small, cheap PC can function as the latter, which then gives you full access to USB stick files, NAS files, and streaming services (if connected to the internet).

Exactly, a cheap roon core device and you're ready to go

 

[xtr4]

Comparing dCS Bartók and Mola Mola Tambaqui I would like to point out ergonomics a bit too. The placement of headphone outs on Mola Mola is a bit strange to me, why is it not on the front? Else than that, I like its form factor and that it is Roon ready. Do we know how much headphone output it has, a chart or specs seem to be missing (or I am not able to find them) even in their manual. Thanks!

I've had the opportunity to audition the Tambaqui at home over the weekend.
The headphone out is similar to the RME ADI-2 which I used to own. It can power almost all my headphones with ease and it'll sound fairly good. So efficient cans like Jupiter One, Final D8000 sounded pretty good. My other cans such as the Solitaire P-SE and HE6SE don't sound as good but drives them loud enough. Those require an external amp such as the Pathos InPol Ear