REVIEW: Comparison of 5 High End Digital Music Servers - Aurender N10, CAD CAT server, TotalDac d1-Server, Auralic Aries, Audiophile Vortex Box

[HeeBroG]

   
 
It's quite possible that your standard sMS-200 followed by the tX-USB Ultra will be a very good way to go.  From Mac Mini to sMS-200 to tX-USB Ultra, your clocks will progressively be getting better and my inclination is that this could sound better than just the sMS-200 Ultra by itself even if it requires another high-quality PSU as well as another USB cable.  Should you decide to get the tX-USB Ultra to connect your sMS-200 to, since the tX-USB Ultra won't require 5V from the VBUS, you should get a USB cable without the power line.  I have done that and it results in further improvement.
 
 

Thanks Roy.
 
SOtM has also confirmed with me that sMS-200 with tX-USBUltra would be better than sMS-200Ultra on it's own but didn't give a reason.
Getting the tX-USBUltra first would allow a natural upgrade path in the future.
I would assume having both sMS-200Ultra and tX-USBUltra in the chain would be best but I feel the law of diminishing returns would probably be enforced.
That being the case, where would one find a USB cable without a power line?

 

[pam1950]

@romaz- a quick question for you: in your opinion, would the addition of an external 10 Mhz ref master clock to a Mutec MC3+ USB before getting into an Yggdrasil via AES enhance SQ? or would this be limited by the internal clock of the Yggy ?

 

[smial1966]

Elijah Audio (http://www.elijahaudio.com/) make a USB cable called the Konvertible Lite that has a detachable 5V lead, so if USB power is required to `handshake' with your device leave it attached, then detach when the pairing process has occurred and the equipment is being powered externally. They also make the ISOLATE CU which has data and ground but no 5V power. 
 
Quote:

  Thanks Roy.
 
SOtM has also confirmed with me that sMS-200 with tX-USBUltra would be better than sMS-200Ultra on it's own but didn't give a reason.
Getting the tX-USBUltra first would allow a natural upgrade path in the future.
I would assume having both sMS-200Ultra and tX-USBUltra in the chain would be best but I feel the law of diminishing returns would probably be enforced.
That being the case, where would one find a USB cable without a power line?

 

[kennyb123]

Yes, I really like Stillpoints as well and I have 4 of the Minis on order for my new server build.  They come in various thread mounts which comes in very handy as the 6/32" thread fits my Streacom case perfectly.  For considerably less money but still with excellent performance, I also like the Black Raviolis.

I finally got around to trying Stillpoints under my Mac Mini. A single one actually. A Stillpoints Ultra LPI record weight is not in use when I'm listening to digital so I was able to try this under the Mini and on top of a bamboo drink coaster (bamboo tends to improve the efficacy of Stillpoints).

With the LPI in place, bass improved most noticeably with kick drums gaining impact and heft. Bass seems to have also lost some bloat. Overall clarity improved as well, but this was more subtle.

As I understand it, the Ultra LPI is pretty much an Ultra 5 reduced in height, so it's nice to have found a good use for it while listening to digital. The improvements wouldn't have justified the expense for digital alone though.

 

[vert]

Thanks Romaz. A well thought out response!!

I just read that the new Antipodes DX utilizes sotm internals and ultra clocking. Sounds like they built in an SMS-200 ultra. Do you know anything more about this?

Where did you read this?
 
A dealer emailed Antipodes asking if they used SOTM internals and they totally shot it down.
 
They firmly believe their custom parts are much better.

 

[DocSkeekmo]

In a review. I'll try to find it.

Just got my Chord DAVE in. Burning it in now. I'm rather impressed with my Empirical Audio ODSX so I'll be super surprised if the DAVE betters it. It is more flexible, that I know. I'm burning it in for 500 hours. By then a Gen 2 Antipodes DX will be here to try as well and compare to the N10 I am borrowing from a friend. I heard the Baetis in my room this weekend and it was sensational! Lots to chose from.

 

[smial1966]

@DocSkeekmo
 
Please keep us updated with your impressions of DAVE versus your ODSX and which music server you ultimately prefer, as overseas audiophiles have scant opportunity to borrow e.g. a Baetis and we crave any comparative review details. 
 
Many thanks! 

 
Quote:

In a review. I'll try to find it.

Just got my Chord DAVE in. Burning it in now. I'm rather impressed with my Empirical Audio ODSX so I'll be super surprised if the DAVE betters it. It is more flexible, that I know. I'm burning it in for 500 hours. By then a Gen 2 Antipodes DX will be here to try as well and compare to the N10 I am borrowing from a friend. I heard the Baetis in my room this weekend and it was sensational! Lots to chose from.

 

[TheAttorney]

It really feels like the next 3 months will settle many questions for me regarding end-game server-based audio, where 3 threads will hopefully all come together. Decisions on any one of these threads could impact the importance of the other 2 threads:
 
1. Server End Points and USB conditioners: My choices are:

1. Keep my mR/LPS-1 and add the SOtM TX Ultra with a supa power supply (probably PH SR7)
2. Replace mR with SOtM SMS 200 Ultra with a supa power supply (probably PH SR7) - preferred option so far to minimize the number of little boxes
3. Get both Tx and SMS Ultras
4. Wait for Sonore to come out with their own mR Ultra equivalent

 
2. Server to replace my Windows laptop. Current top 3 contenders at increasing price points:

1. Sonic Transporter; SOtM 1000 EU thingy (why do they make their product names so hard to remember) with super clock; Antipodes DX 2
2. The first two could be powered by one of the rails of a PH SR7, which should give them a power supply advantage over the built-in Antipodes p/s
3. The chosen Server MUST be able to run Roon in direct connection (no intervening router) to Roon Ready on the above server end point
   1. Either by Ethernet/Ethernet or Ethernet/WiFI bridge, or by a DHCP server app running in Server

 
3, Chord Blu 2

1. Will the m-scaler in conjunction with DAVE be such an advance that it will conclusively blow all other DACs out the water? Including Doc's ODSX
2. Does the SQ improvement of the m-scaler justify doubling the price of DAVE?
3. Will the m-scaler completely change the importance/priority of threads 1 and 2?
4. Should I wait (possibly a long time) for Chord to come out with a standalone m-scaler?

 
Hopefully romaz will be able to give his verdict on some of above before he disappears from all forum activity - soon apparently

 

[deuter]

The Auralic Aries is mind blowing, just replaced my windows silent pc with sotm card and Uptone regen.

I don't think this is meant for headphones though, it's for highly resolving 2 channel speakers.

 

[DocSkeekmo]

I have been running a thread on the Audiogon forums that was started in April of 2014 documenting my quest for the best digital front end. Focused on top tier DAC's but also talks Music Servers quite a bit. Between my thread and this one, one can get a MASSIVE amount of info. I will continue to chronicle my DAC auditions. The DAVE is burning in currently and I just bought a Davinci Light Harmonic (which is the most amazing DAC I have ever heard!). I have compared my ODSE to dozens of DAC's over the years and just upgraded to the ODSX. But the Davinci graced my room's presence last weekeknd and I was blown away! I either buy the DAC's I audition or borrow them. On occasion they are sent to me by a manufacturer since my thread has become relatively well known. I am expecting a top tier Waversa DAC in this summer or sooner.

Don't want to hijack this amazing thread because they accomplish VERY different tasks, so here is the link to the thread. Follow along there.

https://forum.audiogon.com/discussions/absolute-top-tier-dac-for-standard-res-redbook-cd?page=65

 

[romaz]

  I would assume having both sMS-200Ultra and tX-USBUltra in the chain would be best but I feel the law of diminishing returns would probably be enforced.

 
Regarding the law of diminishing return, my response to this is both a "yes" and a "no."  If you already own an sMS-200 and are interested in something like the tX-USB Ultra, it would be a fairly easy matter to send in your sMS-200 to SOtM and with the 3 unused clock outputs on the tX-USB Ultra, you could very inexpensively have SOtM upgrade it to an sMS-200 Ultra.  Since the sMS-200 uses 2 clocks, you would basically have 3 "reclocking."  Will this result in 3x improvement?  No, but the cost of the upgrade would be very nominal.  Now, if you already own a microRendu, would it be possible to buy the tX-USB Ultra and have SOtM upgrade your microRendu instead?  I'm pretty sure it can be done.  I find that the return on your investment with SOtM's clock board is greatest when you utilize as many of the clocks as possible.  Using one clock will cost you $700 and using all 4 clocks will cost you $950.
 

  That being the case, where would one find a USB cable without a power line?

 
I agree with Andy, I think the Elijah Audio cable is a great choice.  High-quality conductor, cotton/silk dielectric, custom cut to desired length and of course, no 5V VBUS.  Another great option would be a Clarity Cables Organic or Natural.  Like the Elijah, these are hand-built and made to order.  They are guaranteed to meet USB 2.0 spec with regards to a 90ohm differential impedance, utilize single crystal (OCC) silver conductors, a cotton dielectric, excellent insulation and, of course, no 5V if desired.

 

[romaz]

I finally got around to trying Stillpoints under my Mac Mini. A single one actually. A Stillpoints Ultra LPI record weight is not in use when I'm listening to digital so I was able to try this under the Mini and on top of a bamboo drink coaster (bamboo tends to improve the efficacy of Stillpoints).

With the LPI in place, bass improved most noticeably with kick drums gaining impact and heft. Bass seems to have also lost some bloat. Overall clarity improved as well, but this was more subtle.

As I understand it, the Ultra LPI is pretty much an Ultra 5 reduced in height, so it's nice to have found a good use for it while listening to digital. The improvements wouldn't have justified the expense for digital alone though.

 
Thanks, Kenny.  I will have to look into this.  The performance of an Ultra 5 is obviously superior to their mini.  Like you, I find that an improvement in dynamics but also focus to be the main gains achieved with better vibration control.

 

[romaz]

By then a Gen 2 Antipodes DX will be here to try as well and compare to the N10 I am borrowing from a friend. I heard the Baetis in my room this weekend and it was sensational! Lots to chose from.

 
I'm not sure which Baetis you're listening to.  If you like it, that's all that matters.  Dealing with John Mingo and his crew can be challenging and I'll leave it at that.  While I respect what he does, I am at odds fundamentally with how he builds his servers.  He builds high-power servers that generate considerable electrical noise and he hangs his hat on his daughter card AES solution and so if your DAC sounds best via AES, this could be a good option for you.  After years of bleating about the superiority of his switching PSU and how a certain CyberPower UPS was absolutely necessary for superior SQ, he is now singing the praises of the latest best PSU he has heard, the HDPlex linear ATX PSU.  While this is probably as good as ATX PSUs get at this time, it still is about 1,000x noisier with considerably higher output impedance than anything Paul Hynes builds and so this is the challenge of building a high power single box server, you are forced into too many compromises.  To my knowledge, Baetis goes to no special lengths to incorporate ultra high end clocks.  With the Baetis Reference that I heard via USB, I much preferred the N10.
 
Regarding the Antipodes DX Gen 2, this one does it right as far as I'm concerned.  As far as I am aware, Mark Jenkins doesn't use SOtM parts (you might be thinking of Baetis who is now using SOtM's USB card).  Having spoken with someone who owns this machine, he was able to further improve it by improving its PSU.  It seems this is where most servers fall short.  This is also why I feel you almost have to have some lightweight endpoint follow your server if ultimate SQ is your goal.  These small devices will always generate less noise, have much lower impedance and can more easily be powered by a superior PSU such as an SR7 or LPS-1.

 

[elviscaprice]

   
Regarding the law of diminishing return, my response to this is both a "yes" and a "no."  If you already own an sMS-200 and are interested in something like the tX-USB Ultra, it would be a fairly easy matter to send in your sMS-200 to SOtM and with the 3 unused clock outputs on the tX-USB Ultra, you could very inexpensively have SOtM upgrade it to an sMS-200 Ultra.  Since the sMS-200 uses 2 clocks, you would basically have 3 "reclocking."  Will this result in 3x improvement?  No, but the cost of the upgrade would be very nominal.  Now, if you already own a microRendu, would it be possible to buy the tX-USB Ultra and have SOtM upgrade your microRendu instead?  I'm pretty sure it can be done.  I find that the return on your investment with SOtM's clock board is greatest when you utilize as many of the clocks as possible.  Using one clock will cost you $700 and using all 4 clocks will cost you $950.
 
 

 
Roy,
Would it be possible to mount the sCLK-ex board into my H5 PC casing, power it separately with an LPS-1 and then use the 4 clocks for various tasks, including TX USB card, motherboard?  That way I should be able to power the TX USB PCIe card with a LPS-1 separately?

 

[romaz]

The Auralic Aries is mind blowing, just replaced my windows silent pc with sotm card and Uptone regen.

I don't think this is meant for headphones though, it's for highly resolving 2 channel speakers.

 
Auralic just announced the Aries 2.0 at AXPONA this weekend.  I will hopefully get to hear a production model in Munich in a few weeks.
 
Having owned the original Aries, I found it to be good but probably mid-level with respect to what's out there.
 
I think the Aries sounds fine with headphones.  While I don't listen to headphones as much these days, I find they resolve small detail better than 2-channel speakers.  Speakers, however, have better depth resolution.  When I evaluate DACs and servers, I make sure I use both headphones and speakers.