[Jason Stoddard]

Guys, info@schiit.com

 

[Whazzzup]

A server is still a computer, susceptible to the same noise and interference. How would that make any difference?

Sorry didn’t mean to derail thread or realize that how the 1 and 0 get into your dac is so important. There are companies who sole purpose is to deliver the bits with no noise, this is done through whisper quiet ssd, motherboard advancements and nodule advancements etc. I’m not an engineer but can say with confidence that external music servers are valuable points in your rig chain, possibly the most important for desktop systems. Antipodes audio, and zenith innous are two fantastic places to start your research.

 

[Rowethren]

Sorry didn’t mean to derail thread or realize that how the 1 and 0 get into your dac is so important. There are companies who sole purpose is to deliver the bits with no noise, this is done through whisper quiet ssd, motherboard advancements and nodule advancements etc. I’m not an engineer but can say with confidence that external music servers are valuable points in your rig chain, possibly the most important for desktop systems. Antipodes audio, and zenith innous are two fantastic places to start your research.

I only use SSDs a 1TB NVME and 2 1TB SATA3. They seem to do the trick

Also 1000 posts wooo

 

[Letmebefrank]

Eitr makes a dedicated music server pointless as far as removing noise. External servers are still necessary for some people who need to listen to digital music and don't have a PC to run the software, but to have a separate music server when you already have a desktop PC seems redundant these days.

 

[Whazzzup]

I ran them A/B and getting rid of the pc was best, but hey its cool, not here to convince anyone just stating my experience. Too bad its difficult to a/b without purchase....

 

[rlow]

Going custom loop is so much better but it does cost a fortune! I think for my 2 rads, res, pump, fans and fittings I am probably well north of 1500GBP... If you are in the USA you can get someone like Silicone Lottery to delid for you if you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself, it is so worth it for the huge temperature decrease. You would have thought a massive company like Intel would be able to afford to use at least half decent thermal paste or even solder like their cheaper AMD brothers but clearly not



I have mine in my stereo system but with my speaker amp on max I hear basically no noise and it doesn't change regardless of my PC being on or not so I would say no I also have my fans set below 400RPM when my PC is below 40C which is basically all the time so it doesn't disturb music at all. I am currently using the coax out of my Asus Xonar Essence STX into my Minidsp then to my amp which seems to work pretty well. Here is a picture of my full system which should give you a good idea

There is the type of "noise" you get that you can hear always, and between tracks etc, such as fan noise or other electrical noise or buzz that gets drowned out with music, but then there is the "noise" that injects itself onto the musical signal itself and changes the sound of the music (e.g. adds sibilance, reduces bass impact, adds digital "hash", changes voice timbre, etc). This is the stuff you sometimes only realize is there once you hear something better. For a dedicated audio system (not necessarily a desktop system doing double duty as computer station and sound system), IMO a full PC/Mac should not be in the music room, and/or should not be plugged directly into the DAC via USB if you want to avoid all that potential signal noise, even with Eitr in place. A dedicated audio network player / render, with a good linear power supply is the way to go if you want the best SQ. But of course this can cost a fair amount of extra cash and additional hassle to setup and maintain (although some are simpler than others) vs. a direct computer connection.

Edit: And when I talk about the "music room" I'm referring to a 2 channel system as far as my experience goes - I have no experience doing this with headphones just yet (although I did just pickup a used pair of HD650 I may be putting to the test as well at some point in the future).

 

[Whazzzup]

agree 100% and thats what my point was. Antipodes audio is an easy system. lynux code running roon core as well as other software for those that use tidal etc... i don't.

 

[KewlMunky]

I suppose it depends on the system. But unless one has a significant amount of noise from the PC, something like a Wyrd or Eitr would probably get you to 99% of what a separate music server would. And for a fraction of the cost. I'm not a last 1% or even last 5% person. There are so many recommendations to squeeze out more performance that I feel it's a snowball effect. I start with a dedicated music server, then I move into expensive cables. Next I'm making sure it's all balanced and eventually getting a sine wave regenerator to clean up the power.

It's great if people find differences, but I don't have the funds nor want to keep diving into the rabbit hole.

 

[Whazzzup]

I suppose it depends on the system. But unless one has a significant amount of noise from the PC, something like a Wyrd or Eitr would probably get you to 99% of what a separate music server would. And for a fraction of the cost. I'm not a last 1% or even last 5% person. There are so many recommendations to squeeze out more performance that I feel it's a snowball effect. I start with a dedicated music server, then I move into expensive cables. Next I'm making sure it's all balanced and eventually getting a sine wave regenerator to clean up the power.

It's great if people find differences, but I don't have the funds nor want to keep diving into the rabbit hole.

Whatever makes you happy but these boxes are just trying to do what a super server has accomplished, they are shuffle down approximations and may actually not accomplish what you may think they are doing regardless of how cheap they are.

 

[FrivolsListener]

Guys, info@schiit.com

Speaking of, I just dropped a note off to you guys.

 

[Rowethren]

I understand your opinions and do get that it might not be ideal but to be honest I am using my PC for practicality as well so I wouldn't be changing regardless. I like using my 2 channel system for gaming and films and if I am honest most of my music is from....

Prepare yourself...

Spotify!

So I don't feel it would be worth it for me anyway I am sure it would sound better to do it with a dedicated server and proper files but for me practicality and easy win out at the end of the day. I guess that means I am not a purist audiophile... Oh well

 

[rlow]

I suppose it depends on the system. But unless one has a significant amount of noise from the PC, something like a Wyrd or Eitr would probably get you to 99% of what a separate music server would. And for a fraction of the cost. I'm not a last 1% or even last 5% person. There are so many recommendations to squeeze out more performance that I feel it's a snowball effect. I start with a dedicated music server, then I move into expensive cables. Next I'm making sure it's all balanced and eventually getting a sine wave regenerator to clean up the power.

It's great if people find differences, but I don't have the funds nor want to keep diving into the rabbit hole.

I understand your opinions and do get that it might not be ideal but to be honest I am using my PC for practicality as well so I wouldn't be changing regardless. I like using my 2 channel system for gaming and films and if I am honest most of my music is from....

Prepare yourself...

Spotify!

So I don't feel it would be worth it for me anyway I am sure it would sound better to do it with a dedicated server and proper files but for me practicality and easy win out at the end of the day. I guess that means I am not a purist audiophile... Oh well

There is DEFINITELY a rabbit hole here, and a law of diminishing returns, and if you like what you hear right now and are happy with it, definitely stick with it!

That said, Eitr / Gen 5 is one of the easiest and most cost effective SQ upgrades out there for your digital source/DAC IMO, so I think it's a no-brainer.

 

[AudioBear]

There are other reasons for having a separate server. I use a laptop plugged into a couple of 27" monitors for a desktop system. When I unplug it and hit the road, my music server is still up and running on my NUC running Roon Rock that has all kinds of endpoints in the house (Sonos, RP3-HifiBerry to several endpoints, etc). For me it was easier to separate the two functions. As far as sound quality, I have to say that Roon (or Audirvanna Plus) running an isolated RP3 that does nothing but play music sounds ever so slightly better. That's just a subjective feeling. It's got an even blacker background and the music is somehow more like live music. Could be my imagination too because I am listening in two different places to two different systems when I say this. Just saying there are other reasons to have a server than music quality. If it was only music quality I would use Eitr on a PC or Mac and be 100% delighted.

 

[liamo]

My Mac Mini to Gen5 is dead quiet, any server options better have a massive convenience quotient and a Schitty price to even consider it. The game is over Johnny, it’s over!

 

[Whazzzup]