[tesarpa]

Freya runs cool in passive and JFET mode.

But only on the condition you leave the tubes unplugged. Otherwise, tubes are heated regardless the mode.

 

[Leopold Nenning]

Something like this would be a good start. Something like this would be as good as it gets in my experience. With a well-designed digital source, higher sample rates do not sound any worse than 44.1, and sometimes better, on my Yggdrasil A2.

Thank you!

 

[Leopold Nenning]

"Just too much 96/24-only material on Qobuz" You can choose what version 24/96 - 16/44.1 to use if the album is available in more than one format, which is the case on most "older" album that have been re-mastered. For new releases you are correct, they are mostly only offered at higher resolution than redbook.
I totally disagree on the fact of redbook sounding best / better. I use Yggy A2 since it's release with Qobuz and find redbook and Hi-Res tracks to sound very good. Had Gumby Gen5 before the upgrade to Yggy and had the same experience with that one. Having said that, most of the albums / tracks I play are from the analogue period and have been digitized for CD and streaming. Don't play much "new" music that was digital all the way.

I agree that hi-res can have better "sound". It also sounds less "lifelike" to me. Humanity is more present in Redbook, for my ears/brain. I also listen to a lot of pre-digital era music and unless an album has been mastered in hi-res from the original master, any hi-res version will be just an upsampled Redbook file, correct. Which to my ears/brain "sounds like ass" (to quote the man himself.) I do not mean to take anything away from your enjoyment of Hi-res, just sharing what I experience!

 

[Leopold Nenning]

Something like this would be a good start. Something like this would be as good as it gets in my experience. With a well-designed digital source, higher sample rates do not sound any worse than 44.1, and sometimes better, on my Yggdrasil A2.

Thank you for your suggestions! If I understand correctly, something like a DigiOne (or Digi+ etc.) adds S/PDIF capability. I thought USB Gen 5 solved any USB issues, in fact sounds better than S/PDIF. Same with the very good looking Ambre. Removing the functionality of the USB 5 upgraded I paid for? Confused.

 

[Derrick Swart]

"Just too much 96/24-only material on Qobuz" You can choose what version 24/96 - 16/44.1 to use if the album is available in more than one format, which is the case on most "older" album that have been re-mastered. For new releases you are correct, they are mostly only offered at higher resolution than redbook.
I totally disagree on the fact of redbook sounding best / better. I use Yggy A2 since it's release with Qobuz and find redbook and Hi-Res tracks to sound very good. Had Gumby Gen5 before the upgrade to Yggy and had the same experience with that one. Having said that, most of the albums / tracks I play are from the analogue period and have been digitized for CD and streaming. Don't play much "new" music that was digital all the way.

Did you know that tape (studer/nagra/telefunken, etc.) are very popular nowadays in studios (besides their relative high cost)? So many new music is passing tape and unfortunately this information is very difficult to obtain (always loved to read about recording details of albums I bought). In my experience tape gives a fantastic overall 'grain' or injection or JUICE to the tunes. I heard with and without in my friend's studio and clearly always preferred with tape recording and bounced back in the production.

 

[Leopold Nenning]

Did you know that tape (studer/nagra/telefunken, etc.) are very popular nowadays in studios (besides their relative high cost)? So many new music is passing tape and unfortunately this information is very difficult to obtain (always loved to read about recording details of albums I bought). In my experience tape gives a fantastic overall 'grain' or injection or JUICE to the tunes. I heard with and without in my friend's studio and clearly always preferred with tape recording and bounced back in the production.

Of course an Ampex, Studer etc. tape recorder sounds fantastic. It's analogue

 

[Leopold Nenning]

I appreciate all the tips I am getting here about how to improve my digital source (a dedicated fanless i5 MPC with two SSDs, running NUC/ROCK) and really do not want to look like I am an ungrateful git. Keep your suggestions coming, I will definitely try a cheap end point to see what happens.

All the great suggestions just got me thinkin’ …

If all those beautiful boxes, all the RPis, Metrums, Lumins, bluesounds and what have you are such an improvement, no, basically considered necessary, why on earth is Schiit not offering one?

The answer is twofold, I think. One, Mike (if I am catching his drift) seems to maintain that streaming is crap, period. I like streaming. Two, 44.1/16, which he seems to consider the only necessary digital format, works seems to work very well without an additional endpoint. At least in my system, for my brain, it does not sound like ass at all.

We seem to only be able to reap benefits from an additional output/endpoint once we get to HiRes. And Mike seems to be Hi-res agnostic. My own experience supports his findings, so I am going with Mike on that. Anything all those additional output (roon endpoint) boxes offer my MPC already does. With the one exception of offering more connection options, which all should have become obsolete with Schiit USB Gen5.

Unless the Hi-Res file is made from a digital or analogue master, it will be just an upsampled 44.1 file. Which means an algorithm adding something that wasn’t there before. Digital invention, padding, fluff. I understand and accept that others like that and they have good reasons for it.

I prefer to listen to the 44.1 files in perfection. Bitperfect, unadulterated. If a true 88.2/24 file comes along, it will sound great, I am sure, and surely Gumby will perfectly reproduce it.

Looking forward to the unfolding friendly discussion about this, I have no intention to polarise.

Instalment three about the transformation of my system to follow soon, the amp arrived this morning.

 

[mp29k]

I appreciate all the tips I am getting here about how to improve my digital source (a dedicated fanless i5 MPC with two SSDs, running NUC/ROCK) and really do not want to look like I am an ungrateful git. Keep your suggestions coming, I will definitely try a cheap end point to see what happens.

All the great suggestions just got me thinkin’ …

If all those beautiful boxes, all the RPis, Metrums, Lumins, bluesounds and what have you are such an improvement, no, basically considered necessary, why on earth is Schiit not offering one?

The answer is twofold, I think. One, Mike (if I am catching his drift) seems to maintain that streaming is crap, period. I like streaming. Two, 44.1/16, which he seems to consider the only necessary digital format, works seems to work very well without an additional endpoint. At least in my system, for my brain, it does not sound like ass at all.

We seem to only be able to reap benefits from an additional output/endpoint once we get to HiRes. And Mike seems to be Hi-res agnostic. My own experience supports his findings, so I am going with Mike on that. Anything all those additional output (roon endpoint) boxes offer my MPC already does. With the one exception of offering more connection options, which all should have become obsolete with Schiit USB Gen5.

Unless the Hi-Res file is made from a digital or analogue master, it will be just an upsampled 44.1 file. Which means an algorithm adding something that wasn’t there before. Digital invention, padding, fluff. I understand and accept that others like that and they have good reasons for it.

I prefer to listen to the 44.1 files in perfection. Bitperfect, unadulterated. If a true 88.2/24 file comes along, it will sound great, I am sure, and surely Gumby will perfectly reproduce it.

Looking forward to the unfolding friendly discussion about this, I have no intention to polarise.

Instalment three about the transformation of my system to follow soon, the amp arrived this morning.

All good observations, but I think it is far simpler than that. They have directly stated they don't want to enter a market that will require them to maintain software releases, develop and maintain a GUI and provide tech support for software incompatibilities.

 

[mp29k]

Instalment three about the transformation of my system to follow soon, the amp arrived this morning.

This is exciting news. Will be good to hear your impressions. I am using a Schiit Vidar now, but did consider strongly a Nelson Pass amp instead. Just wasn't in the cards price wise. As an aside, I am delighted with the Vidar, so it all worked out.

 

[Pietro Cozzi Tinin]

I appreciate all the tips I am getting here about how to improve my digital source (a dedicated fanless i5 MPC with two SSDs, running NUC/ROCK) and really do not want to look like I am an ungrateful git. Keep your suggestions coming, I will definitely try a cheap end point to see what happens.

All the great suggestions just got me thinkin’ …

If all those beautiful boxes, all the RPis, Metrums, Lumins, bluesounds and what have you are such an improvement, no, basically considered necessary, why on earth is Schiit not offering one?

The answer is twofold, I think. One, Mike (if I am catching his drift) seems to maintain that streaming is crap, period. I like streaming. Two, 44.1/16, which he seems to consider the only necessary digital format, works seems to work very well without an additional endpoint. At least in my system, for my brain, it does not sound like ass at all.

We seem to only be able to reap benefits from an additional output/endpoint once we get to HiRes. And Mike seems to be Hi-res agnostic. My own experience supports his findings, so I am going with Mike on that. Anything all those additional output (roon endpoint) boxes offer my MPC already does. With the one exception of offering more connection options, which all should have become obsolete with Schiit USB Gen5.

Unless the Hi-Res file is made from a digital or analogue master, it will be just an upsampled 44.1 file. Which means an algorithm adding something that wasn’t there before. Digital invention, padding, fluff. I understand and accept that others like that and they have good reasons for it.

I prefer to listen to the 44.1 files in perfection. Bitperfect, unadulterated. If a true 88.2/24 file comes along, it will sound great, I am sure, and surely Gumby will perfectly reproduce it.

Looking forward to the unfolding friendly discussion about this, I have no intention to polarise.

Instalment three about the transformation of my system to follow soon, the amp arrived this morning.

I transferred this post to Mike's thread. It's his Schiit and now he maybe has an answer for us.

 

[Robert Padgett]

I appreciate all the tips I am getting here about how to improve my digital source (a dedicated fanless i5 MPC with two SSDs, running NUC/ROCK) and really do not want to look like I am an ungrateful git. Keep your suggestions coming, I will definitely try a cheap end point to see what happens.

All the great suggestions just got me thinkin’ …

If all those beautiful boxes, all the RPis, Metrums, Lumins, bluesounds and what have you are such an improvement, no, basically considered necessary, why on earth is Schiit not offering one?

The answer is twofold, I think. One, Mike (if I am catching his drift) seems to maintain that streaming is crap, period. I like streaming. Two, 44.1/16, which he seems to consider the only necessary digital format, works seems to work very well without an additional endpoint. At least in my system, for my brain, it does not sound like ass at all.

We seem to only be able to reap benefits from an additional output/endpoint once we get to HiRes. And Mike seems to be Hi-res agnostic. My own experience supports his findings, so I am going with Mike on that. Anything all those additional output (roon endpoint) boxes offer my MPC already does. With the one exception of offering more connection options, which all should have become obsolete with Schiit USB Gen5.

Unless the Hi-Res file is made from a digital or analogue master, it will be just an upsampled 44.1 file. Which means an algorithm adding something that wasn’t there before. Digital invention, padding, fluff. I understand and accept that others like that and they have good reasons for it.

I prefer to listen to the 44.1 files in perfection. Bitperfect, unadulterated. If a true 88.2/24 file comes along, it will sound great, I am sure, and surely Gumby will perfectly reproduce it.

Looking forward to the unfolding friendly discussion about this, I have no intention to polarise.

Instalment three about the transformation of my system to follow soon, the amp arrived this morning.

I have found that your posts have been asking very good questions. If there is a "Newcomer to the thread" award, I think you have harvested a bumper crop of good advice. As the affordable Audiophile, working on a limited budget is a blessing and a curse. I went with a network distribution of my music from a NUC server, and RasPi endpoints, using a very simple SFTP-protocol which opens my server files to the end-points by "signing-in" --so easy.

I prefer 16/44, I like the d/s DAC Mike put in my original Modi 2 DAC, and I really like the new firmware upgrade to the Modi MB, feeding my new Valhalla 2. I really don't know what "ass" sounds like, but I am thinking it must be similar to low-res MP3.

When The Mimby was in for the upgrade, I gained a new appreciation for USB-fed Modi 2 delta/sigma. The majority of my library is 16/44 with some 24/96 and a few 24/192, and to my ears, 24/192 is overkill. When I read specs which boast 32-bit and very high res PCM, I wonder just how much more information can be squeezed out of these bits and bytes. Welcome to the community

 

[golfbravobravo]

Thank you for your suggestions! If I understand correctly, something like a DigiOne (or Digi+ etc.) adds S/PDIF capability. I thought USB Gen 5 solved any USB issues, in fact sounds better than S/PDIF. Same with the very good looking Ambre. Removing the functionality of the USB 5 upgraded I paid for? Confused.

I also use HiFiBerry HATs and IQaudIO HATs. IMHO there is little to choose between the SQ of each.

Also a factor is whether you want to build your own or buy a readymade endpoint.

 

[golfbravobravo]

Thank you for your suggestions! If I understand correctly, something like a DigiOne (or Digi+ etc.) adds S/PDIF capability. I thought USB Gen 5 solved any USB issues, in fact sounds better than S/PDIF. Same with the very good looking Ambre. Removing the functionality of the USB 5 upgraded I paid for? Confused.

There are various HAT (Hardware Attached on Top) for RPi and the offer a variety of outputs (usually only one per HAT). I have SPDIF, XLR balanced, RCA and a couple with built in amps.

I believe the USB debate is orthogonal; if you have any of the above outputs, USB is moot - these are network attached devices and the best way to deal with crappy USB is not to have one!

Cheers

 

[golfbravobravo]

I had the opportunity to put in a 15 amp circuit dedicated to just my hi-fi gear. I have never had problems with him or buzz or anything electrical related. Highly recommend it. And, in the end, not that expensive!
.

I haven't seen it mentioned I don't think: but run good (Cat6) ethernet cables too!

 

[golfbravobravo]

But only on the condition you leave the tubes unplugged. Otherwise, tubes are heated regardless the mode.

I don't believe that you can do that. The user guide has dire warnings about tubes being plugged in before applying power......