[Topspin70]

I'm looking for a music server for my yggy. I had used Audirvana+ v2.5 on a mid 2011 iMAC and later discovered A+ to sound better through my MacBook Air. Looking at your remark that it's actually a crap transport suggests I have yet to hear what a good transport sounds like. Any suggestions for me? I'm willing to spend up to USD1,000.

Another possibility is to separate storage from streaming. Store your music on a NAS, PC, or Mac with music serving software (I use the free Minimserver on Synology NAS), and connect by Ethernet to your streamers. I have a SOtM sMS-100 (discontinued) and a Sonicorbiter SE for different systems, each sending USB to USB>coax converters with good clocks (Bel Canto mLink, discontinued). I have a new microRendu waiting at home, which is a higher end version of the same thing and should not need the converter. These gadgets need good linear power supplies to keep signal noise down (I use Teddy Pardo supplies). The advantage of separating storage from rendering is that you can use the most convenient storage without having to worry about signal quality, familiar file management and backup, and flexibility in drive choice as your library grows.

Your comment came in just when I was figuring out what are the sonore and SOTM products. Seems like quite the in thing now and pretty affordable too. So if I understand correctly these streamers to my yggy will connect via ethernet to a router? And I suppose my HDD with music should be connected to a comp that links to the router wirelessly to isolate noise travelling to the streamers? And do I control play using their respective apps?

 

[earnmyturns]

So if I understand correctly these streamers to my yggy will connect via ethernet to a router? And I suppose my HDD with music should be connected to a comp that links to the router wirelessly to isolate noise travelling to the streamers? And do I control play using their respective apps?

The setup is as follows. Your music lives on a server connected to your home network (LAN), ideally wired with Ethernet cable to your home router. The server can either be a general-purpose computer (PC, Mac, Linux) or a dedicated NAS (network attached storage) server (many brands, I use Synology). The streamer (jargon-y called a "renderer" when talking about the UPnP/DLNA protocols for media streaming) is also connected to your LAN, again ideally with Ethernet cable to your router (some people use WiFi, but in my noisy WiFi neighborhood I've never been able to use that without occasional hiccups when playing 24/96 FLAC). The microRendu is designed to isolate the steaming clocks and USB circuitry from LAN noise. My sense is that careful electrical design around the LAN to USB connection is much more effective than any supposed "isolation" through WiFi. After all, if the streamer is using WiFi to talk to the LAN, all of the WiFi circuitry's noise will try to get into the streamer, and WiFi is a notorious high-frequency noise source.
 
There are a variety of ways for the streamer to get music tracks from the server, each with different ways of controlling play. For the UPnP/DLNA protocols, which I use, a control app on a phone or tablet connected to your LAN by WiFi allows you to select albums, tracks, playlists. There are different apps for this, I use BubbleUPnP on my Android mobile devices for this purpose. Some people prefer to mount their music server directly on the streamer as a file share, but I don't have experience with that. Some people love Roon, a commercial server, mobile client, and streamer solution with a beautiful user interface and lots of music selection and suggestion features. The Sonicorbiter SE and the microRendu support Roon.

 

[artur9]

 There are different apps for this, I use BubbleUPnP on my Android mobile devices for this purpose. Some people prefer to mount their music server directly on the streamer as a file share, but I don't have experience with that. Some people love Roon, a commercial server, mobile client, and streamer solution with a beautiful user interface and lots of music selection and suggestion features. The Sonicorbiter SE and the microRendu support Roon.

If one uses the minimserver/mpd/upmpdcli there have been some updates to them that significantly improve the interaction with Linn Kazoo.  That's my current favorite control app.  BubbleUPNP is great but not IOS-compatible and Plugplayer is just ok.  The direct MPD apps for iOS are not very good at all.

 

[Joeybgood]

 

Nice!! I believe I was able to get their last Black Yggy from this run. I've been waiting awhile now to get one. For whatever reason, they just don't do many in black. It's a pity.. they look sooooo badass!!! 

 

[Khragon]

+1 would really like to see more black schiits

 

[buke9]

Man I wanted to respond about black schiit but I will reframe from comment .

 

[Topspin70]

So if I understand correctly these streamers to my yggy will connect via ethernet to a router? And I suppose my HDD with music should be connected to a comp that links to the router wirelessly to isolate noise travelling to the streamers? And do I control play using their respective apps?

The setup is as follows. Your music lives on a server connected to your home network (LAN), ideally wired with Ethernet cable to your home router. The server can either be a general-purpose computer (PC, Mac, Linux) or a dedicated NAS (network attached storage) server (many brands, I use Synology). The streamer (jargon-y called a "renderer" when talking about the UPnP/DLNA protocols for media streaming) is also connected to your LAN, again ideally with Ethernet cable to your router (some people use WiFi, but in my noisy WiFi neighborhood I've never been able to use that without occasional hiccups when playing 24/96 FLAC). The microRendu is designed to isolate the steaming clocks and USB circuitry from LAN noise. My sense is that careful electrical design around the LAN to USB connection is much more effective than any supposed "isolation" through WiFi. After all, if the streamer is using WiFi to talk to the LAN, all of the WiFi circuitry's noise will try to get into the streamer, and WiFi is a notorious high-frequency noise source.
 
There are a variety of ways for the streamer to get music tracks from the server, each with different ways of controlling play. For the UPnP/DLNA protocols, which I use, a control app on a phone or tablet connected to your LAN by WiFi allows you to select albums, tracks, playlists. There are different apps for this, I use BubbleUPnP on my Android mobile devices for this purpose. Some people prefer to mount their music server directly on the streamer as a file share, but I don't have experience with that. Some people love Roon, a commercial server, mobile client, and streamer solution with a beautiful user interface and lots of music selection and suggestion features. The Sonicorbiter SE and the microRendu support Roon.

Awesome explanation. By far the easiest to understand. Thank you. Looks like something I could manage. Just one question: I think my AirPort Extreme has a USB slot for HDD. Can I plug my HDD with music there or should it connect to an ethernet wired comp or server like u mentioned?

 

[Topspin70]

 There are different apps for this, I use BubbleUPnP on my Android mobile devices for this purpose. Some people prefer to mount their music server directly on the streamer as a file share, but I don't have experience with that. Some people love Roon, a commercial server, mobile client, and streamer solution with a beautiful user interface and lots of music selection and suggestion features. The Sonicorbiter SE and the microRendu support Roon.

If one uses the minimserver/mpd/upmpdcli there have been some updates to them that significantly improve the interaction with Linn Kazoo.  That's my current favorite control app.  BubbleUPNP is great but not IOS-compatible and Plugplayer is just ok.  The direct MPD apps for iOS are not very good at all.

I'll take note as I'm on an all mac environment.

 

[Xcalibur255]

For whatever reason, they just don't do many in black. It's a pity.. they look sooooo badass!!! 

 
Offering two colors doubles all of your stockable finished good part numbers.  Jason is smart to go one color only.
 
I can offer an educated guess why black ones pop up sometimes:  if the metal supplier has screwed up the finish in some way doing an acid etch, black dye ano and nickel based hot seal finisher is a good way to salvage it and have it still look good.  Light scratches and scuffs along with mistakes in the graining process can be corrected like this, you just end up with a color you don't normally sell/stock.

 

[Baldr]

   
Offering two colors doubles all of your stockable finished good part numbers.  Jason is smart to go one color only.
 
I can offer an educated guess why black ones pop up sometimes:  if the metal supplier has screwed up the finish in some way doing an acid etch, black dye ano and nickel based hot seal finisher is a good way to salvage it and have it still look good.  Light scratches and scuffs along with mistakes in the graining process can be corrected like this, you just end up with a color you don't normally sell/stock.

 
 
Bingo!!!!!

 

[Joeybgood]

Offering two colors doubles all of your stockable finished good part numbers.  Jason is smart to go one color only.

I can offer an educated guess why black ones pop up sometimes:  if the metal supplier has screwed up the finish in some way doing an acid etch, black dye ano and nickel based hot seal finisher is a good way to salvage it and have it still look good.  Light scratches and scuffs along with mistakes in the graining process can be corrected like this, you just end up with a color you don't normally sell/stock.

that does make sense. Im happy to snap up one of their mistakes

 

[Khragon]

I don't care the reason. I want my black schiit now. . Waiting to pull trigger on a black yggy

 

[Argo Duck]

I see where you're going with this. So...one of us has to get a job with Schiit's metal supplier

Good thinking :evil:

Offering two colors doubles all of your stockable finished good part numbers.  Jason is smart to go one color only.

I can offer an educated guess why black ones pop up sometimes:  if the metal supplier has screwed up the finish in some way doing an acid etch, black dye ano and nickel based hot seal finisher is a good way to salvage it and have it still look good.  Light scratches and scuffs along with mistakes in the graining process can be corrected like this, you just end up with a color you don't normally sell/stock.

 

[peppino1980]

  Wow, looks like tube heaven... I'm myself a relatively modest solid-stater (Bel Canto C7R integrated DAC-amp that is a great fit to my living room space and wiring constraints, but I would like to replace by a Schiit multibit DAC followed by analog stage(s) of comparable power and neutrality; KEF Reference 1 speakers).

Indeed 

.
It's a joy to listen to it and the Yggdrasil has brought to the system an incredible steup up ... everything seems coming to life!
you do have a nice system as well 

 my one took me few good years of savings!
 
I'll report more on the Yggdrasil as the time goes by.
 
I hope to be able to post some pictures soon, what's the threshold in number of posts in order to be able to do so ? 

 

[Argo Duck]

^ 10 IIRC