[holytiger]

wow, do you have micr/o connected to the aries? have u snuck ur speakers in a bookshelf?

 

[LanceSaintPaul]

Winter only...

 

[Reputator]

I don't even know how you build electronics that runs at 348°F. That's in the melting point range of solder. :O

 

[carboncopy]

wow, do you have micr/o connected to the aries? have u snuck ur speakers in a bookshelf?

Yes...it so for a couple of years. Circumstances....I usually listen to them sitting on the carpet, nearfield. Quite good I must say.

 

[spittis]

I don't even know how you build electronics that runs at 348°F. That's in the melting point range of solder. :O

Vacuum tubes get that hot, the rest of the circuit is much cooler.

 

[David222]

too bad your DAC only does USb - you must find that frustrating

 

[carboncopy]

too bad your DAC only does USb - you must find that frustrating

Very. Altough it has AES/EBU and coax inputs too, both with the option of reclocking or not.

 

[David222]

Very. Altough it has AES/EBU and coax inputs too, both with the option of reclocking or not.

The aries setup is most certainly top of the mountain. Really awesome.

 

[BlakeT]

Very. Altough it has AES/EBU and coax inputs too, both with the option of reclocking or not.

Outstanding setup. Did you experiment with other DDC's before choosing Holo Red?

 

[carboncopy]

Outstanding setup. Did you experiment with other DDC's before choosing Holo Red?

Well...it was more of a logical decision as an empirical.

I wanted a Roon endpoint, which is:
- one box solution (no external PSU)
- no blue LED/Display (I HATE them at night).
- Has to have USB out. The Heléne is optimised to USB. I could try several times all the variations and it is so.
- Has to have a linear power supply. Switching supplies are hurting every component in the vicinity. I did not buy a Stromtank to inject back a lot of high freq noise into every component connected to it.

What I did try:
- I had an Auralic Aries G2.1 - it was OK, but had ocassionally problem with connectivity. Just enough to nerve me.
- I had a custom built PC with Audio Linux. It was good until the Linux system developed some kind on DNS identification problem. It's the same Linux Pink Faun uses (or used at the time) and even the developer could not help (he tried, it was a licenced software). Than the custom PSU went out of duty. But...it had slightly better quality as the Aries

What I considered:
- Innuos of course. But they are in constant debate with Roon. Actually as of date you will find no mention of Roon support on thier site (Roon forbid them) and Roon does not advise to use Innuos and there is no official support. Kinda...meh if I want a future proof Roon solution.
- Aqua Linq: I did had the Optologic MK2 DAC from Aqua which I liked. But again, Aqua had a problem with Roon licencing, and they had to find a workaround through HQPlayer. Quirky. Plus no USB out.
- Lumin: bue Display plus the bigger one has external PSU with a bright blue LED. Thanks not.
- Metronome DSS: it is a Rasperry PI with analog PSU, like the Holo Red, just 4x the price. Plus white LED.
- Pink Faun: could be good, maybe later? But I do have a bit of a problem with buying a PC for that much money. Too complex device with too much failure points (SW+HW)
- Taiko: even more money for a PC here in EU. Plus Windos as operating system. Even more fauilre points. But everybody ho tried it loves it.

So, after considering for weeks I did not found better for my use case. One box, officially supported from Roon, no external linear PSU and no blue LED. I can say I did not regret buying it.

 

[BlakeT]

Yeah, Taiko is reportedly the undisputed king, and they are about to release another all out assault above their Extreme, called the Olympus.

 

[572217]

Yeah, Taiko is reportedly the undisputed king, and they are about to release another all out assault above their Extreme, called the Olympus.

Have you looked up the price?

 

[BlakeT]

Have you looked up the price?

However, there is a 5K euro early-bird discount!

 

[Chefguru]

Wow 348 F, that’s a lot

It takes a lot to be the best

I don't even know how you build electronics that runs at 348°F. That's in the melting point range of solder. :O

The advantage of tubes is that they can tolerate much higher temperatures , the el34 in the megatron can easily handle 400f+. Unlike dynamic and planar headphones electrostatic headphones can run the higher voltage natively without a step down so there isn’t necessarily the coloration associated with other headphones - and instead their performance can be better due to the niche temperature tolerance advantage that tubes offer.

The case of the amp and psu boxes are only 90-100*f ~ as the heat vents from the filaments. Still there are some inherent risks when dealing with this level of power. The pull from the wall is 240w ️

Separate contribution to the thread is the difference between 1998 carbon 007 case vs 1999 matted case

 

[572217]

However, there is a 5K euro early-bird discount!

Maybe he gives me 5K, when I don’t buy?