[Albrecht]

Hi RB
 
My LPS-1 stung me hard.....
 
But it definitely blew away my Teradak 9v 2a that i was using with the microRendu. Now I have a bit of overkill using the TeraDak as a feeder supply.
 

 maybe I should start saving my pennies for a LPS-1

 

[rb2013]

  Hi RB
 
My LPS-1 stung me hard.....
 
But it definitely blew away my Teradak 9v 2a that i was using with the microRendu. Now I have a bit of overkill using the TeraDak as a feeder supply.
 

Yes the reports are coming with rave reviews.  Good to ditch the included SMPS (and save $20) and use a low cost LPS as feeder.  Keeps the AC mains cleaner

 

[music_man]

placebo. like much of audio. high end straight usb chain is fine. must have clean data and especially +5V. i tried the startech rex/lex and it did not even function. requires drivers,setup=bad. dac60? it is not even balanced afaik. going balanced would do you  al ot better right there. plus that is not exactly a $100,000 dac which should make more of an improvement. not trying to be harsh. if you hear a difference i am happy for you. usb over ethernet is great for length. however you are converting streaming to packet data and back again. do not see how that is better. again, if it sounds better to you terrific! i could not even get it to work with some very high end dacs but did sort of work with the msb select. that alone is going to be  aheck of  lot bigger upgrade over dac60 even modded. seriously not trying to be  ajerk just relating my experience with this. a high end usb chain(not ehternet) to a high end balanced dac to a high end balanced amp is all i need. heck, there are $65,000 of cables involved. i am talking about real upgrades. at the best rex/lex should make no difference. at worst they do not function. ps audio has now jumped on this. i do agree that using usb thumb drives is superior. actually, i am guessing that is where your entire improvement is coming from. as you noted. that can be done via usb without introducing ehternet. ethernet is really great for range. it is a superior format if your dac accepts ethernet natively. not switching back and forth. regardless of if you are hearing the thumb drives or other stuff in that signal chain i am glad you are so pleased with it. if it makes a difference to you that is all that matters.

 

[rb2013]

placebo. like much of audio. high end straight usb chain is fine. must have clean data and especially +5V. i tried the startech rex/lex and it did not even function. requires drivers,setup=bad. dac60? it is not even balanced afaik. going balanced would do you  al ot better right there. plus that is not exactly a $100,000 dac which should make more of an improvement. not trying to be harsh. if you hear a difference i am happy for you. usb over ethernet is great for length. however you are converting streaming to packet data and back again. do not see how that is better. again, if it sounds better to you terrific! i could not even get it to work with some very high end dacs but did sort of work with the msb select. that alone is going to be  aheck of  lot bigger upgrade over dac60 even modded. seriously not trying to be  ajerk just relating my experience with this. a high end usb chain(not ehternet) to a high end balanced dac to a high end balanced amp is all i need. heck, there are $65,000 of cables involved. i am talking about real upgrades. at the best rex/lex should make no difference. at worst they do not function. ps audio has now jumped on this. i do agree that using usb thumb drives is superior. actually, i am guessing that is where your entire improvement is coming from. as you noted. that can be done via usb without introducing ehternet. ethernet is really great for range. it is a superior format if your dac accepts ethernet natively. not switching back and forth. regardless of if you are hearing the thumb drives or other stuff in that signal chain i am glad you are so pleased with it. if it makes a difference to you that is all that matters.

Forget the ' meds ' this morning?

 

[music_man]

no, i just think it is odd you spent more on your signal chain than on your dac. plus having a balanced system would be a much bigger improvement. i do understand though, you want it to sound like vinyl. you have a tube dac. we are just from two different camps. to me digital is digital and analog is analog. i do not attempt to make one sound like the other. perhaps that does make it sound more like vinyl. i will take your word on that. i am going for a completely different sound. however, i still find that much stuff in the signal chain odd. unles it achieves the vinyl type sound you wish. i suppose that was by trial and error. not methodical. usually the less stuff you put in a signal chain will sound "better". if it gives you a certain sound you are after i can understand your reasoning. just not my cup of tea thats all. i could not get the rex/lex to work with some dacs and others i did not feel anything was really different. providing clean usb data and vbus is a must. i agree with that. seeing as ps audio introduced a ethernet/usb device i suppose others feel there is some merit to it. to me it seems like mixing platforms that are not meant to be mixed. it will provide a longer cable run. i feel a top notch usb setup is on par at least with usb/ethernet. it may not provide the sound you are after. i see where you are coming from. i am just from a different camp. nothing wrong with what you did. i certainly would not fault it if it provides the results you wish for. i know i was a bit of a jerk about it, i apologize for that. i just view the signal chain much differently. heck, i would not even have tubes. so we are just trying to obtain different goals i suppose. it is all good.

 

[music_man]

i maintain usb over lan is not a great idea. can actually harm sq. perhaps that is the vinyl sound you are getting. i googled many people saying from no difference to problems. to be fair some did think it sounded much better. no doubt it changes the sound but not a change i personally welcome. however the thumb drives are an outstanding idea and do most certainly sound better than playing from discs within the pc. be they ssd or platter. i am not disagreeing with you. just saying it is not a sound i prefer. there is no right or wrong with audio. only what you like. i am glad you achieved what you wished. i prefer i very high quality usb chain sans ethernet. as these systems were originally designed for. that is not to say that ethernet wil not work with many systems. just not a sound i prefer. the usb drives, yes.

 

[Mr Underhill]

Hi Music_man,
 
I am not sure what you are hoping to achieve? You start by stating that this is all a 'placebo' and then adopt a more reasonable tone in your last post stating that, 'some did think it sounded much better'.
 
Can you post:
 
1. Which StarTech you used;
2. Within what system;
3. Did you try LPSUs with it?
4. Did you use USB sticks?
5 Which USB sticks?
 
 
DACs
There are many people on fora who take a view that all DACs over a minimal cost are the same and that bits are bits. While that is not my experience I have found that the differences, above a certain price point, are not huge .....but then I have never owned a stratospherically expensive DACs. In more recent years I have owned the Naim DAC (plus XPS PSU) and now the Bel Canto DAC 3.5vb (plus VBS). This move was triggered by wanting different facilities in the DAC.
 
Valves
I use valve amps. I am not aiming for any type of sound. The thing that was a revelation for me about twenty years ago was Class A, through a solid state behemoth. Tim de Paravicini, who designed and built my amps and is widely lauded as an expert, would tell you that he can build in solid state or valve and that he aims for the same output.
 
Balanced Sound
My DAC and amps have balanced & SE connections. I find that they do sound different, but not night and day. I have used them both over the years to tune my system.
 
Personally I don't find any of these things are a silver bullet.
 
What I enjoy about these experiments is that they are not massively expensive, and if after listening you decide to move in a different direction you can sell up and move on for a small loss.
 
I did not know whether any of the things Rob was suggesting would stay in my system. For instance, I bought a Mutec3+USB. Initially it made a very positive impression but, over a few months, I decided it was not for me. However, the F1 is a keeper, as is the iPurifier2.
 
Currently for me the StarTech is under advisement. I think there may be a small benefit using the supplied SMPS. I will be getting my first LPSU today.
 
I would like to hear in more detail what you did and how you tested it ....and hopefully in a reasonable and non-agressive way.
 
M

 

[music_man]

pcaq dragontail>aq jb with vbus cut>1.5m aq diamond usb>startech USB2004EXT2 transmitter with regulated lps>5m aq diamond cat7 cable>other side of startech>1.5m aq diamond usb cable>ipurifier>aq dragontail>dac>balanced odin 2>ayre qx-5 twenty.>odin 2 speaker cables> sonus faber extrema 2>rel stadium with rel blue cable. anaconda power cables.. pc and stereo powered by separate online ups's(full time battery power). in fact lps is redundant then but i like it.
 
I found some dacs failed to operate or recognize the signal. others worked but I liked the same usb chain without the ethernet better. some agreed, some did not. the startech is not cheap at $400. Luckily i can return all of this no hassle as i am a good customer. used usb sticks with both setups. i do find that makes a nice difference to internal drives as i said. i found that balanced is a must with most very high end dacs. in fact, to me night and day.i know of Tim de Paravicini and fully agree. i just do not prefer tubes. as with the usb i just prefer plug and play. i am using sandisk ultra usb sticks. i am one who just prefers the straight usb signal chain. i chalk this up to a lot of conversion between two very different formats going on. it does have a "sound". i just did not prefer it. that is just personal, as are all aspects of audio. ymmv.  currently i use a startech hub to provide the vbus with a regulated lps and 3 256mb usb sticks. it is just a sonic preference and everyone has theirs. except due to streaming being converted to packets and back some dacs will not handshake let alone sync. so that is the only caveat. i am sorry at first i was being a jerk. it was because it did not work with the codex and i was unhappy because that is where i would have used it. it turned out i did not care for the sound anyways. the qx-5 twenty has ethernet built in so no need for the startech. as does the msb select which interestingly it did work with. to be honest the codex is a bit picky about signal. i will probably get the ifi iusb3.0 tomorrow when i return this stuff. that is much more advanced than jb or ipurifier. i will see how it sounds to me.  i wil not use ifi's lps because it has a habit of dying. i have the wyred4sound lps which is obviously much better. so, where it worked usb over ethernet was just not my sonic cup of tea. to be fair audio is highly subjective and not everything appeals to everyone. if it appeals to you that is fine. in my original post in this thread i was just venting anger but i apologize for that as i should not have done so. or at least have gotten to the point instead of insult this. there is no reason to insult it. many people may like it and some don't. including myself. that is all. i do apologize for being a jerk about it though.

 

[colour97]

i followed rb2013's thread to purchase my startech, for me this is really a risk to spend over 500 usd ,
 
in hong kong or china , this startech is not available for sale, the only way i could buy is from ebay , amazon or newegg.
for me, i don't even have a real right to return the goods.
 
before i bought this startech, i had to reconfirm the right product at this thread. 
 
the fact is USB2004EXT2 is not a right one .
 
you need to purchase 

usb2g4lext2​

 

if you can return it, try ​

usb2g4lext2 to see the result. ​

 

[Mr Underhill]

  pcaq dragontail>aq jb with vbus cut>1.5m aq diamond usb>startech USB2004EXT2 transmitter with regulated lps>5m aq diamond cat7 cable>other side of startech>1.5m aq diamond usb cable>ipurifier>aq dragontail>dac>balanced odin 2>ayre qx-5 twenty.>odin 2 speaker cables> sonus faber extrema 2>rel stadium with rel blue cable. anaconda power cables.. pc and stereo powered by separate online ups's(full time battery power). in fact lps is redundant then but i like it.
 
I found some dacs failed to operate or recognize the signal. others worked but I liked the same usb chain without the ethernet better. some agreed, some did not. the startech is not cheap at $400. Luckily i can return all of this no hassle as i am a good customer. used usb sticks with both setups. i do find that makes a nice difference to internal drives as i said. i found that balanced is a must with most very high end dacs. in fact, to me night and day.i know of Tim de Paravicini and fully agree. i just do not prefer tubes. as with the usb i just prefer plug and play. i am using sandisk ultra usb sticks. i am one who just prefers the straight usb signal chain. i chalk this up to a lot of conversion between two very different formats going on. it does have a "sound". i just did not prefer it. that is just personal, as are all aspects of audio. ymmv.  currently i use a startech hub to provide the vbus with a regulated lps and 3 256mb usb sticks. it is just a sonic preference and everyone has theirs. except due to streaming being converted to packets and back some dacs will not handshake let alone sync. so that is the only caveat. i am sorry at first i was being a jerk. it was because it did not work with the codex and i was unhappy because that is where i would have used it. it turned out i did not care for the sound anyways. the qx-5 twenty has ethernet built in so no need for the startech. as does the msb select which interestingly it did work with. to be honest the codex is a bit picky about signal. i will probably get the ifi iusb3.0 tomorrow when i return this stuff. that is much more advanced than jb or ipurifier. i will see how it sounds to me.  i wil not use ifi's lps because it has a habit of dying. i have the wyred4sound lps which is obviously much better. so, where it worked usb over ethernet was just not my sonic cup of tea. to be fair audio is highly subjective and not everything appeals to everyone. if it appeals to you that is fine. in my original post in this thread i was just venting anger but i apologize for that as i should not have done so. or at least have gotten to the point instead of insult this. there is no reason to insult it. many people may like it and some don't. including myself. that is all. i do apologize for being a jerk about it though.

 
 
Hi Musicman,
 
Some nice HiFi. I have been tempted by Ayre & Sonas Fabus gear in the past, never heard Ayre. Healthy investment in cables.
 
The StarTech that Rob is pointing people to is the Gigabit version, USB2G4LEXT2 - can you borrow one of these?
 
Can I clarify - are you using the StarTech in a similar fashion to the LANrover? Where do your files reside?
 
 
WRT your comments:
 
I liked the same usb chain without the ethernet better.
In my system I do this twice, and definitely prefer it IN. The second time is with this:
 
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004XYEXX4/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
For a mammoth £12.50. I use this between my microRendu (mR) and F1:
 
Home Network > Switch (LPSU) > Cat7 > EMO-70-HD > AQ Cinnamon > mR > USBtoRJ45 > Cat7 > RJ45toUSB > AQ JB > IFI iP2 > F1
 
Tried taking it out everything between the mR and F1, then put things back in different configs, the full thing is better ....in my system.
 
Used usb sticks with both setups. i do find that makes a nice difference to internal drives.
I first came across this when I bought my Naim DAC, many people said the best way to feed music into the DAC was via USB. In those days they were all small and inconvenient, and I hadn't cottoned onto how sensitive these electronic audio chains are; wish I'd played a LOT more.
 
I found that balanced is a must with most very high end dacs.
Most of the DACs I have used do not offer balanced, e.g. Chord and Naim. The Bel Canto does, but it sounds good through SE or Balanced/AES. I generally pick which way to go based on my ears. As you say YMMV.
 
I am using sandisk ultra usb sticks.
Thanks, these are amongst the ones I am looking at. I am thinking of swallowing some moolah and just buying two 512GB USBs.
 
It does have a "sound". i just did not prefer it.
I am certainly not persuaded by the 'it has to sound like a live performance' POV. If it ain't for you then you are obviously right to send it back. BUT, it would be good if you can get to listen to the right StarTech before you park it.
 
It did not work with the codex and i was unhappy because that is where i would have used it
I hear you ....BLOODY COMPUTERS.
 
The qx-5 twenty has ethernet built in so no need for the startech.
I have attacked Naim for building in their network interface to 'other' elements of their digital chain. Only through doing some of this experimenting did it occur to me that this might be a very deliberate sound quality decision, rather than sales.
 
Be interesting to see if you still feel this way about the StarTech if you get Rob's choice ...and use it as an additional file store, which is what I am doing via my NAS.
 
I have the wyred4sound lps which is obviously much better.
Please say more. Which PSUs have you used/tried. How many modules do you have plugged in .....etc.
 
Look forward to hearing more.
 
ATB,
 
M

 

[rb2013]

  no, i just think it is odd you spent more on your signal chain than on your dac. plus having a balanced system would be a much bigger improvement. i do understand though, you want it to sound like vinyl. you have a tube dac. we are just from two different camps. to me digital is digital and analog is analog. i do not attempt to make one sound like the other. perhaps that does make it sound more like vinyl. i will take your word on that. i am going for a completely different sound. however, i still find that much stuff in the signal chain odd. unles it achieves the vinyl type sound you wish. i suppose that was by trial and error. not methodical. usually the less stuff you put in a signal chain will sound "better". if it gives you a certain sound you are after i can understand your reasoning. just not my cup of tea thats all. i could not get the rex/lex to work with some dacs and others i did not feel anything was really different. providing clean usb data and vbus is a must. i agree with that. seeing as ps audio introduced a ethernet/usb device i suppose others feel there is some merit to it. to me it seems like mixing platforms that are not meant to be mixed. it will provide a longer cable run. i feel a top notch usb setup is on par at least with usb/ethernet. it may not provide the sound you are after. i see where you are coming from. i am just from a different camp. nothing wrong with what you did. i certainly would not fault it if it provides the results you wish for. i know i was a bit of a jerk about it, i apologize for that. i just view the signal chain much differently. heck, i would not even have tubes. so we are just trying to obtain different goals i suppose. it is all good.

Well first I doubt you ever had the Startech - as you mention the 'drivers' don't work - there are no drivers.

Second you come crashing into this thread with disjointed rantings - about the Startech and the DAC60, much of it not making any sense.  Never seen you post much here or in any of my other threads on DDC's.  Your tone is rude and aggressive.
 
I've been through many battles with folks like you before - any one remember 'PROT'?  I don't want this thread shut down like has happened to the Gustard U12 thread (thanks Beemer), or the XU208 thread (Thanks Blizzard aka Mike aka Minerva Audio)!  After this post I'm just going to ignore your disjointed - wall of solid text - barely legible rants.
 
Just to say - have you read my threads?  Obviously not.  Not only have I owned over a dozen high end DAC's - I had a renowned APL NWO 3.0GO - which I traded for a smaller version:
That DAC was over $30,000.  And was Srajan Eben of 6Moons fame, main reference DAC for many years.  Sorry bud - but I've been there and done that.  The cost of gear is not an arbiter of SQ.  I would take my heavily modded DAC60 over the APL I have now and had then any day.
 
As far as analog experience - well here is pic of my old $30,000 Rig. 

 
 
And what I'm hearing now blows that away.
http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/aplhifi/nwo30go.html
 
My suggestion - if my and other's posts on the sound quality superiority of this hybrid USB/Ethernet chain - bothers you - GO START YOUR OWN THREAD!  DON"T TROLL THIS ONE.
 
I have flagged all your posts as abusive.

 

[rb2013]

  Hi Music_man,
 
I am not sure what you are hoping to achieve? You start by stating that this is all a 'placebo' and then adopt a more reasonable tone in your last post stating that, 'some did think it sounded much better'.
 
Can you post:
 
1. Which StarTech you used;
2. Within what system;
3. Did you try LPSUs with it?
4. Did you use USB sticks?
5 Which USB sticks?
 
 
DACs
There are many people on fora who take a view that all DACs over a minimal cost are the same and that bits are bits. While that is not my experience I have found that the differences, above a certain price point, are not huge .....but then I have never owned a stratospherically expensive DACs. In more recent years I have owned the Naim DAC (plus XPS PSU) and now the Bel Canto DAC 3.5vb (plus VBS). This move was triggered by wanting different facilities in the DAC.
 
Valves
I use valve amps. I am not aiming for any type of sound. The thing that was a revelation for me about twenty years ago was Class A, through a solid state behemoth. Tim de Paravicini, who designed and built my amps and is widely lauded as an expert, would tell you that he can build in solid state or valve and that he aims for the same output.
 
Balanced Sound
My DAC and amps have balanced & SE connections. I find that they do sound different, but not night and day. I have used them both over the years to tune my system.
 
Personally I don't find any of these things are a silver bullet.
 
What I enjoy about these experiments is that they are not massively expensive, and if after listening you decide to move in a different direction you can sell up and move on for a small loss.
 
I did not know whether any of the things Rob was suggesting would stay in my system. For instance, I bought a Mutec3+USB. Initially it made a very positive impression but, over a few months, I decided it was not for me. However, the F1 is a keeper, as is the iPurifier2.
 
Currently for me the StarTech is under advisement. I think there may be a small benefit using the supplied SMPS. I will be getting my first LPSU today.
 
I would like to hear in more detail what you did and how you tested it ....and hopefully in a reasonable and non-agressive way.
 
M

Ignore this ranting lunatic and he will go away. 

 

[Spark85]

The improvement I have heard in my particular system is not attributable to suggestion or placebo. It is important enough to think so.

It is possible that not all systems, that advantage is similar or maybe there are people are not worth the money, but in my case I am very satisfied.

I have not made a change in my system as important as this one.

 

[rb2013]

  The improvement I have heard in my particular system is not attributable to suggestion or placebo. It is important enough to think so.

It is possible that not all systems, that advantage is similar or maybe there are people are not worth the money, but in my case I am very satisfied.

I have not made a change in my system as important as this one.

Cheers!

 

[music_man]

geez man i apologized. don't take it personally. if you like the sound that is great. i had a hard time getting it working and felt there was little difference or degradation. i am entitled to my opinion. you did not invent this. even so not everyone has to agree with you and rub your back. i have a pretty good reputation here so i don't mind you flagged all my posts. you are entitled to your opinion and i am entitled to mine. if you want "your" thread to be one where everyone just agrees with you then just say so. aparently i got the wrong startech anyways. i personally do not see how a particular one is extra special. there are drivers. it is a network device and uses the windows tcp/ip protocol. take a breath. in the real world not everyone agrees with each other. i accept that and so should you. i meant no personal offense to you. it was just not my cup of tea. i do agree flash drives on usb are great. i did not mean to hurt your feelings, nor should they be. i just did not enjoy it as much as you do and said so. i don't see anything wrong with that. this is the first time in about 20 years here someone had a bone to pick with me over nothing. if i don't like it or had difficulty with it that is my issue. obviously you are very pleased with the results you obtained and that is great. that does not mean it works for everyone. others had constructive advice. you were offended because i crashed your party by saying i did not like it. this is the internet. relax. on that note i do not intend to obtain the magic startech since it is not available from my distributor. so perhaps therein lies all of my feelings on the subject. i had the wrong part i suppose. just take it easy i am sorry i spoiled your party. i never had such a long thread of what an ingenious thing i had discovered. in fact ps audio has jumped on the bandwagon. some like it some don't. such is life. roll with the punches. there is no reason to be personally offended. that is absurd. if someone disagrees with you you are going to fly off the rocker. reminds me of someone else that uses twitter a lot. i apologized for offending you, move on. i will not post in your thread again as i have no need for this setup. so please don't worry.