[GoldenSound]

After playing around for a while, here's my findings:

1) WASAPI is a must, without it is just not listenable
2) Playing CDs through my PC Blu ray ROM is superior to loseless in WAV or FLAC format
3) Optical out is better than USB

The optical cable i used is 2USD (yes two, delivered) vs my Wireworld starlight USB cable (can't remember how much i paid, 100USD?).
Next I feel like trying the glass toslink cable to see if there's any difference.

Optical would only be better if:

1) The clock in your source device is better than the one in your DAC (this will almost undoubtedly NOT be the case for a regular PC)
2) You need to eliminate a ground loop or other electrical issue/your USB is problematic.

Optical SPDIF is an isochronous connection and inherently has higher jitter than basically any other method of connection. The only advantage is galvanic isolation

 

[teknikk7]

What Linux distros are preferred?

 

[teknikk7]

Also, while Im building out the PC what is the best sound card to get? or does it even matter since its going straight to my DAC or MScaler?

 

[bakechad]

What Linux distros are preferred?

So I will assume you're talking about a PC and not a single board computer like a Raspberry Pi.

• If you're new to Linux or you just want things to work without a bunch of pain, Ubuntu or Mint is the way to go. Lots of audiophile players right out of the box and easy to work with.
• For an even simpler solution, you could run a dedicated audio player distro like Volumio which is available for PC class hardware as well as single board computers.
• If you want complete and absolute control, the other extreme would be Arch or even Slackware if you have a lot of time on your hands.
• There are a ton of distros out there, Distrowatch is a great place to review your options.
• While geared toward audio creation, there are also also audio specific solutions distributions that make a great base for the ultimate audio experience. You can search Multimedia distros on Distrowatch to see a bunch of options.
  • It's a rabbit hole, but if you get into JACK which is a software based audio patch system for Linux, the possibilities become endless.

 

[hq136185925]

Macbook: XMOS/ Amanero/ CM6631/ CM6631A/ CM6632 most of usb audio chip
Windows: Schiit Unison

 

[MisterMoJo]

So I will assume you're talking about a PC and not a single board computer like a Raspberry Pi.

• If you're new to Linux or you just want things to work without a bunch of pain, Ubuntu or Mint is the way to go. Lots of audiophile players right out of the box and easy to work with.
• For an even simpler solution, you could run a dedicated audio player distro like Volumio which is available for PC class hardware as well as single board computers.
• If you want complete and absolute control, the other extreme would be Arch or even Slackware if you have a lot of time on your hands.
• There are a ton of distros out there, Distrowatch is a great place to review your options.
• While geared toward audio creation, there are also also audio specific solutions distributions that make a great base for the ultimate audio experience. You can search Multimedia distros on Distrowatchto see a bunch of options.
  • It's a rabbit hole, but if you get into JACK which is a software based audio patch system for Linux, the possibilities become endless.

Which linux distro would you recommend for a NUC?

 

[bakechad]

Which linux distro would you recommend for a NUC?

It really depends on the processor and memory of the NUC.

I would suggest trying, Ubuntu or Mint at first. If you feel it is too slow, try Lubuntu.

 

[Dawnrazor]

My dac has a usb connection and I don't use it. If I had dsd or something maybe I would but it just didn't sound that good.

I went the road less traveled. I chose Dante. There was a thread here where someone was comparing it to USB and it won. It took years to get USB to sound as good and cost a ton.

Number one tip is to have a DEDICATED computer for your music. No email no surfing, headless is best, and turn off as much crap as you can. Everything that doesn't have to do with music or network.

I use the Audinate AVIO Aes adaptor (ethernet to AES):

They have all kind of items. You could get Dacs with headphone outs and line outs like the Focusrite AM2. And you can send sound to multiple devices through the ethernet, etc. and record and expand as much as your network can do. Or you can just hook directly to the computer with no need for a switch, etc.

I feed AES to an Apogee Big Ben. Big ben reclocks the AES signal and I take toslink out to the Dac. Big ben has AES and SPdif outs over coax but I thought toslink with a glass cable sounded just as good and since I am running the regular computer too I thought it would be nice to have some isolation.

For the main computer I use:

Most of these are powered off of POE. I was skeptical about that and tried a linear supply on my AM2. I couldnt hear any difference between the linear and POE. So I just use the POE these days.

For these prices its limited to 32/96k. But for more money you can do 32/192k if you want.

Here is the 7 year old thread. Things have changed since then but the benefits are mostly covered in the first post:

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/aud...ets-a-new-standard-for-computer-audio.806827/

 

[chesebert]

Ethernet without question.

 

[One and a half]

What worked for me after a long period of trialling cables and conditioning...

Fix up the source PC by bonding hard drives cases, mobo, expansion cards to the PSU case. By creating the same chassis potential for these components avoids psu crud to be transmitted along the USB signal, with soundstage and details improving dramatically. Works also with Ethernet based streamers.

Jcat usb card with external 5V psu

Ifi micro 3.0 usb 'fixer' w linear 9V psu

Best usb cable that fits properly and has no sound that stuffs up- Nordost Blue heaven USB. This level was my ceiling price point.

 

[Mikem53]

I was using a Bel Canto Ref Link converting USB to AES,EBU or Coax into my Yggdrasil.. Then Mike Moffat of Schitt came out with his own version of the USB interface called unison, after a couple of years of research and design.. No need to convert USB to another interface anymore !! This made a HUGE improvement in SQ and Minimized the connections and complexity.. most of all, it sounds better !!

 

[Rantenti]

It's a long time since I have posted on head-fi, but I have in the last few years been developing several CATs (i.e. computer audio transports) for use both in my speaker-focused system and my headphone-focused system.

I have found that there is no single answer to the best way to get the signal from a computer to a DAC. It depends in part at least on the quality of the USB input on the DAC.

For example, I tried feeding the USB signal from one of the CATs direct to a borrowed Chord DAVE, and the sound was less good than when I fed it via my Matrix x-SPDIF 2, using the same USB cable (a Tellurium Q Black Diamond one; which I like very much) to the AES digital input on the DAVE via a Nordost Heimdall 2 AES digital lead.

What I have found to be most important in the signal path is the quality of the USB output from the computer. I have recently installed a (recently-released) JCAT XE PCIE card, having previously used a JCAT Femto PCIE card, and found that using both of those with an external linear power supply has made more difference, probably, than anything else I have done in regard to getting the signal from the CAT to the DAC.

Interesting first-hand experience! I am considering the Matrix element H PCI card or the Matrix X-SPDIF 2

Did you find using a PCIE card (to produce a USB source which is clean at the very beginning) direct to DAC, sound better than feeding "dirty" USB signal from the computer to the Matrix X-SPDIF 2 for filtering before going to DAC?

Thanks.

 

[Omriff]

I use the JCAT XE PCIE card's USB output to go direct to the Matrix X-SPDIF 2 (via the Tellurium Q Black Diamond). I also happen to have the Matrix USB PCIE card, the Element H, and that is used in a streaming-only computer (i.e. not my main CAT) to go to a different DAC.

Since writing the post to which you are responding, I have bought a PS Audio PerfectWave DS DAC, with an I2S input via HDMI, and I have found that the sound from the Matrix X-SPDIF 2 to the PerfectWave DAC differs slightly when using the HDMI cable (not a hugely expensive Audioquest one; a Cinnamon; I also used a Clearer Audio one, which had a slightly softer sound) as compared with the AES-EBU cable (a Nordost Heimdall; rather more expensive, of course).

But I have also used a motherboard USB port on the same computer (the main CAT) to go to the PerfectWave's USB port, via a W4S Recovery (fed power by a W4S PS1), using a Nordost Blue Heaven USB lead to get to the Recovery and a Tellurium Q Black USB lead to go to the USB input on the PerfectWave, and sometimes, but only sometimes, I prefer that sound.

As far as I am aware, the Matrix X-SPDIF 2 does not really act as a filter, although it does regenerate the signal.

The best solution for an individual system seems to be individual in that there is no universal solution.

For what it's worth, I'd get both the Element H card and the X-SPDIF 2 if at all possible. In combination, they would work very well.

 

[Rantenti]

I use the JCAT XE PCIE card's USB output to go direct to the Matrix X-SPDIF 2 (via the Tellurium Q Black Diamond). I also happen to have the Matrix USB PCIE card, the Element H, and that is used in a streaming-only computer (i.e. not my main CAT) to go to a different DAC.

Since writing the post to which you are responding, I have bought a PS Audio DirectStream DAC, with an I2S input via HDMI, and I have found that the sound from the Matrix X-SPDIF 2 to the Directstream differs slightly when using the HDMI cable (not a hugely expensive Audioquest one; a Cinnamon; I also used a Clearer Audio one, which had a slightly softer sound) as compared with the AES-EBU cable (a Nordost Heimdall; rather more expensive, of course).

But I have also used a motherboard USB port on the same computer (the main CAT) to go to the Directstream's USB port, via a W4S Recovery (fed power by a W4S PS1), using a Nordost Blue Heaven USB lead to get to the Recovery and a Tellurium Q Black USB lead to go to the USB input on the Directstream, and sometimes, but only sometimes, I prefer that sound.

As far as I am aware, the Matrix X-SPDIF 2 does not really act as a filter, although it does regenerate the signal.

The best solution for an individual system seems to be individual in that there is no universal solution.

For what it's worth, I'd get both the Element H card and the X-SPDIF 2 if at all possible. In combination, they would work very well.

Thanks so much for your reply! The JCAT pci card is over my budget, but I can afford the Matrix H and X-SPDIF 2.

May I ask

1. How does the Matrix X-SPDIF 2 further improve the signal if the signal from the Element H is already clean?

2. a stupid question only a newbie would ask: the Matrix H, the X-SPDIF 2 and my DAC all have their own clocks/ oscillators, and they each say they have good clocks. So, whose clock with the actual analogue music output follow? Will the internal clock of my DAC will be overriden by the x-spdif 2's clock or something?

3. As for usb cables, I have a QED Reference high resolution USB which is very clean and extremely detailed but a bit too bright, and a Shunyata Venom which has amazing bass slam (but a bit too boomy) and lacks clarity. I am looking for a more balanced usb cable. How would you describe the Tellurium Q black? Have you also tried Tara labs/ Nordost Blue heaven or Triode wire labs discrete cables? These are just within my reach...

A million thanks!

 

[Omriff]

It's not about the signal being "clean", but about it being musical. There is room for huge scepticism about the tweaks that we are talking about here, but I have found that it is not about theory but about practice. The issue is what works. What matters is not how many clocks there are in a signal route, but what difference adding to the route makes. Sometimes it detracts from the quality of the sound that you are looking for. And the latter is dependent on what the rest of your system sounds like.

My own answers have been found by comparing the digitally-driven sound of a track in high resolution format with the same track on vinyl, comparing the various versions of the digital with the vinyl (the turntable being a pretty good one, with a good phono stage and leads). The digital combination that sounds most pleasing as compared with the vinyl is the one I go for. It may sound better (but not often unless I am using a DSD file: extracted from an SACD to a .dsf file), or it may not sound as good, but the key is what sounds best as compared with the vinyl. In that way, I have a constant reference and can be fairly sure that my ears are not playing tricks on me.

So, in answer to question 1: The X-SPDIF 2 is a digital to digital converter. It converts USB digital signals into co-axial and I2S digital signals. It is not like a W4S Recovery, which does something to the USB signal and outputs a further USB signal, but this time (in my experience) with a more relaxed and smooth sound.

As for question 2, I am not able to say what clock overrides any other: I just do not have the technical expertise to say. But as I indicate above, it is not about clocks, their number, and which one sort of wins. The issue for me is simply what works best in terms of giving me a sound that is as natural and musical as possible.

As for question 3, I have a Shunyata Venom internet cable and in the place where I use it, it is perfect. It's all about system synergy. I have found the Tellurium Q Black USB lead to be of good quality, i.e. sort of neutral and realistic, and I have also found the Nordost Blue Heaven to be the same but with a bit more bite. I have not tried any Tara Labs or Triode cables. If I were you, I would put in the Matrix Element H, use your existing Shunyata USB cable to go to the X-SPDIF 2, and then use a coaxial cable (RCA or AES/EBU) or, if you have an input for it, an HDMI cable carrying the I2S signal to your DAC. And then see how it all sounds. The Matrix units will clean up the sound tremendously, and the Shunyata cable between them will probably sound pretty good. You therefore may not need (or, perhaps I should say, want) to buy another cable.