Nah, you made the right call. Black is where it's at! So much easier to add, change, or delete the decor around it based on WAF. I went the exact same route.
Thanks! I can't wait until I receive everything and get it all set up. I expect I won't see the light of day for a while when I finally do...
The Pareto server is quite interesting. It will connect to my Holo May DAC via USB-A to USB-B, then the DAC will connect to the WA33 normally via XLR. But Pareto added a bunch of custom "cool sauce" features and connectivity options. For example, my design includes:
If the Pareto 80/20 mantra is legit ("we aim to deliver a system with 80% or more of the sound quality of a "cost is no object" solution at 20% of the price"), I should be getting a server/streamer that is capable of producing similar SQ as a server in the the $40,000 price range. We shall see. Even if it doesn't, it is incredibly nice to have a boatload of custom options, especially the built-in fiber connectivity. The value here is staggering. I hope the SQ is too...
- Modular design with a fully external power supply. I'm going with an HDplex to start with, but I can upgrade to a Sean Jacobs, Paul Haynes, etc. whenever I wish. Plug and play.
- 4 port PCIE SFP+ fiber NIC
- Expandable NVME storage
- 2.4 and 5 GHz Wifi
- Custom BIOS/firmware, CPU clamping, Linux tweaks, shielding, etc., etc. to limit interference, maintain SQ, and provide upscaled content to multiple endpoints at the same time. The last one is a particularly big deal for me. Seems most higher-end streamers have gimped CPUs and can't do this.
- Multiple USB-to-fiber network converters that will serve as distributed Roon interface endpoints. These will ride my 10 gig fiber backbone to avoid noisy copper ethernet or wifi signals to maintain end-to-end SQ across the network.
That sounds pretty awesome. I visited the pareto website after someone else mentioned it but it is pretty spartan and I assume most of the customization is done over the phone.
Holo May to WA33 elite jps sounds endgame to me!