[jabbr]

A 2 port isn't necessary if you have a extra 1 port laying around.  You can configure windows to use both the motherboard input and a 1 port nic card in tandem.  There are lots of guides for this online.  But, a 2 port nic is the easiest way.

Yes, you're right of course, need only 1 extra port

 

[rb2013]

With the coming of JPlay 6 I find the sound much strained, not relaxed. Since then I have stepped away from JPlay.
XMoS ASIO doesn't differ from Thesycon ASIO as I believe the XMOS-driver is a 'small' version of the full Thesycon. I prefer the ability set the USB and ASIO buffer sizes in the full Thesycon driver set, also for the F1.

I don't think hardware favours one driver implementation over another. Maybe the default buffer sizes of the XMOS-driver set are better for ASIO than for USB, but as said I prefer the ability to set them myself.

You'll love the Dante Virtual Sound card - let's you set latency and buffer size.

 

[rb2013]

Over here the price difference between a Rednet D16 and a Rednet 3 is just under $200.

And upsampling from the 44.1-range into the 48-range is a very, very bad thing to do.

Well not a very, very bad thing to do - but I would prefer to do it on theoretical grounds.  When I did my big LP digitization project a few years ago - I rolled through a half dozen ProAudio ADC's - settling on the EMU1616-M with the 32 bit AKM ADCs.  Then spent a month trying different sampling rates using Steinberg's  WaveLab 6.0.  The best SQ wise was 176k not 192k.  The difference was barely noticeable -like 1-2%.  Not like the 10% from 96k to 176k or 192k.  So that is what I used at 32 bits.  Got to within 90% of the actually vinyl spinning.
Each album generated a 3-5GB file size.
 
But on playback with my APL DAC - upsampling those 176k/32bit files to 192k sounds best.  Again by a very small margin - over not using any upsampling at all.  So that is what I listen with.  Did the same for my RedBook files and 192k came out the winner.  So for me 192k is perfect.  All theoretics aside.

 

[jabbr]

You'll love the Dante Virtual Sound card - let's you set latency and buffer size.

Yes probably, but need to think this through how these VSC settings differ from settings of a USB device driver (which is about the direct communication with the hardware) when we now talk of a NIC and not a USB device.

Buffer settings in software players are something different as these do not set driver buffers but are internal player buffers.

 

[rb2013]

Yes probably, but need to think this through how these VSC settings differ from settings of a USB device driver (which is about the direct communication with the hardware) when we now talk of a NIC and not a USB device.

Buffer settings in software players are something different as these do not set driver buffers but are internal player buffers.

With the RD3 Foobar is humming along at 50ms - it's lowest setting available.  Sounding great - not a single unlock in 12 hours continous playing.  No USB, even the mighty F-1 could do that - remember running at 192k output.

 

[jabbr]

Just read on computeraudiophile a statement from Mutec employee that MC3+(USB) reclockers cannot reclock DoP (nor native DSD for that matter), but only PCM.
And that's not going to change as it would require a major overhaul.

Bummer.

 

[seeteeyou]

Could MinimServer take care of that by any chance? Mutec should treat each audio stream as a plain vanilla *.WAV file once it's "cloaked" (i.e. encapsulated) by MinimServer
 

 

 

[rb2013]

Just read on computeraudiophile a statement from Mutec employee that MC3+(USB) reclockers cannot reclock DoP (nor native DSD for that matter), but only PCM.
And that's not going to change as it would require a major overhaul.

Bummer.

Yes it converts DSD to PCM - since most DAC's can not handle native DSD (not DoP) then that is not an issue.
 
But you might like this - AOIP and native DSD:
http://nadac.merging.com/nadac
 

NETWORK INPUT

1. Connector: Neutrik EtherCon RJ45
2. Bitrate: 1 Gb/s (Gigabit Ethernet only)
3. Sample rate: 44.1 kHz – 384 kHz, DSD64, DSD128 and DSD256

Ravenna seems to be ahead in the Higher Res PCM and DSD department

 

[jabbr]

With the RD3 Foobar is humming along at 50ms - it's lowest setting available.  Sounding great - not a single unlock in 12 hours continous playing.  No USB, even the mighty F-1 could do that - remember running at 192k output.

I now run my F1 with 2ms USB buffer equal to my 2ms NTTimerResolution (prefer the 2ms to the much applauded 1ms (faster = better, yeah, not))
Have the ASIO driver buffer on auto.

The 50ms in Foobar is a software buffer and not the driver buffer. It is a buffering in software before it gets sent out to the driver.
Running the F1 with ASIO buffer = AUTO sets the actual ASIO buffer to 576 samples on my system when playing 192kHz.
Manually set ASIO-driver buffer for the F1 requires at leas 512 samples at 192kHz (2.66 ms) to play faultless. Probably due to the NTTimerResolution of 2ms on my system.

 

[rb2013]

I now run my F1 with 2ms USB buffer equal to my 2ms NTTimerResolution (prefer the 2ms to the much applauded 1ms (faster = better, yeah, not))
Have the ASIO driver buffer on auto.

The 50ms in Foobar is a software buffer and not the driver buffer. It is a buffering in software before it gets sent out to the driver.
Running the F1 with ASIO buffer = AUTO sets the actual ASIO buffer to 576 samples on my system when playing 192kHz.
Manually set ASIO-driver buffer for the F1 requires at leas 512 samples at 192kHz (2.66 ms) to play faultless. Probably due to the NTTimerResolution of 2ms on my system.

Yes my DVS ASIO (software emulating hardware) is running at 4ms without breaking a sweat on 192k.  The REDNET 3 LAN is running at 250us - that is 0.25ms.  So with their PCIe DANTE card instead of DVS - sub millisecond latency easily possible.

 

[jabbr]

Could MinimServer take care of that by any chance? Mutec should treat each audio stream as a plain vanilla *.WAV file once it's "cloaked" (i.e. encapsulated) by MinimServer

 

The DoP is not exactly the same as a 176.4 PCM. The content of the DSD marker does not comply with PCM-standards. It seems to me that MC3+ recreates the PCM frames and only does so for true PCM frames and not for DOP frames.

Transcoding to DOP (or not) is not related to this issue.

Yes it converts DSD to PCM - since most DAC's can not handle native DSD (not DoP) then that is not an issue.

But you might like this - AOIP and native DSD:
http://nadac.merging.com/nadac

NETWORK INPUT

1. Connector: Neutrik EtherCon RJ45
2. Bitrate: 1 Gb/s (Gigabit Ethernet only)
3. Sample rate: 44.1 kHz – 384 kHz, DSD64, DSD128 and DSD256

Ravenna seems to be ahead in the Higher Res PCM and DSD department

It is only the MC3+USB that does DOP to PCM conversion, not the original MC3+ (without the USB) which I have in my office system.

Yes Ravenna is way ahead regarding support of DSD and higher sample rates. The Brooklyn 2 though has a programmable operating system onboard so they should be able to add additional sample rates / formats if the processor can handle it.

Yes, I have seen the Merging DAC. A bit to expensive to my taste though and not easy to get for trying out at home.

 

[rb2013]

The DoP is not exactly the same as a 176.4 PCM. The content of the DSD marker does not comply with PCM-standards. It seems to me that MC3+ recreates the PCM frames and only does so for true PCM frames and not for DOP frames.

Transcoding to DOP (or not) is not related to this issue.
It is only the MC3+USB that does DOP to PCM conversion, not the original MC3+ (without the USB) which I have in my office system.

Yes aravenna is way ahead regarding support of DSD and higher sample rates. The Brooklyn 2 has a programmable operating system knbard so they should be able to add that if the processor can handle it.

Yes, I have seen the Merging DAC. A bit to expensive to my taste though and not easy to get for trying out at home.

Yes it is expensive - but half the price of the totl MSB- and that only gives you DNLA/UpNP ethernet module.  MSB needs to build in Raveena AES67.  Or at least offer it as a add-on module.
 
As with all things tech - trickle down will occur.  Hence this sea change we are calling happening (very, very early stages now) from USB to AOIP.

 

[jabbr]

BTW have you seen the announcement of Mutec's Ref10 Master Clock: http://www.mutec-net.com/downloads/Ref10_InfoSheet_2014_E.pdf?PHPSESSID

It has been on the drawing board since 2014, but apparently its release is near.

 

[rb2013]

BTW have you seen the announcement of Mutec's Ref10 Master Clock: http://www.mutec-net.com/downloads/Ref10_InfoSheet_2014_E.pdf?PHPSESSID

It has been on the drawing board since 2014, but apparently its release is near.

Nice!  112db at 1Hz, 140db at 10 Hz - that's incredibly low phase noise.  Bet that won't be cheap.
 
Funny how the Mutec 3+ Smart Clock with it's 1G clock when fed to the REDNET3 ext word clock on a BJC 12inch BNC to BNC cable, actually degraded the sound, in comparison to the RD3's internal clock and JetPLL circuit.

 

[Albrecht]

 Yes it converts DSD to PCM - since most DAC's can not handle native DSD (not DoP) then that is not an issue.  
But you might like this - AOIP and native DSD:
http://nadac.merging.com/nadac
 

 
From what I hear, - this device isn't the best SQ representation of what's to come. Of course, - the proof is in the listening....
 
I am curious as to how long it will take someone like PSAudio to incorporate Dante into their BridgeII, - which has, - (at least the appearance of), a standard NIC.
 
Awesome to read your reports on the RedNet3.
 
Cheers,