Forums - MUSIC SERVERS

Pale Rider

Seasoned Member

Posts: 1274

Re: MUSIC SERVERS
Reply #75 - 09/12/11 at 18:35:15

Will wrote:
Quote:

Greg, Have you ever listened to your HiRes files at 44.1. Not that you would necessarily want to, but I wonder if they sound better than Redbook since they start with so much more data even if not played at their native res. The PerfectWave might be a great unit to try this....just for fun.

Other than accidentally one time when I was first working with my Audiophileo M-1, no, I haven't listened that way, but I agree that the PW DAC should make this an easy thing to try.

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Pale Rider

Seasoned Member

Posts: 1274

Re: MUSIC SERVERS
Reply #76 - 09/12/11 at 20:34:52

If and when anyone else decides to take the plunge that Lon did with his PerfectWave Combo, or that I did with the PW DAC, make sure you do your research. Most dealers sell these at retail, though occasionally some well-known dealers like Music Direct will feature a combo pricing, or sweeten the price with extreme discounts on really high-end PSA cables (I think Lon can attest to that).

In my case, I found a number of deals in various places, some of which featured full USA warranty, and some that are likely gray market. In any case, the PSA PW DAC/Bridge combo normally retails for $3699-$3799, and I was able to glom on to a really good deal, in which I saved well over a grand. Good deals are out there, and when one factors in upgrade paths, the likelihood of PSA PW upgradeability, and the ability of Decware Zen amps to reveal improvements in your system, I recommend considering the investment.

Cheers!

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4krow

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CONSIDER THE SOURCE

Posts: 317

Re: MUSIC SERVERS
Reply #77 - 09/14/11 at 22:39:01

As of yesterday, digital (fiber optic) service was installed all the way to my house. Who knows, but it may be a good diving board into digital servers, streaming, etc. Also, I am not streaming using my wireless router. Instead, I was able to hardwire the ROKU device that I am now using. Of course, I am sure that there are better devices than the Roku, but for now, this seems to be a start.

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Audio Nirvana 6v6 integrated amp/Forte' 3 bass amp/Velodyne SMS-1 bass mngmnt system/Decware ZOB speakers/BESL subs/Cayin cd22 cd player/BPT 3.0 power cond.

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Pale Rider

Seasoned Member

Posts: 1274

Re: MUSIC SERVERS
Reply #78 - 09/18/11 at 15:22:00

In case anyone remains interested, there is an excellent deal on the PW Transport on eBay right now, with a starting bid of $1600 and a BIN of $1999. It's new, and black. I chose silver for my DAC/Bridge, so I wouldn't be interested in this one, but it looks like a heckuva deal. You could easily spend more on any one of a number of disc players and get much less. It's here.
Cheers!

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Lon Seasoned Member "Love without guts is worthless!" Philip K. D*ck Posts: 5264	Re: MUSIC SERVERS Reply #79 - 09/18/11 at 16:28:19 BUT do note that the PW Transport has no built in DAC.
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Pale Rider Seasoned Member Posts: 1274	Re: MUSIC SERVERS Reply #80 - 09/19/11 at 01:25:30 Absolutely, a step into the PW Transport is an implicit commitment to either eventually get a PW DAC , or to already havie a great one.
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undertaker

Verified Member

Posts: 1

Re: MUSIC SERVERS
Reply #81 - 09/19/11 at 09:02:52

I alluded to earlier, the Mini apparently inadvertently presented a new range relative to sound quality. The very solid aluminum body, and very simple design with efficient low heat (quiet) parts are aspects of this. I started music with a Macbook Pro since we had one, and when I shifted to a dedicated Mini my sound got more solid, transparent, and analog. Then when I got to tweaking it, it got notably more musical again.

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ipad 2 accessory ipad2case ipad2 cover

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« Last Edit: 09/19/11 at 09:03:12 by undertaker »

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Pale Rider

Seasoned Member

Posts: 1274

Re: MUSIC SERVERS
Reply #82 - 09/19/11 at 14:38:20

Undertaker, what are you using to:
(1) what format are your files in;
(2) what do you use to play the music (iTunes or Amarra or Fieelia or Audirvana, etc.);
(3) how are you getting your music out of your machine, e.g., USB, Toslink, etc.;
(4) what DAC are you using;
(5) did you run your MacBook Pro on battery, and did you also tweak the system to strip it down to as basic of an audio player as possible; and
(6) which MBP, and what processor was in the MBP versus which mini and which processor?

All those factors are more likely to make a difference than simply switching between the MBP and the mini. The current MBP actually is a more solid piece of aluminum and is certainly built with low-heat, low-power components. I have owned each generation of both for the last few years, and it would be necessary to equalize them before concluding tha one is better than the other. BTW, I prefer the mini, too, but largely because in my office rig, I like to use a separate screen. Conversely, I am aware my use of BT keyboard and trackpad introduce some possible issues, bu I am unwilling to sacrifice their convenience. At home' I have now dispensed with the Mac altogether, except as an iTunes management device for the home library.

Cheers!

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will

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Posts: 819

Re: MUSIC SERVERS
Reply #83 - 09/19/11 at 18:43:01

Pale Rider, From Undertaker, that is quote from my post #27 in this thread. Don't know where Undertaker was going, but hopefully we will hear back.

For me, there was an improvement going from our Macbook Pro on battery to the 2009 Mini plugged in. Both were running from internal drives, and without tweaks at first, but without anything else on....no net, no time machine, no bluetooth, and therefore less background processes, but the mini did have the USB keyboard and mouse. I can't recall the processors for sure, but there was enough for only playing iTunes and they were similar...both 2 core duo and in the low 2 Ghz.

Then there was a bigger difference between the 2009 and the 2010 Mini, but at this point all was tweaked out on both computers, they had good sounding feet, and I was using Pure and Fidelia.

Files were all uncompressed and error corrected 16/44.1K, first WAV and later AIFF.

Same ZDAC throughout transitions.

Cable was USB Starlight throughout.

Each stage of the progression brought with it more body, more liquidity, less glare, more inner detail....a more analog sound.

I have not compared the new MacBook Pros, but our 2007 (all aluminum, but I would not say as solid as the 2010 Mini) taught me I wanted to switch over to error corrected files from my Rega Apollo, and the Minis each made that a better decision, the 2010 being quite a little sever.

Why the MBP did not sound as good, I can't say....there is more going on in it with directly connected keyboard, monitor and fans.

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« Last Edit: 09/19/11 at 23:15:03 by will »

Mac mini, Tranquility DAC, Oppo 83 (modded), ZSTAGE, TORII MkIII, Zen styx, Ziegler HR-ONEs...VHaudio, Reality, MAC ICs.... PI Audio Uberbuss....PI, VHaudio, Cryoparts power cables, HerbiesAudioLab feet and tube dampers.

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Donnie Seasoned Member Why does it hurt when I pee? Posts: 585	Re: MUSIC SERVERS Reply #84 - 09/19/11 at 22:58:27 Pale, Will, I'm pretty sure that Undertaker is just a spammer trying to get us to hit his link. Bastards, I say we hunt him down and shoot him. But that may be a little harsh.
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will Seasoned Member Posts: 819	Re: MUSIC SERVERS Reply #85 - 09/19/11 at 23:13:14 Donnie, Good point! We'll see if Undertaker shows up again, and if not a spammer, it might be interesting to get comments!
Back to top	« Last Edit: 09/19/11 at 23:18:43 by will » Mac mini, Tranquility DAC, Oppo 83 (modded), ZSTAGE, TORII MkIII, Zen styx, Ziegler HR-ONEs...VHaudio, Reality, MAC ICs.... PI Audio Uberbuss....PI, VHaudio, Cryoparts power cables, HerbiesAudioLab feet and tube dampers. IP Logged

Pale Rider Seasoned Member Posts: 1274	Re: MUSIC SERVERS Reply #86 - 09/20/11 at 04:07:20 Thanks for the clarification Will. My apologies for my confusion. I agree the 2010 mini is a very nice server, probably better than a 2007 MBP. Greg
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Pale Rider

Seasoned Member

Posts: 1274

Re: MUSIC SERVERS
Reply #87 - 09/20/11 at 19:23:32

My PW DAC did in fact arrive yesterday, pristine in its top-notch packaging, white gloves and all. Setup took about 2 minutes from unpacking to playing first track on the network, using their iPhone app. It just works. Zero configuration issues. Haven't had a chance to crank the system, but it works and sounds great at low levels. In retrospect, I would probably have preferred the finish in black, but the silver is quite tasteful, and the top is itself in the same piano gloss black finish as the black one. So, it makes a nice unit to have at the top of an equipment rack. Build quality seems very solid. [Taking this unit in silver was a significant $ savings.]

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Lon Seasoned Member "Love without guts is worthless!" Philip K. D*ck Posts: 5264	Re: MUSIC SERVERS Reply #88 - 09/20/11 at 19:52:59 Glad it's there, set up and works. Give it about three weeks or more and it will really sound fantastic.
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Pale Rider Seasoned Member Posts: 1274	Re: MUSIC SERVERS Reply #89 - 09/21/11 at 06:27:59 Thanks Lon. Looking forward to it. FWIW, there is another very good deal on a black one here. Apparently plenty to go around.
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