AudioCircle
Audio/Video Gear and Systems => Owner's Circles => Channel Islands Audio Owners => Topic started by: sonicxtc on 11 Jul 2020, 09:42 pm
-
I realize this is a new product, yet apparently some units have landed in the hands and ears (ouch!) of AC members. I'm seriously considering a streamer and had been looking at other brands like a mid-level Lumin, so I welcome any listening impressions or mini reviews. :popcorn: Thank you for sharing.
-
Hi,
I have compared the DMC-1 to my two stand alone DACs (both costing >$3000). I was able to perform a/b listening tests by switching inputs on my preamp. These were not blinded tests. To my ears the DMC-1 is equal to, or better than, my other DACs. I like it so much, I purchased a second DMC-1.
Tim
-
Hi, Sonicxtc.
Mine has now been on for a solid 100+ hours, and streaming music for about 30 hours. I'll defer to Dusty over how many hours of burn in are needed for the DAC to be in its 'happy place', but I like to give my components a good 100 hours of use before I make critical observations. [Simply being on doesn't count in my book.]
Considering I got in at the early bird special price of $1495, I'm quite satisfied with what I have. I got two or three pieces for the price of one. I got a nice sounding DAC, a streamer, and <what shall I call it?> a 'junction box' into which I can attach thumb drives and hard drives filled with music, a CDT, and ????. So far, I have used it solely to stream TIDAL, but I've got a HD with a bunch of music on it that is attracting my attention.
During the first dozen hours, I noticed some sibilance in some female voices and trumpet music, but I think I've heard this through every new DAC and preamp, so it's nothing to worry about. Just this morning, I listened to Seven Steps to Heaven by Miles Davis, and everything sounded pretty good.
This is my first streamer, so I cannot compare it to any other. The GUI is new to me, and it's the first rendition of it (I believe). It's not as smooth to navigate as TIDAL's GUI, but I know Dusty is working on it. I have not compared the internal DAC to my other DACs. That will come later.
I'm delighted that I no longer need to have a computer tethered to my DAC.
That's all for now.
Michael
-
Hi Michael,
Yes you’re right... it does take some burn-in (mostly power supply related), and should really come to life after a few days.
-Dusty
-
I appreciate the listening impressions so far, but they have made reference only to the quality of the DMC's DAC. I already have a DAC I love (a Schitt Yggdrasil) but am in the market for a streamer - thus, the quality of the DMC streamer itself really interests me. If it competes with the well known brands out there, I could get one and just bypass the built-in DAC if I still preferred my Yggy.
In a related thread Dusty said "Several have replaced much more expensive gear from Lumin, Bryston, Auralic, Mytek etc., and find DMC out-performs them". It would be great if one or more of these folks would post their listening impressions here.
-
I appreciate the listening impressions so far, but they have made reference only to the quality of the DMC's DAC. I already have a DAC I love (a Schitt Yggdrasil) but am in the market for a streamer - thus, the quality of the DMC streamer itself really interests me. If it competes with the well known brands out there, I could get one and just bypass the built-in DAC if I still preferred my Yggy.
In a related thread Dusty said "Several have replaced much more expensive gear from Lumin, Bryston, Auralic, Mytek etc., and find DMC out-performs them". It would be great if one or more of these folks would post their listening impressions here.
I replaced a Bryston BDP3 with the DMC-1. Thus far, I have only used it as streamer for Tidal and files stored on an external SSD sending signal to my outboard DAC. I can unequivocally state the DMC-1 is every bit as competent as the big Bryston machine. By that I am referring to its ease of use and sound. It doesn't have the BDP-3's speed when reading and loading data, however we are only talking a small difference here. I am assuming the DMC-1 is using USB 2.0 ports. No regrets with this purchase. If it sold for $2K w/o the built in DAC, I'd still say it's an honest deal for a really solid product. Mike.
-
I've had mine for a few weeks now and I'm thoroughly impressed with the sound quality. There are some glitches to be worked out with the Tidal interface, but playing high res files off a USB stick has been the most enjoyable digital experience I've had in my system.
To put this in perspective, I've never really rated digital as a source for anything other than background music - convenient, but not exactly involving. I've heard some very expensive digital sources in dealers' listening rooms and shows, and while they supply dynamics and a sort of timbral accuracy (at least the better ones) they always seem to fall short on spatial presentation and there is something about the experience that leaves me wanting to turn them off after a while - a sort of feeling of unease that's hard to pin down.
The DMC doesn't give me that feeling - it's the first digital device that I'm happy to listen to for hours without simply making everything sound bland and polite. It still lacks the low level ambient cues of my analog source (but then, at around ten times the DMC's price that's expected), but it really recalls the sound of a studio master tape with tremendous power and refinement - especially for the price.
The DMC is a worthy addition to the CI line, in my opinion, and a huge bargain as well.
-
I’m a little surprised that this new streamer from Channel Islands audio hasn’t generated a few more reviews… likely new owners are too busy listening to music. I've had the DMC-1 running for just over a week now and thought I would share my impressions.
Since I already have a fairly high end DAC that costs quite a bit more than the DMC-1, I was really only interested in the using the DMC-1 as a streamer… At least that was my plan. But curiosity won the day and I had to try it out as a one-box solution, I powered it up using its internal DAC and analog outs to my preamp. A week later I still haven’t bothered to connect it to my external DAC, that’s how good the DMC-1 sounds using its internal DAC ; it produces the best sound I've heard from my system. High Res files in particular sound superb whether played from attached USB drives or streaming Qobuz. It’s a clear step up from the Sonore Microrendu I’ve used in the past; more musical presence, clarity and bass depth across a wider soundstage. Having a one box solution also beats having to deal with a daisy chain of separate power supplies, connectors and converters. The ability to select music sources and adjust playback options on my iPad (such as selecting the DAC filters) is also a very nice feature.
There are a few minor nitpicks, I learned that the DMC-1 will not read NTFS formatted hard drives, only drives formatted for XFat, which really is not a problem, and being a brand new product the user documentation is a bit sparse, but Channel Islands is working on it. Navigation through the File Player menus became pretty intuitive pretty quickly.
Last but certainly not least I been very impressed by Channel Islands Audio’s customer service, Dusty goes well beyond the call of duty to answer questions and help you get started, should you seek his assistance. He has even phoned me several times to follow up on a question or just to see if I have any more questions, this is a guy who stands behind his products and obviously cares about his customers.
As another reviewer pointed out, were the DMC-1 to be a stand alone streamer it would be well worth the asking price, but with the inclusion of a very high performing DAC I find his pricing more than reasonable. I haven’t tried the big-name multi-thousand dollar streamers out there but my sense is that the DMC-1 could compete with any of them.
-
Having a network transport and DAC of this quality is really nice. There's a lot of do-it-yourself options, especially in regard to network transports, but inevitably I end up with a million boxes for various power supplies, format converters, etc... I appreciate the simplicity and quality of the DMC.
Things did open up a bit after some burn in. It's a pretty smooth presentation, which I like. Part of that is from the AKM chip, but from my experience with CI Audio equipment, the sound signature is smooth, open, and listenable. Loving it.
-
Thanks for the feedback so far... we’re very happy that you’re all loving it!
-
I've had mine for a month now and after a few hiccups (and a long phone call with Dusty!) I really like it. It's easy to navigate. I originally had an issue with it locating all my files on my Salk Streamer (which I still use for Roon), but that's all sorted out. I've got a 1tb hard drive along with a 64 gb flash drive plugged in. It finds everything easily. The DAC sounds very good. I have the same DAC (I think) in my Anthem STR preamp, and I really think the DMC's DAC is just a touch better sounding. I've streamed Qobuz through it as well and I have no complaints.
For someone who's got a lot of stored music files and doesn't have internet or use Roon I think it's a great option.
-
Yes, this is one thing you can’t do with most other players.
DMC can run in hotspot mode which allows it to connect to your control device without an internet connection, enabling playback from hard drives, flash drives, or CD drive in stand-alone mode.
-
Hi Dusty,
Is there any thought of adding Roon Ready compatibility? I've used the DMC with Roon via Airplay, but that's not an ideal solution. The DMC sounds incredible when streaming local files and Qobuz directly, like it was meant to. It's not a huge thing, though--the web app works great.
-
Hi Dusty,
Is there any thought of adding Roon Ready compatibility? I've used the DMC with Roon via Airplay, but that's not an ideal solution. The DMC sounds incredible when streaming local files and Qobuz directly, like it was meant to. It's not a huge thing, though--the web app works great.
No plans for Roon... the CIAudioPlayer software is very good and will continue to evolve.
-
I have been using an app called “Sonore UPNP/DLNA Bridge” as a workaround to stream Roon to the DMC-1. This app is included on Small Green Computer servers (which I use) and on the Sonore Rendu devices.
The app creates a “Squeezebox endpoint” that is discoverable by Roon. When activated, the “Squeezebox endpoint” can then forward a Roon stream via DLNA to the DMC-1.
In order to use:
1. Turn on UPNP renderer on the DMC-1 under Settings>My Music>Functionalities Control
2. Activate the Sonore UPNP/DLNA Bridge app on your Sonore/SMG device under Apps>Software Manager>Available Apps
3. Under settings for the app, select Dusty’s DMC-1 as renderer
4. In Roon, enable Squeezebox support under Settings>Setup
5. In Roon, enable the Sonore/SMG device under Settings>Audio>Squeezebox
The “Squeezebox endpoint” should now appear as an active endpoint in Roon.
The app works great on my server. Sound quality is excellent. If you don’t have an SMG server or Sonore Rendu, it appears that you can purchase a Sonore UPNP Bridge for $225. I assume that this device works the same way.
I use the DMC-1 software much of the time. However, this workaround give me access to Roon Radio as a music discovery tool.
-
Hi Tbar,
This seems like a pretty good solution, better than using Airplay. My only question is this: do you have your Rendu connected to the DMC-1 via USB, or can the two devices be separate, but on the same network?
I have been using an app called “Sonore UPNP/DLNA Bridge” as a workaround to stream Roon to the DMC-1. This app is included on Small Green Computer servers (which I use) and on the Sonore Rendu devices.
The app creates a “Squeezebox endpoint” that is discoverable by Roon. When activated, the “Squeezebox endpoint” can then forward a Roon stream via DLNA to the DMC-1.
In order to use:
1. Turn on UPNP renderer on the DMC-1 under Settings>My Music>Functionalities Control
2. Activate the Sonore UPNP/DLNA Bridge app on your Sonore/SMG device under Apps>Software Manager>Available Apps
3. Under settings for the app, select Dusty’s DMC-1 as renderer
4. In Roon, enable Squeezebox support under Settings>Setup
5. In Roon, enable DMC-1 as audio device under Settings>Audio
The “Squeezebox endpoint” should now appear as an active endpoint in Roon.
The app works great on my server. Sound quality is excellent. If you don’t have an SMG server or Sonore Rendu, it appears that you can purchase a Sonore UPNP Bridge for $225. I assume that this device works the same way.
I use the DMC-1 software much of the time. However, this workaround give me access to Roon Radio as a music discovery tool.
-
Hi Paulie,
The Rendu is connected by ethernet to the network. It is not connected to the DMC-1.
Tim
-
Thank you for the tip! Got it working. This is much better than Airplay streaming, which sounded muddy. I appreciate your help!
-
Thanks for letting me know you got it working!
-
I could be mistaken, but I suspect the Rendu is running squeeze2upnp, an executable that comes with the UPnPBridge plugin for LMS, (squeezebox server.) Static executables for different platforms are available on Github, located here: https://github.com/philippe44/LMS-to-uPnP/tree/1.0.0/application/bin.
I am going to PM Philippe about this, but I suspect it should be possible to run squeeze2upnp as a stand-alone program on the same platform that is running Roon. I don't think it should be necessary to run a separate platform such as a Rendu to do the squeezebox->UPnP protocol conversion. The trick however would be to start the application with the correct command-line options.
I am not likely to be a DMC customer in the near future, (there are ongoing extenuating circumstances,) but my own desire would be to see the DMC-1 be able to run the squeezelite client itself, as both Roon and LMS would be able to stream to that.
References:
https://github.com/philippe44/LMS-to-uPnP
https://github.com/ralph-irving/squeezelite
-
If I may, I wish to explain what I have learned since my previous post above:
I found that squeeze2upnp can definitely run independently of the LMS server. To support their own high-end streaming DAC, iFiAudio has created a "RoonBridge" to enable Roon to stream to UPnp/DLNA renderers. It draws upon the squeeze2upnp project, and provides a very simple Win32 GUI to use it. See: https://github.com/iFiAudio/iFiBridge. I downloaded, installed, and ran the .exe file. The GUI has just two buttons: one to look for UPnP devices, and the other to then start the bridge; that's it. Searching for devices creates a config file so once that has been done, I don't think it has to be done again unless new UPnP renderers are added to the user's LAN.
Although I don't have a Roon server, my LMS server indicates a stand-alone copy of squeeze2upnp (running on my laptop) works nicely, streaming to my Android phone running BubbleUPnP. I believe all this GUI is doing is providing some command-line options for the underlying squeeze2upnp executable.
I find using this bridge to stream FLAC appears to be very efficient, vanishingly little CPU resource is required while streaming. So Squeeze2upnp can apparently be thrown onto any machine on the LAN that includes both the server (Roon or LMS) and the renderer. Once the bridge is running, I find that the name identifying the renderer, comes from the renderer itself, but the IP addr being reported to the server is that of the machine running the bridge, otherwise the bridge is transparent.
Anyway, I hope anyone who has spent a small fortune purchasing a Roon license might find this information useful, but your mileage might vary significantly.
-
Can the DMC-1 run from a MacBook Air? And what iPhone versions/operating systems?
-
I run mine off an iPad. Not sure if it will run from a MacBook. I’ve never tried it from my iMac. I just checked and it does run off my iPhone 11. I’ve got 14.4 on my phone.
-
I run mine off a 2015 MacBook Pro, an iPhone 6S, and an iPod Touch.
-
I can run mine from any of the iOS devices in our household - MacBook Pro, Air, iPhone, iPad.
-
Can the DMC-1 run from a MacBook Air? And what iPhone versions/operating systems?
DMC-1 runs in a local browser window, so most any device connected to your network that contains a web browser will work.
No software/apps are required as the player software is built-in to our OS.
Best performance is with newer (faster) control devices. Apple are preferred but Android can also be used (with direct IP address input).
-
Thanks for the all the quick replies. I'm guilty of surfing while listening via my MacBook Air. Using the iPhone is cute but frustratingly small/slow for everyday streaming use.
So Dusty, how's the operating system coming. There's been mention of teething pains associated with the new system. As a computer dunce would hate to be the first kid on the block to be a beta tester. (And you'd hate it too.)
-
The OS works great and DMC is easy to set up and use.
Software is continually updated for new features etc. and will continue to evolve.
-
As a computer dunce would hate to be the first kid on the block to be a beta tester. (And you'd hate it too.)
Maybe the first kid on your block to use it but there are a number of us that have been listening the DMC-1 since it came out last July. I have found it to be extremely reliable, easy to use, and incredibly musical. I use it to stream Qobuz and have a 5TB external drive of music plugged into it.
-
Maybe the first kid on your block to use it but there are a number of us that have been listening the DMC-1 since it came out last July. I have found it to be extremely reliable, easy to use, and incredibly musical. I use it to stream Qobuz and have a 5TB external drive of music plugged into it.
How’s the navigation/file management of your external drive library? Fairly easy and intuitive? Since I almost never listen at my computer anymore, it might be time for me to give up on iTunes and go to storage local to the stereo system.
-
The DMC-1 CI AudioFile Player allows you to search by artist /album/song and the results are categorized by Web radio, external drive contents and Qobuz (or any other supported subscription service). Qobuz contents show up perfectly, may take a moment or two to display all of the albums of artists who've released lots of albums. I have had limited success in getting album artwork from music on my hard drive to display, originally setup in JRiver, but because I don't care that much about album artwork I haven't tried very hard. Maybe Dusty can provide more information on how the DMC-1 AudioFile Player is designed to display music stored on hard drives, or how best to load music on our hard drives and USB sticks for the Player to read and display it. I have never had issues finding and playing the music I want to hear on the DMC-1, and it has never sounded better, that's what's most important to me.
-
Choose "Albums" from the Browse Menu and you should see album art if your source files have proper meta data. I just took the shot below from my studio at home as an example.
Audio files are stored on a NAS but works similarly on USB sources (may load a little slower).
(https://www.audiocircle.com/image.php?id=221339)
The speed at which they load (and how many) is largely dependent on your browser cache... If not loading, try clearing your browser cache.
If no album art shows in the main playback window, try refreshing your browser page.
-
If you need to update/edit the meta data for your files, you can use something like this...
https://www.wideanglesoftware.com/musictag/ (https://www.wideanglesoftware.com/musictag/)
-
If you need to update/edit the meta data for your files, you can use something like this...
https://www.wideanglesoftware.com/musictag/ (https://www.wideanglesoftware.com/musictag/)
Very helpful, thank you
-
Anyone find any measurements or "professional" reviews of the DMC-1 (other than Hans Beekhuyzen's very positive one)?
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=channel+island+audio+DMC-1+reviews&view=detail&mid=0E00545197CF730343FA0E00545197CF730343FA&FORM=VIRE
-
Bought a slightly used DMC-1 from an early purchaser who come to find out couldn't use it. Struggled not being able to get many radio stations or my Tidal account to work for 4 months. In the middle of which I had open heart surgery and a month's worth of anesthesia "fog". Spoke with Dusty a number of times with little success. Bought a new pair of mono-blocks and power supplies in the meantime. Finally in frustration I swapped out my ethernet cable and whoa, it works! And works so good, sound is clear, soundstage and treble are well presented! My system consists of:
Bob Brines FTA-2000 floor standing transmission line single driver loudspeakers using Bud Purvine EnABL's (clarified mids/treble) Fostex F200a 8 inch (whizzerless) AlNiCo drivers (rated 30-20,000 Hz, 90 dB/w/m at 8 ohms, $575 each when last available) with Duke LeJeune recommended "Late Ceiling Splash" 1 1/8 inch Dayton Audio soft dome ambience tweeters that sit on the floor directly behind the cabinets;
Basement dedicated listening room is well insulated 8ft x 13ft x 21ft, dedicated electrical audio circuits, (10) GIK 244 absorption panels on front, side, and rear walls, setup is mid-field across the narrow wall (5.5 ft from front wall) spread very wide thanks to the ambience tweeters;
Power amps are Temple Audio 70 watt mono-blocks with matching Supercharger power supplies;
Subwoofers are (2) PreSonus T10 10 inch ported (professional) and (1) CSS SDX10 10 inch (XBL^2) sealed driver with SD300 amp spread around the room ala Floyd Toole to minimize bass peaks/dips.
-
Glad you got it working Jeff! Sometimes it’s the last thing that you’d think of that makes all the difference.
-
Looking for a streamer to be used for the sole purpose of listening to hi-res (24-bit) Internet-based streaming, i.e. Quboz, Tidal, Amazon Ultra HD. No plans to use Roon, have no digital music saved on a server, disk, or USB (still play my CDs). No current plans to purchase high resolution music to save to a server. Might consider ripping some of my CDs to a USB drive.
I'm assuming the DMC-1 can stream Quboz & Amazon UHD up to 24/192K. As there is no mention of MQA, I assume it cannot perform the second unfold of a MQA file. Is this correct?
-
Looking for a streamer to be used for the sole purpose of listening to hi-res (24-bit) Internet-based streaming, i.e. Quboz, Tidal, Amazon Ultra HD. No plans to use Roon, have no digital music saved on a server, disk, or USB (still play my CDs). No current plans to purchase high resolution music to save to a server. Might consider ripping some of my CDs to a USB drive.
I'm assuming the DMC-1 can stream Quboz & Amazon UHD up to 24/192K. As there is no mention of MQA, I assume it cannot perform the second unfold of a MQA file. Is this correct?
DMC•1 can stream Qobuz, Tidal, and Spotify. Amazon HD is not supported as they do not provide an API, however you can stream it to DMC from your control device using airplay.
We do not support MQA but Tidal tracks can be internally upsampled up to 32 bit/768k by our AudioFile player software.