I've decided to jump into the computer audio lake head first. My principal reason for doing this is convenience- with ~1200 CDs, it is inconvenient to hunt around for music I want to hear. After a friend set up a Mac-mini server-> Ayre USB DAC as his source in his excellent system, I concluded a server may be a plausible management solution with no loss of sound quality. This was my goal- not better sound, just no net loss.
So- I bought an ASRock CoreHT 233D HTPC, a very small form factor (7.5 x 7.5 x 2.5 inches) machine, with a 500gb 7200 rpm drive and 4gb memory. I installed Windows 7, antivirus, and JRiver software and little else.
After about 4 hours of building, installation, and configuring for best sound quality (WASAPI Event Style audio setting in Win7), I ripped a couple dozen of my long time fave CDs with good sound to uncompressed WAV files.
I listened on 2 of my systems:
My office system is in a 10x12 room. I sit 5 feet away from a pair of very high-rez Volent VL-2 monitors, driven by a Magnum Dynalab (Simaudio) receiver. Front end is a Sony 999 feeding an Aune DAC (usb is 16/44 only), using spdif from the Sony and USB from the server. Cabling is Zu Mission and Libtec, USB cables were a shielded "generic", followed by AQ Carbon. Listening nearfield in my office is almost like headphones- very immediate.
My main system uses Selah Audio Tempesta speakers, with a James EMB-1000 sub x'd over at 40 hz. Amp is a Cullen modded PS Audio GCC-500 (icepower), front end is a Modded Oppo BDP83 feeding a tweaked Eastern Electric DAC Plus via coax using a Zu Ash digital IC. The EE DAC has a built in M2Tech asynchronous usb interface with 24/192 capability. Power conditioning is PS Audio power plant premier, speaker cables are Acoustic Zen Satori shotgun, ICs are Zu Event, power cords Zu Mother, Mission, Mojo Cross Helix and Mojo XPC-3. I'm VERY happy with the sound of this system- I've put a lot of effort into building and tuning it, and am unwilling to take a backward step sonically for convenience sake.
First up was the office system, comparing the Sony transport using coax to the server using a generic usb cable. Compared to the sony transport, the sound was more detailed and focussed, but brighter from the server. I substituted the AQ Carbon USB cable, and found the sound was slightly smoother and more relaxed. From this point on I only used the AQ cable.
I listened to a number of albums, and the comparison held true- the server produced a clearer, more focused sound, with all elements intact. No smearing, no obfuscation. Elements like hall ambience and layering were more apparent.
I moved the server to my main system and found the same general differences comparing the modded OPPO BDP-83 as transport into the EE DAC via coax compared to the server/USB. Clearer details with better focus. I heard many instances of instruments and layers which on the OPPO were homogenized a bit and were now separate events. Lead singers stood out in greater relief against the background. Bass was tighter and better defined, but also drier. These changes were all positive and a little surprising in their magnitude.
There are other changes that I'm not as happy with. The presentation is clearer and better focused, but along with that the tonality seems to tip up a bit toward the upper half of the range. Not wiry or bright, but more upfront and forward. While the bass is clearer and tighter, and just as deep, it is also less warm.
I've decided that I really like the positives, and consider the move to be a success overall in meeting my goals for it. I'm planning to deal with the forwardness issue with a swap of DAC op-amps to start with, and maybe some cable changes. Some have posted that going to a better USB cable addresses this aspect as well. Maybe....
I'll also add a second HD and rip,rip,rip.
And so it goes....
