Salk Streamer Gen III just ordered

dpatters · « **on:** 20 Oct 2016, 03:23 pm »

I'm retiring at the end of November and decided to order to order the Gen III streamer as a retirement gift. Jim is testing my unit today and it should ship tomorrow. This will be my first foray into file playback and streaming. I have ordered a USB cable from Triode Wire labs and some Netgear powerline ethernet adapters to extend my network for the connection to the streamer. I plan on using Roon as the interface and Tidal for streaming content. I'll also be using dBpoweramp to rip my CD collection to flac files. I'll post on my experience with getting it set up and then some listening impressions compared to spinning CDs on my Woo Audio WTP-1 transport.

Should be fun!

Don P.

Grbluen · « **Reply #1 on:** 20 Oct 2016, 07:19 pm »

Congrats! I should be ordering mine soon. I'm slightly confused, is it recommended that you use the Streamer with an external Dac?

Big Red Machine · « **Reply #2 on:** 20 Oct 2016, 07:27 pm »

Quote from: Grbluen on 20 Oct 2016, 07:19 pm

Congrats! I should be ordering mine soon. I'm slightly confused, is it recommended that you use the Streamer with an external Dac?

There is no dac currently in the streamer so you have to decode the files somewhere.

dpatters · « **Reply #3 on:** 20 Oct 2016, 07:43 pm »

That is correct. I will be using Metrum Musette DAC connected to Salk StreamPlayer via USB

Anonamemouse · « **Reply #4 on:** 21 Oct 2016, 07:53 am »

Nice! I am jealous!

I would love to own one as well, but I am one that wants to touch something before buying... And no dealers in the Netherlands...
To have it shipped here will cost me a small fortune, plus Dutch customs will add 25% to the price in taxes and handing...

Please keep us posted on every little detail!!!

Oh, when ripping CD's to FLAC, keep compression low, "0" or "1" is what I would recommend. The files will be somewhat bigger, but the processor will have an easier job decoding.

dpatters · « **Reply #5 on:** 21 Oct 2016, 12:13 pm »

Thanks for the advice!

Ern Dog · « **Reply #6 on:** 21 Oct 2016, 02:27 pm »

what a perfect retirement gift for yourself!!!! I'm sure you'll be very happy with this set up. Keep us posted and Congrats!

dpatters · « **Reply #7 on:** 21 Oct 2016, 02:37 pm »

The StreamPlayer is arriving tomorrow but my new laptop won't arrive until Thursday and I want to start fresh with the new computer. I wouldn't have believed that I would receive it this quickly. Jim's service is awesome

I'm still working until Dec. 2nd and have to travel this weekend so I don't know how much I'll get done but I'll post any progress.

Saturn94 · « **Reply #8 on:** 21 Oct 2016, 04:25 pm »

Quote from: Anonamemouse on 21 Oct 2016, 07:53 am

.....Oh, when ripping CD's to FLAC, keep compression low, "0" or "1" is what I would recommend. The files will be somewhat bigger, but the processor will have an easier job decoding.

I have the Salkstream III and can assure you it has absolutely no problems with higher FLAC compression settings. I have compression set to 5 (dbPoweramp) and the Salkstream III handles them flawlessly.

dpatters · « **Reply #9 on:** 21 Oct 2016, 05:20 pm »

Quote from: Saturn94 on 21 Oct 2016, 04:25 pm

I have the Salkstream III and can assure you it has absolutely no problems with higher FLAC compression settings. I have compression set to 5 (dbPoweramp) and the Salkstream III handles them flawlessly.

Saturn,

That's good to know as I will also be using dBpoweramp for my rips

Anonamemouse · « **Reply #10 on:** 23 Oct 2016, 09:51 am »

Quote from: Saturn94 on 21 Oct 2016, 04:25 pm

I have the Salkstream III and can assure you it has absolutely no problems with higher FLAC compression settings. I have compression set to 5 (dbPoweramp) and the Salkstream III handles them flawlessly.

Oh, I don't doubt the player has no problems handling even the maximum compression. But I found the lesser compressed a file is, the better it sounds. Some online searching will back this up.

Btw, does it handle internet radio well? Any streamer here will be decoding radio most of the time... And can you post a screenshot of the controller?

Saturn94 · « **Reply #11 on:** 23 Oct 2016, 02:29 pm »

Quote from: Anonamemouse on 23 Oct 2016, 09:51 am

Oh, I don't doubt the player has no problems handling even the maximum compression. But I found the lesser compressed a file is, the better it sounds. Some online searching will back this up.

Btw, does it handle internet radio well? Any streamer here will be decoding radio most of the time... And can you post a screenshot of the controller?

I've not compared different compression levels, so I can't say if less compression than I'm using would sound better or not (to me). As great as it sounds now I'm not real motivated to go through the trouble of comparing. Perhaps next time I rip a CD I'll try it and see if I can hear a difference.

By "controller" I assume you mean the software I'm using to control the Salkstream III? I'm using Roon. Overall I like Roon, but there are a couple things about it that irk me; the way it handles playing by Genre and the fact I can't stream to my iPad.

So far I've had no issues with internet radio. In Roon you do have to add the station's streaming URL , but once added it has worked without issue.

Some screenshots

MttBsh · « **Reply #12 on:** 23 Oct 2016, 03:07 pm »

the fact I can't stream to my iPad.

So I understand what you are saying is, using your IPad as your remote controller you can stream Roon FROM your iPad (to your sound system) but you can't stream TO your iPad, is that right?
Thanks

SCompRacer · « **Reply #13 on:** 24 Oct 2016, 12:16 am »

Congrats on your retirement Don! I've got a couple more years to go...

Good choice on the gift! I really like dBpoweramp. You also have the choice of Uncompressed flac, which sounds like an oxymoron. 'Uncompressed is a special compression mode with stores 16 bit audio in an uncompressed state.'

Once you select your compression level, tick the 'Verify Written Audio' box. It will compare the compressed file to the source.

Here is a great site for all you want to know about flac.

https://xiph.org/flac/index.html

"Why do the encoder settings have a big effect on the encoding time but not the decoding time?

It's hard to explain without going into the codec design, but to oversimplify, the encoder is looking for functions that approximate the signal. Higher settings make the encoder search more to find better approximations. The functions are themselves encoded in the FLAC file. Decoding only requires computing the one chosen function, and the complexity of the function is very stable. This is by design, to make decoding easier, and is one of the things that makes FLAC easy to implement in hardware."

dpatters · « **Reply #14 on:** 24 Oct 2016, 02:02 pm »

SCompRacer,

Thanks for the link. The Salk StreamPlayer arrived on Saturday. My new laptop is being delivered tomorrow so I have taken the day off to see if I can get things working. I'm using NetGear powerline adapters to extend my network to the rack. I don't have my TWL usb cable yet but I'll use one I have laying around for now. The instruction manual seems very thorough so I'm not anticipating problems. My goal is to get Tidal and Roon up and running and then I will move on to ripping my CD collection.

charmerci · « **Reply #15 on:** 24 Oct 2016, 04:40 pm »

I found that ripping my CD collection was an exercise in patience. It can seem overwhelming with a large one. I did it while I was listening to music or while doing something while in the same room. Sometimes just one in one day. It took a long while.

You won't regret it in the end. How exciting!

Saturn94 · « **Reply #16 on:** 24 Oct 2016, 04:45 pm »

Quote from: MttBsh on 23 Oct 2016, 03:07 pm

the fact I can't stream to my iPad.

So I understand what you are saying is, using your IPad as your remote controller you can stream Roon FROM your iPad (to your sound system) but you can't stream TO your iPad, is that right?
Thanks

I can stream from my iPad to the Salkstream III via AirPlay. I cannot stream from the Salkstream III to my iPad like I can if I were on a computer running Roon. In other words, on a computer, Roon can be used as a controller and a player, but on an iPad it can only be used as a controller. Roon says it has something to do with they way Apple does things on iOS. Supposedly they are working in a fix, though I've been hearing that for some time now with no fix in sight.

Btw, on my Logitech Touch/Logitech Media Server using iPeng on my iPad I can stream to the iPad, which is great when I want to listen out in the yard or use headphones in a different part of the house.

Saturn94 · « **Reply #17 on:** 24 Oct 2016, 04:47 pm »

Quote from: charmerci on 24 Oct 2016, 04:40 pm

I found that ripping my CD collection was an exercise in patience. It can seem overwhelming with a large one. I did it while I was listening to music or while doing something while in the same room. Sometimes just one in one day. It took a long while.

You won't regret it in the end. How exciting!

Yep, it took me quite some time to get through my CD colllection. This is one reason it's important to have backups.

charmerci · « **Reply #18 on:** 24 Oct 2016, 04:53 pm »

Quote from: Saturn94 on 24 Oct 2016, 04:47 pm

Yep, it took me quite some time to get through my CD colllection. This is one reason it's important to have backups.

Yeah, I lost some music/effort with a failed backup then a virus.

External HD's are cheap but can occasionally fail. Buy two, it may save you a lot of time. Don't learn the hard way like me.. and others.

dpatters · « **Reply #19 on:** 24 Oct 2016, 04:54 pm »

Quote from: charmerci on 24 Oct 2016, 04:40 pm

I found that ripping my CD collection was an exercise in patience. It can seem overwhelming with a large one. I did it while I was listening to music or while doing something while in the same room. Sometimes just one in one day. It took a long while.

You won't regret it in the end. How exciting!

Once Dec. 2nd rolls around I should have plenty of time since I won't be working