[Lizard_King]

Greetings all,

   I am writing this post to let you know how much better your performance can be, based on my experiments.

   Some of use our computers as transports going to a DAC. We know how great this is for getting better sound quality and easier use.

   My system was down for a while so I used the time to research how I can improve the performance by changing the way the computer reads the files. I can switched over and now use a Mac laptop, G4 PowerBook Model A1138. This 15 inch, late 2005 model was a top of the line unit, which features an all aluminum case and dual 1394 ports.

   I have been using an external 1TB hard drive connected to the computer using USB. This solution was good as the drive (Cavalry) uses an aluminum case and keeps the function simple.

   I am fortunate that I have the guidance from my mentor who I look to refer to as my Guru. He has told me that you should not keep the files on the internal hard drive as computers make too much noise. I agreed with him on this so I got the 1TB hard drive.

   Prices are dropping and technology allows us to use what was very hard from most people just a short time ago.  My guru told me that an external drive that uses bus power will sound better than my external powered drive due to the lack of a switching power supply.

   I use the M2tech Hi-Face (wonderful device) which occupies the left USB port of my laptop. In theory, the guru tells me that by using a different interface for the drive, you will not have data going over the USB bus. New drives are now on the market yet they are made for data not for Audio type use. For audio playback, you want the less is more theory also can be called K.I.S.S.  I was told that the smaller external 2.5-inch drives sound better than the 3.5-inch external drives based on his tests. He also tells me that the slower 5400-rpm drives sound better than the faster 7200-rpm drives.

   I took all of this and added my own beliefs that an external, aluminum enclosure that could be bus powered (non-USB) could be what I wanted, a better sounding drive.

   Now that my Mac is dedicated to my audio system as a transport, I looked into using fire wire. This interface was designed for Audio/Video so naturally; I looked around to see what I could find. I am NOT one who feels a fire wire DAC is a better choice that USB, esp., since I am using the M2Tech Hi-face now with a top level BNC digital Coaxial cable.  Using the fire wire connection in theory will lower the CPU cycles and that is good for Audio.

   Once I knew what direction I was looking for, I set out to find the right drive to improve the sound of my system and simply the process.

   I have a high-end system so I am able to hear the changes that I make, even if they are small changes. The Computer/DAC is IMHO, the way to be!

   So who makes an external drive that meets my criteria?  I looked around in the retail market and was not happy with what I found.  High End Audio is not in great demand these days so you must look around harder to find what you are looking for.

I am so pleased to write you that I have found the solution so I wish to share my findings with all of you.

I found two companies that make drives that are external, aluminum enclosures that use 2.5-inch drives that have fire wire. Both looked good yet I decided (glad that I did) to go with Oyen Digital. This Midwestern company caters to the pro AV market so after I found them I did my research and got there guidance to figure out the drive for me. I realized that the Western Digital Scorpio Blue was the drive for me. This seems to be the drive of choice for many Audio uses in the studio and out in the field. Oyen sells these drives with the WD 3 year warranty and they have the best prices. I went with the brand new 750 GB drive. This drive is SATA with a 9.5-inch form factor.

The tech support rep at Oyen Digital is a good guy who is helpful and knowledgeable. I spoke with him several times and he told me about the WD drive and the company was about to release a larger one (750 GB) so I waited for this drive to be in stock.

Oyen Digital makes several enclosures that I looked at and I chose the EBS-2. This drive has twin Fire wire 1394B ports, an ESATA / USB combo port, a DC input and all the cables and power supply included. The case uses the famous Oxford Semiconductor 924 chip which is a classic Audio chop, no longer made. The Oxford Company was acquired so the 934 chip has replaced the 924. So finally, I have a source for drive and enclosure.

   I was lucky to be able to get this enclosure so I am pleased and I feel happy about that. The drive and enclosure are easy to work with. It took me about 5 minutes to put it together and so I was ready to go. The supplied 1394B 9 pin – 9 pin cable is a solid, shielded cable that is well made.  The enclosure will be upgraded in the future so I was able to get a refurbished unit in perfect condition.    

   Now for the feedback:  I am so pleased to report that my expectations have been exceeded! I am enjoying better sound quality and I am very pleased that my efforts have been rewarded. The drive is connected to the Mac using the 1394B port with the supplied cable.

   I was hoping for a subtle difference and what I got was a noticeable difference.
The images is tighter and has better focus. The depth perception is better and the separation of voices and instruments has improved. The tonality seems more organic to me and less like hi-fi, more like music. Background vocals, the rear sections of an orchestra are now easier to enjoy. The background is blacker and quieter.  The resolution has improved with no loss of body. I find myself wanting to listen more and be excited by my library and not just a few cut choices.


   So there you have it. The choice for me was a choice the right direction. I am pleased so now I share my findings with you. I hope my posting helps others out there who share my passion yet maybe are not as savvy as me with this.

Enjoy.

[PeteG]

When using my M2tech Hi-Face and external hard drive, I don’t use the switching power supply.
I use a PE linear power supply and it does help cut down on the noise. 



PE power supply

[writeface]

Hello Lizard_King,

Thanks for the detailed, interesting post. May I know if you considered Oyen Digital's MiniPro 1TB External 2.5-in FireWire 800/400 USB Portable Hard Drive?

Thanks

[Lizard_King]

Hi,

That model does not have 1394 port so I have not considered it. If my laptop had Esata, I would consider it.

Hello Lizard_King,

Thanks for the detailed, interesting post. May I know if you considered Oyen Digital's MiniPro 1TB External 2.5-in FireWire 800/400 USB Portable Hard Drive?

Thanks

[pardales]

Glad it workd out. Have you tried pugging your Hiface into a USB port that is furthest away from the laptop's powerport? I have heard that can help too.

[srb]

May I know if you considered Oyen Digital's MiniPro 1TB External 2.5-in FireWire 800/400 USB Portable Hard Drive?

That model does not have 1394 port so I have not considered it. If my laptop had Esta, I would consider it.

The Oyen Digital MiniPro external drives are available in USB only, eSATA/USB, FireWire 400/USB and FireWire 400/800/USB models.
 
Steve

[ted_b]

Interesting.  For those of us using firewire DACs (I use Weiss DAC2 and therefore have the fw port already taken on my Macbook SSD ) what would you recommend?  I use a simple Mybook USB external drive with its likely noisy ac cable/ps wart. 

[srb]

Interesting.  For those of us using firewire DACs (I use Weiss DAC2 and therefore have the fw port already taken on my Macbook SSD ) what would you recommend?  I use a simple Mybook USB external drive with its likely noisy ac cable/ps wart.

A FireWire hub can be used to gain an additional FireWire port(s).  Most hubs can be used with or without a DC power adapter.
 
Since the Weiss DAC2 has its own power supply, it wouldn't draw any power from the Macbook's FireWire port.  The Mac FireWire port can supply 7W of power.  I can't find a power consumption specification for the Oyen Digital MiniPro drives, only that they can be powered by FireWire, as long as the FireWire port is not the Mini FireWire type (which would then require either a USB power connection or an external power adapter).
 
Steve

[ted_b]

I though that sharing a hub was detrimental to the sonics.

[srb]

I though that sharing a hub was detrimental to the sonics.

A hub may introduce some latency, but that should only be a factor for pro audio applications such as synching multiple sound devices or multi-track recording.
 
The FireWire bus, whether 400 or 800Mb/s, has ample bandwith to simultaneously handle transfer of data from the hard drive and streaming of digital audio for high resolution 2 channel use.
 
That being said, I can't personally attest to possible sound degredation using a FireWire hub, as I am using a SATA II connection to my audio data drive.  But if someone has a technical explanation or actual experience why a quality hub may be detrimental for this particular scenario, I would be interested to hear about it.
 
Steve

[writeface]

Hi,

That model does not have 1394 port so I have not considered it. If my laptop had Esata, I would consider it.

Thank you for the response. I am considering getting the below Oyen Digital disk which supports fire wire as well as USB.

http://www.amazon.com/MiniPro-External-FireWire-Portable-Drive/dp/B003EMY3OA/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1274808646&sr=8-5

[Lizard_King]

That is a nice unit and should serve you well. The 934 chip, coupled with the WD Blue scorpio drive will provide a nice increase in your SQ.

Thank you for the response. I am considering getting the below Oyen Digital disk which supports fire wire as well as USB.

http://www.amazon.com/MiniPro-External-FireWire-Portable-Drive/dp/B003EMY3OA/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1274808646&sr=8-5

[writeface]

Thank you.

Excuse me for the digression:

I have a macbook pro (unibody). Is it as good as mac mini when used as a transport? Is there any benefit in going for a mac mini over macbook pro?

Thanks

[kenreau]

Curious if anyone has also evaluatd the Oyen DataTale 2TB 3.5-inch FireWire 800/400, eSATA, USB Desktop External Hard Drive?

Same money, slightly larger form factor and 2x capacity (2TB) - the size I'm interested in.

Also, off on a tangent, is there a practical limit for the length of a FW cable to use?  [ie is 50 lineal feet too long (from my home office/mac mini/iTunes location to the listening room DAC/Stereo location)] 

Thx
Kenreau

[ted_b]

Music Server to DAC fw cable shouldn't be longer than 2M, and anyway a single FW has a hard stop at 4.5M (approx 15 ft), although they sell repeaters for longer lengths.  I noticed a significant sonic improvement at 1-2M, and also with the power removed (can be done via 4 pin adapter).

[Grumpy_Git]

Ram Drive PC with no HDD, passive cooling and a Network Drive to hold the music.

So no local HDD at all and firewire interface to optical for galvanic isolation.

Yummy!

Nick.

[Lizard_King]

The mac mini  is known to be the best transport computer period! I know several people who use them and swear by them. Hint: Do not use itunes!

Thank you.

Excuse me for the digression:

I have a macbook pro (unibody). Is it as good as mac mini when used as a transport? Is there any benefit in going for a mac mini over macbook pro?

Thanks

[jtwrace]

Mac Mini with itunes / Amarra user here.   

[kenreau]

The mac mini s is known to be the best transport computer period! I know several people who use them and swear by them. Hint: Do not use itunes!

Could you expand on the no itunes comment?  Are you referring to something different completely, or supplementing with Amarra or Channel D?

Thx
Kenreau

[kenreau]

Music Server to DAC fw cable shouldn't be longer than 2M, and anyway a single FW has a hard stop at 4.5M (approx 15 ft), although they sell repeaters for longer lengths.  I noticed a significant sonic improvement at 1-2M, and also with the power removed (can be done via 4 pin adapter).

Thanks Ted!  That means I need to reconsider how best to accomplish my plan.  I will start a new thread.  Sorry for the tangent.

Kenreau