DAC/Streamer project

[Ankkor]

I would love your opinions on this step in my upgrade cycle.
I'm going from the DAC in a C2500 combined with a Wyred4Sound modified Sonos Connect to a C12000 needing a DAC and maybe a new streamer.
What is the consensus on the Wyred4Sound Connect at this point. Would you keep that and connect it to a stand alone DAC or upgrade both the DAC and the streamer.
I am hesitant to use the D1100 because I don't think I need a duplicative solid state preamp and also I fear a D1100 replacement sooner than later.
I have a C12000 into 1.2's into XRT1k's. This DAC and maybe Streamer is my next project.
At this juncture I am less interested in figuring out which manufacturer/product but if the Wyred4Sound is obsolete compared to current capabilities or if I can keep that and find a dedicated DAC.
Thanks for your ideas!

[clpetersen]

what software will you be using to play music?

I use a SoTM SMS 200 connected to a Chord DAC. This turns the Chord into a full streamer - works directly with Spotify Connect, Qobuz, Tidal, Roon, Minimserver and others.

I think the Sonos Connect is fairly old at this point (I moved to the Port for our Sonos endpoints).

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by Ankkor

I would love your opinions on this step in my upgrade cycle.
I'm going from the DAC in a C2500 combined with a Wyred4Sound modified Sonos Connect to a C12000 needing a DAC and maybe a new streamer.
What is the consensus on the Wyred4Sound Connect at this point. Would you keep that and connect it to a stand alone DAC or upgrade both the DAC and the streamer.
I am hesitant to use the D1100 because I don't think I need a duplicative solid state preamp and also I fear a D1100 replacement sooner than later.
I have a C12000 into 1.2's into XRT1k's. This DAC and maybe Streamer is my next project.
At this juncture I am less interested in figuring out which manufacturer/product but if the Wyred4Sound is obsolete compared to current capabilities or if I can keep that and find a dedicated DAC.
Thanks for your ideas!

Hi Ankkor, if you can provide us with your budget for the streamer and DAC, it will help us make informed recommendations for your requirements.

Also, is your server in the same room as the streamer/DAC? If not, how far apart are they? And, are you open to considering using optical to connect music server to your streamer/DAC system? Optical brings some specific advantages that overcome problems from using copper Ethernet.

[dkorbal]

Originally Posted by Puma Cat

And, are you open to considering using optical to connect music server to your streamer/DAC system? Optical brings some specific advantages that overcome problems from using copper Ethernet.

+1 I added a opticalrendu and it made a big difference in terms of the noise floor dropping.

[Ankkor]

I’m completely open minded to everything upstream from the preamp. I’d say 15k area.

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by dkorbal

+1 I added a opticalrendu and it made a big difference in terms of the noise floor dropping.

Yup...it would.

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by Ankkor

I’m completely open minded to everything upstream from the preamp. I’d say 15k area.

Okay here goes as a suggestion for consideration:
At source end (preferably not in same room with the streamer and DAC)

Roon Nucleus Music Server or SonicTransporter i5 for serving up digital content to your streamer and DAC. This would have likely have Roon for the server's operating system, and either an internal or external HD for the music file content.

Network Switch: UpTone Audio EtherREGEN switch powered by Teddy Pardo or Farad Super 3 linear power supply. Connect your network router and Roon Nucleus or SonicTransporter and Optical Module Deluxe to this.

Audio-grade fiber media convertor: Sonore OpticalModule Deluxe with Finisar optical transceiver and powered by Small Green Computer linear power supply or similar specification "low noise" LPS. Use Tripp-Lite OM-1 specification optical fiber with LC/LC terminations or similar. It's really cheap...a 90 foot runs costs less than 40 bucks or so.

At destination end (in or near audio rack)
Network Bridge: Sonore OpticalRendu with Finisar optical transceiver powered by Small Green Computer linear power supply or Teddy Pardo or Farad Super 3 linear power supply.

DAC: Lampizator Baltic 3 DAC

Specifically: use Shunyata Reserch Venom V14 Digital power cables for powering all components that reside entirely in the digital domain: namely, the music server, the EtherREGEN ethernet switch, and Sonore OpticalModule and OpticalRendu power supplies, respectively. No one else makes a power cord that reduces the class of noise components that are specific to "100% digital" components. These are not, I repeat, NOT the same noise components found in devices that reside in the "analog" domain, e.g. DACs, preamps, amps...at all. This is why using the Venom V14 Digital power cord is important for these "100% digital" components.

For making Ethernet network connections, use Shunyata Research* Ethernet cables to make all Ethernet cable connections for the network-based audio components: Venom, Delta, Alpha, or Sigma; get the best ones you can based on your budget. Connect all your server and network connections to A side of EtherREGEN: Router, music server, and Wifi extender (e.g. Eero). I'd say Delta or Alpha Ethers would be excellent for making these connections, and if you want, a Venom connecting the Eero to EtherREGEN, if it fits your budget.

The most important Ethernet cable will be the one connecting B side of EtherREGEN to the input of the OpticalModule Deluxe. I'd go minimally Shunyata Alpha here, preferably Sigma, and Omega if it's in your budget.

Put the best Shunyata USB cable you can afford in your budget between the network bridge at the destination end and the DAC. The Delta is very good, Alpha and Sigma are notably better, and for ultimate performance, the Omega USB. This is the most important cable in your digital streaming system. In terms of cable priority, the Shunyata Ethernet and USB digital cables are more important that going "up" on the specification for the power cords, and even more so, the analog interconnects between DAC and preamp or integrated amp, etc (while important, they are not as important as the digital cables and power cables).

Priority for cables with the highest specification should be this (from highest to lowest importance) Digital cables (both Ethernet & USB) --> Noise Reducing Power Cords->Interconnects.

Connection Scheme like this:


Power your DAC with the best noise-reduction (NR v2) Shunyata PC you can swing in your budget, Delta NRv2 is an excellent starting point (I'm using mine on the Aurender N20 I have in for review), but Alpha NRv2 will be even better.

This should get you started....please let me know if you have specific questions. Cheers.

*-No one else even comes close, trust me on this...I did the experiments and beta-testing for Shunyata for their Ethernet cables with a full-on competitive benchmarking analysis.

[dkorbal]

Thanks Stephen. Great Post!

Other than a few cables this is the way I have it setup and I agree with your findings. Like I said earlier there was a noticeable different in the noise floor. It's nice to get confirmation.

[Ankkor]

Thanks very much for all this detail! This specific DAC - how do you rate it compared to a dCS or an Esoteric? Why did you go with this one?

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by dkorbal

Thanks Stephen. Great Post!

Other than a few cables this is the way I have it setup and I agree with your findings. Like I said earlier there was a notable different in the noise floor. It's nice to get confirmation.

Yep, when all is said and done, these approaches are key to being able to have an engaging and immersive experience when using a streaming/music server setup.

Conventional networking Ethernet cables, switches and routers with their crap clocks, and their cheap-*ss power supplies contribute all sorts of really nasty noise components to our digital music streams, including RFI and EMI interference, jitter, clock phase noise, low- and high-source impedance leakage current, threshold jitter as a result of the leakage current, common-mode noise...

And then, there's USB cables and their susceptibility other types of crap including noise generated at the USB receivers, and last but not least, leakage between the isolation transformers in the RJ45 jacks in the Ethernet switches.

At this point, I think I could write a dissertation on this subject.