After 6 decades of Audiophilia I think I'm there!

Roon Software Discussion
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For some time I hated CDs and digital generally so passionately that I clung to LPs for some time with their cartridge set up problems yielding clicks and pops in the music.

The change came when I was seduced by laserdiscs so was confronted with the better DACs as produced by Theta. Ultimately, as DACs improved, I abandoned LPs and wasted dollars on a lot of digital gear. The lesson learned from all, this was that the DAC is the most crucial link in the audio chain. It was the crude DACs in the early CD players that generated the loathed digital harshness.

The latest acquisition has been the Aurilac G1, a very nice unit, and the end headphone system in the accompanying diagram is yielding very seductive and beautiful music.

An explanation about the Yamaha YDP2006 is in order. The DSP in ROON gives a basic change that works for ROON music sent elsewhere in the house (not shown in the diagram below but achieved with a Canare 3 way balanced splitter). However I find I need further tweaking for the headfphone system. The beauty of the YDP2006 is that one of 40 different settings is eacily selected with the push of a button so I can choose a setting to downplay the over emphasised bass that is common in non classical recordings. Particular settings could be devised for particular recordings but I’ve avoided that level of insanity so far.

Bottom line is these old ears are hearing the best music reproduction ever experienced. The two most important items in the chain are the L.K.S. DAC and Focal Utopia headphones but they require top quality input so the Canare cabling (much more important than previously realised) and the Auriliac G1 are just as essential. The chain is only as strong as its weakest link. And my predudice is pro AES and anti USB for digital inputs with USB impractical for my headphone system in another room anyway.

So I can now sit back in the armchair and use ROON to select beautiful music. And I should comment the the current system plays albums rather nicely that were previously considered “poor” recordings. The “poor” was a result of the playback quality, not the recording! I do have a BD player in the system so can look at opera etc with video on a Dell monitor but rarely bother as the audio only reproduction is so satisfying.

Headphone%20System%20May%202019
Headphone System May 2019.jpg1240Ă—1754 267 KB

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Probable some truth in that.

Welcome, enjoy the music.

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Yes, DAC’s have come a long, long way since the early days of CD etc.
The new range of ESS & AKM DAC’s sounds sublime compared to what was on the market even a few short years ago. And Chord DAC’s are yet another profound development in how PCM is decoded.
I really can’t remember the last time I listened to vinyl/analogue!

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Fully agree! But too me the most profound change in digital audio has come with the very much improved USB interfaced that surfaced a few years ago (I’m referring to the XMOS and Amanero circuits) which lets us actually enjoy and utilize the increased resolutions that has been made available. :slight_smile:

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I cannot see the Auralic anywhere, but I assume you are referring to the Aries G1? Where’s your Roon Server located then?

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Roon and the music files are in the office here. The Aries G1 is in another room fed from here by LAN cabling. The AES balanced digital out of the G1 feeds into a 3 way Canare splitter. A feed from that goes a few meters to the headphone listening station. Other feeds from that splitter go to two other rooms with DACs (and one is a second L.K.S DA-004. purchased used) and the analog from them feeds more headphone systems as well as speaker systems. We can have music from Roon in 6 rooms of this home. Control anywhere except this office is via the iPad.

Yes, I’ll confess. I’m a nut case.

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