thanks for the clarification. Looks good. I design and build my own, but same idea i’m sure. Was amazed to find out what boot up draw was for a NUC or other modern multi-core machine! Yikes!
Sounds like a compelling case for RTFM.
- Is basically unachievable. Use Ethernet to DAC? Only 1 in 100 have an ethernet input (like my PS Audio DSD with bridge II).
I also have a Sprout on my desk that is connected via USB directly to my iMac (Roon core). I am flirting with buying an Uptone Audio ISO REGEN to remove the nasties on the USB connection. Its USB in USB out.
If anyone has experience with the REGEN please chime in.
Is the sound bad?
Oh thank you
Not bad but not as good as my bedroom and living room rigs.
Uptone has a return policy as I recall…nothing much to stop you.
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Hi Hans
I have A USB DAC (FIIO K5 PRO) plugged into my NUC Core and it Drives my AKG K712 Pro headphones, and while it (The K5 PRO) is driven from an external power supply, it sounds great. I have also driven this off my Macbook Air 2019 and my Dell workstation and I hear no difference in quality with Roon playback.
There can be noise issues with power supplies and USB circuits, but it is not an always and does not effect all systsms, so try yours and see if you are happy with it.
I don’t generally argue with people who have these audiophile level perceptions, as it is their money after all if it makes them happy it can’t be that bad (and all that).
If it works for you and you are happy with it then go with it.
Regards
Mike
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I have the core running on a Mac book air over wifi and connected direct to a Schitt Yggdrasil usb . Heaven is in the room. no problems here either
First of all nice system, is that a Michell Orbe, I have the Gyro SE, looks great even when not playing?
What are your speakers?
In regards to your question trust your ears and home demo.
I have a Chord DAVE/Mscaler digital front end connected to a QNAP TS-473 upgraded with Roon Core on SSD and music libray on SSD no spinning disk. I do not run anything on the QNAP apart from Roon, and havve upgraded the memory to 16GB so it has more than enough headroom to handle Roon.
I connect the QNAP to my MScaler via USB, and have demoed the well respected Auralic Aries G1 nearly £2k as a Roon Endpoint and heard absolutely no improvement in sound. I tried a Pro-ject Ultra Stream S2 as a Roon Endpoint with the upgrade battery pack, so complete isolation from the mains and the sound was worse, a loss of musicality.
Basically depending on what your Roon server is and the DAC, well the Mscaler is galvanically isolated on USB, you may hear NO improvement.
I was thinking of trying the Chord 2go/2yu and the ultimate DCS Network Bridge, but will definitely home demo in my syetem not take it on blind faith and reviews.
Posibly your power conditioning could make a difference as well as all my Hi-Fi is connected to a Shunyata Denali 6000, so no inter-component interference.
I use a Chord M-Scaler + TT2, have tried it with both a MicroRendu and direct USB, heard no difference. Use it today with the MicroRendu just because it’s in a different room than the Nucleus.
Same experience with the Benchmark DAC3+HPA4, it’s currently running direct-connected USB.
Btw, I got a 2go for the Hugo 2, love it for its portability, although it can’t drive the Hifiman Susvara which are very demanding (the TT2 and HPA4 handle it well).
Thanks, it’s a Gyrodec upgraded with Orbe platter kit. Speakers are ProAc Response D100. DAC is a Chord Qutest. Source is a MacBook Air with internal SSD drive and iTunes library (Apple lossless) on external SSD drive (and Tidal HiFi).
The system photo in black and white is beautiful. Great photo and really nice system. The ProAc’s are gorgeous. The natural light in the home is so inviting, beautiful architecture.
I read this thread as I was wondering for the same and tried to do some research.
Eventually decide to try myself. Connected the NUC (with HPPlayer) directly to my Qutest DAC. As soon I did I realised something didn’t sound as before. Music was muted and lifeless.
I Immediately went back to my original set up; NUC ==> RPi 4 with RopieeeXL ==> Qutest
I was not expecting such a difference and actually thought avoiding one step would improve SQ but was wrong. Difference in night and day.
I have my Nucleus connected into my Orchid => to Marantz SR 7005 via RCA. Not sure of any other way to change this?
I have the M Scaler too and also noticed no difference when direct out of my Mac running Roon versus some other separate Roon endpoint. I’ve done tones of experimenting including even trying Roon Server on the Mac and controlling it with Roon Remote on my iPad and iPhone, or using a dedicated Macbook running Roon Bridge direct in to the Dac. Zero difference with any of those.
I think it really depends on the DAC/USB implementation, which Chord handles really well with built in galvanic isolation etc. But also I believe Roon has really optimized the all in one app quite well over the last few years.
In my system I have finally found a network bridge that does make a sonic improvement, albeit at the top end the dCS Network Bridge.
I finally sat down to give it some critical listening A-B between QNAP USB into Mscaler, the Network Bridge via BNC.
It’s like adding the Mscaler to the DAVE, more music, especially vocals sound more natural and theres more spatial layering and separation of instruments, USB via the QNAP sounds flat by comparison.
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To anyone who connects directly by usb from a Mac or Roon Rock Nuc, who wonders about network endpoints, grab a Raspberry Pi3 and install Ropieee and just try outputting by that instead. If you have a powerbank or LPSU power it with that. Even this dead cheap way of doing things offers improvements and is a low cost way of experimenting. (Then the world opens up of high quality endpoints, power supplies etc etc etc …just remember it is all going to vary from Dac to Dac and yes, USB cables matter too - unbelievable I once thought, but the differences are so stark and obvious, well in hifi terms 
).
It is also worth looking the other (or additional route) of USB regens such as the SOtM tX-USB Ultra, or other cheaper but effective alternatives.
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Hi David, I want to get a dcs nb as a source for my mscaler / Dave combination. Are you still happy with that? You‘ve mentioned that you‘ve connected the bridge via bnc to the mscaler. Is that one cable or two and what output on the bridge and input on the mscaler do you use? Appreciate your response.
I am still very happy with my dCS Network Bridge purchase.
I have a single custom Townshend Audio Digital SP/DIF RCA to BNC from dCS to Chord, no lossy RCA to BNC adaptor. I believe Chord Company do a digital RCA to BNC cable.
Unfortunately the dCS BNC outputs are SDIF NOT SP/DIF so incompatible with the MScaler. Regardless single SP/DIF supports 192Khz, I don’t have super hi-res audio files.
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