It is a Teac NT-505. Ethernet in, analogue out! I am on the list for the Uptone product, hopefully it will be the final piece of that puzzle.
Have Teac for 2 weeks, I like Teac better than Auralic Altair.
1 Like
HiFi Berry DAC+ XLR can do that also for a fraction of the priceā¦
180 euros
Iāve been there, courtesy of Orchard Audio, and it is good. But dare I say this is better and way more versatile. Put a price on its other attributes and then see how it all compares.
Well, I went through a few changes in the system recently.
I appreciate when others say that something can be done less expensively, or that a one-box solution suits them better. On the former, Iām not that concerned although I do like to avoid expensive mistakes. On the latter, an extra box or two doesnāt bother me much.
So, I moved my Mac Mini/LPS to another room. Got an ultraRendu, powered by an UpTone LPS 1.2. So now, Roon Core runs on the Mini while the āRendu takes care of Output, going into a Matrix USB/SPDIF converter.
The difference in SQ is amazing, and well worth the expense and effort. Truly a great upgrade.
And someday Iāll likely get rid of the Mini and replace it with a Nucleus or similar device.
Thanks, all, for the input.
1 Like
Rob,
Interesting thread!
Looking at the list of the chain of boxes/components you ended up with the total cost is not insignificant.
If you could do all of this from scratch would you use a Mac Mini and supporting items again? If the answer is no what kit would you choose?
Thanks!
Max
Interesting question.
Iāve had the Mac Mini for a long time, and Iāve liked it because itās familiar and easy to control. It fits well within the Apple ecosystem I have in the house. My use of Roon is relatively new; in the past I used the Mini to run various player software against iTunes. Iām all-in on Roon, now.
Two reasons to replace the Mini are that itās nearing its end of life (no more OS X updates), and many people tend to think that itās noisy and doesnāt produce optimum sound quality. I wonāt know about that until the day I replace it.
I only have two other small boxes before the DAC. The ultraRendu handles the Output functions, which is the topography recommended by Roon ā to separate Core from Output, if possible. The Matrix cleans up and converts the output signal to enormous effect. Adding the Matrix was the single most significant improvement to sound quality Iāve yet heard. There are a number of people who own the same DAC and have followed the same route, with most raving about it.
I can well imagine that if I replaced the Mini, Iād still keep the Matrix as an improvement over USB, and the ultraRendu would stay so that the server can stay out of the rack.
On the other hand, starting from scratch I might look into a one-box solution such as the Teac mentioned above. I think my wife would find it much more convenient and understandable were I not here anymore. But for the time being, this is my hobby.
1 Like
Rob, thanks for taking the time to respond so thoroughly.
I am currently exploring new DAC & streamer options which is a rabbit hole itself. I have yet to install Roon and will be doing so with a blank slate. No purchased Mac Mini or Nucleus. I have two locations, both with music systems to manage. Might add Roon to both? So, planning a ādo it right the first timeā path is importantā¦