just setup my ROCK on a NUC and enjoying it via Auralic Aries Mini to my amp. I hear some crackling and humming in the signal when system is idle and volume is above nothing (by lack of better terms). To upgrade my chain i am thinking about replacing the Auralic. I think/hope she’s also the culprit of the hums and crackles. I want my setup to be as simple as can be with a modest budget but still try to keep the best available quality from my Qobuz account. After thorough research i gather a nice setup would be the Pro-Ject DAC DS2 Ultra. It’s supported by Roon and i understand a USB cable between the NUC and the DS2 Ultra should be all i need (combined with PowerQuest Jitterbug).
Currently my Auralic is listed as a ‘Volume device’ and this enables me to control my music and the volume from the Roon app. Will this still be available with the DS2 Ultra?
Subquestion: would you agree for < 1000 EUR this is a recommendable upgrade and make my Roon from Core to analogue RCA’s complete?
AceRimmer
(Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast!)
2
I would be trying to eliminate the source of your hums and crackles first.
I seriously doubt it is the Aries, that is actually an excellent unit that punches way above its price point IMHO.
Some days I regret having sold mine!
How are you connected to the Aries and from Aries to the amp?
If line level to the amp can you try a different input or cables?
I would be very surprised if the Aries itself is truly the cause of the extraneous noises.
@Kevin: thanks for your tip. At the moment the NUC sends the audio via RoonReady to the Auralic, which is connected via analogue RCA’s to my amp. This via a reasonable quality Oehlbag cable of 0.7m. I changed this yesterday to the included cable from my Auralic, seems stock (red/white connectors) but with thicker leads. I will fiddle some more with this to see about the hum/crackle (which seems to be in the right channel the loudest).
@Peter: thanks for this tip, how do i go about checking/fixing this? The NUC, nor the Auralic, nor my Amp have grounded leads. All connected with Euro flat current connectors.
for research purposes for anyone who finds this topic: I contacted Pro-Ject and they replied promptly - so kudoes to them - and confirmed i will be able to control the volume via Roon. So yes it is a ‘Volume device’. He did stipulate the DS2 Ultra does not have a preamp so all is managed (soft) via Roon.