From what I gather there have been very few tests showing the human threshold for audible jitter in single tones, let alone music, which has masking affects. These tests were about detecting distortion within the audible range.
On the device linked in your post however, the noise floor is generally shown to be -160dB, which is inaudible to any human. I see two spikes around -140dB, also inaudible in ANY practical sense.
Audible jitter in DACs is a solved problem, but not all DACs choose to solve it well. Like all other performance features it isn’t just related to cost. Computers produce different amounts of jitter (which again may be totally inaudible), but a small, single/dual core, SSD machine that one can dedicate to music is a really good start particularly if your DAC is misconfigured for USB input.
1 Like
Bill_Janssen
(Wigwam wool socks now on asymmetrical isolation feet!)
104
Jitter is a timing issue, isn’t it? Not strictly speaking electrical noise. I’m thinking more of electromagnetically coupled static of some kind, or ground loop hums. USB-powered DACs would be particularly susceptible, I’d think.
My Yggy A2 has Unison but I prefer to take my USB from my MAC Mini, run it to my Audiobyte Hydra Z (powered by 5VDC) bridge to get an AES signal to be sent to my DAC. Simple and always works!
I could, and might. I researched the inexpensive Zen Stream thoroughly and some owners say it stacks up nicely against the Lumin T2 which costs $4500. I also have the MicroRendu 1.4 with SBooster, but Zen Stream sounds better.
If the Nucleus or NUC won’t offer a meaningful sound improvement then I might simply leave Roon on the shelf. I’ve never been that thrilled with computer audio sound quality and the Marantz and ZS give me a very agreeable sound with both physical media and streaming. Perhaps that’s good enough.
I appreciate Roon, but not so much to spend $6000 on a streamer to get a $499 piece of software to sound as good as my sans computer rig. Think I would give Aurender a whirl before that.
That’s what I do. PC hooked up via Ethernet to the router. Runs Roon Core. SSD drive for music library. Ultra Neo hooked up via Ethernet to the router.
Ultra Neo → Lampizator DAC → preamp → speakers. All music players (JRiver, Roon, etc) in my system sound the same as long as they are going thru the same DAC and are passing a bitstream (no DSP). All CD players in my system sound the same as long as their DAC isn’t used and they are just a transport transporting a bitstream to the Lampizator DAC. The DAC does most of the work.
I don’t think the digital setup needs to be too complicated. I save the “complications”/adjustments/alignment for my cartridge/turntable setup Digital should be simple.
I use Roon for the features and simplicity - not because it will produce a better bitstream than other players to my DAC.
Obviously TAS - who are so high brow as to make Stereophile look like Hee Haw - is saying that to better the Zen Stream you have to at least spend over $39,999.98
That’s what you get from the trade press… comparing apples with oranges. The Zen and the Klimax DSM are totally different products in their capabilities. The custom Organik DAC built into the Klimax is totally new and (to my ears) the best DAC I’ve heard, and I’ve heard (and owned/own) quite a few. The Klimax has a lot of other functionality beyond what a basic streamer like the Zen offers.
3 Likes
AceRimmer
(Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast!)
114
Can highly recommend Aurender N100.
I truly thought the sq was well above Roon no matter what did the core or streaming part.
However….I have become truly captivated by the Roon experience and probably do not want to live without it now.
No digital is EVER going to replace my analog sources for sq anyway so I lost no sleep over the loss in sq from Aurender to Roon.
You got me, busted, I posted fake news! Well, the Zen and the Linn were their Music Servers of the year. The rest was me having a bit of fun. I’ve been posting in these sort of internet chat rooms since their inception. And after a lengthy career, I’m simply celebrating the opportunity to use “Stereophile” and “Hee Haw” in the same sentence.
I’d like to thank everyone who has made this pinnacle moment possible. My agent, my second grade teacher, the electrician who wired my house 8 years ago, the presence of oxygen in the atmosphere….
Thanks for the Aurender recommendation. I’ve had a long and winding road with Roon. For the first year I didn’t like it all. Coming from iTunes, I struggled to grasp Roon’s ways of library management. Eventually it clicked and Roon gets high marks from me.
But to my audiophile brain, when I can listen to something via Roon with lesser SQ or the same piece via another route with meaningfully better SQ, I default to the latter. This is probably a sign of an advancing audiophile disease!
I’m guessing I’d really love the Aurender sound. How far off the cliff is Conductor compared to Roon? I surmise that Conductor is the best of manufacturer created apps. HEOS is awful, an embarrassment for Marantz.
1 Like
AceRimmer
(Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast!)
117
You know, Conductor was actually pretty decent for a manufacturer app.
Nowhere near the detail and richness of a Roon bio of course.
However usability and logical workings were strong.
Rock solid in operation every time to boot and very fast to index
A short while back when Roon was up for renewal I strongly considered a higher end Aurender again.
Maybe when it’s due for renewal next year……
I think my best description of the Aurender sound in my system would be …… Authoritative.
I am waiting for the PS Audio Octave music streamer to be released before I make a change. If it meets expectations along with the DirectStream MKII, I am going to be happy for quite a while.
I owned a Zen Stream for some days, send it back to Amazon. For the price its ok, but only ok. Now I’m completely satisfied with my Lumin U1 mini at my Keces LPS.
But its ok for me if you don’t believe in differences between a Zen Stream and a Lumin or Linn steamer. I’m not here to crusade you, I trust my ears and my digital chain.
I was only poking fun. I have no earthly idea how the Zen Stream compares to Lumin beyond what I read on the net. I suspect synergy and personal tastes has a ton to do with the outcome.
2 Likes
AceRimmer
(Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast!)
122
Exactly!!
What I hear in my system with my ears is hardly likely to correlate to what you or anyone else hears in their system with their ears.
Best we can hope for is to get general consensus.
95% have a bad experience for example, well you would not logically hang your hat on you being one of the lucky 5%!
Digital should be simple.
