Hi Folks!
Here’s my current build. This is in a space in my attic about 15’ wide and 18’ deep, that opens to another section with stairs and another hallway, So wall on the left-hand side and open on the right.
This has more or less been a six month experiment in isolation. The ‘rack’ you see was purchased from WalMart for $15. Yes, $15, you read that correctly. Plastic tubes and horrible quality MDF.
From there I started crafting custom isolation platforms (IKEA chopping boards, ebony cones and pads and Herbies isolation materials mixed in) to see what impact I could make on SQ. To put it mildly, after adding one platform per component and listening for a week or so before adding another, I was blown-away with the massive improvements at every stage. Suffice to say, I’m a true believer in isolating components now.
Here’s the list in order of signal path -
Roon Core w/ Tidal integration on Apple Mac Mini 2012: Core i5, 2.5 GHz, 8 GB Ram, 256 gb SSD
Wireworld Ultraviolet USB Cable
M2Tech Hi-Face EVO USB to SPDIF Converter
AudioQuest Cinnamon CAT-7 Ethernet cable
M2Tech EVO DAC
XiangSheng 728A tube preamp
Pair of Monarchy Audio SE-100 Delux mono amps
JM Labs Focal Chorus LCR700 speakers
(not shown, but recently added - Sunfire HRS-10 Subwoofer)
Using PS Audio Ultimate Outlets Hi-Current 15A AC Conditioners for all electric supply
All interconnects and speaker cabling Cardas Quad or Neutral Ref
Assorted isolation devices, with a lot of Herbie’s products
(also have a NAD 270 connected to the same pre that drives Magnepan MMGWs)
Ok - now a sincere question for the forum -
When I first started out with Roon I was using a fairly robust laptop (HP EliteBook, 16GB RAM, 256 SSD) running Windows 7 Pro as my Core server. A while after that I picked up the mac mini, and I’m happy to say heard a decent improvement in the overall SQ compared to the Windows laptop.
Now I wonder if I should use both the laptop and the mac mini by configuring the Windows laptop as my core, and keeping the mac mini in place, but using it as a bridge. Divide and Conquer? The thought is that by letting the Windows laptop handle the core computing and dedicating the mac mini to streaming, I should see another leap in SQ. But, not sure, and would love any input. As one further FYI - I do plan on updating the mac mini with the Uptone Audio DC conversion kit and a dedicated linear supply, but probably not for a another couple of months.
The only other aspect is that all networking is via wifi, which is a dedicated channel for this system and easily pulls 120MB/sec downstream. So no issue with bandwidth.
Thanks folks, happy to be here and loving the Roon experience with Tidal and my own library.
Chris