Paul79,
Thanks for you comment. As described, I am using it in series with the thumbdrive and the difference is indeed night and day, at least for my system. I certainly agree that system synergy is paramount here. |
Thaluza,
Thanks for your kind words.
Yes, it's a whole new level fot my syatem at very little additional cost which I have never ever thought possible.
J. :) |
The Esoteric was good for its time but with the advent of media servers and USB dejittering devices today, the transport can now be considered overpriced although not shabby if judged by its own merits. But the DAC section now appears to be the unsung hero that it should have been in the past.
J. :) |
Yes, the next dac needs to be MQA ready. However MQA turns out to be, at least the dac is enabled thus for further exploration with future firmware updates along the way. Really looking forward to this. |
Just to clarify :-
a. I have compared usb input from a computer into the Esoteric K-01 vs usb to coax input of the K-01 via a converter and I agee that spdif coax is superior
b. I use my current media server solely as a transport for a usb thumbdrive
c. The signal from the media server thumbdrive transport then goes out via coax spdif to the input of the Esoteric K-01
The SQ in descending order for my set-up is as follows :-
1. Thumbdrive + Jitterbug to spdif coax out from media server to coax input of K-01
2. CD spinning in K-01’s VRDS Neo transport
3. Thumbdrive without Jitterbug to spdif coax out as 1. above
4. PC/laptop to usb-spdif converter to K-01’s coax input
5. PC/laptop direct to K-01’s usb input
Others have reported that ripping Cd’s to files via a computer’s CD-rom drive which "reads until right" is superior to a transport laser reading straight off from a spinning disc with regard to jitter and/or timing errors. I tend to agree with this observation.
As always, system synergy is paramount and YMMV.
J. :)
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I guess the next experiment could possibly be comparing the Mac mini set-up with a standalone media server instead.
J. :) |
I have searched on this and other fora and so far there has been no report on the use of the Jitterbug with a usb thumbdrive ported to a media server in this manner. I look forward to hearing from anyone else out there who has tried this.
Thanks in advance.
J. |
Your last post does not come at a more opportune moment. Another weekend, another experiment.
Referencing remarks by gocubs about having the best SQ via a USB-spdif converter from the computer, I actually have not tried this set-up with the Jitterbug.
My previous SQ list did not include this option as Ionce it was determined previously that the computer route was inferior to a standalone media server, I thought how much difference can the Jitterbug make from the computer?
So, to be fair to gocubs, I tried this out this weekend. I connected my laptop -> Jitterbug
-> Oyaide usb cable -> iFi USB-spdif converter
-> coax input of K-01 and pressed play...
Well, the result is indeed incredible! Way better than anything that the VRDS Neo transport or media sender/thumbdrive could ever deliver in the past. It isn't that it sounds better because it sounds different but it sounds different simply because it is way, way BETTER! One simply needs to listen to believe. ...
Thanks, gocubs, for pointing me in the right direction, which is to revisit this option but with the Jitterbug now in the chain.
J. :) :) :)
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With regard to the point raised that wav sounds better than flac, I agree. Theoretically. it should but to my ears and in my system. I find it difficult to tell them apart. I find downloaded hi-res files in flac format to sound very good and some websites only provide flac files. Other than that wav files take up too much data space, they also don't do metadata as well as flac.
I am having way too much fun in this hobby and reaping all the benefits simply by keeping an open mind about anything and everything. We can run new experiments, either our own or as suggested by others here, then listen and trust our ears. After a couple of decades in this hobby and having been attuned to our personal systems for some time, one would know whether things sound just different or truly better.
J. :) |
Gocubs999,
Yes, I have tried the Esoteric HRA player some time back without the Jitterbug. It is a no-frills bare bones player that does the job extremely well. It just edges past JRiver in SQ which was not quite night and day for most good recordings. Of course it lacks all the functionality of JRiver.
However the coax route via the Ifi USB-spdif converter was still better than going usb direct, both options with the HRA in play. But I decided to sacrifice this improvement for JRiver's features.
Indeed, with the Jitterbug now, more experiments are forthcoming. Will explore the following options and report back :-
A. Usb + Jitterbug direct to the K-01's usb input with JRiver
B. Usb + Jitterbug direct to the K-01's usb input with the HRA.
Looks like another fun weekend ahead.
Jon. :) |
Gocubs999,
More revelations over the weekend....
First off, I have to thank you many times over for your HRA player suggestion. For me, the HRA player is more of a revisit but I get ahead of myself.
Experiment 1
The first experiment this weekend before even touching the HRA player was to compare the K-01's coax input via the usb-spdif converter to its usb input, both options with the Jitterbug in the chain and using JRiver. I have not been using the K-01's usb input for a while and I thought I should revisit this with the Jitterbug in place. The result is once again spectacular and the usb input + Jitterbug beats the coax input with usb-spdif converter + Jitterbug. The difference is night and day for all sonic parameters.
Experiment 2
Next up, would be to compare JRiver with the HRA player. The result is again most rervealing with the HRA beating out JRiver hands down. The difference is indeed night and day.
Conclusion
It appears that the Jitterbug considerably improves on the performance of the K-01's usb input. That the coax input loses out in experiment 1 above may be due to the limitations of the IFi usb-spdif converter. The result would very likely be different with your mo' better Bel Canto Ref Link.
That the HRA player via the usb direct + Jitterbug pulls ahead of JRiver by leaps and bounds stands to reason in that JRiver is the more bloated software vs. the barebones HRA. Having heard the HRA, I just can't go back to JRiver despite the convenience of the app/remote control.
So, with a $49 addition to my system, I set out to explore how much the overall SQ can be improved and coming to this forum to encounter gocubs999's HRA suggestion, this short but exciting journey has elevated my system to the best that it has ever been to date.
I have a niggling suspicion that the HRA player residing in the PC may just outperform many standalone media servers out there today. But that comparison/experiment would be a long while away. For now, I just can't stop being amazed while listening.....
J. :) :) :) :) :) :) :):)
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I have logged at least 1000 hours for the coax input as I have been using it for quite some time now with my media server as a thumbdrive transport with coax out to the K-01.
The usb input of the K-01 definitely needs more break-in as I have only just revisited this route. Will let you know if I can get the Reflink as a loaner from the local dealer.
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