Improving on the stream of a combined streamer dac
I recently (foolishly) compared the streamed sound of my Electrocompanient
ECM 1 Mk II to internally stored digital downloads on the same ( ie not stored in my Small Green Computer server). I was surprised how much better the downloaded files sounded. Perhaps, I was naive to think otherwise. So, I started looking at old audiogon threads to see if I could figure a quick and easy fix to up the sound of the streamer but found little that made sense or was affordable. My question is whether I should continue to search, or if I should take it for what its worth and just listen to the music. The rest of my digital front end: Small Green computer server, a Trendnet unmanaged switch and the ECM. I use a Luna Orange ethernet cable from switch to ECM and a Purist Audio cable to the SGC. Thanks for your advice and happy holidays to all.
Your post was interesting. Now forgive me if this sounds like an inexact analogy. When USB became a popular interface it was quickly noticed that the asynchronous delivery-the music arriving in packets- was adversely affecting the sound due to timing errors. Essentially this was solved by machines storing the packets and then reclocking them. In fact there were CD players that would put about 10 seconds of music in a buffer before playing it, even before streaming dominated the landscape. Essentially what I see in your post is the buffering of streaming content. Am I off base here? |
@rivinyl what are your conclusions on the Boomslang? Any other changes since? |
@mahler123 - you said:
That's half of the equation, yes. The Diretta Host computer buffers streaming content as you have described. I've observed up to eight seconds. To build that buffer, it must receive audio data much faster than real time and typically in packet bursts. For the Diretta design, this is has no negative consequences to audio quality because filling the buffer happens on a computer that's not connected to the DAC. The Diretta Host, then, carefully meters out the audio data in small, precisely timed transmissions over a private point-to-point link to the Diretta Target. The Target receives audio data "just-in-time" with minimal (virtually no) buffering. Its job is simply to copy audio data from the network interface to the a USB DAC or DDC. Network isolation and smooth data delivery with minimal synchronization overhead are what sets this "three-tier" architecture apart. |
