Improving on the stream of a combined streamer dac

@dsnyder0cnn 

 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:

Essentially what I see in your post is the buffering of streaming content.  Am I off base here?

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.

@dsnyder0cnn I first heard of this through the Audiophile Foundation and read the write up on their website. I find it quite interesting. However, is Roon Core the only option to make this work?

@clio09 - you wrote:

is Roon Core the only option to make this work?

Diretta protocol is agnostic regarding where the music comes from. The integration I've been using is via AudioLinux, which supports many popular protocols, including UPnP, AirPlay, Signalyst NAA (for HQPlayer), Slimproto (for Lyrion/LMS integration), Spotify Connect (not lossless yet), and several others. No TIDAL Connect or Qobuz Connect since that would require an open-source implementation, but perhaps someday.

Roon already has the most capable UI, but it has long been dogged by sound quality that's inferior to most other solutions. Diretta enables Roon subscribers to enjoy the best UI without having to give up sound quality.