STREAMER - WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE?

Hey @mclinnguy 

good to chat with you again. 

yeah - I considered the Taiko extreme but decided the others are likely better options even though I haven’t auditioned one, I have reason to believe that the others under consideration compare favorably and involve far less “hassle”.

While I’m very intrigued by the Olympus, the price is out of budget. I understand Taiko is working on a v2 of their analog output card which I would expect to be quite good. You’re probably right - this might be the future. But I haven’t heard the MSB Cascade (or Sentinel) yet… 😳

I have come to believe that the streamer and network ahead of the DAC matter more than the DAC. Can't believe I'm saying that, but after hundreds of hours of experimentation that's where I'm at. 

Starting with Tambaqui connected over Ethernet, driven by Roon. This is Tambaqui installed in the Makua, arguably better than stand alone. The Makua is a terrific pre, btw. 

I was ... underwhelmed. Tred a holo audio red feeding dac via AES on Sablon cable. Enormous difference. I was flabbergasted. Shouldn't make a difference like this, doesn't make sense. 

Then I tried my stand alone dac, a very modified Orchid. Much more to my liking. USB is not allowed in my system, have never found this to be better than spdif, even with some very nice cables. 

Then I tried changing the operating system on the holo from stock to Gentooplayer ... another nice step up, more subtle, but still way more than makes any sense to me. 

Then Magna Mano with Gentooplayer which I'm told is quite close to the MU1, which is clearly the best streamer on the market imho. Sure Tailo might have something but I've never heard or talked to anyone who has. Either way Grimm is I think hard to beat for the money. 

Wow, even better. Love the unit. 

Then I added EtherRegen between Mano and my network switch. Another step forward. Then an external clock and LPS for the Etherregen, and between these two this may have been the biggest improvement of all. I don't think it should, but it definitely does in my system. Now comparing running fiber vs Ethernet between switch and etherregen, and while fiber should sound better in theory, Ethernet seems better to me so far, and this is after experimenting with SFP and AIO connections. 

Anyway, after working years on my dac and trying the Tambaqui and all of these experiments, I think we have a lot to learn still about the digital chain ahead of the DAC. 

If you're not using roon, really explore the software of the unit you consider. Some of them are dreadful, and while Roon isn't perfect many folks seem to like it. 

Op

I have an all-Aries Cerat system that includes Essentia Mono, Ageto Pre, Kassandra 2 Ref, and Aurora speakers.  I am just using this to frame where I am coming from.  I find the front end to be super important.  You can debate all day long which is more important in the system, the DAC or the Music Server.  Sometimes it depends on the DAC or MS level you buy.  I have had Lampi Pacific, Horizon and Lumin X-1 in the past.  In my system, I rate the server more important than the DAC ---it is close 55/45.

I have had multiple servers over time.  However, one that has stood out to me is the Lucas Audio LDMS Music Server from Poland.  The owner, Lucas Domansky, is a computer genius.  It is Roon, Tidal, and Qobuz ready.  My current LDMS has a 8 tb hard drive that has over 5 tb's of music already loaded.  Please check out the Lucas Audio Website.  I think it is the best Music Server under $30k bar none and to get a used one for under $10k is a steal. I have often wanted to do an A/B test against the vaunted Taiko cult servers.  I am going to upgrade to a higher-level LDMS in the next two months and will sell my existing server.  I live in Arizona.  I have not listed anything yet, but if you are interested in discussing further, let me know.  

@fire_water asked “What's the size of your room?”

RESPONSE – As stated on my system page, it’s about 15’ x 25’ w/10’ ceilings.  I’m not familiar with the ATC.  The only other speakers that I’m considering are the Sonus Faber Amatis, Serafinos or perhaps the Kef Blades if I can ever find a place that has them setup in Phoenix, LA or San Diego.

@fire_water continued with “@patrickalston that's quite the system, beautiful tubes! Nothing wrong with Rib Eye steaks lol  So you aren't interested in vinyl anymore? I'm torn between the idea of vinyl or upgrading my Accuphase DAC to their flagship.”

RESPONSE – I was all hot and bothered a few months when I bought my Feickert 25^th Anniversary table (which sits unused as seen in my system photo) and have boxes and boxes of sealed albums.  I’m leaning towards cutting my losses with analog and selling my table, the wonderful high-speed Revov B77 Reel-to-Reel, my Magnum Dynalab MD100 Triode tuner and the DMP-A8.  This way, I can focus on getting a streamer, my endgame speakers and perhaps my wet-dream amps, the BAT Rex monoblocks to replace my fantastic VK-120 monos.

@helomech wrote “Didn’t see the OP’s speakers mentioned, but as long as he’s using the tube amps and BAT DAC, there is absolutely no way he is going to hear differences in streamer quality.”

RESPONSE – Hmmm. . .  Let’s hope you’re wrong. I own Martin-Logan CLS 1s, a full-range electrostatic, which are some of the most revealing speakers ever produced which is why I’ve been unable to move away from them in the almost 40 years that I’ve owned them.

I’m curious, how much time have you spent listening to the Rex 3 DAC through Martin-Logan CLS 1s to be able to reach your conclusion? 

What I can share based on my limited time with the Rex 3 DAC is the difference between it + the A8 used as a streamer and the DMP-A8 (streamer/DAC) is extraordinary.  Earlier in this thread, I posted a link to the only review that I could find which describes the Rex DAC as having  the ability to “extract the most information from any digital sources” and it “provides all the detail expected, probably more than one is used to hearing.”  It’s “Sumptuous, detailed, and inviting… without losing sparkle. . .amazing dynamics.”

With that said, once I audition another streamer, then I’ll report back.

@choiceaudio wrote “the USB output is quite good on the N20.  You’re really not sacrificing anything on that end.  I do see your point about not spending money on something that you won’t use, unless the BAT DAC has an AES input? “

RESPONSE:  I can’t throw any shade on the N20.  From what I read, it’s one of the best streamers available.  As I said above, it’s just not the best match for the BAT REX 3 DAC because the N20’s sonic signature and output architecture do not align with the REX 3’s strengths. The BAT REX 3 DAC is architecturally optimized for asynchronous USB.  The REX 3’s USB input is asynchronous, isolated, clock‑controlled internally offering the highest‑performance path.  So,  from the DAC’s perspective, USB is the superior input with these streamers identified as those that pair beautifully with the REX 3:

• Innuos Pulsar
• Innuos Statement
• Lumin U2
• HiFi Rose RS130
• Taiko Extreme
• Auralic Aries G3

That’s why I’m considering the RS130 and the Pulsar and not the popularly suggested N20.

@maam522a wrote “Invest your money in the best DAC you can afford and then let it process all the Ones and Zeros.”  

RESPONSE  - I agree and think that the Rex Dac is the best regardless of price.