Does anyone have a digital system that is as involving as their analogue front end?
I have a good analogue front end. Not stratuspherically good but good enough for this comparison. VPI Prime Signature 21 turntable, Pass Labs XP-25 pono preamp, Pass Labs XP-30 preamp and Hovland Radia amp. It has a lovely, very involving sound. On the right recording, I just drop everythng and am drawn in to listen.
My streamer, on the other hand, is decent but not spectacular. It is better than my CD player, but it is not jaw-dropping like my analogue front-end. My question is this: does anyone have a high-end, tier-one streamer (dCS Bartok Apex, Lumin X2, or something like them) that can rival a good analogue system?
No. I’ve taken out Roon ROCK NUC with library on internal SSD and replaced it with dBpoweramp on a Windows NUC using a back of the library on a ReadyNAS controlled by Linn App.
Thanks, I like jPlay, but unfortunately it’s not hapless with Linn DSMs.
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My ethernet run is 35 feet so high-grade audiophile cable would be expensive. But tell me more about the network filter or isolator. BTW, I don't hear any homoginazation on my Pass Labs equipment. My preamp is a newer issue (XP-30) with three boxes, one for power and one for each channel. I replaced an ARC Ref. 3 with it, and it is as good as the Ref. 3 and superior in clarity and clean soundstage. When I say clean, the soundstage might not be as large as the Ref. 3, but it is quite exact in separating and placing instruments. It's very highly reviewed. And, of course, my ultimate test is with well-recorded records which sound amazing on my system. |
@newton_john that’s interesting about gapless and Linn. So even if you enable gapless in jplay settings it’s still a no go? |
@audio-b-dog Pass is great stuff. It leans warm. And so is the MA3. Combination of the two can create the type of presentation you’re describing. As to network filters and isolators, I’m looking to try Matrix Audio SI-1 in the next few months. What this unit can accomplish in your case is provide isolation and enable you to use a shorter, higher quality Ethernet cable. The unit takes copper Ethernet in, converts to fiber internally, reclocks the signal and outputs copper again. |
At present, there is no way to get gapless with jPlay and Linn DSMs. According to jPlay, the problem is that Linn need to add a couple of codes to their firmware. At first, Linn said that this was on their to do list. A couple of years later Linn said that they have no plans to do it. It doesn’t look like it’s ever going to happen. A shame really because jPlay would have been great for me - the best of both worlds - the sound quality of UPnP and the functionality of Roon. With dBpoweramp Asset UPnP and the Linn App my system has never sounded better streaming. I’d like to make the comparison with vinyl, but my phono stage is away for repair. From memory, it must be a close thing. |
