Transporter vs Separate DAC

I generally upgrade Squeezecenter when new features are introduced that interest me rather than every time. I think I'm currently running 7.3.1 - would check, but the power supply on the server running it failed last night... another job for the weekend...!

I've never noticed any reduction in sound quality following an upgrade - must be the banana plugs.

I will be looking into a Streaming solution to use with my Imaginary/Future Naim DAC.

Is there a maximum playlist size with the Transporter or SB?

Can I use the SB or Trans with the player of my choice on my PC?

quote:

Originally posted by ROTF:

Peter Gabriel – vocals, flute, percussion, oboe
Steve Hackett – guitar
Tony Banks – organ, guitar, piano, electric piano, mellotron, vocals
Mike Rutherford – bass, guitar, vocals, bass pedals, cello

I could have swore there were drums on this album....
No love for Phil Collins?? I know he basically ruined a great band, but come on.... if he had died in '78 he would be in the RocknRoll Hall of Fame.......... oh wait...

quote:

Can I use the SB or Trans with the player of my choice on my PC?

They work in conjunction with the Squeezecenter software that you install on the PC (or MAC,Linux, quite a few NAS devices). You can then select tracks, playlists, etc using either the remote control for the device or a web based interface that can be accessed from either the PC storing the music or from any PC on your local network. In my case the music and Squeezecenter software are on a Mac Mini in another room in the house and I select music using a small laptop in the same room as the HiFi. There is even an app that turns an iPhone/iPod Touch into a remote control for Squeezecenter.

So i cannot use it as a Ethernet output to my DAC, and use it with Foobar?

Another reason to get a USB DAC and do away with the middleman.

If I dont want a puter near my kit I'll just drill holes.

USB cables can get quite long.

quote:

Originally posted by DaveBk:
I generally upgrade Squeezecenter when new features are introduced that interest me rather than every time. I think I'm currently running 7.3.1 - would check, but the power supply on the server running it failed last night... another job for the weekend...!

I've never noticed any reduction in sound quality following an upgrade - must be the banana plugs.

Thanks Davebk

It was indeed the bananas. I had my dealer refitted the plugs now William De Rosa's piano playing of Rachmaninoff is sounding heroic again.

Sean Adams is right, us fools are too paranoid.

thanks matt,

I have seen the SB iPhone app. And I played around with the squeezecenter about a year ago.

I cannot get along with the player unfortunately.

I was seriously hoping I could use the SB as an Ethernet output, like a soundcard. The same way I would use a USB DAC as the output in Foobar.

I've been very interested in the transporter since it was first released. I record live music in 24/96 as a hobby and have been trying to find a good solution for playing back those files at that quality or even 24/196 on my HiFi system.

I am an Apple user and have wifi set up using airport express. I would like to keep all my music files on my MacPro desktop located upstairs from my Hifi system and control it with my iPhone.

As I understand it, you cant play 24/96 files over wifi with the Transporter right? My computer is too far to run wires so will I have to setup a NAS system? Can some non PC user help describe exactly what I would need in addition to the transporter to make this work?

Many thanks,
Ryan

quote:

Originally posted by ryanr:
As I understand it, you cant play 24/96 files over wifi with the Transporter right? My computer is too far to run wires so will I have to setup a NAS system? Can some non PC user help describe exactly what I would need in addition to the transporter to make this work?

>>you cant play 24/96 files over wifi with the Transporter right?
You can run serve Squeezecenter music wirelessly. This depends on the quality of your wifi connection is. The transporter supports 802.11G which in theory is max 54Mbps. But the best I achieved is about 10Mbps over wireless.

A non-compressed WAV file at 24bit/96Khz/Stereo takes about 4.6Mbps. With FLAC compression you typically get about 35% compression. So the bandwidth requirement is about 3Mbps.

This means that in theory it should stream over your wireless LAN with no problem.

My Transporter is connected with CAT5 100Mbpx Ethernet, and my Laptop Squeeze Server is usually connected in wireless. I manage to stream 24/96 FLAC files with no problem. but it does sometimes rebuffer.

>>Can some non PC user help describe exactly what I would need in addition to the transporter to make this work

You should install SqueezeCenter in your Mac. if you have a built in large drive or a USB Drive than you can configure Squeezecenter to access these file directly.

If you use a NAS drive, there are NAS drives that have Squeezecenter pre-installed. In which case you do not need to turn on your Mac. But they are typically very slow due to low memory and slow CPU. The best way is to run Squeezecenter from your Mac.

There are some interesting comments about NAIM grounding issues on the Logitech forum from the designer of the Transporter:

http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?t=59264&page=5

"I am guessing from your handle that you have a Naim amp. I have heard of all manner of grounding malfunctions with Naim but hardly any other brand. I suspect there is a designer there with a very peculiar view of how grounding is supposed to work... "

quote:

Originally posted by likesmusic:
"......I suspect there is a designer there with a very peculiar view of how grounding is supposed to work... [/i]"

That should explain why the NAIM kit sounds so much better than other kit...

24/96 works just fine for me over wifi, and the Transporter ties singnal ground to mains ground so no issues as the sole source in a Naim system.

quote:

Originally posted by DaveBk:
24/96 works just fine for me over wifi, and the Transporter ties singnal ground to mains ground so no issues as the sole source in a Naim system.

DaveBK, all that grounding lingo is Greek to me. But I wonder if I can connect the IEC out of Transporter to my Graham Hydra, which consists of 202/200/Hicap/NAPSC.

I know that Graham HiFi stated that the hydra is for Naim equipment only. Is connecting a Transporter to the Hydra going to kill it?

Secondly, have you tried the transporter with a Powerline?

JYOW,

I've no experience of using a Hydra with the Transporter, but I do use a Powerline. Sorry if the answer now gets complex... The Transporter uses multiple very high quality linear power supplies for all its audio circuits, but does use a switched mode power supply for its display and the cpu. I posted some questions on the Slim Devices forum worrying that the SMPS could impact the quality of the sound, and was assured by their founder that in their tests there was no negative impact. Not completely convinced, and Following the issues Naim had with the very early HDX which also uses a SMPS I decided to replace the unit in the Transporter with a linear power supply of my own design - Google "Transporter SMPS" to find the thread.

Once I had replaced the PS I was happy to have the Transporter on the same dedicated radial as my 252. Had I not done this, my dealer and I had decided to keep it away from the preamp just in case any RF interference from the SMPS could impact the sensitive circuits in the 252.

With all this done, I tried a Powerline as well and was impressed by the extra 'blackness' of the quiet musical passages and a bit more control of the bass. I now use powerlines on a three components - Transporter, SC2/252 and 300.

Hope that helps, but with a unmodified Transporter you may find things different.

Dave