Digital Front Ends: Thoughts and the HiFace.
Posted by: Mr Underhill on 22 December 2009
I have been pondering on what to do about my digital front end over the last three years.
I felt that things are moving quickly, and decided to sit things out, since being burned in the DVDA/SACD debacle. As a result I have ended up with a series of HiRes files, which I have added to via various download purchases.
In the meanwhile BluRay does seem to have gained some traction and small numbers of audio discs have been produced using their HiRes formats.
So what should I purchase to help me to handle this collection?
This report is going into detail on one of the possible ways forward I have considered, that is to use an older XP based laptop using the MTech HiFace USB-SPDIF converter.
Before doing that I'd like to introduce some of the other options I have been cogitating, and the reasons why some have been rejected; if that is just TOO much information then please feel free to scroll down to Laptop/HiFace below!
Requirement
-----------
My sole aim is the BEST sound quality I can get from the digital format.
I do NOT care about convenience or communicating with low quality mass media, such as Spotify; I have other plans for that.
Ideally I would like to have a front end that can cope with a wide range of possible digital sources, that is:
DVD; DVD-A; SACD; CD; HDCD; BluRay; wav files; flac files etc.
But this is 'nice to have', 'must have' is:
wav files; flac files.
I can certainly buy the media and remove the files from all but one of these, BluRay.
I am not convinced about BluRay, having bought a recent Dodo of a format! I am very firmly sitting this one out.
As Bob Stuart wisely noted the existence of a hardware/software format means nothing if there is a dearth of actual software.
I would like it to output:
Possibly direct audio; SPDIF, at least 9624; Possibly HDMI.
However, this is purely for AUDIO. I will handle visual material in another way, so the 'must have' is:
spdif.
Current Front End
-----------------
The DVD standard allows the creation of DVDs with 9624 soundtracks, and so this is what I have done for playback via Naim DVD5 or Meridian 596 into a Benchmark DAC1 (see below).
I initially persuaded myself that the 596, which theoretically outputs 9624 via the spdif (I haven't tested the output), was better. Having listened to the 596 for a few weeks I switched back to the DVD5, and stuck.
Having phoned Naim they couldn't give me a definitive answer BUT they believe that the spdif outputs:
CD Source: 16bit, 44.1KHz
DVD Source: 16bit, 48KHz.
This sounds very good. Good enough that I can go without feeling the desperate need to play vinyl during listening sessions, playing back through:
Benchmark DAC1 > EAR864/EAR534 > Living Audio Auditorium IIs.
Possible Front Ends
-------------------
Oppo BluRay:
At one time this looked like a really effective way of accessing a range of digital media, not just physical media, that is: BluRay; DVD; DVD-A; SACD and CD; but also files. However, Oppo appear to have lobotomised the USB interfaces, so that they can only access a limited number of file format types, and that doesn't include WAV or Flac.
The reviews appear to have been good, but the audio quality is not truly audiophile, and so I also considered the Modwright.
Modwright Oppo BluRay:
Thanks to natsc we have been able to get a view on this box, but:
1. It still has the network/file limitations;
2. I can't demo it before purchase;
3. If something goes wrong I have to send it back to the US;
4. Despite two emails to Dan I got no reply.
Mac Mini:
I got VERY close to buying one of these; and I still might.
Bottom line is that I consider this to be the heart of a multimedia setup, not audio.
I posted a thread on two Mini fora asking for mods that had been done to cut down on extraeneous daemons & drivers - and got no posts.
In the PC world there is a very active and ongoing series of debates about this topic wrt Windoze.
My feeling is that Mac owners are happy to upgrade the hardware, but leave OSX alone.
The first step has to be the cheapest option, giving me a benchmark against which to test this.
So, currently on hold peding the laptop/MTech experiment.
Dell Zerina HD:
As Mac Mini.
On hold.
PC Laptop:
Dell D820/MTech HiFace - see below.
CICS Player:
Really liked the look of this. One man's quest to get the very best out of Windows for audiophile playback.
He has: Built a minimal audio server; Hacked Windows back to the minimum; Modified the Julia sound card, to present a well received dedicated audio file player.
So, why not build one?
Well it is relatively cheap - approx £600, but I still can't listen up front, and £600 IS £600!
I enjoyed trawling Audio Asylum and following the thinking, especially wrt cutting back the swiss army knife that is any modern operating system. He had even experimented with the amount of physical memory to use, and come to a counter-intuitive empirical conclusion.
On Hold.
PS Audio Transporter:
A tad under three grand, so in no way cheap.
This box is not a server, in that it does not store music files. It reads them into a memory buffer and the passes them on to a DAC.
I think this is a good looking box that could be the answer for many people, I exchanged a number of interesting emails with them. One issue I asked about was why no BluRay reader? The answer was that they are not sure whether BluRay has a future, seeing direct download as a real competitor.
I currently have a Meridian 596 sitting in my rack. This uses FIFO in a similar manner, and it doesn't do that much for me with rock/pop music. I would need to audition this for an extended period to be convinced, and would still have to handle HiDef files by producing my own DVDs, which would rule out 192/24.
Definite NO.
Naim HDX:
I tracked this closely during development, when it was mooted to cost £2.5k, it was firmly in my 'to audition' list; at £4.5k it is NOT. I have listened to it a couple of times and consider it to be a beautiful piece of design, not a giant leap in terms of audiophile file handling - yet.
A definite NO.
Naim NS01:
If not the HDX why the NS01? Price.
I don't really like having computers in the living room! Having a convenient, well designed ripping machine that can access other files across a network IS a great idea, and the NS01 is more in my price bracket.
Possible.
Arcam MS01:
When I read about this box I thought this might well be for me. Saw one on sale for £1200 and got a bit excited, there were just a couple of things I needed to find out.
I phoned there 'technical support', who then opened the manual, which I had already checked via the internet, and told me they didn't know as it wasn't in there - hopeless.
The questions were:
1. What is the spdif output? and
2. Can I replace the internal HDDs with SSDs.
I eventually found the answer to (1) in a cached web-page = 44.1KHz / 16 bit. So that ended that.
Definite NO.
Middleware
----------
Benchmark DAC1:
I bought this box when they were still an internet fora hit. I compared one to a Chord DAC64 I had on loan, and decided they were comparable in quality - but one was a third the price of the other!
I do think the audio quality is very high, and that I haven't heard the best from it yet.
NAIM DAC:
To be auditioned as soon as possible, and this is my possible Spotify conduit!
Dell D820 / MTech HiFace
------------------------
I have an old Benchmark DAC1, and so I have no USB input; I have therefore been tracking USB Spdif convertors for years; and considered a number for purchase, but demurred. Why? I wanted full 192/24 if possible.
Having read about the HiFace MTech I really wanted Linux drivers, but felt unable to wait; and so have borrowed one via Purite Audio, and my wife is buying it for me for Christmas. Which probably short-hands this review!
The DELL D820 is an old laptop that has been gathering dust under my bed for months. It is a dual cpu T2600 with 2GB of RAM and an 80GB HDD.
The XP build was standard and so I used the instructions on the CICS CMP2 site to strip it down to the bare minimum: No network; Native screen resolution, that is no processing overhead; Every service stopped but two.
I loaded up Foobar2000 and added the kernel streaming DLL.
I loaded the HiFace drivers and plugged in the widget, which was loaded up, and then set the Foobar2000 output options as directed.
Having completed this I played Hotel California, and was gob-smacked. This is a 9624 file.
Having listened I reconnected the DVD5 and replayed the DVD. There was NO DOUBT, what I was hearing was better controlled more resolved base. Better detail. Better resolved music elements.
So, I was hearing a HiRes file properly for the first time! Well, err .....no!
HiRes -vs- LowRes
-----------------
Having been wowed I thought I'd try a standard flac file, and so used sound-juicer, a standard ubuntu install, to rip my CD of Jools Holland's 'Best of Friends'.
Now this is a CD that I recently bought, and fell in love with, it is great, really - buy it!
I played the CD through the DVD5 and the moved to the flac file; the step up in quality was equally apparent!
Ideally I would like to test a HiDef file with a LowDef file of the same recording mixed in the same way - so that the ONLY variable is the data rate; but HOW can you do that?
Well, as it happens I can.
On Sunday (20/12) I recorded my Church Choir as we sang our Carol Service, I recorded this via my digital recorder at 9624.
I then used Audacity to scale the files back to 44.1KHz 16bit.
The Listening Test
------------------
Well - I can't tell any difference! I asked my eldest to have a listen, and she thought the 44.1 track was clearer; BUT, these tracks are a small choir plus an electronic piano.
So, does this threaten the primacy of my LP12/Aro/Geddon/Dynavector? No. Not that the LP12 wins hands down, but the positives of the digital front-end tend to be HiFi, whereas the LP12 is music.
Conclusion
----------
I am DEEPLY impressed by an old laptop + the HiFace MTech, I am listening to it at the moment.
......and I'm looking forward to demoing the Naim DAC!
M
I felt that things are moving quickly, and decided to sit things out, since being burned in the DVDA/SACD debacle. As a result I have ended up with a series of HiRes files, which I have added to via various download purchases.
In the meanwhile BluRay does seem to have gained some traction and small numbers of audio discs have been produced using their HiRes formats.
So what should I purchase to help me to handle this collection?
This report is going into detail on one of the possible ways forward I have considered, that is to use an older XP based laptop using the MTech HiFace USB-SPDIF converter.
Before doing that I'd like to introduce some of the other options I have been cogitating, and the reasons why some have been rejected; if that is just TOO much information then please feel free to scroll down to Laptop/HiFace below!
Requirement
-----------
My sole aim is the BEST sound quality I can get from the digital format.
I do NOT care about convenience or communicating with low quality mass media, such as Spotify; I have other plans for that.
Ideally I would like to have a front end that can cope with a wide range of possible digital sources, that is:
DVD; DVD-A; SACD; CD; HDCD; BluRay; wav files; flac files etc.
But this is 'nice to have', 'must have' is:
wav files; flac files.
I can certainly buy the media and remove the files from all but one of these, BluRay.
I am not convinced about BluRay, having bought a recent Dodo of a format! I am very firmly sitting this one out.
As Bob Stuart wisely noted the existence of a hardware/software format means nothing if there is a dearth of actual software.
I would like it to output:
Possibly direct audio; SPDIF, at least 9624; Possibly HDMI.
However, this is purely for AUDIO. I will handle visual material in another way, so the 'must have' is:
spdif.
Current Front End
-----------------
The DVD standard allows the creation of DVDs with 9624 soundtracks, and so this is what I have done for playback via Naim DVD5 or Meridian 596 into a Benchmark DAC1 (see below).
I initially persuaded myself that the 596, which theoretically outputs 9624 via the spdif (I haven't tested the output), was better. Having listened to the 596 for a few weeks I switched back to the DVD5, and stuck.
Having phoned Naim they couldn't give me a definitive answer BUT they believe that the spdif outputs:
CD Source: 16bit, 44.1KHz
DVD Source: 16bit, 48KHz.
This sounds very good. Good enough that I can go without feeling the desperate need to play vinyl during listening sessions, playing back through:
Benchmark DAC1 > EAR864/EAR534 > Living Audio Auditorium IIs.
Possible Front Ends
-------------------
Oppo BluRay:
At one time this looked like a really effective way of accessing a range of digital media, not just physical media, that is: BluRay; DVD; DVD-A; SACD and CD; but also files. However, Oppo appear to have lobotomised the USB interfaces, so that they can only access a limited number of file format types, and that doesn't include WAV or Flac.
The reviews appear to have been good, but the audio quality is not truly audiophile, and so I also considered the Modwright.
Modwright Oppo BluRay:
Thanks to natsc we have been able to get a view on this box, but:
1. It still has the network/file limitations;
2. I can't demo it before purchase;
3. If something goes wrong I have to send it back to the US;
4. Despite two emails to Dan I got no reply.
Mac Mini:
I got VERY close to buying one of these; and I still might.
Bottom line is that I consider this to be the heart of a multimedia setup, not audio.
I posted a thread on two Mini fora asking for mods that had been done to cut down on extraeneous daemons & drivers - and got no posts.
In the PC world there is a very active and ongoing series of debates about this topic wrt Windoze.
My feeling is that Mac owners are happy to upgrade the hardware, but leave OSX alone.
The first step has to be the cheapest option, giving me a benchmark against which to test this.
So, currently on hold peding the laptop/MTech experiment.
Dell Zerina HD:
As Mac Mini.
On hold.
PC Laptop:
Dell D820/MTech HiFace - see below.
CICS Player:
Really liked the look of this. One man's quest to get the very best out of Windows for audiophile playback.
He has: Built a minimal audio server; Hacked Windows back to the minimum; Modified the Julia sound card, to present a well received dedicated audio file player.
So, why not build one?
Well it is relatively cheap - approx £600, but I still can't listen up front, and £600 IS £600!
I enjoyed trawling Audio Asylum and following the thinking, especially wrt cutting back the swiss army knife that is any modern operating system. He had even experimented with the amount of physical memory to use, and come to a counter-intuitive empirical conclusion.
On Hold.
PS Audio Transporter:
A tad under three grand, so in no way cheap.
This box is not a server, in that it does not store music files. It reads them into a memory buffer and the passes them on to a DAC.
I think this is a good looking box that could be the answer for many people, I exchanged a number of interesting emails with them. One issue I asked about was why no BluRay reader? The answer was that they are not sure whether BluRay has a future, seeing direct download as a real competitor.
I currently have a Meridian 596 sitting in my rack. This uses FIFO in a similar manner, and it doesn't do that much for me with rock/pop music. I would need to audition this for an extended period to be convinced, and would still have to handle HiDef files by producing my own DVDs, which would rule out 192/24.
Definite NO.
Naim HDX:
I tracked this closely during development, when it was mooted to cost £2.5k, it was firmly in my 'to audition' list; at £4.5k it is NOT. I have listened to it a couple of times and consider it to be a beautiful piece of design, not a giant leap in terms of audiophile file handling - yet.
A definite NO.
Naim NS01:
If not the HDX why the NS01? Price.
I don't really like having computers in the living room! Having a convenient, well designed ripping machine that can access other files across a network IS a great idea, and the NS01 is more in my price bracket.
Possible.
Arcam MS01:
When I read about this box I thought this might well be for me. Saw one on sale for £1200 and got a bit excited, there were just a couple of things I needed to find out.
I phoned there 'technical support', who then opened the manual, which I had already checked via the internet, and told me they didn't know as it wasn't in there - hopeless.
The questions were:
1. What is the spdif output? and
2. Can I replace the internal HDDs with SSDs.
I eventually found the answer to (1) in a cached web-page = 44.1KHz / 16 bit. So that ended that.
Definite NO.
Middleware
----------
Benchmark DAC1:
I bought this box when they were still an internet fora hit. I compared one to a Chord DAC64 I had on loan, and decided they were comparable in quality - but one was a third the price of the other!
I do think the audio quality is very high, and that I haven't heard the best from it yet.
NAIM DAC:
To be auditioned as soon as possible, and this is my possible Spotify conduit!
Dell D820 / MTech HiFace
------------------------
I have an old Benchmark DAC1, and so I have no USB input; I have therefore been tracking USB Spdif convertors for years; and considered a number for purchase, but demurred. Why? I wanted full 192/24 if possible.
Having read about the HiFace MTech I really wanted Linux drivers, but felt unable to wait; and so have borrowed one via Purite Audio, and my wife is buying it for me for Christmas. Which probably short-hands this review!
The DELL D820 is an old laptop that has been gathering dust under my bed for months. It is a dual cpu T2600 with 2GB of RAM and an 80GB HDD.
The XP build was standard and so I used the instructions on the CICS CMP2 site to strip it down to the bare minimum: No network; Native screen resolution, that is no processing overhead; Every service stopped but two.
I loaded up Foobar2000 and added the kernel streaming DLL.
I loaded the HiFace drivers and plugged in the widget, which was loaded up, and then set the Foobar2000 output options as directed.
Having completed this I played Hotel California, and was gob-smacked. This is a 9624 file.
Having listened I reconnected the DVD5 and replayed the DVD. There was NO DOUBT, what I was hearing was better controlled more resolved base. Better detail. Better resolved music elements.
So, I was hearing a HiRes file properly for the first time! Well, err .....no!
HiRes -vs- LowRes
-----------------
Having been wowed I thought I'd try a standard flac file, and so used sound-juicer, a standard ubuntu install, to rip my CD of Jools Holland's 'Best of Friends'.
Now this is a CD that I recently bought, and fell in love with, it is great, really - buy it!
I played the CD through the DVD5 and the moved to the flac file; the step up in quality was equally apparent!
Ideally I would like to test a HiDef file with a LowDef file of the same recording mixed in the same way - so that the ONLY variable is the data rate; but HOW can you do that?
Well, as it happens I can.
On Sunday (20/12) I recorded my Church Choir as we sang our Carol Service, I recorded this via my digital recorder at 9624.
I then used Audacity to scale the files back to 44.1KHz 16bit.
The Listening Test
------------------
Well - I can't tell any difference! I asked my eldest to have a listen, and she thought the 44.1 track was clearer; BUT, these tracks are a small choir plus an electronic piano.
So, does this threaten the primacy of my LP12/Aro/Geddon/Dynavector? No. Not that the LP12 wins hands down, but the positives of the digital front-end tend to be HiFi, whereas the LP12 is music.
Conclusion
----------
I am DEEPLY impressed by an old laptop + the HiFace MTech, I am listening to it at the moment.
......and I'm looking forward to demoing the Naim DAC!
M