The Dark Side; Digital audio equipment recommendations and setup.

Joe Mac said:
@MikeH the harmony uDAC is really good. Really nice and natural sounding. I’m delighted with it for the price.
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Nice! Was wondering…I gotta see if I’m in the market for a new DAC. Debating switching it up with my office setup and would then sell the Singxer DAC…and get a nicer headphone amp

Ended up picking up some used Sonos for my porch setup for now at a good price.
 
Alright digital folks, I need help with a digital matter. So I did a whole bunch of sound tests tonight with the new amp and came to a few conclusions. The main conclusion is that when comparing the streaming sound out of the amp via a piece of shit ethernet cable that I found in a drawer and probably came free with my old cable box which is running to a wifi extender pod and then is wired into my amp vs just enabling Wi-Fi direct in the amp settings.... the wifi sounds way way way better. Now ideally I would rather not use wifi because I don't want the amp to have any more RFI interference than is absolutely necessary. (Or whatever type of interference is caused by having a wifi transmitter running inside your amp). So I would usually have this function disabled in the amp settings. But my modem is upstairs, so the only way to get a wired signal to the amp directly is to use my wifi extender pod and to wire it from the pod to the amp. Obviously a better cable may help with this but I'm just wondering, is it totally pointless to even bother with a wired connection when it's just going to a signal extender pod rather than directly from the modem? Like what's the established best method for getting the best quality sound to a streamer? I realize this is a loaded question because digital signals blah blah blah but there is absolutely no question that my current wired solution sounds like shit vs just using the onboard wifi. So.... what do I do here if I want the best signal without having to use the on board wifi in the amp?
 
Mather said:
Alright digital folks, I need help with a digital matter. So I did a whole bunch of sound tests tonight with the new amp and came to a few conclusions. The main conclusion is that when comparing the streaming sound out of the amp via a piece of shit ethernet cable that I found in a drawer and probably came free with my old cable box which is running to a wifi extender pod and then is wired into my amp vs just enabling Wi-Fi direct in the amp settings.... the wifi sounds way way way better. Now ideally I would rather not use wifi because I don't want the amp to have any more RFI interference than is absolutely necessary. (Or whatever type of interference is caused by having a wifi transmitter running inside your amp). So I would usually have this function disabled in the amp settings. But my modem is upstairs, so the only way to get a wired signal to the amp directly is to use my wifi extender pod and to wire it from the pod to the amp. Obviously a better cable may help with this but I'm just wondering, is it totally pointless to even bother with a wired connection when it's just going to a signal extender pod rather than directly from the modem? Like what's the established best method for getting the best quality sound to a streamer? I realize this is a loaded question because digital signals blah blah blah but there is absolutely no question that my current wired solution sounds like shit vs just using the onboard wifi. So.... what do I do here if I want the best signal without having to use the on board wifi in the amp?
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I’ve always found that once the signal is strong enough to reach and not buffer that WiFi sounds better. Damned if I know why. Once you have a WiFi signal in a space that’s the radio waves there and if they’re going to cause interference they’ll do it whether your transmitter is on or off. What kind of WiFi puck are you using? I used to use google ones and you can run a cable out of them into the amps Ethernet port if you really want. If you want to go down a really weird rabbit hole there are audiophile Ethernet switches and cables.
 
Mather said:
Alright digital folks, I need help with a digital matter. So I did a whole bunch of sound tests tonight with the new amp and came to a few conclusions. The main conclusion is that when comparing the streaming sound out of the amp via a piece of shit ethernet cable that I found in a drawer and probably came free with my old cable box which is running to a wifi extender pod and then is wired into my amp vs just enabling Wi-Fi direct in the amp settings.... the wifi sounds way way way better. Now ideally I would rather not use wifi because I don't want the amp to have any more RFI interference than is absolutely necessary. (Or whatever type of interference is caused by having a wifi transmitter running inside your amp). So I would usually have this function disabled in the amp settings. But my modem is upstairs, so the only way to get a wired signal to the amp directly is to use my wifi extender pod and to wire it from the pod to the amp. Obviously a better cable may help with this but I'm just wondering, is it totally pointless to even bother with a wired connection when it's just going to a signal extender pod rather than directly from the modem? Like what's the established best method for getting the best quality sound to a streamer? I realize this is a loaded question because digital signals blah blah blah but there is absolutely no question that my current wired solution sounds like shit vs just using the onboard wifi. So.... what do I do here if I want the best signal without having to use the on board wifi in the amp?
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My SACD 30n is plugged into the ethernet port on my Wi-Fi extender… If I’m being honest, I just assumed using the hard wire would be best. Haven’t tried the Wi-Fi connection to compare sound. Guess I should..
 
Mather said:
Alright digital folks, I need help with a digital matter. So I did a whole bunch of sound tests tonight with the new amp and came to a few conclusions. The main conclusion is that when comparing the streaming sound out of the amp via a piece of shit ethernet cable that I found in a drawer and probably came free with my old cable box which is running to a wifi extender pod and then is wired into my amp vs just enabling Wi-Fi direct in the amp settings.... the wifi sounds way way way better. Now ideally I would rather not use wifi because I don't want the amp to have any more RFI interference than is absolutely necessary. (Or whatever type of interference is caused by having a wifi transmitter running inside your amp). So I would usually have this function disabled in the amp settings. But my modem is upstairs, so the only way to get a wired signal to the amp directly is to use my wifi extender pod and to wire it from the pod to the amp. Obviously a better cable may help with this but I'm just wondering, is it totally pointless to even bother with a wired connection when it's just going to a signal extender pod rather than directly from the modem? Like what's the established best method for getting the best quality sound to a streamer? I realize this is a loaded question because digital signals blah blah blah but there is absolutely no question that my current wired solution sounds like shit vs just using the onboard wifi. So.... what do I do here if I want the best signal without having to use the on board wifi in the amp?
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Trust your ears. If the wifi sounds better than use the wifi. As @Joe Mac you can go down the rabbit hole of running a hard wire and using “audiophile” Ethernet switches and spend lots of money that way or just enjoy how it sounds on wifi.
 
Mather said:
Like what's the established best method for getting the best quality sound to a streamer?
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Welcome to another rabbit hole of audio. I have several friends that are very deep in this rabbit whole, and the ones that all go the deepest agree on a few things very consistently for digital audio. Note, what I’m about to layout has been consistent, but all of the folks that have gone this deep are working with six figure systems in dedicated rooms.

Principle #1 - start from the wall and work your way out.
#2 - a high quality network switch can help your digital chain the most.
#3 - a wired connection is superior *if you take these efforts
#3 - all of your network gear can (and should) be using linear power supplies.
#4 - keep network gear several feet away from other components.

When it comes to these types of components, I know a few brands exist, but Silent Angel is the only one I know off the top of my head.

Also, having said all of that... I stream using wifi. I don’t have a ton of interest in this rabbit hole. Streaming will always serve as an easier option for bouncing around and exploring new music that I might want to buy on vinyl or CD.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.
 
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Mather said:
Alright digital folks, I need help with a digital matter. So I did a whole bunch of sound tests tonight with the new amp and came to a few conclusions. The main conclusion is that when comparing the streaming sound out of the amp via a piece of shit ethernet cable that I found in a drawer and probably came free with my old cable box which is running to a wifi extender pod and then is wired into my amp vs just enabling Wi-Fi direct in the amp settings.... the wifi sounds way way way better. Now ideally I would rather not use wifi because I don't want the amp to have any more RFI interference than is absolutely necessary. (Or whatever type of interference is caused by having a wifi transmitter running inside your amp). So I would usually have this function disabled in the amp settings. But my modem is upstairs, so the only way to get a wired signal to the amp directly is to use my wifi extender pod and to wire it from the pod to the amp. Obviously a better cable may help with this but I'm just wondering, is it totally pointless to even bother with a wired connection when it's just going to a signal extender pod rather than directly from the modem? Like what's the established best method for getting the best quality sound to a streamer? I realize this is a loaded question because digital signals blah blah blah but there is absolutely no question that my current wired solution sounds like shit vs just using the onboard wifi. So.... what do I do here if I want the best signal without having to use the on board wifi in the amp?
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“ChatGP please summarize @Mather ‘s overly long post and supply a suggestion.”

“Just tell him to spend more money on cables and also to replace the lights in his kitchen”
 
displayname said:
Welcome to another rabbit hole of audio. I have several friends that are very deep in this rabbit whole, and the ones that all go the deepest agree on a few things very consistently for digital audio. Note, what I’m about to layout has been consistent, but all of the folks that have gone this deep are working with six figure systems in dedicated rooms.

Principle #1 - start from the wall and work your way out.
#2 - a high quality network switch can help your digital chain the most.
#3 - a wired connection is superior *if you take these efforts
#3 - all of your network gear can (and should) be using linear power supplies.
#4 - keep network gear several feet away from other components.

When it comes to these types components, I know a few brands exist, but Silent Angel is the only one I know off the top of my head.

Also, having said all of that,,, I stream using wifi. I don’t have a ton of interest in this rabbit hole. Streaming will always serve as an easier option for bouncing around and exploring new music that I might want to buy on vinyl or CD.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.
Click to expand...

LHY, who I’m 90% sure are the same company as Jays who make my transport, have a range of audiophile switches and I think SoTM does as well. As a starting point I know ifi do a little in line thing that supposedly cleans up an Ethernet connection. I’m not endorsing any of these and don’t really have an interest in them.

displayname said:
I agree with this whole heartedly.

There’s a rabbit hole if you want it, but even as you explore it, this is the way.
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Yes this. I have a tele, the various boxes attached to it, the sonos surround sound, hue lights, my phone, my iPad, my laptop and probably a myriad of other things within a metre or two of my hifi. Connecting it by Ethernet isn’t going to help anything in terms of RFI. For whatever reason my streaming sounds better over WiFi so I just go with it.
 
 
Joe Mac said:
For whatever reason my streaming sounds better over WiFi so I just go with it.
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You'll hear companies take different stances on this as well. Most companies prefer a wired connection, but Auralic for example has wifi in most of their units, and advertises it as preferable from a sound quality perspective. This could also come down to equipment design as well.
 
jamieanderson1968 said:
“ChatGP please summarize @Mather ‘s overly long post and supply a suggestion.”

“Just tell him to spend more money on cables and also to replace the lights in his kitchen”
Click to expand...

iu
 
Joe Mac said:
I’ve always found that once the signal is strong enough to reach and not buffer that WiFi sounds better. Damned if I know why. Once you have a WiFi signal in a space that’s the radio waves there and if they’re going to cause interference they’ll do it whether your transmitter is on or off. What kind of WiFi puck are you using? I used to use google ones and you can run a cable out of them into the amps Ethernet port if you really want. If you want to go down a really weird rabbit hole there are audiophile Ethernet switches and cables.
Click to expand...
Yeah they're Google home pods. I ran the ethernet cable from one and that's what I had been using, and what I compared the wifi to and it sounded awful comparatively. I think I'll run the wifi for streaming and set it to be disabled when using vinyl as it won't be needed at that point. Best of both worlds.
 
Mather said:
Yeah they're Google home pods. I ran the ethernet cable from one and that's what I had been using, and what I compared the wifi to and it sounded awful comparatively. I think I'll run the wifi for streaming and set it to be disabled when using vinyl as it won't be needed at that point. Best of both worlds.
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I'm a curmudgeon when it comes to cable and digital hocus pocus, as you know. In this case, WiFi direct is cheaper and perceived to be better - just go with it and don't worry.
 
MikeH said:
ordered a headphone amp last night to replace the schitt. topping A70 pro. got an open box one on ebay. been doing more headphone listening in my office (digital and vinyl) and wasn't all that impressed with the magni.
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I've heard good things about the A70 Pro; would love to know your opinion of it.
 
MikeH said:
ordered a headphone amp last night to replace the schitt. topping A70 pro. got an open box one on ebay. been doing more headphone listening in my office (digital and vinyl) and wasn't all that impressed with the magni.
Click to expand...
My favorite headphone amp at the moment is the Ifi Zen CAN. Lots of power and a couple of nice sound enhancing features.

Look forward to hearing your thoughts on the A70.
 
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