Thanks and final questions (sorry):
- How do you like the Innuos vs Melco?
- What models of both?
- What improved SQ-wise vs Nucleus
- If I understand your streamer is the Rossini, correct?
Thanks again.
Hi Franco,
I try to give you my view here.
How do you like the Innuos vs Melco?
Both top, imho the Melco plays a tad more open, Innuos a tad more “harmonic”. BUT ! the GUI, handling experience and setup with Innuos is easy vs Melco. Apart from that, it has 8TB SSD and a build in CD ripper. Frankly, I could live with both…
What models of both?
Melco was a NH/60 (can’t remember exactyl the model here, it had 2x HDD build in), now I’m using an Innuos NextGen with 8TB (power supply comes from Sean Jacob)
What improved SQ-wise vs Nucleus
I can use Nucleus with roon to play music as well.
If I understand your streamer is the Rossini, correct?
Right, build in steamer (imho the best way to play music, but I love to hear others thinking as well
)
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Thanks. You haven’t replied to my third question, though 
Innuos and Melco direct stream vs Roon sound better- if that was your question.
I know some say that it’s rubbish and that Roon does’t has a sound signature…but I don’t use Roon for critical listening 
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Thanks. Will try to audition some and report back.
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They already cooperate, on two fronts;
-
Incorporating Roon’s end-point RAAT protocol stack into the dCS code base (network streaming interface), and
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Roon Ready Certification to validate that everything works as it should and is bit-perfect (ie. there’s no impact to sound quality).
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Wow! Cannot help but feel your response comes across as being unnecessarily defensive, Pete.
The choice of the word “friendly” was just for the sake of bringing across a message. I could have used any other or a combination, e.g. gui, navigation, selection, look & feel, etc. All it takes is for dCS’s R&D team to get access into the various front-ends offered by the likes of Aurender, Melco, Lumin, including Audials, Audirvana, etc. to understand what a good look and feel cum navigation front-end should look like. A good front-end app will do much justice to dCS’s excellent offerings. Or, should we hold back from saying or writing anything which may come across as being “dCS negative” ?
Boy unless something has changed in th last couple of years dCS has noted in the past that Mosaic was not designed or developed to be a competitor to Roon like offerings. Many individuals keep wanting it to be something it was never intended to be.
I for one do not want dCS to spend hours developing something I can get elsewhere. Stick to improving hardware offerings especially in the Vivaldi range.
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Does anyone have experience on what’s the best way of connecting a Pink Faun 2.16 Ultra streamer to a Vivaldi Apex full stack system. The dealer says USB but I’m not convinced.
Going to audition this device in my own system soon.
Thanks guys.
With the Pink Faun you don’t have that much of a choice:
- No clock inputs on any of their ”bridges” (output cards) so no integration with the Vivaldi clocking architecture.
- Choice of USB, SPDIF, AES and I²S bridges. Vivaldi does not offer an I²S input leaving you with the first three.
- Of these three afaik only the USB bridge supports DSD.
So if you need DSD capability it looks like you only have one choice. If not you could compare USB and AES.
Of course I need DSD capability.
So USB is the only option? Would it allow use of clock and upsampler in the Vivaldi as designed? Does it change from 44 to 48 automatically?
What about only connecting it via ethernet and rely on the streamer of the Vivaldi Upsampler? Meaning use it as a server only. This would replace a Roon Nucleus.
If you need DSD as far as I can tell USB is your only option, yes.
The Vivaldi clocking architecture is extremely flexible. The DAC can accept an external clock, provide its clock to an external source (better) or sync everything to the external Master Clock (best). The PF can’t synchronize to an external clock, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t ”compatible”. It can’t use the Master Clock as designed but can use the Upsampler.
The USB connection should slave to the clock from the Vivaldi if it works in asynchronous mode (although I couldn’t find that anywhere on their website).
I couldn’t see any mention of a NAS mode where the PF would send the output via the Ethernet connection, but there may be one.
[Edit: I found an old post here saying it couldn’t although that may have changed in the interim]
I have to say the PF website raises more questions than answers. There are no spec sheets, not even a rear panel shot. This may be a match made in heaven with the Vivaldi, but if so that is not exactly obvious from the information they present.
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I suspect thats because the PF platform is just the Server hardware, the software and playback controls are from Euphony.
Franco,
I highly recommend that you read up on the Euphony Stylus OS; Operating the PF/Euphony platform is not for the faint of heart. IMHO, you’re much better off looking closely at one of the Melco platforms if you insist on having an external streamer.
Yes, but there is virtually no information about even the hardware.
Important point to bear in mind here folks. These servers are basically PCs. They have mother boards, CPUs, memory, plug in cards etc. just like PCs. Of course they all have ”audiophile” cases, power supplies, grounding schemes, clocks, ”specially selected” memory chips etc. etc. But fundamentally they are still PCs. I think this guy makes the point much better than I ever could:
Now I am not saying that these products aren’t a valid category, can’t improve sound quality or anything like that. Let your ears be the judge of that. All I am saying is that the rate of change in PC hardware is way faster than that of audio hardware and the component lifecycles are driven by demand from the PC makers, not the audiophile server makers. So please don’t expect your audiophile server purchased now to still be winning Stereophile POTY awards in 2037.
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The guy recommended to use Roon, which I already have a lifetime subscription for. I figured that I will try it and see. It’s no cost and it will be with my own system in my listening room.
Very valid point so that modularity or being able to update or add single modules is a must.
That’s true, and since PCs are inherently modular shouldn’t be too hard to achieve. But it only takes you so far.
Ultimately you will still hit the bump stops and do so much quicker than with audio-specific digital hardware built around FPGAs or ASICs like DACs, D2D processors etc.
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I guess that’s correct but doesn’t it also apply to the Vivaldi Upsampler ?
That is a D2D processor based around a FPGA. It does, but I would argue not at all to the same degree.
The product lifecycle of the VUP has turned out in practice to be determined by the Stream800 board, which is ironically just about the easiest thing to change in the whole product (barring the fuse)! The problem is that StreamUnlimited changed their strategy and don’t produce a plug-compatible upgrade. With a new streaming board the VUP would still be at or about the SoTA.
That, in turn, implies no DSD 256 support due to its limitations unless dCS engineers work some magic. However the Vivaldi line is pretty elderly looked at overall as a product. I keep writing that a replacement is inevitable and this is another contributor to my opinion. Incidentally, I don’t mind. The moment Vivaldi Apex system is replaced it will still sound as wonderful as it does now.
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