My 2 cents about the Stereophile report of the Antipodes Oladra.
Software: you apparently need a server software and a player software. “The different player apps have an impact on sound quality,”
Comment:
Yep.
I understand, that the dCS ‘‘player software’’ is simply a bit transparent format conversion with no flavour added. And that is all that is required.
‘‘Because the AES3 input in the dCS Vivaldi Upsampler Plus is limited to 24/88.2 or 24/96’’.
Comment:
This statement is downright wrong.
The limitation for single AES 3 is the usual 24/176.4 or 24/192.
The measurements just show a few jitter comparisons:
Audioquest Dragon Fly via PC and via Antipodes Oladra
iFiAudio’s NEO iDSD DAC via PC and via Antipodes Oladra
Mytek’s Brooklyn DAC via PC and via Antipodes Oladra
''Other USB DACs tested, including the Mytek Brooklyn (fig.3) and dCS Vivaldi One Apex, have sufficient galvanic isolation/onboard reclocking that very little difference in jitter was observed between the PC and Oladra USB sources. Variations of a mere ±1–2ps were measured, although there is still a visible reduction in the finest spuriae (red spectrum, fig.3). Arguably, every little helps.—Paul Miller ‘’
Comment:
Connecting a standalone streamer/server via USB to a DAC is not the best solution.
Connecting a dCS NWB via AES or even dual AES is better.
With world class DACs the alleged improvement by the Antipodes Oladra is marginal (if any) and IMHO definitely not worth the price.
When I do playback from PC, I use the professional Steinberg 64-bit audio engines implemented in Cubase 12 and WaveLab 11, fed with an ASIO driver via USB to a Mutec MC-3+ USB reclocker.
I’m not sure who that hypothetical is for, but I love my third option: a Rossini Apex and Vivaldi Clock connected via a tidily connected switch and an unshielded Ethernet cable. Adding an Innuos Zenith made zero difference to my ears and in my system. Maybe it should have been a Taiko Extreme. Or an Oladra. Or a Melco N1. Or maybe an Ethernet-connected streamer doesn’t change anything. Or maybe I have shit hearing
A $50 Cisco switch, a $300 GigaFoil and a $12 Blue Jeans Ethernet cable have been doing stellar service for a while now. I’d gladly spend more and add boxes if I could hear a difference, but I’ve not heard one yet. I’ll try an Oladra one day, because it’s good to explore options. But it won’t be because of reviews like the one in Stereophile. I enjoy their writing a lot of the time, but if reviews are supposed to help people understand their options I think that one missed the mark by some margin.
Now a comparison between options 1 and 3…that’d be interesting.
I did go for:
Vivaldi Apex with AES connected dCS Network Bridge and QNAP HS-264 silent and fanless NAS equipped with 2x Samsung SSD 870 QVO 8TB running MinimServer. All controlled by dCS Mosaic.
An Upsampler is optional (currently dCS 974).
Due to electronic room correction, the streaming function must be separated from the upsampling function. With a Rossini you cannot do this, and with a Vivaldi Upsampler, only the upsampling functions could be used, and the NWB would remain in place.
The sampling rate for electronic room correction is generally limited to 24/192.
Then:
Vivaldi APEX with double AES connected streamer Aurender N20, and forget about the rest.
To trade in higher resolution for flawed USB audio connection is not an optimal solution.
Sorry, my fault. I did mean W20/W20SE, which are the only Aurender streamers with double AES outputs.
The only task of a streamer is to convert the streamed packages into a bit-transparent, properly clocked audio data stream. That is exactly what the NWB does.
You were the one, who ruled this option out. Why?
IMHO other streamers than NWB do not lead to better SQ, because SQ is determined by the quality of the files available from the provider.
Sadly yes, though there may occasionally be second hand units available on the market.
Yep. The Vivaldi Upsampler as streamer and upsampler.
However, as with the Rossini you cannot get the streamed signal out of the box, feed it to an external electronic room correction and come back for the upsampling (no insert possible, which is true for all current dCS devices).
They are still available second-hand, but please don’t all rush out and buy one as I’m thinking of this route as a stop gap to nirvana (or is that Nirvana!).
One NWB + Rossini Clock + Vivaldi Apex would be nice until I can afford to get the whole stack.
I’ll be really interested in the answer to this, Franco — as I understand it the answer is not to have a full Vivaldi stack in the first place:
The Vivaldi Clock can’t be used if you use a clocked output from the Oladra (e.g. AES3).
The Upsampler doesn’t make a lot of sense either (unless I’m missing something — discussed above), as all it seems to provide is the ability to upsample.
Your Transport is still useful, however
(It’s also possible that the best connection for the Oladra and a current range dCS DAC is no connection — the Upsampler and Clock may sound better. Shame that the Stereophile review left that hanging.)
Owning a K50, having compared its S/PDIF output to ethernet, I truly believe the Rossini Apex is best served by using its ethernet interface.
Much as I love Antipodes, I don’t see the OLADRA beating the Vivaldi upsampler/clock combination (although it is perhaps a cost-effective entry point into Vivaldi ownership).
Yes, do try one. I had no desire or intention to own an Oladra right up to the point when I heard one. However if you do try one I would suggest using it with Squeeze (ie LMS) for the server software and Squeeze (Squeezelite) as the player software because in my experience using other software on it does not sound as good despite protestations that the other software offerings are ‘bit transparent’. I prefer the Oladra’s BNC output and would recommend that but I find that the AES output is broadly similar in terms of sound.
I took delivery today of a K41 server and, as I use Roon (almost exclusively), I’ve been pondering the various set up options in order to get the best SQ from the K41/Rossini Apex combo…
(Sorry, me again.) It seems possible — Ethernet into the “Network” in and out again via “Direct Stream” out port, going to the Upsampler — but I don’t see how that does anything beyond provide Ethernet isolation that could be delivered more cost effectively with fibre isolation.
Have you asked Antipodes themselves, or a dealer?
dCS may be staying out of this quite intentionally, and some of the rest of us may be steering clear for fear of the discussion dropping back into the common data integrity/noise/gremlin Pit of Joy again.
I was running my vivaldi upsampler from the player port on my melco, but after getting the innuos PhoenixNet i found going direct from this to the upsampler sounded better.
So now i just connect the melco to the PhoenixNet by ethernet, and run in isolation mode with the player port turned off in settings.
Hi @Bauer, no I find that Roon degrades sound quality even when it is just Roon on the core and Squeezelite is used on the player (or endpoint in Roon parlance). I get the best sound from the Oladra when I do not use Roon at all and instead have it running Squeeze + Squeeze(lite).
