Yes the Aurender is my music server with ~3500 albums from two decades of ripping CDs. I started this very modestly in 2008 with a pair of bookshelf speakers and was streaming to an Airport Express from an iMac with toslink to a DAC/Amp combo. I have been upgrading and refining ever since then. I got into the Aurender ecosystem 6-7 years ago after reviewing many options, even Soolos, before Roon was a thing. I felt the Aurender represented what I would design if I was doing it versus having the music located farther away if you will.
Definitely not a religious decision I appreciate the various different ways of doing things such as Roon or different music streamer approaches. I spent about three weeks with Roon to help a buddy of mine do a review of a DAC as a native endpoint. Definitely impressive software.
The additional dedicated 20 amp circuits went in smoothly, and were a great improvement.
I was running my Denali thru one of them with a Shunyata Omega XC powercord, and loved it. Then, a big white box showed up on my doorstep, the Everest has arrived.
It took me a long time to realize that I could put an Everest outside the rack, remove the Denali, and get to two components per shelf, and avoid stacking the Upsampler on top of the DAC.
Right outta the box, the Everest is phenomenal - Shunyata advised there will be additional improvement over the next week or so. It might be confirmation bias, but I do hear improvements every time I turn on the stereo, and sometimes while it is playing.
The thing is a jewel aesthetically, and offers the practical benefit to me of getting the power cord loom further away from signal cables. When I was using the Denali, in the rack, it was tough to make solid connections stooped behind the rack and working around all the other powercords in the system. With the Everest, connections are much easier, and i have more separation of power and signal.
Have been greatly enjoying looking at the systems and reading people’s thoughts. There are a fair few lovely rooms too if truth be told. Interior design was never my forte but I digress.
I purchased a Network Bridge recently. It sits between my Innuos zenith mk3 and Mark Levinson 585 amp and dac through to my old but treasured Wilson audio Sophia 1. All connected with Chord Signature cabling apart from the Ethernet cables which re dCS recommendation are plain.
I do love the sound I get but as with most things I guess I do often wonder if there is anything more I can do to tweak it? Any thoughts would be kindly received. It’s always interesting to hear alternative perspectives.
Really interested in how everybody is using their dCS equipment, how it is partnered, and how it looks.
What is your setup? Bartók, Rossini, Vivaldi, or legacy?
Are you using separate tubes or solid state pre amps, or straight out to power amps? Speakers, headphones?
What control are you using? Mosaic, Roon etc. ?
Are you going for maximum audiophile quality? And how? How does your room, your listening environment, look?
And of course, how is it panning out for you?
I’ve seen some snippets, with not too many photos, through the other topics, but thought it would be great to collect in one place.
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Well made a few changes
Decided to split my dcs boxes, as did have them stacked with isoacoustics orea feet between them and the shelf.
Also replaced the gaia feet on my speakers for podiums.
Also removed the isoacoustics orea from under my melco.
Trying them under my Rega P10 at the moment, but will probably go back to just the glass on the ball bearing as before.
Duncan, how tight is the rear central pillar on the fraim to fouling the clock bnc cables. Is it tight? I’ve got a dealer dem Bartok and am waiting for the delivery of my Rossini and will get the clock later. It will be on Fraim too.
Btw, I use the Townshend under my speakers and also use the Townshend stand supports under my Fraim. You might try it.
The clock cable does get in the way and would stop you pushing it back, but there are a few ways around this, at the moment i have just turned the rear leg arround, so the larger bit is at the rear and the smaller bit in fracing inwards under the rack, this gives a bit more depth for the clock on the rack and also allows the cable connection to miss the rear leg, the 3rd unused clock connection is now the limiting thing, as this is right up against the leg, but just not touching.
There are other ways i have also used, from fitting another front leg on the rear, as they are smaller and a piece of 28mm copper pipe is exactly the right size to fit over the naim leg bolts, this gives the most room, but i would only use this method if it was the only way and a top shelf, i can take a pic if you need one.
Talking about picture, can you pop one up on the townshend feet you have used under the fraim and your findings on what these have done please, as i have also thought about it as the ones under my speaker’s made a big difference
Sorry abut the dust I’ll do full rip down and rebuild when I get the Rossini.
The Fraim has a nice gentle wobble to it if disturbed. For the Fraim the idea is to keep floor-borne vibrations out of the equipment stand. Slightly fetishist I suppose. The sonic effect was subtle but worthwhile, though nothing like the effect of Townshend under the speakers.
You can also see that I have Pods under my power amps.
Thanks, that seems do-able for me as well.
The stand feet they do with a flat platform and one with holes, which the Fraim spikes fit just nicely.
Downside is I don’t think you be able to get your two Fraim stands so close together.
Overall a simple system, focus on balanced sound and WAF.
Very happy with the latest addition of the awesome baby Wilsons and the Bartok which is a huge step up from the Weiss DAC502. Being a previous Debussy owner I trust dCS is second to none in terms of quality and support.
Defected from a few years owning a duo mono Devialet D440, which is a very competent design to begin with but with dismal support and money sucking scam happy to be done with it but tens of thousands poorer.
That Kondo amp also contributes greatly to the wonderful sonic experience. Bring the most expensive bit in the system it’d better.
great system John! allow my a question: I had a chance to buy a Kondo PM2i as well - but I didn’t buy because of missing auto-bias (dealer told me I have to send it back if one power tube fails, that was a no-go for me…)
How do you solve this issue? Thanks!
I also faced the same issue as I am not handy in electronics.
I did discuss with my dealer and they did offer to come on site to my place should it needs adjustments. In any case he was willing to show me how to adjust the bias with a multimeter. Apparently it is not difficult but takes access to under the amplifier which weighting 80 pounds is not easy to handle.
The manufacturer is cautious about letting end users handle the machines for safety reasons, and at that price point, dealer servicing should be expected. But they do have a service manual for the dealers and my dealer did send me a screen shot of the procedure and settings for bias adjustment. If needed I can PM you the screen shot.
I have similar issues with changing voltages from 115/120 to 230/240 should I decide to relocate to a different country. Both dCS and Kondo require dealer servicing to change AC voltage. This is a minor inconvenience which requires proximity to a local dealer committed to servicing their customers.
I think they make it a bit difficult to avoid people buying out of their designated regions.
Nice system.i have the same speaker cables and went back to kondo spc dual run and this cable is very even with great bass and dynamics. It is extremaly important to have double run not single.
Of course silver has more nunces but lacks the low end bass notes and dynamics. The other problem with top sps 2.7 is that the sound lacks basic tones, so you have it divided into hundrets of harmonics which could be disturbing. Single run of copper spc cable was unimpressive but double run is great.
I’ll do full rip down and rebuild when I get the Rossini.
