DEVIALET ETHERNET FABULOUS & STABLE

[Leigh Hibbins]

Over the past two months I’ve been getting the best digital sound I’ve ever had in my system using Devialet Ethernet. In addition, there have been no stability issues.

My setup:

1. Devialet 250
Wi Fi module disabled
Connected via 1.5m Audioquest Diamond ethernet cable to ethernet switch

2. QNAP TS-451S NAS
Loaded with two Samsung 850 EVO 2TB SSD
Configured as Static Single Volume and RAID 0
Connected via 0.75m Audioquest Diamond ethernet cable to ethernet switch
12V power via UpTone Audio JS-2 linear power supply

3. 2009 Mac mini computer
SSD - 8GB RAM - Mac OS 10.8.5
Wifi and Bluetooth antennae and associated circuitry removed
Internal shielding of power lines
Connected via 1.5m Audioquest Cinnamon ethernet cable to ethernet switch
19V power via Keces DC-116 linear power supply

4. Netgear ProSafe GS108T ethernet switch
The switch is configurable, but I have not configured it in any way – just powered, plugged and played.
Connected to Apple Time Capsule some distance away via standard Cat 6 ethernet cable
12V power via Keces DC-116 linear power supply

5. Apple Time Capsule
Connected in Bridge Mode via standard Cat 6 ethernet cable to Belkin modem/router

6. Belkin modem/router (4 Port VoIP Wired Gateway model number F1P1242EN)
The Belkin device assigns via DHCP IP addresses to all other devices. Both it and the Apple Time Capsule need to be powered for the system to work.

7. Devialet AIR 2.1.2 software
General Settings:
Launch Devialet AIR at startup - enabled
iTunes Bit Perfect - enabled
iTunes EQ - automatically disabled
Target device buffer - this is really only relevant when using WiFi, but I have set it to 50ms, the lowest possible
My Devialet-ETH Settings:
Default format - 24 bits, 192000 Hz
When the device appears on the network - always stream to it automatically

8. System Control
The Mac mini runs without a monitor, keyboard or mouse. Control is via screen sharing using a MacBook Pro or via VNC app on iPad or iPhone. Once iTunes is up and running iTunes is conveniently controlled using the Apple Remote app on iPad or iPhone.

The lead up to rediscovering Devialet Ethernet
(1) I’ve tried various USB cables between computer and DAC over the years. These have included some highly regarded and expensive ones. I’ve not felt that any of them stand head and shoulders above the rest. They each have their strengths and weaknesses.
(2) Six months ago I placed an UpTone Audio Regen (powered by a Keces DC-116) in the USB chain between computer and Devialet with good results. When upgrading Devialet firmware from 8.1.3 to 9.0.1 I discovered the Regen no longer had its magic. The 9.0.1 Devialet firmware appeared to have made the Regen redundant. 
(3) More recently when I and another couple of audiophiles were trying out an analogous device to the Regen in a non-Devialet system I was further struck by the fact such devices in the USB chain modify the sound. Shouldn’t the DAC manufacturers be configuring their DACs in the first place so that such devices are unnecessary? It seems to me that for audio the USB protocol is limited or even flawed and that this is why there is so many tweaks about.
(4) Manufacturers of professional recording equipment such as Merging Technologies regard network attached audio interfaces (combined ADC/DAC) as best practice. They have even produced a domestic product – the NADAC (network attached DAC).

So … all of this made me doubt USB and revisit Ethernet. I already had an ethernet switch on hand, so I connected everything to it via standard Cat 6 cable. My NAS was a LaCie with spinning hard drive. I was mightily impressed with the sound quality. Since then I have replaced spinning hard drives with solid state ones, standard ethernet cables with Audioquest ones and original power supplies with quality linear power supplies. Even supplying the ethernet switch with good power improved the sound quality. At each step along the way there were most pleasing improvements in sound quality.

I now have the best digital sound I’ve ever had in my system and the convenience of the iTunes interface. Wonderful!

As Devialet owners we are very fortunate to have an Ethernet input – a network attached DAC! Also Devialet have supplied us with an app – Devialet AIR. What more could we ask for? Well, I can ask for more – might a firmware upgrade enable digital out via ethernet? Better vinyl rips possibly!?

[misterpete]

Over the past two months I’ve been getting the best digital sound I’ve ever had in my system using Devialet Ethernet. In addition, there have been no stability issues.

My setup:

1. Devialet 250
Wi Fi module disabled
Connected via 1.5m Audioquest Diamond ethernet cable to ethernet switch

2. QNAP TS-451S NAS
Loaded with two Samsung 850 EVO 2TB SSD
Configured as Static Single Volume and RAID 0
Connected via 0.75m Audioquest Diamond ethernet cable to ethernet switch
12V power via UpTone Audio JS-2 linear power supply

3. 2009 Mac mini computer
SSD - 8GB RAM - Mac OS 10.8.5
Wifi and Bluetooth antennae and associated circuitry removed
Internal shielding of power lines
Connected via 1.5m Audioquest Cinnamon ethernet cable to ethernet switch
19V power via Keces DC-116 linear power supply

4. Netgear ProSafe GS108T ethernet switch
The switch is configurable, but I have not configured it in any way – just powered, plugged and played.
Connected to Apple Time Capsule some distance away via standard Cat 6 ethernet cable
12V power via Keces DC-116 linear power supply

5. Apple Time Capsule
Connected in Bridge Mode via standard Cat 6 ethernet cable to Belkin modem/router

6. Belkin modem/router (4 Port VoIP Wired Gateway model number F1P1242EN)
The Belkin device assigns via DHCP IP addresses to all other devices. Both it and the Apple Time Capsule need to be powered for the system to work.

7. Devialet AIR 2.1.2 software
General Settings:
Launch Devialet AIR at startup - enabled
iTunes Bit Perfect - enabled
iTunes EQ - automatically disabled
Target device buffer - this is really only relevant when using WiFi, but I have set it to 50ms, the lowest possible
My Devialet-ETH Settings:
Default format - 24 bits, 192000 Hz
When the device appears on the network - always stream to it automatically

8. System Control
The Mac mini runs without a monitor, keyboard or mouse. Control is via screen sharing using a MacBook Pro or via VNC app on iPad or iPhone. Once iTunes is up and running iTunes is conveniently controlled using the Apple Remote app on iPad or iPhone.

The lead up to rediscovering Devialet Ethernet
(1) I’ve tried various USB cables between computer and DAC over the years. These have included some highly regarded and expensive ones. I’ve not felt that any of them stand head and shoulders above the rest. They each have their strengths and weaknesses.
(2) Six months ago I placed an UpTone Audio Regen (powered by a Keces DC-116) in the USB chain between computer and Devialet with good results. When upgrading Devialet firmware from 8.1.3 to 9.0.1 I discovered the Regen no longer had its magic. The 9.0.1 Devialet firmware appeared to have made the Regen redundant. 
(3) More recently when I and another couple of audiophiles were trying out an analogous device to the Regen in a non-Devialet system I was further struck by the fact such devices in the USB chain modify the sound. Shouldn’t the DAC manufacturers be configuring their DACs in the first place so that such devices are unnecessary? It seems to me that for audio the USB protocol is limited or even flawed and that this is why there is so many tweaks about.
(4) Manufacturers of professional recording equipment such as Merging Technologies regard network attached audio interfaces (combined ADC/DAC) as best practice. They have even produced a domestic product – the NADAC (network attached DAC).

So … all of this made me doubt USB and revisit Ethernet. I already had an ethernet switch on hand, so I connected everything to it via standard Cat 6 cable. My NAS was a LaCie with spinning hard drive. I was mightily impressed with the sound quality. Since then I have replaced spinning hard drives with solid state ones, standard ethernet cables with Audioquest ones and original power supplies with quality linear power supplies. Even supplying the ethernet switch with good power improved the sound quality. At each step along the way there were most pleasing improvements in sound quality.

I now have the best digital sound I’ve ever had in my system and the convenience of the iTunes interface. Wonderful!

As Devialet owners we are very fortunate to have an Ethernet input – a network attached DAC! Also Devialet have supplied us with an app – Devialet AIR. What more could we ask for? Well, I can ask for more – might a firmware upgrade enable digital out via ethernet? Better vinyl rips possibly!?

I use a similar principle, if not quite so sophisticated and it is superb. I use Roon as my controlling software and the results with AIR and Ethernet meant that I could dispense with my Auralic aries. You have certainly given me some ideas about possible tweaks and upgrades.

[tategoi]

I am in the process of optimising my Roon/Tidal setup, with an 6th Gen Intel NUC running Roon Server and iMac running Roon Bridge and AIR3b. I just could not bring myself buying linear power supply which costs as much as the NUC itself.

[Leigh Hibbins]

I should have emphasised in my original post that in my Devialet Ethernet setup there are no USB cables, no AES/EBU cables, no SPDIF cables. The only cables in the system, apart from speaker cables, are Ethernet. Ethernet is king.

[Leigh Hibbins]

I am in the process of optimising my Roon/Tidal setup, with an 6th Gen Intel NUC running Roon Server and iMac running Roon Bridge and AIR3b. I just could not bring myself buying linear power supply which costs as much as the NUC itself.

Linear power supplies are the biggest improvement you can make to a computer based system. The Keces DC-116 is about US$400, The UpTone Audio JS-2 about US$900. All devices benefit from good power – NAS, computer, external hard drives, ethernet switches, converters, etc. Even the DC cable between power supply and device makes a difference. Mains Cables Are Us in the UK sell made-up DC leads with gold plated Oyaide barrel connectors for this purpose. I've been surprised just how much improvement can be achieved with just a good DC lead - more than upgrading a USB cable. I'm not averse to using accessories costing more than the original device. I once used a $2,500 interconnect with a $700 converter. It might seem like a mismatch but sound quality was significantly improved. Considering the overall cost of your system a good linear power supply is not an extravagant purchase.

[Seb310]

Over the past two months I’ve been getting the best digital sound I’ve ever had in my system using Devialet Ethernet. In addition, there have been no stability issues.

My setup:

1. Devialet 250
Wi Fi module disabled
Connected via 1.5m Audioquest Diamond ethernet cable to ethernet switch

2. QNAP TS-451S NAS
Loaded with two Samsung 850 EVO 2TB SSD
Configured as Static Single Volume and RAID 0
Connected via 0.75m Audioquest Diamond ethernet cable to ethernet switch
12V power via UpTone Audio JS-2 linear power supply

3. 2009 Mac mini computer
SSD - 8GB RAM - Mac OS 10.8.5
Wifi and Bluetooth antennae and associated circuitry removed
Internal shielding of power lines
Connected via 1.5m Audioquest Cinnamon ethernet cable to ethernet switch
19V power via Keces DC-116 linear power supply

4. Netgear ProSafe GS108T ethernet switch
The switch is configurable, but I have not configured it in any way – just powered, plugged and played.
Connected to Apple Time Capsule some distance away via standard Cat 6 ethernet cable
12V power via Keces DC-116 linear power supply

5. Apple Time Capsule
Connected in Bridge Mode via standard Cat 6 ethernet cable to Belkin modem/router

6. Belkin modem/router (4 Port VoIP Wired Gateway model number F1P1242EN)
The Belkin device assigns via DHCP IP addresses to all other devices. Both it and the Apple Time Capsule need to be powered for the system to work.

7. Devialet AIR 2.1.2 software
General Settings:
Launch Devialet AIR at startup - enabled
iTunes Bit Perfect - enabled
iTunes EQ - automatically disabled
Target device buffer - this is really only relevant when using WiFi, but I have set it to 50ms, the lowest possible
My Devialet-ETH Settings:
Default format - 24 bits, 192000 Hz
When the device appears on the network - always stream to it automatically

8. System Control
The Mac mini runs without a monitor, keyboard or mouse. Control is via screen sharing using a MacBook Pro or via VNC app on iPad or iPhone. Once iTunes is up and running iTunes is conveniently controlled using the Apple Remote app on iPad or iPhone.

The lead up to rediscovering Devialet Ethernet
(1) I’ve tried various USB cables between computer and DAC over the years. These have included some highly regarded and expensive ones. I’ve not felt that any of them stand head and shoulders above the rest. They each have their strengths and weaknesses.
(2) Six months ago I placed an UpTone Audio Regen (powered by a Keces DC-116) in the USB chain between computer and Devialet with good results. When upgrading Devialet firmware from 8.1.3 to 9.0.1 I discovered the Regen no longer had its magic. The 9.0.1 Devialet firmware appeared to have made the Regen redundant. 
(3) More recently when I and another couple of audiophiles were trying out an analogous device to the Regen in a non-Devialet system I was further struck by the fact such devices in the USB chain modify the sound. Shouldn’t the DAC manufacturers be configuring their DACs in the first place so that such devices are unnecessary? It seems to me that for audio the USB protocol is limited or even flawed and that this is why there is so many tweaks about.
(4) Manufacturers of professional recording equipment such as Merging Technologies regard network attached audio interfaces (combined ADC/DAC) as best practice. They have even produced a domestic product – the NADAC (network attached DAC).

So … all of this made me doubt USB and revisit Ethernet. I already had an ethernet switch on hand, so I connected everything to it via standard Cat 6 cable. My NAS was a LaCie with spinning hard drive. I was mightily impressed with the sound quality. Since then I have replaced spinning hard drives with solid state ones, standard ethernet cables with Audioquest ones and original power supplies with quality linear power supplies. Even supplying the ethernet switch with good power improved the sound quality. At each step along the way there were most pleasing improvements in sound quality.

I now have the best digital sound I’ve ever had in my system and the convenience of the iTunes interface. Wonderful!

As Devialet owners we are very fortunate to have an Ethernet input – a network attached DAC! Also Devialet have supplied us with an app – Devialet AIR. What more could we ask for? Well, I can ask for more – might a firmware upgrade enable digital out via ethernet? Better vinyl rips possibly!?

Hello. 
Thanks for sharing. Are you able with your setup to stream from internet, with Tidal or Qobuz for example ?

[SwissBear]

Hi,

Thanks for sharing.

I do absolutely share your view that the Ethernet is a much better interface than USB. And if I'm not mistaken, this can partly be explained by the fact that Ethernet specification is requesting a proper isolation which should make the Devialet exempt from a number of electromagnetic interference generated by other equipment.

I noticed a further improvement at mine when switching from Ethernet to WiFi, which was made possible and reliable by establishing reasonable distance (3m/10ft) between the noisy equipments (MacMini, router, aso) and the Devialet.

I would be interested to know if you made the experiment with AIR/WiFi and if you noticed a difference with your LPS vs SMPS in the WiFi setup.

[SwissBear]

Hello. 
Thanks for sharing. Are you able with your setup to stream from internet, with Tidal or Qobuz for example ?

If you are using a Mac as streamer, you have, AFAIK, two main options for integrating Qobuz/Tidal.
You can use Audirvana, which integrates both. Anyhow, the support of Devialet AIR is not perfect yet with Audirvana (no direct/interger modes).
Alternatively, but this is a little bit more sophisticated but works perfectly, you can use JRiver functionality to provide UPnP renderer services for your player. WIth that, and with BubbleUPnP installed on the Mac, you can stream music from your library, and access Tidal/Qobuz directly from your UPnP controller, which can be for instance an iPad with Lümin app. You can even adjust the volume of the Devialet from the Lümin app. This is how I am operating with very level of satisfaction.

[Leigh Hibbins]

I've not tried WiFi recently. In past experiments I've always preferred wired to wireless.

[Seb310]

Hello. 
Thanks for sharing. Are you able with your setup to stream from internet, with Tidal or Qobuz for example ?

If you are using a Mac as streamer, you have, AFAIK, two main options for integrating Qobuz/Tidal.
You can use Audirvana, which integrates both. Anyhow, the support of Devialet AIR is not perfect yet with Audirvana (no direct/interger modes).
Alternatively, but this is a little bit more sophisticated but works perfectly, you can use JRiver functionality to provide UPnP renderer services for your player. WIth that, and with BubbleUPnP installed on the Mac, you can stream music from your library, and access Tidal/Qobuz directly from your UPnP controller, which can be for instance an iPad with Lümin app. You can even adjust the volume of the Devialet from the Lümin app. This is how I am operating with very level of satisfaction.

Thanks . But all that suppose that the MAC is on a network with internet access, isnt'it  ? My concern is that if you use a dedicated network between the MAC and the DEV, then you loose the streaming abilities ? I personally use Audirvana with Qobuz, and the Dev is plugged to the Mac via USB (works well).

But I have problems when I try AIR (both wifi and Ethernet). I suspect that with Wifi the network is not good enough, and with Ethernet the Mac canot manage both Internet Wifi access and Dev Ethernet communication. Though I must say that networks management is not my cup of tea...

That's why Leigh Hibbing setup could be a solution for me (assuming that internet access is not lost).