(30-Sep-2015, 03:39)sleach Wrote: Back to the point of the discussion....
I have just received my iFI iLink. Connecting it with a Cardas clear USB to mac mini and with Supra ZAC optical to the dialog. Playing this with Audirvana+ in extreme optimisation mode.
So I've been testing with Nicolas Jaar's Space Is Only Noise. There is a part of this tune, at about 4:00 where the cymbals come up. On some systems this sounds just like a hiss. On some you can hear the tiny ringing sounds when the cymbals are being struck. It is pretty subtle but there.
Optical Port: The optical port of the mac mini makes it sound more like a hiss. It is marginal, but you can't hear the musical ring very well.
Ifi Ilink: Through the Ifi Ilink you can hear the musical quality of the cymbal and hear the ringing. It gets just a little bit smeared when the tune gets more complicated.
Spark: Spark is very close to the Ifi Ilink but stays clearer as the tune gets more complicated.
Conclusion: using Spark as the player provides the best SQ.
The Ilink is actually making things a bit tricky technically - DSD processing is glitchy. Im not too bothered about that since DSD, while a great format, is still so niche that it is barely better than a novelty. But more troubling is that 24/192 is also glitchy - stuttering, confusing the phantoms into thinking the stream has stopped and resetting the volume. That sort of stuff. 24/96 plays perfectly though. Spark plays 24/192 without a hitch. My Mac mini is 2011 and the optical port is limited to 24/96.
I'm wondering whether to try modifying the PSU of my mac mini. At this point it seems as though it would be to try and get up to the level of spark. The main benefit is the convenience of other players like Audirvana and Roon which currently offer a better experience than Spark.
Wow...Thank you for that feedback!
p.s.- When you say "Spark", do you mean without optical? What are you using, WiFi?
