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Antoine's system
#1
Music 
Since I suggested a 'showcase your system' section on this forum I should, of course, post my own system as well. Wink


My system is currently comprised of: (I'll keep this list updated)

Stereo:
Pre-/power amplifier/DAC/streamer: Devialet Expert 250 Pro CI (upgraded from D-Premier & 250)
Loudspeakers: Von Schweikert Audio VR-5 SE Anniversary
Loudspeaker cables:   Nordost Tyr Reference (2x2 meter bi-wire)
Subwoofer: JL Audio Fathom F112
DSP for subwoofer:   DSpeaker Anti-Mode Dual Core 2.0 (connected to the D250's analog pre-outs)

Interlink DSP->Sub: 2x QED Reference Subwoofer Cable
Interlink Devialet -> DSP: Nordost Heimdall RCA

Streaming setup:
DIY Music Server (running Roon Server) + DIY Roon endpoint both running AudioLinux Headless
SOtM TX-USBUltra
USB->AES/EBU converter and reclocker: Mutec MC-3+ USB (Fed USB from SOtM sMS-200)
Roon (Lifetime subscription) with Tidal HiFi
iPad Pro 12.9" (2018)

Interlink Mutec -> Devialet: Shunyata zi-tron Anaconda Digital XLR (AES/EBU 1.5m)
Phasure Lush^2 USB cable (between SOtM TX-USBUltra and Mutec MC-3+ USB)
Curious USB Cable (0.2m) (between NUC and SOtM TX-USBUltra)

DIY music server:
Case: Streacom FC8 Alpha Optical Fanless Chassis - Silver (http://www.streacom.com/products/fc8-alp...s-chassis/)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H110TN-E (http://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/GA-H...-rev-10#ov)
RAM: Crucial DDR4 2133Mhz CL15 - 8GB (kit 2 x 4GB)
CPU: Intel Core i7-6700T (2.8GHz-3.6GHz, quad core, hyper threading, 35W, 8MB L3 cache)
(Storage: Samsung 850 EVO 1TB SSD -> currently disconnected)
Network: JCat Net Card Femto 
Arctic Silver AS5 thermal compound

DIY Roon endpoint:
NUC7i7DNHE
Akasa Plato X7D fanless case
2 x 4GB Kingston HyperX Impact DDR4 2400MHz C14
Arctic Silver AS5 thermal compound

Uptone Audio EtherREGEN, (A side: Cisco GLC-SX-MM Mini GBIC and a 20m LC-LC OM3 multi mode fiber optic cable to upstream switch, music server. B-side: NUC endpoint)
Audioquest Diamond RJ/E ethernet cable (0.75m between Etherregen and NUC endpoint)
Supra CAT8 (1m between music server and Etherregen)
Buffalo BS-GS2016 (modded) as upstream switch before etherregen

Paul Hynes SR7EHD-MR4 linear PSU which four galvanically isolated rails powers the:
- SOtM TX-USBUltra
- DIY music server
- DIY NUC
- Mutec MC-3+ USB

Uptone Audio Ultracap LPS1.2 powering DSpeaker Anti-Mode Dual Core 2.0
Paul Hynes SR4 powering Etherregen
SBooster BOTW P&P EcoMkII powering JCAT Net network card in music server
Keces P3 (dual rail) powering Buffalo BS-GS2016 switch and Fritz!Box 7581 VDSL router

4.1 “HT/surround”: (The two front channels are amplified by the Devialet in passthrough mode, no center speaker)
Surround processor: Tag McLaren AV32R BP192
Power amplifier rear channels: Lyngdorf SDA2175
Rear loudspeakers: Von Schweikert VR1
TV: LG OLED C8 55"
Loudspeaker cables: Chord Carnival Silver Plus
Interlinks:
Blue Jeans Cable LC-1 (2 stereo sets, analog) (Tag <-> Devialet D250/Lyngdorf SDA2175)
Glass Toslink (multistrand glassfiber, digital) (HTPC onboard <-> Tag)
HDMI cable: Audioquest Pearl (High Speed HDMI v1.4 with Ethernet)


HTPC (only for video playback):
Case: Streacom FC5 WS EVO
Mainboard: ASRock B450 Gaming-ITX/ac
CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 2200G
RAM: 2x4GB HyperX Fury DDR4 2666MHz
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 500GB SSD
HDPlex 250W DC-DC ATX PSU

Acoustics:
Rockfon Sonar D acoustical ceiling (covering the entire ceiling of my living room)
RPG Modex Plate Type 1 basstrap
M-Audio Fast Track USB MKII external USB soundcard/phantom power for mic, Behringer ECM 8000 measurement mic and Velleman AVM2050 SPL meter, REW software for acoustic measurements.

AC Power:
Dedicated AC circuit with HiFi-Tuning 'custom' cable and Furutech FP-SWS-D(G) wall sockets
PS Audio PerfectWave P3 Power Plant (stereo only)
PS Audio Dectet Power Center (HT only)
HiFi-Tuning Diazed 16A fuse for HiFi dedicated AC circuit

Synergistic Research Orange fuse in PS Audio P3 Power Plant (3.15A) and in the Paul Hynes SR7EHD-MR4 PSU (5A)

Power cables:
Shunyata zi-tron Alpha Digital on Devialet 250
Shunyata zi-tron Alpha HC on PS Audio P3 Power Plant
Furutech FP-TCS-31 with Furutech FI-E50 (R ) schuko and IEC on Paul Hynes SR7EHD-MR4 PSU
Lapp CY 110 Classic (5x2.5mm2) with IeGo Gold schuko and IEC on JL Audio subwoofer
Belden 19364 cables for all other equipment using a combination of Bals schuko's, Wattgate 320i and Schurter IEC's, Furutech FI-E11 Gold and FI-11 Gold.

Tweaks and other stuff:
CA (Crusade Audio) Diamond 2 damping plate (equipment base for Devialet)
Isoacoustics GAIA II under JL Audio Fathom F112 subwoofer
Isoacoustics Orea Bronze (under music server+endpoint)
AV/stereo/TV furniture: Just Racks (Spectral) JRL 1650 low board
Netgear Nighthawk R7000 AC WiFi (access point mode)
Fritz!Box 7581 VDSL router

Caig DeoxIT D100L en DeoxIT Gold G100L contact cleaners
Cardas RCA Caps


Flow chart diagram of the stereo/streaming setup only: (needs an update)

   
PS Audio P3, Shunyata ΞTRON Alpha Digital and HC/Furutech power cables, Paul Hynes SR7EHD-MR4, DIY Roon Server & Roon Endpoint running AudioLinux Headless, Phasure Lush^2 USB cable, Audioquest Diamond RJ/E ethernet, Uptone Audio etherREGEN, Mutec MC-3+ USB, Shunyata ΞTRON Anaconda Digital XLR AES/EBU, Devialet Expert 250 Pro CI, Nordost Tyr Reference LS cables, Von Schweikert VR-5 SE Anniversary Edition, Anti-Mode Dual Core 2.0, JL Audio Fathom F112. More detail here.

The Netherlands
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#2
Hi Antoine,

Very impressive system, looking forward at the picturesSmile

Nice to see, that you are using the antimode, too.
I use the 8033 IIS with a Linn Melodik Sub. I will later post pictures with some measurements, how the antimode has strongly improved my sound.
I am very interested in the PS for the antimode. Do you have a adress or website, where to buy? What does it cost?
Linn LP12 Sondek + Radikal + Urika + Ekos II + EMT HSD006 - roon nucleus + SBooster - Devialet 220 Pro CI - Kef LS50 - Dspeaker Antimode 8033s II + SBooster - Kef KF92 Subwoofer

Bavaria
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#3
Hi Beerman, thank you for the nice words! Pictures will follow in the near future.

The Anti-Mode DC20 is a really nice device. In the way I am using it it is a bit overkill as it is actually a pre-amp/usb dac as well but I wanted the best reasonably priced automated DSP for (sub)bass correction and I think I found it.

In the picture attached you see the screen of the AM2.0 with a before and after correction graph of only the subwoofer output. Using the pre-out and filtering built-in to the Devialet I have been able to blend the sub in very well.

You can find the BOTWS PSU here: http://www.squeeze-upgrade.com/index.php


Attached Files Thumbnail(s)
   
PS Audio P3, Shunyata ΞTRON Alpha Digital and HC/Furutech power cables, Paul Hynes SR7EHD-MR4, DIY Roon Server & Roon Endpoint running AudioLinux Headless, Phasure Lush^2 USB cable, Audioquest Diamond RJ/E ethernet, Uptone Audio etherREGEN, Mutec MC-3+ USB, Shunyata ΞTRON Anaconda Digital XLR AES/EBU, Devialet Expert 250 Pro CI, Nordost Tyr Reference LS cables, Von Schweikert VR-5 SE Anniversary Edition, Anti-Mode Dual Core 2.0, JL Audio Fathom F112. More detail here.

The Netherlands
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#4
(04-Jun-2014, 18:09)Antoine Wrote: Hi Beerman, thank you for the nice words! Pictures will follow in the near future.

The Anti-Mode DC20 is a really nice device. In the way I am using it it is a bit overkill as it is actually a pre-amp/usb dac as well but I wanted the best reasonably priced automated DSP for (sub)bass correction and I think I found it.

In the picture attached you see the screen of the AM2.0 with a before and after correction graph of only the subwoofer output. Using the pre-out and filtering built-in to the Devialet I have been able to blend the sub in very well.

You can find the BOTWS PSU here: http://www.squeeze-upgrade.com/index.php

Antoine,
thank you for the website, sounds quite interesting.
I see by your picture, that the antimode has done his job, your bass must be sounding great! If you have a subwoofer the antimode is a must have!
Linn LP12 Sondek + Radikal + Urika + Ekos II + EMT HSD006 - roon nucleus + SBooster - Devialet 220 Pro CI - Kef LS50 - Dspeaker Antimode 8033s II + SBooster - Kef KF92 Subwoofer

Bavaria
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#5
Antoine,

Looking forward to the picture(s)...

The Anti-Mode looks very interesting. Given that room correction in the amp itself seems to have "gone away", I could be in the market for that. Do you have any comments on the Dual-Core vs the standard 8033 model, for room correction? (I assume you considered both.) I see the Dual-Core covers a much wider frequency range, but not sure whether that's really significant in practice for room correction. I'm thinking an 8033S in the path to my sub-would give me most of the benefit. Also, I noticed from the before/after graph that the nulls at about N x 35 Hz are not corrected - that's presumably intentional?

Ian
Roon (Mac Mini), Wilson Benesch Full Circle, Expert 1000 Pro CI, Kaiser Chiara
Warwickshire, UK
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#6
(05-Jun-2014, 15:25)thumb5 Wrote: Antoine,
Also, I noticed from the before/after graph that the nulls at about N x 35 Hz are not corrected - that's presumably intentional?
Ian

Yip room correction can't correct nulls. Nulls are where the sound waves are cancelling each other out. So if the room correction software increased the amplitude at the required frequency that will result in the larger wave from the speaker but then also an equally larger trough from interaction with the room - so the larger wave is cancelled by the larger trough - so back to the original position

experimenting with speaker positioning and the listening position could minimise the nulls.
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#7
Yes, I can see that getting very messy…

Something I saw in the manual for the Anti-Mode 8033 intrigued me: it suggests that with active correction (i.e. their box) the best place for a sub-woofer is actually in a corner, which is normally considered a bad place. That would definitely win brownie points from a practical/domestic point of view. It is all very tempting to experiment with, I must say.

(Antoine, I didn't intend to hi-jack your thread, sorry!)
Roon (Mac Mini), Wilson Benesch Full Circle, Expert 1000 Pro CI, Kaiser Chiara
Warwickshire, UK
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#8
No problem thumb5, I don't consider it hi-jacking! Smile Colonel66 already explained the not correcting of nulls and I agree with him fully.

About the AM2.0 vs. 8033; I'm sorry but I can't fully remember the details and I only remember that the AM2.0 was the better (technical/electrical specs) and smarter/more advanced one of the two. I also considered the DEQX (too expensive) and MiniDSP products.

Before applying the AM2.0 I first measured the output of the subwoofer in various room locations using the free REW software. What I looked for in the measurement were the least number and least impacting nulls, knowing that the AM2.0 could take care of the peaks (which indeed it did Smile). It ended in an (for me) ideal location as the sub is now in the corner behind the left loudspeaker, just like you wrote DSpeaker mentioned in their manual. From my experience with Lyngdorf's Roomperfect I already knew that also they advise to place the sub near room boundaries, ideally a corner because of the same principles (it can also tune down peaks) and best bass impulse response. After offloading the bass of the main loudspeakers I could focus on the best placement of these for optimal soundstaging/imaging etc. Even though the Von Schweikerts are near full range this, to my opinion, is the better setup as normally with full range loudspeakers you'll always end up compromising either bass response or those sound reproduction attributes.

The Devialet applies a high pass filter (2nd order, 80Hz) to my loudspeakers so that it doesn't have to amplify the low frequencies (saving power) and my main loudspeakers don't have to play these frequencies as well. The sub out on the Devialet is configured to output a full range signal to the AM2.0. The AM2.0 then applies a fourth order low pass filter (also at 80Hz) and of course the room correction algorithm. I came to these values using REW measurements as well and of course my ears. All filtering on the sub itself is turned off.

I'm really disappointed that Devialet, for now, seems to have put the plans for room correction 'in the fridge' as one of the disadvantages of an external DSP is it's inherent delay due to processing the signal. I can't really hear it/or recognize the delay effect but if the Devialet would take care of the room correction all frequency's would arrive at the same time at the different drivers in the loudspeaker and sub making it technically better. Also I could then sell the AM2.0.
PS Audio P3, Shunyata ΞTRON Alpha Digital and HC/Furutech power cables, Paul Hynes SR7EHD-MR4, DIY Roon Server & Roon Endpoint running AudioLinux Headless, Phasure Lush^2 USB cable, Audioquest Diamond RJ/E ethernet, Uptone Audio etherREGEN, Mutec MC-3+ USB, Shunyata ΞTRON Anaconda Digital XLR AES/EBU, Devialet Expert 250 Pro CI, Nordost Tyr Reference LS cables, Von Schweikert VR-5 SE Anniversary Edition, Anti-Mode Dual Core 2.0, JL Audio Fathom F112. More detail here.

The Netherlands
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#9
For Devialet AIR (now using ethernet after upgrading the D-Premier to 250 specs) I am using a 24/7 powered on "NAS" PC running Windows 8.1. This machine is in a different room in my house and is also used as an email server, storage and backup server, Sickbeard/CouchPotatoe/NZB usenet download machine, etc. etc. I did tweak it somewhat for audio but I have decided to build a separate 100% dedicated playback server now that the Devialet also offers me ethernet and USB.

For the dedicated machine I will re-use my existing fanless HTPC case (Streacom FC5 WS EVO) which is already near the Devialet. I will swap the insides for more current hardware and a low power CPU.

So yesterday I ordered the following hardware

mainboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5
CPU: Intel Core i3-4350T 35W dual core 3.1gHz hd4600
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LP CML8GX3M2A1600C9B 2x4GB
SSD: Samsung 840 EVO 500GB
2nd NIC: Intel Gigabit CT Desktop Adapter

The mainboard has a nice option "DAC-UP" which isolates certain USB ports and uses a better low noise and isolated power source for those ports. You can also turn of the USB bus power to these ports. I'm not sure if the Devialet supports this and did ask somewhere else on the forum but I will find out soon now! Wink

I use ethernet AIR as my main input for music (And will probably remain to so) but did connect the USB output of the Devialet to the HTPC for quick and easy 2.0 stereo sound for watching TV series, Youtube etc.

Later (I'd like to determine how much power it uses first) I will probably buy a small linear power supply for this PC to drive the PicoPSU or will look at a linear PSU that provides the different needed voltages to circumvent the PicoPSU as well. I'm looking at products of Teddy Pardo, TeraDak, HDPlex, Item Audio and others.

Also I'll probably start experimenting with Windows 2012 Server R2 plus AudiophileOptimizer vs. Windows 8.1 Pro.

As the music server will be near to the Devialet and will store my music locally I could also start experimenting with direct ethernet connections (no active network equipment between Devialet and this server) and " audiophile" network and USB cabling.

So enough to do on the rainy 'inside' days! Smile
PS Audio P3, Shunyata ΞTRON Alpha Digital and HC/Furutech power cables, Paul Hynes SR7EHD-MR4, DIY Roon Server & Roon Endpoint running AudioLinux Headless, Phasure Lush^2 USB cable, Audioquest Diamond RJ/E ethernet, Uptone Audio etherREGEN, Mutec MC-3+ USB, Shunyata ΞTRON Anaconda Digital XLR AES/EBU, Devialet Expert 250 Pro CI, Nordost Tyr Reference LS cables, Von Schweikert VR-5 SE Anniversary Edition, Anti-Mode Dual Core 2.0, JL Audio Fathom F112. More detail here.

The Netherlands
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#10
Wow Antoine you did not buy the Devialet to simplify your system did you!
I have had my 2 D-Premiers updated one at a time. I am expecting the second back tomorrow.
I was actually in 2 minds whether to update or not.
I haven't used USB or Ethernet, and whilst I may experiment with them a bit they were not a necessity for me, otoh I do slightly miss the loss of HDMI (which must have saved Devialet a lot of money to drop since the license is so expensive) slightly regret the loss of the infra red remote facility which makes the 250 less good for video integration than the D-Premier was. Also I was using the optical input up to 24/192 and the 250 only goes to 24/96 (Devialet are kindly upgrading the optical inputs on my second unit for me so I can continue to use it like my D-Premier).
I went ahead because of the guarantee and the extra DSP gives more potential long term, though my speakers are unlikely to ever be SAMmed, AFAIK there is only my pair in the UK of one of my speakers and 2 of the other...
Devialet Original d'Atelier 44 Core, Job Pre/225, Goldmund PH2, Goldmund Reference/T3f /Ortofon A90, Goldmund Mimesis 36+ & Chord Blu, iMac/Air, Lynx Theta, Tune Audio Anima, Goldmund Epilog 1&2, REL Studio. Dialog, Silver Phantoms, Branch stands, copper cables (mainly).
Oxfordshire

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