AIR

[warpeon]

Seemingly nobody is claiming a separate player provides better sound quality than AIR at least in this thread.

At least in theory, packet based data traffic with error detection and resending should provide perfect results in data transmission, making it superior to S/PDIF and USB. So anything external has an inferior
transmission route. This is partly why I'd really like to see UPnP/OpenHome support in Devialet itself.

On the other hand, Kunter mentioned that a battery powered Macbook Pro sounds much better than Mac mini. So is a battery powered or a linear power supplied Mac/PC the way to go?

I doubt there is a difference, but what I've learned in hifi is never say never I haven't tested it so I can't be sure.

The reason for my skepticism is that if a device has a working network interface, be it wireless or ethernet, it should not have any effect on the packets traveling between network nodes. The only difference would come from the other device stuffing inferior bits to the packets being sent and well, I see no reason in that happening either.

I was at the dealer in HK - tried to compare SPDIF input from a weiss MAN 301 into devialet vs. AIR from macbook. Same file. The Weiss MAN 301 sounded better. hands down.

To me this was interesting - I always thought the packet based data traffic with error detection and resending should provide perfect results in data transmission, making it superior to S/PDIF and USB - however, I guess something else is going-on. May be it was the renderer of WEISS vs. amarra in macbook? May be it was SPDIF vs. Ethernet cable? May be it was the treatment of data input within devialet? I don't know.

I haven't tried macbook USB vs. AIR. Would appreciate if anyone could share their insight.