Mac AIR v MiND 180 v Auralic ARIES v totaldac d1 server

[ThierryNK]

Ooops

I am really sorry

[thumb5]

This maybe "disturbing" when we think that computers have often control on our life, but keep cool, audio is really a very special matter

Hello Thierry - I think that sentence is the nub of it.

My view is: yes, it would be very disturbing if computer systems made those kind of mistakes, but they are engineered not to - otherwise, I for one wouldn't get in a modern car or aircraft! But in the digital domain, audio is not a very special matter (as far as transmitting it from A to B is concerned) - it's the same as any other data so it benefits from the same engineering that makes other computer-based systems work properly. Converting it faithfully from digital to analogue is another matter entirely, though.

[ThierryNK]

This maybe "disturbing" when we think that computers have often control on our life, but keep cool, audio is really a very special matter

Hello Thierry - I think that sentence is the nub of it.

My view is: yes, it would be very disturbing if computer systems made those kind of mistakes, but they are engineered not to - otherwise, I for one wouldn't get in a modern car or aircraft! But in the digital domain, audio is not a very special matter (as far as transmitting it from A to B is concerned) - it's the same as any other data so it benefits from the same engineering that makes other computer-based systems work properly. Converting it faithfully from digital to analogue is another matter entirely, though.

Hi thumb5

Do you say that after reading the articles or before?

There are 6 (or 7, not sure) computers in Airbus planes. Each of them with different hardware, with a different OS, and a software developed by different teams, with different languages on the same specifications. Each of this software is "proven" (I do not want to go into more details about software proof).
And even with that, it still happens moments during flights where 2 computers do not give the same outputs with the same input parameters.

If you read the 3 articles above, and the one by Damien Plisson (I gave the link somewhere above), you just realize that general purpose computers with Windows or OSX as OS are not designed to to what we expect them to do in "Computer Audio", voltage references for example, that change upon different loads, and change 0 into 1, and vice versa.

You can add that there is no way to check that what is done is correct when decoding an audio track with Jriver, iTunes, or Audivarna. This is the key point.

One possibility could be to decode the tracks several times simultaneously and take the average of the outputs, as in a Monte Carlo Method, or as in DAC using several chips as Accuphase's ones and others. Because, errors happen in the digital parts of DAC. This has been known for a long time… Just check Accuphase Website and their CD and SACD players documentation.

About our every day life computers, there are Error Controls each time it is possible, on reads, writes, code execution, etc.
And you know what? CRC and other errors controls do serve, because errors happen all the time…

Cheers

[wiresandmore]

Hi all,

Just to bring this back a bit. A Totaldac - wonderful though it may be - is simply too much for me to spend at present.

So I am right in assuming that for circa £1000/€1250 the best streamer option is still viewed as the Moon 180 device? Conscious there are others (Linn Majik DS, Naim Unitiqute) not discussed here.....

I know AIR might be better but I would like to use a dedicated h/w streamer as my main input (my family need to use something very straightforward as the source)

Thanks!

[Rufus McDufus]

Our tests are totally subjective and Guillaume's system is incredibly revealing so it's wrong to take our findings as definitive for all situations. The MiND 180 is a great streamer though, hindered a little IMHO by a fairly poor app but that can be worked around if you don't want to use it. To me it's a choice between impressive soundstage/ sharp detail (Aries) or less impressive but musically engaging (MiND). I have to admit as soon as I figured what I didn't like about the Aries, I made my mind up that I didn't like it full-stop. This is perhaps overly harsh. I don't think I've read any other user review on forums agree with me!

[Chris Marshall]

Hi Neffa

Using Air doesn't have to be complex for the family.

Once set up it should be very simple. I use Jremote to control Jriver and all you have to do is open the app (which will wake the PC), turn on the devialet and then choose some music.

It's just a simple as using any of the streamers I've used previously.

It might take a little longer to set up but don't confuse that with ease of use.

cheers

Chris

[Confused]

Once set up it should be very simple. I use Jremote to control Jriver and all you have to do is open the app (which will wake the PC), turn on the devialet and then choose some music.

May not be the case if someone has been playing "World of Warcraft" on the PC and has switched the soundcard GUI back to pc's internal card......
Having said that, all of the streamer options are more expensive than a decent laptop, or even a 23" touch screen PC with 1tb storage etc. So maybe a 100% dedicated PC or NAS is the answer to a simple / high quality system? Still cheaper than the Auralic.

(Or wait until something with similar performance to the Totaldac but a more palatable price becomes available, it's still a relatively new area I think)

[GuillaumeB]

Once set up it should be very simple. I use Jremote to control Jriver and all you have to do is open the app (which will wake the PC), turn on the devialet and then choose some music.

May not be the case if someone has been playing "World of Warcraft" on the PC and has switched the soundcard GUI back to pc's internal card......
Having said that, all of the streamer options are more expensive than a decent laptop, or even a 23" touch screen PC with 1tb storage etc. So maybe a 100% dedicated PC or NAS is the answer to a simple / high quality system? Still cheaper than the Auralic.

(Or wait until something with similar performance to the Totaldac but a more palatable price becomes available, it's still a relatively new area I think)

There is also the issue of dropouts and white noise, which according to our survey are affecting almost 70% of AIR users. Granted only 19 have voted but it does give an indication nonetheless. If you haven't yet voted, please vote here:

http://devialetchat.com/Thread-AIR-user-survey

Thanks!

Guillaume

[PhilP]

There is also the issue of dropouts and white noise, which according to our survey are affecting almost 70% of AIR users. Granted only 19 have voted but it does give an indication nonetheless. If you haven't yet voted, please vote here:

http://devialetchat.com/Thread-AIR-user-survey

Thanks!

Guillaume

Of course, another way of looking at this would be to say that of the 250+ registered users of the forum only 13 (5%) have indicated that they have problems with dropouts and white noise whilst using AIR

Philip

[GuillaumeB]

There is also the issue of dropouts and white noise, which according to our survey are affecting almost 70% of AIR users. Granted only 19 have voted but it does give an indication nonetheless. If you haven't yet voted, please vote here:

http://devialetchat.com/Thread-AIR-user-survey

Thanks!

Guillaume

Of course, another way of looking at this would be to say that of the 250+ registered users of the forum only 13 (5%) have indicated that they have problems with dropouts and white noise whilst using AIR

Philip

You're absolutely right of course.

I may organise an online poll on surveymonkey or similar.

Guillaume