Mac AIR v MiND 180 v Auralic ARIES v totaldac d1 server - Printable Version +- Devialet Chat (https://devialetchat.com) +-- Forum: Devialet Chat (https://devialetchat.com/Forum-Devialet-Chat) +--- Forum: Streaming (https://devialetchat.com/Forum-Streaming) +--- Thread: Mac AIR v MiND 180 v Auralic ARIES v totaldac d1 server (/Thread-Mac-AIR-v-MiND-180-v-Auralic-ARIES-v-totaldac-d1-server) |
RE: Mac AIR v MiND 180 v Auralic ARIES v totaldac d1 server - PhilP - 02-Sep-2014 (02-Sep-2014, 21:27)ThierryNK Wrote: Hi everybody Thierry, Yes, you're quite right AIR never works just on its own, of course, there must always be a player as well With A+ I was only thinking about the case of it running on a Mac. This is where several of us have had problems enabling A+ functionality like Integer Mode so A+ is only 'working with' AIR in a limited way. The information about how AIR works from the Devialet site is only high level - it doesn't really explain what AIR works at a lower level which is the interesting part or whether/how it works with Players other than iTunes on an iMac RE: Mac AIR v MiND 180 v Auralic ARIES v totaldac d1 server - ThierryNK - 02-Sep-2014 Hi PhilP I find it very satisfactory that Devialet web site explains that the "player" plays and AIR "transfers". It was not so clear before. For Audirvana (I have a license that I use to DAC reviews), some options as Integer Mode depend on how the DAC or an audio gear as Devialet declares itself as an "audio card" to the Operating System. So, if it is not possible to activate Integer mode or direct mode, it relies on AIR and how it declares the Devialet to OSX. I know this does not help you but it means that this question in more onDevialet's side than on Audirvana side. In the past there have been lists of DAC compatible with internet mode as here http://www.computeraudiophile.com/f11-software/updated-digital-analogue-converter-list-integer-mode-compatibility-audivrana-plus-13363/ Cheers Thierry RE: Mac AIR v MiND 180 v Auralic ARIES v totaldac d1 server - Confused - 02-Sep-2014 Getting the thread nearer to it's original topic, is it not possible that the Totaldac is quite simply a little bit better than AIR? i.e. maybe AIR does do cleaver things coordinating and clocking data from a computer, but the Totaldac is simply doing much the same thing and maybe doing it just that little bit better? Assuming the Totaldac is not a rip off, and assuming it is competently designed, then it should be better than AIR, it is about five times the cost of an AIR module. So if the Totaldac is offering reasonable value for money, then yes, it should be able to outperform AIR? RE: Mac AIR v MiND 180 v Auralic ARIES v totaldac d1 server - GuillaumeB - 02-Sep-2014 (02-Sep-2014, 22:14)Confused Wrote: Getting the thread nearer to it's original topic, is it not possible that the Totaldac is quite simply a little bit better than AIR? i.e. maybe AIR does do cleaver things coordinating and clocking data from a computer, but the Totaldac is simply doing much the same thing and maybe doing it just that little bit better? Assuming the Totaldac is not a rip off, and assuming it is competently designed, then it should be better than AIR, it is about five times the cost of an AIR module. So if the Totaldac is offering reasonable value for money, then yes, it should be able to outperform AIR? Well if you think about it AIR is an app sitting on someone else's computer... and which depends on that person's music player software of choice. There are lots of variables, hence the differences in SQ between A+, iTunes, Mac etc, not to mention power supplies and operating systems. Some are getting white noise and dropouts, others not. The d1 server on the other hand is a perfectly optimised "single purpose" computer/unit where all the elements (software and hardware) are controlled and optimised by totaldac. Only sound quality is important. Guillaume RE: Mac AIR v MiND 180 v Auralic ARIES v totaldac d1 server - Antoine - 02-Sep-2014 The more I read about possible reasons for differences between bit perfect audio playback the more confused I get. No one really seems to know the anwer (or is not willing to give it) I'm giving up for now/I'm done reading and continue on the road I was already on; further tweaking and tuning of my own home brewn music server, just for the fun of it! Here some of the authors of the different playback software try to answer the question regarding differences: http://www.audiostream.com/content/media-player-qa-q4-what-makes-one-media-player-sound-different-another Here John Svenson tries to answer this question in a 3 part essay: http://www.audiostream.com/content/qa-john-swenson-part-1-what-digital http://www.audiostream.com/content/qa-john-swenson-part-2-are-bits-just-bits http://www.audiostream.com/content/qa-john-swenson-part-3-how-bit-perfect-software-can-affect-sound JPlay's take, including discussing real time operation: http://www.audiostream.com/content/jplay-responds-open-letter Measuring the different Mac players (TG I'm using Windows as a playback machine ): http://archimago.blogspot.nl/2013/05/measurements-bit-perfect-audiophile.html On a general subject, here all the answers to the 10 questions asked to the makers of the different players: http://www.audiostream.com/content/media-player-qa-10-questions-8-companies RE: Mac AIR v MiND 180 v Auralic ARIES v totaldac d1 server - PhilP - 02-Sep-2014 (02-Sep-2014, 22:08)ThierryNK Wrote: Hi PhilP Thanks for the link etc. noticing the dates of the posts I see these types of discussion have been going on for some time To be honest, I find the Audirvana User interface painful to use so I will either continue to use iTunes/AIR accepting some sonic compromises or else move to a streamer like the totaldac and not worry too much about how AIR works. I look forward to readng more reviews from you in the future. Salut! Philip RE: Mac AIR v MiND 180 v Auralic ARIES v totaldac d1 server - Antoine - 02-Sep-2014 (02-Sep-2014, 22:14)Confused Wrote: Getting the thread nearer to it's original topic, is it not possible that the Totaldac is quite simply a little bit better than AIR? i.e. maybe AIR does do cleaver things coordinating and clocking data from a computer, but the Totaldac is simply doing much the same thing and maybe doing it just that little bit better? Assuming the Totaldac is not a rip off, and assuming it is competently designed, then it should be better than AIR, it is about five times the cost of an AIR module. So if the Totaldac is offering reasonable value for money, then yes, it should be able to outperform AIR? I guess some people (including myself) just want to understand the why and how. And how much something costs has, to me, never been more than an indicator of the products quality or better said how well the makers believe it's quality is. RE: Mac AIR v MiND 180 v Auralic ARIES v totaldac d1 server - GuillaumeB - 02-Sep-2014 (02-Sep-2014, 22:31)Antoine Wrote: I'm done reading and continue on the road I was already on; further tweaking and tuning of my own home brewn music server, just for the fun of it! Too right Antoine! Some great links there too, thanks! We will get there one day... Guillaume RE: Mac AIR v MiND 180 v Auralic ARIES v totaldac d1 server - PhilP - 02-Sep-2014 (02-Sep-2014, 22:31)Antoine Wrote: The more I read about possible reasons for differences between bit perfect audio playback the more confused I get. No one really seems to know the anwer (or is not willing to give it) I'm giving up for now/I'm done reading and continue on the road I was already on; further tweaking and tuning of my own home brewn music server, just for the fun of it! I think I've just about reached the same conclusion re. the futility of trying to understand... though I may try to wade through the impressive list of articles that you've compiled Re. The home brew music server - why don't you collaborate with Kunter on a Cubox-based solution ? RE: Mac AIR v MiND 180 v Auralic ARIES v totaldac d1 server - Confused - 02-Sep-2014 (02-Sep-2014, 22:30)GuillaumeB Wrote: Well if you think about it AIR is an app sitting on someone else's computer... and which depends on that person's music player software of choice. There are lots of variables, hence the differences in SQ between A+, iTunes, Mac etc, not to mention power supplies and operating systems. Some are getting white noise and dropouts, others not. Indeed so, but not to forget one half of AIR is inside the Devialet itself, that is a memory buffer, the electronics for asynchronous clocking etc. The point being the that the Totaldac is effectively by passing everything up to the Devialet's DAC, and quite possibly doing it rather well? |