30-Aug-2014, 19:30
(This post was last modified: 30-Aug-2014, 21:05 by GuillaumeB.)
Well what an interesting afternoon this has been... and exhausting!
So just to reiterate the setup, we compared the following in the following running order:
1) Macbook AIR (13-inch, Mid 2013, OS X 10.9.4) running iTunes (11.3.1) in bit perfect mode and AIR (2.1.2) > wifi > Draytek router > AQ Carbon cat 7 > Cisco switch >AQ Diamond ethernet > Devialet master
2) Macbook AIR running Audirvana + (1.5.12) and AIR (2.1.2) > wifi > Draytek router > AQ Carbon cat 7 > Cisco switch >AQ Diamond ethernet > Devialet master
3) QNAP 419 (running Minimserver) > AQ Diamond ethernet > Draytek router > AQ Carbon cat 7 > Cisco switch > AQ Diamond ethernet > Moon MiND 180 > Transparent XL AES/EBU > Devialet master
4) QNAP 419 (running Minimserver) > AQ Diamond ethernet > Draytek router > AQ Carbon cat 7 > Cisco switch > AQ Diamond ethernet > Auralic ARIES > Transparent XL AES/EBU > Devialet master
5) QNAP 419 > AQ Diamond ethernet > Draytek router > AQ Carbon cat 7 > Cisco switch > AQ Diamond ethernet > totaldac d1 server > Transparent XL AES/EBU > Devialet master
We used a Chord Power Chord mains cable (which I already had) to power the Auralic ARIES and totaldac d1 server external power supplies.
The first reference track was track 1 from the following album:
It's a superb live Jazz performance featuring the great jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal, there's a fantastic live atmosphere as you can hear the audience cheering and the session kicks off with a great drum roll/kick drum. It's a very good 24bit recording with great dynamic range and lots going on: percussion, piano, brass...
1) "vanilla" AIR sounded really good to my ears... lots of detail and atmosphere... quite bright and instant...
2) A+/AIR to me sounded very similar to 1), perhaps a bit more of a forward presentation. I think I preferred it to 1).
3) the MiND was a big surprise since I hadn't expected it to sound this good! I suppose I had kinda gone off it after discovering AIR. It seemed very musical and involving but with less of the brightness and urgency of 1) and 2). You could say it had less of the top end. But overall a very refined sound.
4) the ARIES was a big disappointment. It sounded like really good hi-fi and there was no excitement/wow factor. It seemed to tick all the boxes sound-wise but just didn't draw me in.
5) the totaldac d1 server just blew me away. It was in a completely different league. In just about every parameter it was better than the other options. Stunning.
I'll let Rufus expand on some of these points, we didn't agree on all the details as you'd expect.
More detail to follow later!
Guillaume
So just to reiterate the setup, we compared the following in the following running order:
1) Macbook AIR (13-inch, Mid 2013, OS X 10.9.4) running iTunes (11.3.1) in bit perfect mode and AIR (2.1.2) > wifi > Draytek router > AQ Carbon cat 7 > Cisco switch >AQ Diamond ethernet > Devialet master
2) Macbook AIR running Audirvana + (1.5.12) and AIR (2.1.2) > wifi > Draytek router > AQ Carbon cat 7 > Cisco switch >AQ Diamond ethernet > Devialet master
3) QNAP 419 (running Minimserver) > AQ Diamond ethernet > Draytek router > AQ Carbon cat 7 > Cisco switch > AQ Diamond ethernet > Moon MiND 180 > Transparent XL AES/EBU > Devialet master
4) QNAP 419 (running Minimserver) > AQ Diamond ethernet > Draytek router > AQ Carbon cat 7 > Cisco switch > AQ Diamond ethernet > Auralic ARIES > Transparent XL AES/EBU > Devialet master
5) QNAP 419 > AQ Diamond ethernet > Draytek router > AQ Carbon cat 7 > Cisco switch > AQ Diamond ethernet > totaldac d1 server > Transparent XL AES/EBU > Devialet master
We used a Chord Power Chord mains cable (which I already had) to power the Auralic ARIES and totaldac d1 server external power supplies.
The first reference track was track 1 from the following album:
It's a superb live Jazz performance featuring the great jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal, there's a fantastic live atmosphere as you can hear the audience cheering and the session kicks off with a great drum roll/kick drum. It's a very good 24bit recording with great dynamic range and lots going on: percussion, piano, brass...
1) "vanilla" AIR sounded really good to my ears... lots of detail and atmosphere... quite bright and instant...
2) A+/AIR to me sounded very similar to 1), perhaps a bit more of a forward presentation. I think I preferred it to 1).
3) the MiND was a big surprise since I hadn't expected it to sound this good! I suppose I had kinda gone off it after discovering AIR. It seemed very musical and involving but with less of the brightness and urgency of 1) and 2). You could say it had less of the top end. But overall a very refined sound.
4) the ARIES was a big disappointment. It sounded like really good hi-fi and there was no excitement/wow factor. It seemed to tick all the boxes sound-wise but just didn't draw me in.
5) the totaldac d1 server just blew me away. It was in a completely different league. In just about every parameter it was better than the other options. Stunning.
I'll let Rufus expand on some of these points, we didn't agree on all the details as you'd expect.
More detail to follow later!
Guillaume
Industry disclosure: UK distributor for Shunyata Research
220 PRO, totaldac d1 server with additional external power supply, totaldac d1-seven, Echole PSU for Totaldac, Wilson Audio Sasha 2, Shunyata Research cables, Shunyata Hydra Alpha A10 + DPC-6 v3, Various Entreq ground boxes and cables, Entreq Athena level 3 rack, 2 X SOtM sNH-10G with sCLK-EX + 10MHz Master Clock input + sPS-500 PSU, i5 sonicTransporter w/ 1TB SSD
UK
