Antoine's system

[Antoine]

Another update, my PC music server is nearing completion!

Last week I've ordered and installed JPlay 5.2.1 and today, after reading a lot of user experiences, comparing etc. I've decided to take the plunge and ordered the JCat USB interface card. It's the most expensive card (comparing to SOtM and PPA) but also seems to be simply the best. It allows a direct 5V linear PSU or battery power feed, the SOtM needs a higher voltage. It's also possible to configure the power filtering and disable/enable the power feed per port so all in all the JCat card suits me best practically as well. (edit: just received an email the card will be shipped tomorrow with UPS. )

Only one more thing on my list now: an "audiophile grade" SATA cable for the OS SSD. It's hard to believe but this also seems to really matter!

My Audioquest Carbon USB cable is up for public sale now. I'm still contemplating whether to sell the AQ Diamond ethernet cable as well but I probably will soon as well. If any of the Dutch or European guys here are interested in either one of these cables please send me a PM.


More info on JCat: http://jplay.eu/jcat/

[PhilP]

Well there is a Computeraudiophile thread about audiophile SATA cables with 8 pages of posts.

What about the Paul Pang £110 - for 20 cm?

[Antoine]

Thanks PhilP, PPA's SATA cables are indeed the 'go to option'. I'll probably order one of those (or the slim version, that's cheaper) as soon as I have determined the shortest length possible for my PC.

[Antoine]

Rob35 of this forum has bought my AQ Diamond ethernet cable and thus helped me to free up some budget I had already spent!

Thanks again Rob, and I hope you'll enjoy the Diamond as much as I did!

edit: I still have the AQ Carbon USB cable for sale so if someone is interested in that please let me know!

[Morten]

Congrats on you purchase.

Hope you will enjoy the card.

What USB cable will you use?

Kind regards

Morten

[Antoine]

Thank you Morten, I hope so too!

Last week I bought a Kingrex Unanimous Ucraft USB Y cable and a Kingrex U-Power battery PSU (see also: http://devialetchat.com/Thread-Antoine-s...85#pid4285) so will use those. This 'dual headed' cable allows me to separate power and data lines and insert clean power instead of relying on the USB bus power from a computer. The JCat USB card has two USB ports so I can connect the Kingrex cable to both and set the jumpers on the card in a way that one port isn't powered and the other is. It provides (additional) power filtering for the powered ports but I have to test and see if this improves the already (supposedly) clean battery power provided by the Kingrex U-Power. This power BTW can be fed to the JCat externally through a 5.5x2.1mm jack or internally through a 4 pin Molex connector.

People that don't have a dual-headed USB cable can of course profit too from the JCat card as the card can inject that externally fed power to the DAC. The card itself has filtered IC's and high quality clocks as well so should provide a better USB interface than a regular mainboard does. People are raving about this solution and as the Devialet's USB system is basically a 'run of the mill' XMOS system I hope I will too.

[Antoine]

Earlier I wrote I bought a ApeXi - PCI/PCI-e filter card which should filter the PCIe power inside the PC. At first this seemed a nice addition to the system but then all of a sudden (I don't know why) my system started sounding bad, it became much to bright and forward. I didn't know why/understand but remembered the ApeXi card. After removing it everything returned to normal, still a detailed/clear window to the music but much more relaxed, no more excessive forwardness/artificial brightness. "Crisis solved!" So I wouldn't recommend this ApeXi tweak, save yourself the $30~40.

Coming Monday the JCat USB card will be delivered! And yesterday I've ordered a 20cm PPA Audio Red SATA cable. LOL...can't believe I'm falling for that...a audiophile SATA cable, a cable that seems to have nothing to do with playback quality as it operates fully in the digital domain and merely sits in between the SSD and CPU/memory. But who knows, I might turn into a believer again of something I can't possibly explain/understand.

Also ordered a 3.15A HiFi-Tuning Supreme 3 fuse for my PS Audio P3, I remembered I wanted to try that a long time ago and since I am currently in tweaking mode and ran out of solder I added the fuse to the shopping cart as well to also get free shipping. Thank god the fuses in the Devialet are SMD and thus soldered in.

[Antoine]

Received the JCat USB card yesterday only had time to install it and test if it's working and it is. I then had to hurry to visit the Damien Rice concert in Amsterdam which was absolutely brilliant and breathtaking. That guy is a genius, can't wait for his third album to come out end of this, or possibly next, week!

Anyway, I will test the JCat later/over the coming day's but the system already sounded so incredibly well/better than ever, without it. I'm really glad I took the full options 'computeraudiophile.com' path! No idea how it compares to a current reference like the Aurender W20 but I am very happy with it at this moment. It's at least way better than when I was using AIR.

[Antoine]

In June I wrote:

Earlier I wrote I would test the different inputs myself as well but I haven't got to that yet. Also on computeraudiophile.com I've read way too much about tweaking the music server when using USB (while there seems to be no real need for that when using ethernet). I've read about special SATA cables, SATA filters, separate USB PCIe interface cards, 3 way/voltage linear PSU's, special motherboards, motherboard clock replacements etc. etc. etc. which isn't really a path I'd like to take. It's too much 'OCD' for me!

And I was wrong I did take the path...

Today the PPA Audio Red SATA cable came in so I could (almost) finish my PC music server. I'm VERY satisfied with the end result, it's easily the best sound I've ever heard in my home. The same goes for musical enjoyment.

I'd recommend this setup to anyone who's not "afraid" of PC's and it internals.

All the clichés below apply but I feel they're true and I now get both the "intellectual" view (ability to hear everything in the music) and rewarding musical qualities at the same time. This is something I (have) always search(ed) for. Before I'd missed out somewhat on the musical qualities. Each and every recording is enjoyable now, even the harsh/compressed bad ones but they can be differentiated even more also.

- Bigger soundstage/better staging, holographic imaging, larger 3D-effect
- Very well defined bass, deeper and more powerful
- Lifelike, fluid and very precise, transparant sound reproduction
- Natural air, timbre and image density
- No more harshness, digital sounding music -> analog sound quality
- Very low "noise floor" / black backgrounds
- Exceptional detail and both micro and macro dynamics
- Parts of the music can be easier heard separately but no particular aspects really draw attention to itself allowing to enjoy it as a whole as well.


For those not easily shocked at seeing the inside of a PC mutilated see the attached picture. And yes, it's very OCD and not very pretty!!

What you can see is star grounding of some (partially or fully) shielded components like the JCat USB interface card and RAM, shielded DC cables and PCIe riser cable, case and mainboard. Below the aluminum plate at the front is the HDPlex DC ATX converter.

Still to do:
- install better DC power cable to SSD disk (parts are in house)
- experiment with EMI absorption material like 3M AB5100S

[brit]

In June I wrote:

Earlier I wrote I would test the different inputs myself as well but I haven't got to that yet. Also on computeraudiophile.com I've read way too much about tweaking the music server when using USB (while there seems to be no real need for that when using ethernet). I've read about special SATA cables, SATA filters, separate USB PCIe interface cards, 3 way/voltage linear PSU's, special motherboards, motherboard clock replacements etc. etc. etc. which isn't really a path I'd like to take. It's too much 'OCD' for me!

And I was wrong I did take the path...

Today the PPA Audio Red SATA cable came in so I could (almost) finish my PC music server. I'm VERY satisfied with the end result, it's easily the best sound I've ever heard in my home. The same goes for musical enjoyment.

I'd recommend this setup to anyone who's not "afraid" of PC's and it internals.

All the clichés below apply but I feel they're true and I now get both the "intellectual" view (ability to hear everything in the music) and rewarding musical qualities at the same time. This is something I (have) always search(ed) for. Before I'd missed out somewhat on the musical qualities. Each and every recording is enjoyable now, even the harsh/compressed bad ones but they can be differentiated even more also.

- Bigger soundstage/better staging, holographic imaging, larger 3D-effect
- Very well defined bass, deeper and more powerful
- Lifelike, fluid and very precise, transparant sound reproduction
- Natural air, timbre and image density
- No more harshness, digital sounding music -> analog sound quality
- Very low "noise floor" / black backgrounds
- Exceptional detail and both micro and macro dynamics
- Parts of the music can be easier heard separately but no particular aspects really draw attention to itself allowing to enjoy it as a whole as well.


For those not easily shocked at seeing the inside of a PC mutilated see the attached picture. And yes, it's very OCD and not very pretty!!

What you can see is star grounding of some (partially or fully) shielded components like the JCat USB interface card and RAM, shielded DC cables and PCIe riser cable, case and mainboard. Below the aluminum plate at the front is the HDPlex DC ATX converter.

Still to do:
- install better DC power cable to SSD disk (parts are in house)
- experiment with EMI absorption material like 3M AB5100S

A work of (musical) art!

Glad that it has worked out so well - all a bit beyond my technical capabilities!!

David