Computer Audio. Wish There Was a Bullet Proof Blue Print

[CycleCoach]

Thanks Fretless

[Simon Hickie]

Hello. I've just joined the group and have used computer based audio pretty well exclusively for the last six or seven years. I have an old Thinkpad which holds my ripped CDs (ripped as WAV files) running JRiver Media Centre. The PC also runs Fidelizer (free version), which optimises the PC a bit. I use a DIY USB cable which uses the data wires only as an unshielded twisted pair into a Musical Fidelity VDac2 with separate MF power supply rather than the wall wart thing. This weekend I tried a friends USB tuning stick from Akiko Audio. The outcome was something of a revelation with hugely enhanced soundstage both in terms of width and height.

In my experience, the quality of the USB cable and the USB input on the dac are critical to the success of computer based audio.

[Simon Hickie]

I should add that I rip CDs using DBPowerAmp. A free alternative is EAC (Exact Audio Copy).

[Fretless]

You've obviously put some thought into your set-up Simon. And using WAV's means no hassle with compressed formats (but do you have enough HDD space?). And DBPowerAmp is excellent - I use their file conversion system occasionally.

My first 'proper' outboard DAC was an MF VDac with the matching PSU and VLink. Gave nice results, then I moved up to the MF M1DAC which I found to be noticeably better.

You might try an AudioQuest Jitterbug on your USB. Does wonders IMHO.

[Simon Hickie]

Plenty of HDD space! I've considered an Audioquest Dragonfly Red plus Jitterbug recently and may go down that route when we sell the house. Right now, speakers are my number one concern! The Dragonfly Red certainly seems to be well regarded on one of the computer audiophile sites (Jonny Darko?).

[Simon Hickie]

Jitterbug arrived today and seems to work well with the Musical Fidelity VDAC2. Better separation of instruments and improved soundstage. The biggest benefit seems to be the removal of a layer of 'fug'.

[Fretless]

Yup!

[CN211276]

The Jitterbug improved my system and I found that adding a second one (in a spare USB socket on my desktop), as Audioquest suggest, improved things further and was worth the expense.

[Simon Hickie]

I tried the Jitterbug on a friends system today, comprising a laptop feeding a Wyred4sound USB to SPDIF converter, going into a modified Jolida DAC and hence onto a Consonance 300B based amp and finally a pair of Impulse Audio Lali speakers. The effect was similar to my system: more precise location of the various musical elements, greater ambience and a blacker background. The effects are particularly noticeable on vocals. The improvements were pretty obvious.

[Neonknight]

Realized I havent updated this thread at all. The Singxer SU1 arrived a couple of weeks ago, and its installation was a no muss/no fuss slam dunk. That is about the only thing I like about an Apple OS is that it recognizes devices straight away, no mucking around with drivers and what not.

Ok there is a significant difference between the Singxer and the inexpensive SMSL converter I was using. The Singxer sounds more natural on the top end, with music being more extended, the decay patterns evident, and a lack of artificial sheen that I have had on previous incarnations. So far this has had the best results.

I happened to have a second hand Pangea USB cable I bought for this project at an earlier stage, but it had the wrong terminations on one end. It worked for this set up, so I installed it. Since things are progressing in the right direction, I decided to finish this off with placing an order for the Wireworld Silver Starlight USB and Ethernet cables. They will get compared to the Pangea and the Monoprice wires that I currently have on hand.

So far its been good though. Currently ripping discs, but the end is in sight. I will say the sound is better than my transport in most ways, but there is at least one trait that it has the computer lacks. I don't know if it should be considered a coloration, its hard to put into words, but it has a different essence for sure. Perhaps I have just listened to it for so long that I have come accustomed to it, like the feel of your favorite pair of shoes.

So that is where things sit now. I expect to have at least one more contribution to the thread once the Wireworld products get here.