I WILL finish it eventually lol, it would drive me nuts if I didn’t lol, I still keep adding onto the mysphere article since I think it’s not complete enough so this is going to be a constant project lol
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Understood, i get exhausted swapping rca cables and trying to translate the changes to myself in my own mind, let alone in a coherent article.
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I dont know whether to be proud or terrified that i came up with the same list before your comment (though replaced the calista with the new wave dream net thats suposedly a level up that should be dropping soon
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When you do try stuff like this, how would you even go about it? Tbh since you seem to chain DDCs a fair ampunt it kinda seems like the potential number of combinations would be massive as hell. Would you just limit it to streamers and go “this just direct swaps with k50”? Or would you try chaining like the pink faun can do?
Oh I always forget about the rockna, I’ll have that on radar
I get frustrated trying all the different combos lol
Both
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I understand the hesitation then…
Out of curiosity, are you planning to focus on streamers? Or you going to look into USB reclockers as well?
Also, you played iwth the wave dream net before? Curious how it does with USB input since there dont seem to be very many higher end DDCs that dont require network
I don’t think reclockers are viable for going any higher, so I think aio streamer is really the only option up for me imo. Also I need spdif type in this specific case
Not touched one, but would be interested in the new one coming out
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@M0N pure curious question from me. It seems like berkely and tambaqui go for fairly similar things over all but just slight different ways about it. Would you class berk ref 2 (or 3) as a similar tier to tambaqui over all? Or do you think there is a fair performance gap somewhere? I ask just because you seem to imply that mola is at a higher tier ta the ref 2 in part one but reading comments here over the last year or so I get the feeling that are more similar tier than not
And that’s why I took part 1 down lol. Lack of a good digital source for testing
As a unit on it’s own, the tambaqui is going to do better assuming only a basic ddc for the Berkeley. But, I would say that if you really take scaling far, the ref2 is a higher tier overall to the mola mola, because it really can scale with a quality digital source
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oh damn. I didnt realize you took it down. TBH kind of a shame. It feels worth while keeping up with just a major disclaimer at the top IMO.
I would be curious to see how the tambaqui scales as well tbh. but that asside, you would say ethernet → tambaqui > something like alpha USB → berk ref 2? Would be kinda currious where that cross over changes given the used price difference the two can often have tbh (not expecting you to know that FWIW, would just be cool info to have)
IMO it just colored the results way too much, I mean it’s still there just unlisted and pw protected in an article, but I honestly still was super mixed posting it in the first place, and the digital frontend realizations I’ve had really game me a reason to take it off lol
Hmmmm. So I might say that I’d say the berk 2 with the alpha usb edges out the tambaqui to where it’s a moderate technical upgrade but not full next tier better. Then again, I was always somewhat mixed on the tambaqui, and it would depend on the quality of the usb source for the alpha usb as well. As an example currently using the sonore usb source I’ve got, and that really does improve the alpha usb with the rs3
Just FWIW, what I personally find the article useful for is not judging tiers of gear but instead flavor comparisons if that is any solace.
ah, so this isnt just PC → berk alpha, but instead a USB based streamer → alpha? Also, can I assume the alpha is to berk what the d1-digital is to totaldac/what the ns1 is to emm? As in, the synergy is just so good you realy want to use it as opposed to skipping it (for say d1-digital/some streamer of similar tier straight in)?
Fair enough on the talbaqui as well. TBH it seems like everyone i know that has spent a decent amount of time with one goes “holy shit that cool. Nothing else realy does quite what this does” but then they all seem to not really miss it once its gone either.
Side note, are you currently of the opinion that you simply need streaming to truly have the highest source quality? I have kinda felt for a while now that every streaming setup I have heard (thats not a pi) is honestly just a step up over usb from a computer even when using the same source chain but I also dont have much experience with streaming so I wasnt sure if maybe this was just selection bias.
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So, the ns1 is an extreme example, I think you have a lot more flexibility with totaldac and berkeley than you do with emm or lets say chord. The synergy with the alpha usb was good, but I also had good results with the d1-digital-mk2 as well (similar but different slightly higher tier perhaps but alpha better value here), and direct out of a k50 too (substantial step up). I didn’t like the mutec since I thought it was too lifeless with this combo though, so there’s a decent level of synergy there. I just think the alpah usb is a good value with the dac, but does further improve with a nicer usb source, but also is great on it’s own. You def can go higher than the alpha usb, the alpha usb is just a natural starting point that can carry you farther than expected with a nicer usb source
If you have an emm dac with optilink, get a ns1 and never look at anything else lol
That’s really how I feel about it lol. To me it’s basically what chord should have done, and I really did enjoy listening to it each time, but I never was actively looking forward to listen to it either. That’s really why I am mixed on it, I like it, and also see why people like it, would suggest it in the right chain, but wouldn’t be interested in owning it again either
Not only streaming, but you for the most part need a local file playback streaming solution if you want the best. You can further add in reclockers and networking stuff to improve further, but really you just can’t get away with typical pc audio anymore from my findings. On the usb vs spdif that really depends on the streamer, cabling, and dac as both can be equally viable, but getting off a computer is basically something I’d require to get the most out of a high end dac
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If I had to shrink down my entire front page SA article on reclockers, I couldn’t do it better than you just have with this one paragraph. Every step I’ve made in improving the clocking, Ethernet, power supply, and the local high quality file, it’s all been a further improvement and it’s what convinced me to commit to high end digital as a source.
Get off the Fucking PC!
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makes sense over all. TBH the only USB source that I can think of that may be nicer than d1-digital-mk2 is the wavedream net. Everything else I can think of above that is a streamer only (no USB for control) or usb only tbh. Good to know that skipping alpha does make sense if you already have something nicer though. On the topic of the d1-digital though, have you compaired vs k50 out for the 12? Assuming it was better with since you have it in that chain, but currious what exactly made k50 → twelve splitter worse tbh.
Rofl. Duly noted.
I guess maybe im in more of a niche than I thought, but tbh, im fairly surprised there dont seem to be any server/streamer/reclockers (like k50) that allow control over USB (not for any music data, just for interfacing with the streamer from a computer). TBH it seems like a usecase a lot of people would use.
Can the net actually work as a ddc? Didn’t know that
Yeah, sooooooo currently mixed on that. I do actually think the k50 → splitter might be a bit more articulate, but the k50 → d1-digital → splitter might lean it a bit warmer and richer which I do enjoy and enhances some other aspects while trading in others. Indecisive in which I like more
I mean, I don’t know. Like the whole point of a streamer is remote control from another device yes, but typically that device wouldn’t make sense to be from a PC over a wire. Also you’re then plugging a noisy usb source into the system, that can’t be good. Honestly just throw a rs232 in there instead lol.
By control, do you simply just mean like viewing the interface and controlling and not pushing audio to it like you would an audio source? At that point most people would just use the web interface, and I get you can’t do that but that’s really an uncommon situation more than the norm. If you get something with a remote, honestly just get an ir blaster or rf controller and write something to control it from the pc lol
I need a reliable vehicle, 
price-points have exceeded what i can stomach in this economy, I’m in it for the knowledge and learning experience at this point. 
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Yes it can! One of the coolest features about it IMO. I think USB input only works as a DDC though. I dont think you can control the server over usb unfortunately
Kinda impressive the totaldac pulls that much work tbh. tyvm for the info
Yah, that is what I mean. and thats fair on the web interface tbh. Just anoying because of my specific use case, but yah, I see that.
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Very interesting
To be clear, it doesn’t really, it’s much less impressive on it’s own than being fed with the k50 via aes
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Why have a wired pc control when everyone has a remote right in their pocket, a remote that also takes phone calls. I do wish more streamers had an interface on the actual piece, just because apps/bluetooth/interwebs arent always best for setup.