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I, like our mighty (though absent) leader Stephen, aka 'zeus' own an Apple Mac mini. And you've seen how the tireless 'Ambassador' of Marantz, Ken Ishiwata demonstrates the NA-11S1 with his iPhone and MacBook Pro, having :
Asymmetrically spaced impeller blades and back and side airflow vents work together to move the maximum amount of air while reducing tonal impact.
http://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/
Yes, "High-Efficiency Fans" are most welcomed when we listen.
What else is (and has been) important to your choice of computing for maintaining and accessing your downloads ? For starters, are some readers committed fans to MS Windows and can cite particular hardware (and software) examples of interest ?
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Post by lennyw February 19, 2014 (2 of 28)
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1. A decent mobile-based remote.
2. A computer in the other room, so the noise, etc is out of earshot.
Can all be done for very little money, as long as you have a lack of belief in the necessity of expensive digital cabling.
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1. Fanless PC in the room with control software and display. Connects to DACs via USB or HDMI. Tablet control optional.
2. Remotely located NAS with all the files.
3. Wired ethernet between NAS and fanless PC.
4. Local USB drives, SS or spinning, optional for ad hoc play.
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Post by lennyw February 20, 2014 (4 of 28)
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Kal Rubinson said:
2. Remotely located NAS with all the files.
3. Wired ethernet
Though if you want to playback DSD, this won't work (if I understand correctly it has to be via USB).
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lennyw said:
Though if you want to playback DSD, this won't work (if I understand correctly it has to be via USB).
Really? It has been working just fine for months with DSD64-256/multichannel. Why not if you have the bandwidth?
(I think I was not explicit enough for you to appreciate that the ethernet is from NAS to local server which connects with the DACs via USB or HDMI. I have amended my post.)
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Post by lennyw February 20, 2014 (6 of 28)
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Kal Rubinson said:
(I think I was not explicit enough for you to appreciate that the ethernet is from NAS to local server which connects with the DACs via USB or HDMI. I have amended my post.)
OK. Indeed. Just thought for a minute that I'd missed the memo saying that it was now possible to stream via ethernet direct to the hifi without the need for a PC.
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lennyw said:
OK. Indeed. Just thought for a minute that I'd missed the memo saying that it was now possible to stream via ethernet direct to the hifi without the need for a PC.
Sure you can by streaming to the Oppo ethernet input using SMB and the Oppo control but the GUI is primitive.
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Wilhelm—Xu Zhong-Rui said:
Yes, "High-Efficiency Fans" are most welcomed...
DSD is the sound quality I want to access online ; yet, for me, it's a DAC destination still some time away—due largely to financing the continual house rebuild.
This Thread, let's share how we're journeying ; or for the arrived to tell which part of the expanding DSD compatible DAC township they're living, want to move to...
Where I am ; during a few days of online media, a fortnight ago, I took the above photo to show Ken the Marantz Consolette AirPlay centered system I was then using in my small bedroom. And, yes, I've a larger bedroom, and a still larger living-room /showthread/109915/114257#114257 that's under renovations...
Simply, I'll write a fuller background [and perhaps refer to details of the photo] another time, I want "to get the best audio performance from [my] PC[/Mac]-Audio and" that includes watching https://vimeo.com/85830596 'SHOWstudio: Haute Couture Spring / Summer 2014 Round-Up' as an aspect to my being aware of the zeitgeist...
The quote was from my studying NA-11S1 supplements, specifically http://www.marantz.co.uk/DocumentMaster/UK/Marantz_Whitepaper_PC-Audio_NA-11S1.pdf which lit my thinking to what computing choices I should keep in mind. For example, after examples of setting-up JRiver and Audirvana, on Page 12 :
TIP AND TRICKS TO GET THE BEST FROM YOUR USB-DAC
1. Select a good USB cable (sound will be strongly influenced by the USB cable; interference & noise)
2. USB-Cable: Not longer than 5m, and the quality of shielding will also have some influence on the sound quality. Test several cables to optimise performance. Try adding a Ferrite Core as used on some network cables.
3. We strongly recommend you to add a Ferrite Core on your network cable to minimize noise interferences.
4. For the PC / Mac an SSD hard disc is preferable – SSD stands for Solid State Disk and has, in comparison to standard hard disc, no rotating elements inside. Another step to reduced interference. Sound will be even smoother and more detailed.
5. Use your PC or Mac only for Music listening. Kill all unnecessary running apps. There is no need for a high performance super-fast PC. Standard processor is just fine.
6. If you use Spotify streaming service, make sure you set the data rate to 320kps – highest resolution.
7. DSD playback. The NA-11S1 supports DSD2.8Mhz (64) and DSD5.6Mhz (128). In case of DSD2.8 playback “DSD 2.8224MHz” will be shown. For DSD5.6 it is “DSD>2.8224MHz”, this >means bigger than 2.8.
Well, if I'd known point 4, I'd have ordered the SSD option for my Mac mini... Yet for point 5 I should... And for point 2...
Oh, Page 2 :
In this document we will mainly focus on the last option on the list, the USB-B connectivity as this is the recommended way for music lovers to enjoy their music in the best quality possible.
Page 4 :
A quick overview of the USB-B possibilities:
1st It will bypass the audio board of your PC / Mac in order to avoid all digital noise from your PC / Mac
2nd It will also be able to bypass the audio mixer in your computer which is a source for distortion.
Ex: The mixer is the DSP of the PC where all sound from any software will be mixed together and sent to the speakers, but in order to achieve this mixing the DSP has to convert all different formats coming from different software. This this will heavily modify the audio file and lower the sound quality. When we bypass the audio mixer, the original audio file will be outputted bit-perfect – no modification to original signal happens.
3rd The asynchronous mode as available on the NA-11S1 will give control over the timing of audio data transmission to the receiver side (USB-DAC), thereby minimising jitter for best audio performance.
4th It’s compatible with all file formats including DSD via DoP (all the formats that your PC software player can read). This differs by USB-DAC specification. For all these reasons, it is worth spending some time to investigate these new possibilities, as more and more serious music companies offer High End Audio tracks like FLAC HD in 24bits/192 kHz and DSD files in 2.8Mhz / 5.6 MHz for download. This allows us to listen to music files with the same High End quality that we had on Super Audio CD’s.
Fans of computing, on PC or Mac, can you comment on high-efficiency solutions, present or imminent, for...
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Wilhelm—Xu Zhong-Rui said:
I want "to get the best audio performance from [my] PC[/Mac]-Audio...
Thus, when purely listening, I make sure Video from my Mac mini is disabled as soon as possible :
a "1 min" setting for Display sleep (while Computer sleep becomes "Never") within 'Energy Saver' (along with Start after: "1 min" for 'Screen Saver') of "System Preferences"
It's the minimalist (or 'Highly Efficient [Fan]') approach to Hi-Fi Audio reproduction I constantly make great effort for ; and, happily, the setup routines (like additionally having disabled Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, disconnecting of wired keyboard [with mouse] before settling for an extended, say album length, listen) gets easier with practise.
Well, it's my attitude... If to do anything, do it as best...
Thus, my previous Post's lists of TIP AND TRICKS TO GET THE BEST FROM YOUR USB-DAC guides my direction ; unhurriedly, I'm awaiting announcement of the next Mac mini release with especially the following points in mind :
4. For the PC / Mac an SSD hard disc is preferable – SSD stands for Solid State Disk and has, in comparison to standard hard disc, no rotating elements inside. Another step to reduced interference. Sound will be even smoother and more detailed.
5. Use your PC or Mac only for Music listening. Kill all unnecessary running apps. There is no need for a high performance super-fast PC. Standard processor is just fine.
At present, luckily (in terms of buying at the right time), my Mac mini (bought November, 2012) is still what Apple is currently selling. Unluckily, for I hadn't known of point 4 & 5, I'd bought the standard 2.3GHz, 1 TB Serial ATA Drive rather than a, "best audio performance" option, 256GB Solid State Drive...
To know what is said and available, whether by manufacturers or consumers, helps to be informed consumers ?
I look, firstly, to Marantz and Apple ; yet remaining open-minded to learn of other...
The 4:3 LCD monitor was saved, years ago—when my cousin immigrated to Australia, to potentially serve another pur...
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Why in the hell does this thread exist? The OP is an idiot.
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