I stumbled upon a discovery that was a bit of a surprise. Have recently started to listen to more optical media of late, as I’ve not been entirely happy with the sound from streaming via PC.
For CD’s been using a Audiolab 9000CDT transport (via optical) to a Topping D900/A900. The sound from this has been better than I would have thought, and certainly better than streaming via the PC. For SACD/DVD, use a Magnetar UDP 800 as a transport to the Topping.
Decided to compare the performance of CD playback from the Magnetar and compare that to the Audiolab. The results were a bit surprising. For CD playback, the Audiolab transport sounds better, and the difference is quite noticeable. The sound from DVD and SACD with the Magnetar is very good, but the CD playback is not of the same quality level.
This was a bit of a surprise to me. I was under the impression that all CD transports were more of less indistinguishable. Turns out that this has not been the case. I’m now glad I picked up the Audiolab CD transport.
Guess I’ll need to look into better streaming options.
Yeah, a quality transport makes a difference. The TEAC VRDS mechanisms have been popular for a reason, and I think it’s more than just mechanical robustness.
Computers are (EM) noisy. Cheapest first step (if you haven’t already done so) is to put an isolator on that USB line. The JDS Labs Synapse Max would be a good place to start, since it’s only $79. Some DDCs also provide galvanic isolation, but I would trust the JDS Labs more than a cheap DDC.
Then there are dedicated streamers, and of course they can get really pricey. But you can find a PS Audio AirLens or a Bricasti M5 used for around $1500. And, naturally, things can go way up from there.
Appreciate the feedback. The issue with the CD drive continues to surprise me. The funny thing is the Blu Ray player sounds fine with DVD/SACD, but not as good with CD’s.
I’ve been researching streamers for months. After reading your comments, decided to bite the bullet and get a dedicated streamer. Found a Audiolab 9000N for a very good price, so decided to get it. Hopefully, this will resolve the streaming issue. It gets great reviews, alleged to perform well above its price point. We’ll see.
Initially, will use the ethernet connection for audio. Since the 9000N has a number of filter options, will connect the analog out to the Topping A900 headphone amp. For the coax out, that will be connected to the stereo amps (Devialet Expert Pro 1000).
At some point, will try connecting the digital out from the streamer to the Topping D900. Should be interesting.
Well, have had tried out the 9000N for several hours now. So far, so good.
I’ve been hesitant to spring for one of these, as they are not cheap. The deal on the Audiolab 9000N was too good to pass up, so went ahead and got it. The reviews on the unit were all very good, stating that it performed above its price point. What really sold me on this was it uses a Lumin engine.
Had some growing pains with getting it set up, but eventually got it working fine. On bug I ran across was initially using the phone to connect to the unit. That didn’t work well, because I already had TIDAL on the phone. After removing the Audiolab app on the phone, and installing it on a tablet, all was well.
For now, connected the balanced out to a Topping A900 headphone amp, listening to Sony MDR Z-1R. Sounds excellent. A definite step up in sound quality from using a computer. Will need to sample the other headphones, but expect to have excellent performance.
What’s been the most surprising was connecting the coax out from the 9000N to the stereo (Devialet Expert Pro /ATC SCM 40 II). Before, was using a computer connected vias USB to the stereo. The 9000N with coax sounds a LOT better. Wasn’t expecting that.
Will provide an update after getting some time with the unit.
After additional auditioning with the 9000N, I have to revise my opinion about streaming. With the right hardware, music from a streaming source can indeed sound every bit as good as optical media. The mob at ASR reckons a computer sounds as good as a dedicated streamer source. This has not been the case for me. Whilst the computer can sound quite good when using foobar2000 as a source, TIDAL sounds better when using the 9000N over the computer.
I’ve discovered a setup that provides excellent synergy with the 9000N connected to the Topping A900 driving Abyss Diana TC. Quite an amazing sounding combination.
Decided to try the Coax out from the 9000N connected to the Canever ZeroUno DAC/HPA. The results were a bit surprising. The 9000N/Canever combination actually sounds better than the 9000N XLR out to the Topping A900.
The 9000N has the latest ESS DAC (9038 Pro), whilst the Canever has the legacy 9018 DAC. The Topping A900 has outstanding specs overall, and does sound very good with any DAC and headphone connected. Yet, the Canever just sounds better overall.