Although this remains a work in progress, I shlepped my silly new audio rack from AZ to CANJAM SoCal:
The “rack” is an Inovativ Deploy portable workstation rated for 600lbs with 20" rear tires; it’s designed for taking sound rigs, etc., on location to film and TV shoots, wherever they may be. Hence, “portable.” [Insert Dr. Evil air quotes meme]
My Ampsandsound Nautilus was the main star of this setup. Also shown here is my old Monster 5100 mkii power conditioner. I had attempted to source a more capable Furman, but it fell through at the last minute.
I borrowed various DACs for the weekend. I have May at home, but didn’t want to go through the hassle of disconnecting it for the show. Cayin N8ii was quite nice as a USB DAC source with Caldera and Expanse. We were using a Bricasti M1 in the first image above.
The screen is a 55" LG OLED that we used as a Roon display in conjunction with a Google Chromecast. That worked out nicely when several of us passed around Caldera; those not listening could still follow along and participate in the experience while waiting their turn.
The whole stack is Roon enabled (R.O.C.K. core is sitting on the desktop in the first image). Since Pis have gotten scarce, I picked up an ASUS Celeron laptop for $99 to use as an endpoint. Even better that it has a keyboard and screen for search.
Special thanks to Cardas for the free t-shirt and bold inspiration at CANJAM SoCal 2021. 