Squeezebox/DAC advice

[timm]

Technically speaking, there should be no difference (except for higher res files).

I keep forgetting this point... but very valid and important none the less.... The sb touch will do hi res - whereas the duet will not correct??

 

[cyclone]

Yes I do realize the Hi-rez difference which is a big point.
Unfortunately I don't have a itouch phone although it would be interesting to see what the ap is like compared to the Duet controller which I think works nicely.

 

[Krazikiwi]

IPeng app

Hi Timm,

For what it is worth, yes the Duet remote will drive multiple units on the wifi.

However, I find it is challenged in reception strength as you getaway from the wifi router, the iPad or iPod Touch seems to have a better ability to 'see' the wifi across a wider area and stay on the wifi.

Better still, when I show someone the iPeng app on their wifi, I can turn on the Duet in my house on the other side of town and walk them through my favorite Internet radio stations etc. It freaks members of the household out when the Duet springs to life in the kitchen when they are around!

The Logitech Touch is a bargain for a hi Rez content gateway.

I am still going through the DAC process so can't offer any help but Todd's W4S unit appears to offer amazing value in the assync USB camp.

My 5c worth

Jeff

 

[adanny]

I spoke with W4S about this and they were non commital on I2S/USB versus SPDIF. Thats why I'm testing both.

I am not an expert on this by any strecth so apologies for any misstatements in advance. If you go to Computer Audiophile, there is a thriving debate on this issue both wrt to the Dac 2 as well as in general with other DACs. To oversimplify a complex debate, I feel the I2S/USB solution is technically simpler, shorter signal path but needs more tinkering and is sensitive to the hardware and software being used, and perhaps even the cable. The SPDIF solution is more complex, longer signal path, 2 additional clock events. But it is less sensitive to the hardware (since the DAC2 reclocks), more plug-n-play and the new chips and reclockers have reduced jitter issues substantially.

I use Sonos and I liked the elegance of W4S' most recent innovation. Bypass the SPDIF entirely and take an I2S signal directly from the board to an I2S input on the DAC - kind of like a USB signal path does but even better (i think). I am curious about testing the SONOs with an I2S output compared to the best, most jitter-free SPDIF output. W4S is equally curous about what I find and have asked me to document and send them a report. They think the I2S (and by extraploation USB) solution is logically superior but they dont have the field data to validate that (yet)

I now have 3 Sonos boxes - a regular, one with a "reclocker" mod from W4S and a third with an I2S mod also from W4S, all feeding a DAC2. So far, I cannot tell any audible differences between the I2S and the SPDIF outputs but it has only been ~1 hour of listening. Happy to post more observations if I hear anything and if folks are interested