The biggest improvement in your digital system lately?

Treating my allergies.

 

uRendu feeding Roon to a Gumby. Don't see any reason I will ever move up from there.

 

Agree. The Rendu feels overpriced for what it is, and makes some claims that I'm not sure can be backed up, but there's no finer Roon endpoint. I don't think it sounds better then my Raspberry Pi/HiFiBerry endpoints, but it handles DSD better and has the special feature of not having a 50% chance of breaking every time you power cycle it.

I ordered the 2.5 software, am curious to see how it works.

 

How?

 

Playing hi-res files from my laptop into my Esoteric K-03's DAC rather than a flash drive connected to my Oppo 105's USB input. The Esoteric is much more musical and detailed.

 

I do find that many original LPs sound awful also which is why they are being 'remastered'. Ever listen to the Capital mono release of Beatles VI on a decent system?

Yes, some digital remasters aren't all that great but the same could be said for analog too but some/many remasters bring the music to life.

 

Purchased an Oppo bdp 105

 

Prism Callia and a pair of Focal Shape 60 monitors.

 

Using Jplay on my laptop, getting an iFi Nano iDSD DAC and getting Serene Talisman powered speakers used with a sub.

Also getting an Allo Boss I2S DAC for my Raspberry Pi 3 and switching to Volumio and spotify connect in another system.

 

Kinda like the Apple Tax, it JUST WORKS and sounds great. If I had it to do again I might have got a BlueSound Node II. Had the first generation and it was excellent but sold them when the wife wanted a Sonos Playbar. Sonos Connect sounds good as well and works better than I expected as an endpoint.

 

What change made the 'biggest improvement' in your digital system lately?

Using AlNiCo magnet big box speakers.

 

Nothing special, just standard techniques -- Astelin, Nasocort, Allegra, nasal irrigation. And the occasional spicy Chinese mustard.

 

My new to me vintage Marantz receiver. The warm sound of digital iPod

 

I used irrigation, spray, and pills. Now I use mostly just Allegra and n95 rated mask (when it is really bad).
Having one or both stuffed sinuses is not fun.

 

Exercise worked wonders for me...blood-flow to the nasal passages.

Oops...we are derailing this thread!

 

Throwing my CD player in a skip...

 

An Audioquest Dragonfly Red for use on my notebook or iPad. Powers the HD 650 more than adequately.

 

Replacing my Arcam Alpha 9 CD player with an Arcam FMJ CD37 SACD player was a big improvement last year.

My Alpha 9 was unable to play more discs every month, and as it was repaired before, I was in doubt to repair it again or get something new. I thought I couldn't get anything better for my budget, because of its special ring DAC design, but the CD37 proved me wrong. I got it used, btw. Arcam doesn't produce such a powerhouse anymore.

I think the Alpha 9 sounded a bit warmer, call it "analogue" if you want, but the CD37 creates a huge soundstage and outputs deeper bass and more detailed highs. And it is… tight. I was blown away and I didn't expect it. The first disc I tried was Jean Michel Jarre's The Concerts In China (early German CD) and I started to play Arpeggiator. This is a track I've known since it's release. I own this CD for 29 years now. The room is filled with music. The stereo imaging is breathtaking, I can literally not tell where the speaker are anymore. I turn the volume up, it sound unearthly, the music floats in the room. And then… then… this arpeggiated bass synth kicks in that I have *never* noticed before. Wow.

So it's great with CDs. And a nice plus is that it plays SACDs with a native DSD to analogue converter.

 

What did you replace it with?

 

Sure thing! I finally figured out the reason my system sounds different from day to day: Allergies and ear congestion.

 

Room treatment. Outrageous how important it really is. Stop the reflections, and you focus all of the sound. A total requirement to good sound if the room needs it.

 

New laser for my Denon dcd-715

 

Ive tried on here to tell people this but they won't listen, you can spend thousands on hifi and it can still sound crap if the room isnt treated with acoustic tiles.

 

What is really sad is to see people spend thousands on cables, when spending the same amount on acoustics would make a major improvement that anyone (not just an audiophile) could hear.

 

My main hifi system is in my living room and acoustic tiles will never be allowed there. Expensive cables, although laughed at, are acceptable.