lucky you can get hold of all this kit. In your line up I suspect the dCS NB will be the best in terms of sound quality - please tell me how you get on. Although the Gold Note DS-10 sounds interesting - I can't comment on this one. The best streaming bridge on the market to-date however is the Grimm Audio MU1.
You will find that the USB convertors have a serious impact to the sound quality especially the very low end units from China. Try swapping the CYP for a Musical Fidelity V-Link 2 or something better. The sound will improve. I gave up trying to convert USB to spdif as every device I tried had a negative effect on the sound quality. I now use a DSC Network Bridge directly to my AN 2.1x sig dac, problem solved.
I find that interesting ... so all the USB/SPDIF converters didn't work out for you. I wonder what the theory is behind that? After all ... an async ("async" being the operative word here) USB converter for example can be the master clock (so no syncing errors here) - and then simply send it on faithfully out to the SPDIF. Anyone got any ideas?
Maybe the quality of the clock was already considered by John by investing in the more expensive ones which still didn't satisfy ... perhaps the conversion process itself causes issues?
I used to believe that digital is digital and so long as the signal was getting through it really didnt matter. I originally had a M2tech which I broke and replaced with a cheap Chinese one, which degraded the sound. Eyes opened that not all digital is equal. I tried 5 or 6 different convertors, all changed the sound quality to a degree. I gave up on the convertors and went for DCS which was a dramatic improvement.
John - how do you use your NB - streaming from local ripped FLAC / WAV files, or from Internet services such as Tidal / Qobuz? And do you enhance your NB by adding external clocks?
If you must use USB to SPDIF converter, I can recommend the tube-based one that Abbas Audio in Ukraine makes. The last I heard, he is still operating--a friend of mine has ordered some DACs from him--and buying from him will support the Ukrainian economy.
Just curious in what way would tubes function in a USB/SPDIF converter? I went to their site but can't find any detail on the product thanks.
I think he uses a tube-based clock in it. But in general, each product from him is somewhat one of a kind. He writes as much somewhere on his website. I borrowed an Abbas USB-SPDIF converter from a friend once, and it was indeed very smooth and analog sounding.
Originally I had the EVO 442 which is a very good for the money, but in my opinion it wont integrate to the AN 2.1x sig dac properly. So I swapped it out for a dedicated Roon NUC and the DCS NB, which gave me what I was looking for. I have a few TB of my own flac files and I also user Qobuz and Tidal. Just an observation I also tried a Lumi U1 mini and though the sound quality was very similar to the EVO. Thank you for suggesting an external clock for my NB, I never thought about trying that Next I want to try TotalDAC and a DCS Bartok against an AN 4 Dac with my NB.
What is great, we all like different solutions, just like you I’m perfectly happy with my current system and adding DCS NB (was one of the first I tried) gave me a “digital”sound - go figure. I do wonder about the converter as you describe and will have a chat to my dealer to see if they have better solutions. I’m also looking for a second room solution but Mrs L is keen on something stealth, god forbid.
That will be an interesting comparison - keep me (us) in the loop. And it's great you are getting good results from streaming because AN just don't like the sound of it (they think streaming is an inferior medium) - they still much prefer the good ol' fashioned CDT. I've cut and pasted the below from this AN website link: https://www.audionote.co.uk/cdt-two "Whilst the rest of the audiophile world continues its delusional and ultimately doomed love affair with the currently fashionable crop of what are claimed to be 'high resolution' computer sources, we at Audio Note (UK) continue to extract even greater degrees of information and quality from Red Book CD, which is still the best, currently available digital music format".
I am still early in my streamer testing, but I currently have an Auralic Aries G2.1 connected to my DAC-5. We were listening to some jazz and I realized that I have the same CD. We listened to the CD through the CDT-5, and I must confess, the CDT wasn’t just a little better, it was much better. Maybe I don’t have the Aries dialed in yet, but it was an interesting data point.
I put a similar post of fb, gold note have responded and it appears that EVO have acknowledged the conversion issue from usb to spdif and have something in the pipeline to resolve it.
I I spoke to one of the guys at audio note about why they wouldn't make a streamer. He wouldn't give much away but he said what they are able to do with the CD is almost supercharge the digital signal for the want of a better word. He implied that this enhancement can't be performed on streaming.
I'd like to hear an Audio Note CD-x with an Audio Note DAC. I have not heard an Auralic Aries G2.1 in my system, but user comments I've read other than yours have been universally positive. During your comparison, did you connect the Aries G2.1 and CDT-5 to your DAC using the same digital input, whether it was RCA or XLR? Having recently had several DACs come through my system for extended periods (months), used with a Rockna Wavedream NET or MacMini via LAN, or used with an Esoteric UX-3Pi as transport via RCA spdif, I heard for the first time in five years streaming overtake disc media for sound quality. DAC's I auditioned were Audio Note DAC3.1x/II, Esoteric DV2, Bricasti M3, Bricasti M1SE and Holo May Audio May KTE. All were connected via balanced outputs.
I apologize for appearing negative on the Aries, it does sound very nice. It is just that the CDT5/DAC5 combination is magical. I currently have it set up with a Manley switch (gold contacts, solder joints redone with AN solder) so both the CDT and the Aries can use the DAC5. All the cabling is RCA with AN-Vx or better.
Yup, for the price of a CDT5, you can buy a hefty Taiko streamer and loads of network optimizing devices.