The recently launched Intel NUC or Next Unit of Computing might be what you are looking for. It is a full featured PC but in the same form factor as a Mac Mini. It is a Core i3 based system, has dual HDMI, 3 USB3 slots, and is a fully built up system for only about $300 or so.
DAC around INR 100k
- Thread starter ranjeetrain
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The recently launched Intel NUC or Next Unit of Computing might be what you are looking for. It is a full featured PC but in the same form factor as a Mac Mini. It is a Core i3 based system, has dual HDMI, 3 USB3 slots, and is a fully built up system for only about $300 or so.
Prem's system sounds great, ( it's actually fantastic) , period, and that is not because he chose the best components he could buy but because because he chose the best he feels exemplifies his expectations and liking and then he set it up together as a well thought of process such that the system as a whole including the room is in perfect harmony..and that includes the cables, power and rack.
Most of the components would not be great brands that everyone would know and are not priced obscenely..but knowledgeable people in the industry would definitely approve of them !
I guess Most of us get hung on the best components but in isolation, while forgetting that most components available are pretty good..what makes it an art in this hobby is in choosing the ones with the right synergy and then patiently go about integrating them together without losing perspective on what sound one really likes !
Prem , apologies for putting in above words on your system but from all I have heard thats what i could conclude. The art I still cannot figure out is how you decide on components without even listening to them but somehow get it right !
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This is highly OT, but I'm mentioning this here simply because it is somewhat in context (since Prem's system is being mentioned) and it might help FMs looking for a deal.
There is a pair of Rethm Saadhana v1s in NIB condition (which will be fitted with the new Rethm Drivers) going for a great deal at Rethm itself. If there are any FMs interested in it, please PM me and I can give some more details that I know of, and contact info. I am not associated with Rethm, I'm just sharing this info for the benefit of the FMs.
@ranjeet, I hope you're ok with my mentioning this in your thread. If you'd like this post removed, please let me know and I will get it touch with the Mods and have it removed immediately.
There is a pair of Rethm Saadhana v1s in NIB condition (which will be fitted with the new Rethm Drivers) going for a great deal at Rethm itself. If there are any FMs interested in it, please PM me and I can give some more details that I know of, and contact info. I am not associated with Rethm, I'm just sharing this info for the benefit of the FMs.
@ranjeet, I hope you're ok with my mentioning this in your thread. If you'd like this post removed, please let me know and I will get it touch with the Mods and have it removed immediately.
square_wave
Well-Known Member
The Computer Audiophile Pocket Server ( CAPS) is getting some amazing user reports all over.
Computer Audiophile Pocket Server
Fanless design. People are comparing it to players like aurender. Many prefer it to the Mac mini.
Give it a consideration.
Computer Audiophile Pocket Server
Fanless design. People are comparing it to players like aurender. Many prefer it to the Mac mini.
Give it a consideration.
Hi Satmumbai, Arj
Thanks for your encouraging comments. I still have quite a bit to go.
My approach is simple. I first try and get the best source i can afford. I normally like my source to be as neutral as possible. Then i decide on a speaker and amp combo. The idea is to have synergy between the two. Next i get all the cables from power cord, interconnects and speaker cables that suit the amp and speaker. Every time i have changed my amp and speakers, i have completely changed my set of cables. I have never succeeded in making a new amp and speaker combo work with an existing set of cables. IME, everything in this hobby is voiced. So getting the right voicing is the trick. I normally write to the amp and speaker manufacturer to understand what cabling they have used for voicing. I kind of go for similar stuff.
When setting up the system, i try to get as open a sound as possible. I do not worry about anything else. Then if i do not like something in certain frequencies, i look at simple room treatments. Maybe a rug, some books, some damping to the windows, etc.
I try and get the room to be sympathetic to the system. Thats always been my approach. I spend maximum time in adjusting the speakers. Normally at one point they kind of connect to the room.
As far as possible i minimise absorption. Just a rug and curtains on windows. I prefer diffusion. Any solid round object like a flower vase at the first reflection point will act as a diffuser. I find plants behind speakers also help. But all this tuning is basis what i need to correct.
Sorry, Ranjeetrain for going OT and by the way you are most welcome. You can stay at my place and go and audition systems in Mumbai.
Thanks for your encouraging comments. I still have quite a bit to go.
My approach is simple. I first try and get the best source i can afford. I normally like my source to be as neutral as possible. Then i decide on a speaker and amp combo. The idea is to have synergy between the two. Next i get all the cables from power cord, interconnects and speaker cables that suit the amp and speaker. Every time i have changed my amp and speakers, i have completely changed my set of cables. I have never succeeded in making a new amp and speaker combo work with an existing set of cables. IME, everything in this hobby is voiced. So getting the right voicing is the trick. I normally write to the amp and speaker manufacturer to understand what cabling they have used for voicing. I kind of go for similar stuff.
When setting up the system, i try to get as open a sound as possible. I do not worry about anything else. Then if i do not like something in certain frequencies, i look at simple room treatments. Maybe a rug, some books, some damping to the windows, etc.
I try and get the room to be sympathetic to the system. Thats always been my approach. I spend maximum time in adjusting the speakers. Normally at one point they kind of connect to the room.
As far as possible i minimise absorption. Just a rug and curtains on windows. I prefer diffusion. Any solid round object like a flower vase at the first reflection point will act as a diffuser. I find plants behind speakers also help. But all this tuning is basis what i need to correct.
Sorry, Ranjeetrain for going OT and by the way you are most welcome. You can stay at my place and go and audition systems in Mumbai.
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Thought i would also add that i never break up sound into highs, mids and lows. The system to me either plays music or it does not. The balance of sound is most crucial to me.
I am reminded of what the late Raj Kapoor once said to a film critic. We often say the movie was nice before interval but then post interval it was not so nice. Raj Kapoor replied saying movies are not made with interval in mind. The purpose of the interval is go the rest room or to have a quick bite. So either a movie is nice or not nice. Period.
I am reminded of what the late Raj Kapoor once said to a film critic. We often say the movie was nice before interval but then post interval it was not so nice. Raj Kapoor replied saying movies are not made with interval in mind. The purpose of the interval is go the rest room or to have a quick bite. So either a movie is nice or not nice. Period.
Gerry_the_Merry
Well-Known Member
I hesitated to post my impression life Prem's system since this thread is on Ranjeetrain's DAC, but since there have been a few posts already, and since I think one important aspect has not come out, will briefly mention here. Some time back, DrBass had mentioned to me that the EMT 938 has extremely attacking sound. I neither had the experience of a 938 nor did I fully understand what DrBass was trying to say. A few days back when I visited Prem, I got my chance. Initially I was listening casually, but around 1 minute into the track Telegraph Road of Dire Straits, I was jolted upright, so forceful was the sound of plucking of the guitar string. The last few minutes of that 14 minute track are a very fast paced drum and guitar sequence, and I remember that the snare drums sounded unusually heavy and extremely lifelike. Private investigations, the next track, took it to a different level. My education about the importance of attacking sound and making for lifelike output took a quantum jump. There were phases during the three hours I spent when I was forcing myself not to tap my foot, but amazingly, so magnetic was the influence of the music, that time and again I caught myself doing exactly what I had told myself not to do.
Wide soundstage, imaging and at times depth are much easier to achieve. This degree of attack however is extraordinary (Prem seemed to think that it was only 60% of what he hears in a studio) and perhaps depends on the source. It perhaps also depends on the material being played. I think Dire Straits type of pre-1985 music is perhaps best enjoyed on LPs than digital, because in creating digital copies, compromises may have been made along the way which suppresses the attack and sharpness (AAD etc).
Perhaps Prem himself is in a better position to comment since he had an equally high end digital rig before this, and there must have been a change in the nature of the sound between the two high end rigs.
I have some way to go before I stabilise my analog front end, but when it happens in the next few months, one aspect will be that my DAC and Phono Stage (both Accuphase boards) will have roughly the same pedigree and perhaps sonic influence. that may let me tackle one of my objectives - to have authentic copies of analog and digital of the same music and hear the difference, at least to the extent the resolution of my system will allow.
Wide soundstage, imaging and at times depth are much easier to achieve. This degree of attack however is extraordinary (Prem seemed to think that it was only 60% of what he hears in a studio) and perhaps depends on the source. It perhaps also depends on the material being played. I think Dire Straits type of pre-1985 music is perhaps best enjoyed on LPs than digital, because in creating digital copies, compromises may have been made along the way which suppresses the attack and sharpness (AAD etc).
Perhaps Prem himself is in a better position to comment since he had an equally high end digital rig before this, and there must have been a change in the nature of the sound between the two high end rigs.
I have some way to go before I stabilise my analog front end, but when it happens in the next few months, one aspect will be that my DAC and Phono Stage (both Accuphase boards) will have roughly the same pedigree and perhaps sonic influence. that may let me tackle one of my objectives - to have authentic copies of analog and digital of the same music and hear the difference, at least to the extent the resolution of my system will allow.
Hi Gerry the Merry
The original non remastered cds of Dire Straits made in Germany are quite extraordinary. Very little difference between that cd and the lp i have. I can happily live with either. I do not like the remastered cds of Dire Straits. There is compression.
Last time when you had come i was at about 60%. Now i have gone to about 70% with some window treatment, fine positioning of the speakers and adjustment of bass levels. There is potential to go up by another 5-10%. Thats the max my system will be able to do.
The original non remastered cds of Dire Straits made in Germany are quite extraordinary. Very little difference between that cd and the lp i have. I can happily live with either. I do not like the remastered cds of Dire Straits. There is compression.
Last time when you had come i was at about 60%. Now i have gone to about 70% with some window treatment, fine positioning of the speakers and adjustment of bass levels. There is potential to go up by another 5-10%. Thats the max my system will be able to do.
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Gerry_the_Merry
Well-Known Member
Hi Prem, that sounds amazing, that you could improve upon an already high level. When you say adjusting the bass, you mean you have raised it a bit or lowered it relative to other frequencies?
Hi gerry the merry
Raised the bass level a notch. If you remember when you were listening to Making Music certain parts were a little aggressive. Thats because there was a slight gap in the mid bass which needed to be filled up. Raising the bass vol level did the trick. Now system is more transparent and has more wt and sounds more lifelike.
I think we should not continue with this conversation on this thread. This is about a DAC and what we are discussing is irrelevant to this thread. Sorry again Ranjeetrain. My apologies.
Raised the bass level a notch. If you remember when you were listening to Making Music certain parts were a little aggressive. Thats because there was a slight gap in the mid bass which needed to be filled up. Raising the bass vol level did the trick. Now system is more transparent and has more wt and sounds more lifelike.
I think we should not continue with this conversation on this thread. This is about a DAC and what we are discussing is irrelevant to this thread. Sorry again Ranjeetrain. My apologies.
Gerry_the_Merry
Well-Known Member
Yes this has become off track. Ranjeetrain I wonder if you have considered accuphase Dac.
Gerry_the_Merry
Well-Known Member
Yes. Both my phono stage and Dac boards are plug in boards. I had bought accuphase in preference to Moon i7 for this reason too among other things. No power chords or interconnects and there is perhaps some natural synergy. Can do 24/96 in usb and 24/192 in coax. Downside is that Dac does not have word clock input. Dinyaar had heard my Dac at his place using his X05 as transport only using ordinary toslink cable. It gave X05 as full CD player a run for its money despite CD player having much better quality balanced IC.
Thad E Ginathom
Well-Known Member
Well, it's a series of PCs (but then, I suppose the Mac mini is a [Mac] PC too). However, there are some delicious designs there, and I really do, one day, fancy a fanless, silent design. Make-mine-Linux and, if I was looking for a PC to sit in a hifi rack, this could be nice, and, buy/build it or not, I'd read all this guy's stuff instead of taking just a quick look. Actually, the silent PC at the back of my mind is something like this. But I'll need those monobloc amps to match it.
ranjeetrain
New Member
Oh, I missed out the whole day. Just back home after a long day out.
Everyone, no problem about Prem's system at all. It is all very well in the context. And I have enjoyed reading all of it. The admiration for Prem's system only grows and the wish to hear it only strengthens the more you guys talk about it. Keep them coming, it's enriching to read it all till I can actually hear it.
Thanks a ton for the invitation Prem. I will surely not miss out on the opportunity if at all I can travel to Mumbai. It's on the cards, but not certain yet. I will pm you whatever the scene. Thank you once again
Everyone, no problem about Prem's system at all. It is all very well in the context. And I have enjoyed reading all of it. The admiration for Prem's system only grows and the wish to hear it only strengthens the more you guys talk about it. Keep them coming, it's enriching to read it all till I can actually hear it.
Thanks a ton for the invitation Prem. I will surely not miss out on the opportunity if at all I can travel to Mumbai. It's on the cards, but not certain yet. I will pm you whatever the scene. Thank you once again
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ranjeetrain
New Member
Yup, I was reading about it the other day. Thanks for sharing.
No no, it's absolutely fine. Everything is contributing to the discussion and I have enjoyed reading everything that was posted. I would go through a similar process in my mind. So, it's good to have such a nice background.
Please don't feel that way.
Absolutely no off tracking, please don't feel so!
A did! And there is one possibility I will do so. But the dealer where I bought it couldn't give me any info on pricing etc, and I don't have much knowledge about their performance. But like you mentioned in a later post, the extension boards have their own merits and I would also like to go that route if (1) the extension boards are capable of separate-level-performance and (2) they are not prohibitive (cost-wise).
Yes, the back side has place holders for up to two extension boards.
ranjeetrain
New Member
Soon, may be within 3-4 years. Computers and most other electronic gadgets might become SOC based modular designs. Just buy building blocks and connect them together.
A few years ago they launched Plug devices. Now they have 25 dollar computers. Soon they are going to have 100 dollar computers which will even stream their video for wireless connectivity with any compatible display and wire less connectivity with input devices. There you go. Carry your computer in your pocket and hook it with any display available wirelessly (such as in aeroplanes, public places where you have a seat, or even pay booths) and you're ready to go!
How computing has changed our lives in a matter of 3-4 decades !!!
No worries, please don't feel that way.
Yes, please, send me the info. Look forward to your pm.
Hi Ranjeet
I tried sending you a PM but looks like you need to do a little housekeeping when you have some time as your mailbox is full !
Regards
OOPS! I do keep cleaning it from time to time, but every once in a while it gets full
Clear now
Gerry_the_Merry
Well-Known Member
Ranjeetrain, the DAC should be around 60k in HK / Sing, and I you come to Mumbai an have not settled on a Dac by then you are most welcome to visit me and check it out for yourself. For an AB we can try to set up visits to Dinyaar's and Bhagwan's places to see how my card performs against their CD player and DAC respectively. In my set up I have tried out Arcam CD 37 cd player some time back and this card beats that quite easily.
ranjeetrain
New Member
60k sounds very reasonable for something that sounds better than Arcam CD 37.
Interesting! Will worth checking out. And a comparison would be all the more better. Guess I should start looking into that.
Interesting! Will worth checking out. And a comparison would be all the more better. Guess I should start looking into that.
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