By Juan C. Ayllon Last Saturday, I was polishing an interview with Dave Malekpour, president and founder of Professional Audio Designs, for another website, and something he said has been swirling in the eddies of my mind. "In pro audio, you use the minimum tools necessary to achieve a recording with great fidelity," he said, adding that with audiophiles, there's a tendency to insert more into the chain than required for accuracy in order to tailor the sound to their tastes. Certainly, things in our environment, such as our listening rooms, greatly affect playback quality. As we chatted, Malekpour mentioned that the acoustics optimization in his custom studios run upwards of $500 a square foot, which may seem obscene, but when you consider his clients are producers and music megastars such as Alicia Keys, Snoop Dogg and Puff Daddy, it makes sense. For them, they’re tools—investments—that help generate returns. But for us, it’s the difference between suffering slap echo, comb filtering and bass bloat versus unwinding to a luxuriant and pristine sound that soothes after a hard day at the office. Many of us share our living quarters with others, and our media rooms often serve multiple purposes, hence, compromise is often necessary. For example, my listening space is also our downstairs family room, so although I incorporate acoustic panels and bass traps, their fabric colors were selected to blend in with the room to accommodate Belle’s minimalist aesthetic (you can find my account of setting up our room by Googling Juan C Ayllon AV space). A Zen Diversion Several days ago, the topic of inserting so much into the chain came up again. I was discussing the possible audition of an iFi Zen Stream dedicated streamer in my system. I currently use an Intel NUC running ROCK (Roon Optimized Core Kit) as my music server and streamer linked to my Schiit Yggdrasil Analog 2 DAC (with its galvanic isolation designed to reduce jitter and electromagnetic interference or noise) via USB cable. A friend had suggested that I try out the Zen Stream in my system. Connected to my network with CAT 7 Ethernet cable, it would stream music directly into my Yggie via USB; my Intel NUC would perform its server and Roon Core duties over the network via Ethernet connection as well. This arrangement would comply with a belief some hold that it’s optimal to separate the music server from the streamer functions via network connection. “The Zen Stream is designed to reduce noise and, in my experience, is sonically transparent,” my friend said, adding that, at a price of $400, he’d put it up against streamers costing much, much more. “You should contact Music Direct and try it out for yourself in your own system,” he suggested, as they have a 30 day return policy. When I mentioned this conversation to another friend who’s a programmer and software consultant, he said that using a separate streamer connected to your server via network using Ethernet cable is optimal only if you physically can’t have it in the same room as your DAC. “You’d be introducing something more into the chain,” he said. “Why would you do that when your DAC already strips noise from the signal?” He questioned what exactly would be gained by such a move. Interestingly, half an hour ago, I read about a shootout between the iFi Zen Stream and several other streamers, with his Intel NUC server as a reference. The author, Andris, wrote: They’re supposed to hand your DAC the correct 1’s and 0’s, clocked as accurately as possible (yes, many DACs reclock, but still), while not also injecting noise (RF or otherwise) into your system. The most apparent differences I heard were (1) blackness of background / degree of digital glare, and (2) crispness of transients (i.e. the punchy part of a note, like a drum hit or pick on a guitar string) and audio image. (Andris. “Streamer Shootout: ifi Zen Stream vs Bluesound Node vs Chord 2go/2yu”. forum.headphones.com, Mar. 2) Interestingly, Andris said that the Stream’s playback over USB was abysmal, but performed outstandingly well over digital coax cable. “If you are limited to USB, please don’t buy the ifi Zen Stream,” he wrote. “If you don’t want to consider the Chord 2go/2yu for USB, then consider building yourself a NUC-based server/streamer and run USB out of that.” Imagine that. Since I already use the NUC and the USB connection on my Schiit Yggdrasil DAC is its best performing input, it would appear that the Zen Stream would be far from an upgrade. Of course, that’s based on his ears, his system, room and tastes, so to be fair, if I’m still interested, it might be a good idea to try it for myself. Hmmm. Maybe. A Tinkering Tribe Clearly, as a whole, audio enthusiasts tend to tinker. That’s what we do. We upgrade our equipment and accessories to extract that extra bit of sensory satisfaction. We switch out speakers, players, line stages, amplifiers, servers and cabling. Then there are the tweaks: isolation devices, swapping vacuum tubes in tube gear, employing higher end external power supplies. Or if you’re wealthy and living in Japan, you might spend $40,000 to purchase your own utility pole to get purer power. The list is endless. I had an audiophile friend of meager means who’d subsist for months eating potatoes to save for his latest upgrade. He ended up purchasing an expensive, high end set of power cables that were supposed to transform his sound system. I didn’t hear much from him after that (I hope he’s well). Not as Advertised When I was five years old, an Imperial Margarine TV commercial sounded a trumpet when a child bit into bread smeared with their spread—and a king’s crown miraculously appeared on his head, so you can imagine the disappointment after I’d convinced Mom to buy it and I didn’t get the shiny golden coronet! I should have known better; the year before, I choked down a large can of spinach but failed to gain even an ounce of Popeye’s super cartoon strength (kuk-kuk-kuk-kuk-kuh!). As demonstrated with my friend’s experience and my childhood disappointments, some upgrades don’t add up as advertised—at least for our systems, settings and sensitivities. And that goes for my review experience, as well. Several months back, I reviewed a server that was supposed to be the end all with its DSP tuning options allowing for a more euphoric analog playback experience. It really did sound nice, similar to playing vinyl versus digital media, but there were tradeoffs. In some cases, there was a subtle but noticeable drop off in detail (several of my Chicago Audio Society friends were very vocal about this during a shared session). When its purveyor insisted that it trounced my ROON optimized Intel Nuc server and that I should say so in my review, I said, no, it did not, and I wouldn’t; it simply sounded different, as in more smoothed out and analog sounding. There’s a difference. He’d originally planned on sending me a series of servers from his product line, however, that review ended our affiliation—which was fine with Belle, as she preferred the diminutive NUC to his bulkier server. Sometimes a product simply doesn’t enhance or worse yet, it detracts from the performance of my system. Rather than publish my piece on it, I contact the company, let them know, and ship it back. Cable Clutter and Protecting Electronics from the Wee Ones Speaking of aesthetics, the look of random wires dangling from electronics in my media stand has been bugging Belle and me lately. Previously, I addressed that in part with a Stageek Cable Raceway Kit affixed to the rear (you can read that HERE), however, due to the thickness and placement of various cables, they aren’t sufficient. I have thought of hanging thick string or beads from the rear of the stand to obscure them, employing removable banquet table skirting or table covers, and alternatively, I have reached out to a media console manufacturer with vented doors but, so far, they are either the wrong size, lack capacity or are too expensive. BDI Furniture, which makes outstanding media consoles, but at over $3,000, they are too costly a proposition. I am also considering designing and hiring my carpenter friend, Tim, or another local carpenter to build a removable slat fascia or custom vented entertainment stand per my design if it fits my budget. I mentioned this idea to Belle, and she loved it. However, it’s not simply because of the cable clutter. Frankly, none of her adult children want to bring their toddlers down to our basement family room for fear that their children might damage my expensive electronics housed there. That’s a problem, as Belle’s large and expensive dining table is situated at the rear of our basement that we had custom finished not only for audio/visual use, but for entertaining friends and family. And she’d really like to be able to use the space to host the kids and grandkids for special occasions and holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. By employing a custom design that could house and protect my equipment, we could really make better use of our space. So, I’ll be reaching out to Tim shortly! Courier Kicks Speaking of A/V, I recently watched the movie, The Courier, and found it to be outstanding. A compelling Cold War spy flick based on real life, it features the brilliant acting of Benedict Crumberbatch as an international salesman who gets recruited to pass information from a Russian insider to British and U.S. intelligence in hopes of staving off a growing threat of nuclear war by its truculent leader, Nikita Khrushchev. It does a masterful job with its character development, unfolding plot, and slow building tension. I highly recommend it. Tapping the Pipeline
Slowly but surely, I am unpacking a pipeline of projects. Upcoming write-ups include my long awaited piece on the Usher ML-802 loudspeakers, several cable reviews, a power conditioner, phono line stage, portable headphone amp, and other product and interviews. No doubt, I’ll be busy this fall and winter, but I’ll also be cooling my heels to some awesome HD TV and soul soothing soundscapes!
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Juan C. AyllonA writer, artist, educator and owner of Prairie Audio Man Cave, he lives with his wife, Isabel (AKA Belle), and their Goldendoodle, Liam, enjoys listening to high fidelity music and all things hi-fi at their home in the greater Chicagoland area.. Archives
March 2024
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