IanCanada's Latest RPi GB Goodies Impressions... and your tweaks, mods and hints...

Hi all,
I was shocked how good high end streaming is when using a Bricasti M21 for several years, now finances are slim and I am looking for an economic DIY version that plugs into a I2S input DIY PCM58 (x8) dac.
The clear options appear to be either Ian Canada streamer stack or eRed dock and streamer module, basically the module used in many high end streamers (Dartzeel, CH Precision etc), my question is; has anyone done a direct comparison to the top of the line Ian Canada and the eRed dock and streamer boards?
Additionally, has anyone made a comparison with Ians streamer to professional products like the Holo Audio Red streamer?
Have a great day!
Jules
 
my question is; has anyone done a direct comparison to the top of the line Ian Canada and the eRed dock and streamer boards?
No direct comparison. Just point out one thing about iancanada I like. You can choose the clock. To eRed credit, they show phase noise of their clock. Good but not great. They list -102 dBc/Hz at 10Hz. By comparison, the clock I use on ian's FIFO is -150 at 10Hz. I have run FIFO with clocks similar to eRed and -150 is easily heard. So all else equal I choose iancanada for this feature.
 
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No direct comparison. Just point out one thing about iancanada I like. You can choose the clock. To eRed credit, they show phase noise of their clock. Good but not great. They list -102 dBc/Hz at 10Hz. By comparison, the clock I use on ian's FIFO is -150 at 10Hz. I have run FIFO with clocks similar to eRed and -150 is easily heard. So all else equal I choose iancanada for this feature.
Thanks for the reply Wolwes. Im not too bothered about the 10hz area, my speakers don't go there : ) have you been able to compare your IANC rig with other streaming setups?
Jules
 
@Shertzy Have not done a direct comparison. More of an evolution of several solutions over time.
The 10Hz I referenced is the phase noise graph of the master clock. Basically you want the lowest number possible... you can check out the spec for the eRed and you'll see the phase noise is listed at various frequencies from the fundamental. You want a low number close to the fundamental. The eRed spec shows phase noise at 10 Hz from the fundamental. It is a decent clock, but not state of the art. Lower phase noise close to the fundamental results in less smearing of the audio signal. IMHO the main purpose of the FIFO is to reclock the I2S signal and having the option to choose your clock is a bonus. You can start with a clock similar to the one used by eRed but have the option to upgrade to SOTA.
 
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@Shertzy Have not done a direct comparison. More of an evolution of several solutions over time.
The 10Hz I referenced is the phase noise graph of the master clock. Basically you want the lowest number possible... you can check out the spec for the eRed and you'll see the phase noise is listed at various frequencies from the fundamental. You want a low number close to the fundamental. The eRed spec shows phase noise at 10 Hz from the fundamental. It is a decent clock, but not state of the art. Lower phase noise close to the fundamental results in less smearing of the audio signal. IMHO the main purpose of the FIFO is to reclock the I2S signal and having the option to choose your clock is a bonus. You can start with a clock similar to the one used by eRed but have the option to upgrade to SOTA.
Thanks again @wlowes, aha so the IANC stuff is essentially just making the RasPi a better streamer by aligning its phase noise byway of fancy clocks? There is such little info out there on the eRed but it seems a full SOTA solution for streaming, would be super interesting to do a side by side.