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
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
Ok thanks Spacejack. That makes it too high with the pcb mounted on top. Maybe I could put it on the side.
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.
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.
It does more than that; it helps isolate the dac from all the conducted and radiated EMI/RFI coming out of RPi. Also helps do the same if you connect a USB board to FIFO_Pi I2S inputs. So, good clocks and low EMI/RFI noise are to very desirable factors if you want to have a great dac. Where there may be a particular weak point in Ian's lineup, IMHO would be the Dual ES9038Q2M dac and its output stage. IME there are now ways to make a much better sounding dac. Also, if you only need USB inputs, then the whole RPi can be dispensed with. Still need good isolation and good clocking though. It happens to be that my best dac works with other brands of parts than what this thread is for. Just mentioning that because there is more than one way to make a good dac.
FIFO isolates and reclocks. It can now be used with a Rpi or without.
There are/have been other solutions that do the same thing. Before FIFO, I used Acko's S03 with a BBB and Lorien's WaveIO with a variety of laptops and SBCs. For me, the biggest differentiator of iancanada's FIFO is the ability to easily plug in different clocks since this is the key thing that FIFO does.
There are/have been other solutions that do the same thing. Before FIFO, I used Acko's S03 with a BBB and Lorien's WaveIO with a variety of laptops and SBCs. For me, the biggest differentiator of iancanada's FIFO is the ability to easily plug in different clocks since this is the key thing that FIFO does.