djones51:"I
don't doubt that the SGM Extreme is a great server streamer but dual
Xeon processors and 48 gigs of ram? All you're doing is storing and
streaming music not 3D rendering and VR design and video editing,
isn't this thing a bit of overkill?"
Have to agree with djones51 on this, this, this is starting to sound silly. The Roon software + Windows (which one assumes has been minimized to the required process) is going to use what 1/6 - 1/4 of this memory or less. What do you do with the other 48 gigs? -- You could store days of uncompressed music in there, but that seems like overkill. On the other hand, that extra memory does draw more power and it is more PCB areas for an RF antenna.
w.r.t. "Renderer" ... that would only really apply if you are taking advantage of Roons DSP capability, otherwise, really just a server.
I can't support the statement either, "your dac can only be as good as what it's fed. the server performance is a limitation to that. " as it is predominantly not true. Yes, if you are using DSP capability in Roon, that is going to change what is coming out, and if you have a noisy electrical connection (solved with optical isolation between DAC and server), then that goes away. Async USB, Ethernet, etc. the DAC is not getting anything from the server except a bit stream, and it is getting it in a home environment error free. Any clocking information is local to the DAC. "Vibration Control" .. in a server? The unavoidable power spikes (overkill process ramping up/down, oversized memory, etc.) are going to have orders or magnitude more impact on jitter in a digital signal than vibration. w.r.t RF, right-sizing the processor requirements will go far further ... so you don't need ventilation holes, or things that can cause vibration.
Have to agree with djones51 on this, this, this is starting to sound silly. The Roon software + Windows (which one assumes has been minimized to the required process) is going to use what 1/6 - 1/4 of this memory or less. What do you do with the other 48 gigs? -- You could store days of uncompressed music in there, but that seems like overkill. On the other hand, that extra memory does draw more power and it is more PCB areas for an RF antenna.
w.r.t. "Renderer" ... that would only really apply if you are taking advantage of Roons DSP capability, otherwise, really just a server.
I can't support the statement either, "your dac can only be as good as what it's fed. the server performance is a limitation to that. " as it is predominantly not true. Yes, if you are using DSP capability in Roon, that is going to change what is coming out, and if you have a noisy electrical connection (solved with optical isolation between DAC and server), then that goes away. Async USB, Ethernet, etc. the DAC is not getting anything from the server except a bit stream, and it is getting it in a home environment error free. Any clocking information is local to the DAC. "Vibration Control" .. in a server? The unavoidable power spikes (overkill process ramping up/down, oversized memory, etc.) are going to have orders or magnitude more impact on jitter in a digital signal than vibration. w.r.t RF, right-sizing the processor requirements will go far further ... so you don't need ventilation holes, or things that can cause vibration.