Benchmark LA4 vs. Anthem STR Preamps

@audiotroy - Something you said interests me but got garbled. It was this:

the wavelet offers an easy to use eq fub. Function that the anthem does not

Could you clarify, please?  Thanks!

@mike_in_nc A little background on how I got to my current software setup.

I got into the Convolution stuff because I wanted to figure out how to use DSP for my small office with big floorstanders. At first I looked at the hardware based options that I listed previously. Then I did more research on A'gon and came cross posts about ACCURATE software from Germany. The comments on that software were all saying that this was the most powerful DSP software available and would provide the best DSP results.

As I looked into that software I realized I would not be able to use it properly, it was too complex. I am a software developer with close to 30 years of experience so I should have more ability at this software than most. However, I took a pass. I was happy to later find a professional engineer who wanted to fill-in to this niche market to remotely create DSP Convolution filters using the complex ACCURATE or AUDIOLENSE software.

As an FYI to anyone interested in ROON Core | Convolution | PowerLine Network | ROON READY Zones.

My current setup is running a ROON Core with DSP Convolution filters on a cheap but powerful PC. It could have been the ROON appliance that ROONLabs sells or any other device that runs ROON. My ROON Core machine is located in my wife’s office, which has no audio equipment. It is connected to the home Ethernet network by a PowerLine network which uses the house’s copper wiring. I currently have 4 ROON READY Zones in 3 different rooms, the guest bedroom (soon to go away), my son’s playroom, and my home office (with 2 Zones).

In my office, I have 2 Sonore OpticalRendu’s connected to a Ubiquiti Networks switch with 2 Fibre cages. So I use direct Fibre from the switch to my 2 OpticalRendu’s and these 2 Rendu’s are connected to a Benchmark DAC3B and a Audio Mirror Tubadour III SE DAC. I have headphones and floorstanding speakers in the office. Whenever, I listen to the floorstander I select the ROON DSP option and then select from a drop down list the DSP option containing the Convolution DSP. When I listen to the headphones I use a DSP filter with everything disabled (I named this option NoDSP). So in my office I have 2 ROON READY DACs (via the Rendu’s) and 2 DSP options for a total of 4 listening options.

My other 2 ROON READY Zones have DAC’s with built-in ROON READY RJ45 streaming. My son’s playroom has a KRELL K-300i integrated with Ethernet coming from a PowerLine Adapter to the RJ45 input. The bedroom is has a Matrix Mini-i-3 Pro DAC connected by wired Ethernet to the RJ45 input. Neither of these use the Convolution DSP options though I could if I wanted to. In fact, yesterday the system sounded awful in my son’s playroom. That was because I had accidently select the Convolution DSP option for the ROON Zone connected to the KRELL. Not sure how I managed to do that screwup. That Convolution file is specifically designed for the home office, not other rooms.

The great thing with the KRELL system is that my babysitter and another person for my son both can connect to the KRELL and play music using their iPhones using the ROON Client. Including adjusting the volume with the ROON app. Only the KRELL supports this volume adjustment.

Anyways, just some info on my computer networking | audio streaming | software based DSP for anyone interested.

BTW - I will checkout the EtherRegen for the KRELL streaming on the 30 day home trial.

@yyzsantabarbara - Interesting approach to audio. I'm sure it sounds great. For what it's worth, I've been using DSP for over 15 yrs and  examined Acourate several times. I was never a professional developer, but a scientist who spent quite a bit of time programming in several languages. Acourate looked far too complex for me, also. My fondest wish would be a superb room that doesn't need DSP. What I've got is one that cries out for it, and a DSP system that is easy to use, does a very good job of room EQ and integrating subs, and is *almost* as flexible as I'd like. It's a good compromise for me.

I should have added that the secret sauce that makes my ROON setup sound incredible is the fibre streaming. All that noise I have in my network is tamed (maybe all eliminated) by the fibre (at least in the office DACs).

Now that is not the case for my RJ45 streaming DACs, but I am getting rid of one DAC next week and the other RJ45 streaming is in a noisy room that does not need to be "audiophile". 

The EtherRegen was metioned previously by me as a potentially simple way to clean up the RJ45 streaming.

@mike_in_nc The Anthem STR is supposed to be amazing for setting up DSP and subs, There was a huge review of the DSP features of the STR on SoundStage Global by Diego.

SoundStage! Hi-Fi | SoundStageHiFi.com - Anthem STR Preamplifier -- "Extraordinary" . . . or Not?

See I brought my post back on topic.