Solo streamer

No kidding! I just canceled my Roon subscription because the sound quality thru Aurender (and previously thru Bricasti dac network card) was subpar compared to Aurender proprietary processing. But I’m sure if you have a roon centric component, i.e. Grimm MU2, you’ll be fine.

My system is undergoing a few major changes. Sold my Pass Labs separates: X260.8 monos and XP22 preamp. Simplifying my setup and going the integrated route. So in addition to DAC changes I’m also between integrated amps. I’ve got two amps battling it out.

 I’ve got two amps battling it out.

ooh, the Coda and the ??? 

mclinnguy

340 posts

08-08-2024 at 04:18pm 

 I’ve got two amps battling it out.

ooh, the Coda and the ??? 
 

Boulder 866

+1, @mclinnguy for “sacrifice that 2-3% just for the better UI”. 

@audphile1 As you know, the devil is in the details a.k.a implementation. I am using a Merging +player, which is a turnkey solution for ROON. The render + core is neatly implemented in the same chassis as my DAC. 

Looking back, I always felt something was missing with ROON vs Aurender. I think the shift in SQ with ROON started in past few months. During my last A/B test, I couldn’t justify keeping N30SA around. The differences were subtle at best. Keep in mind, my Merging stack consist of +power and +clock modules which elevates the DAC + Roon performance to nth degree…a $45K (retail) digital front end :-) 

@lalitk yes I agree it’s all in the design and implementation. I’m sure it sounds fabulous! Add to that the awesome Roon UI/UX and it’s undeniably a winner!

Right now I’m focusing on amplification first, DAC second. So who knows what the future holds!