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Achieving High Fidelity Sound

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Sylvain View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Sylvain Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Apr 2023 at 3:10pm
interesting ....let us read of your progress
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Ash View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ash Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 01 Apr 2023 at 10:12pm
I could opt for the de next - V2K8 (below) embedded Ryzen board, which is femto ITX (Raspberry Pi 4B size) rather than pico ITX. But there is reduced connectivity/hardware specs and passive thermal management will be more of a challenge. The pico is 2.5" SSD sized or roughly the size of a Bitzie, so by the time you add heatsinks and peripherals, there is no advantage of going any smaller.



Update - After further comparison of the features, board dimensions and port layout, the de next V2K8 would be the Ryzen board that I would choose. The PICO-V2K4 has onboard NVMe storage, which I'm not a fan of. I prefer storage to be removeable and replaceable. I also don't like how the M.2 drive would sit underneath the heatsink or cooling solution so is not directly accessible and is also very close to the CPU, so they may keep each other warm/hot. I prefer the M.2 slot on the other side of the board in case I want to use a PCIe adapter and plug a PCIe card directly into the board. Only has HDMI 1.4 so can't do 4K 60Hz but I doubt this is a problem considering it would be for streaming media, not for gaming. So this computer is the size of a credit card so would need a hefty heatsink for passive cooling. But it does have all the core connectivity I need.

1xSATA slot for storage and operating system
1xFront Panel Connector header for PCIe soundcard
1xM.2 slot for second PCIe soundcard or for wifi/cellular card
USB 3.2 port for USB optical drive for CD/DVD/Blu-Ray
USB 2.0 header for mouse/keyboard/wifi


Edited by Ash - 13 Apr 2023 at 1:59pm
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Ash View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ash Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 May 2023 at 9:31pm
I decided to not opt for these small Ryzen boards because they are so expensive for the specs. I have an UP Xtreme i12 Celeron variant. This single board computer should be suitable for streaming hi-res audio and 4K playback, despite the low 1.0GHz single-core clock speed. This would be a cool comparison against the Raspberry Pi 4B as the graphics should be much better. The spec is as follows:

CPU: Celeron 7305e embedded 5-core 5-thread 1.0GHz base clock (No boost) 12-15W TDP
iGPU: Intel UHD graphics 48EUs
RAM: 8GB DDR5 4800MHz embedded chips
Storage: SATA 3 or M.2
I/O: 2x M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 x4, 1x M.2 2230, 1x M.2 3052, 1x SATA3, 1x 40-pin GPIO (RPi compatible), 1x USB4, 3x USB 3.2, 3x USB 2.0 (including header), 2x COM port, dual ethernet (2.5Gb and 1Gb), HDMI 2.1, DP, headphone jack
OS: Windows 10/11 or Linux
Board size: 120mm x 122mm (Nano-ITX)
Cooling solution: Heatsink with thermal paste and fan (low TDP allows fanless operation)
Power: 12-36V

I could run this headless from a smartphone with both Pink Faun PCIe cards. Seems to play 4K video on Youtube fine. Haven't checked the dropped frames count but any visible buffering seemed to be due to the wifi signal, not because the CPU couldn't manage the task.



If the Celeron isn't sufficient, I could try the i3, i5 or i7 variant in the 'Edge' enclosure so it is still a fanless system. Would check the PCIe card compatibility with Linux beforehand. If I had the know-how, I could program the GPIO to use the Hifiberry Digi+ Pro / Pi2AES Lite as a soundcard. Although it would be easier to screw the RPi4 w/ soundcard onto the posts and network it to the computer.


Edited by Ash - 12 May 2023 at 9:52pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ash Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Jul 2023 at 7:55am
I hooked some new Markaudio-Sota Tozzi Two speakers up to a pair of Proprius and connected them to the headphone out of my LG V30+ smartphone via 0.6m CuSat50 playing FM radio channels with the in-built antenna and various recordings on youtube. 

FM radio is a great way to burn-in headphones and speakers; the sound now is definitely not the same as when they were first used. They have opened up quite a bit; clearer mids/highs and bass is more present. Will have to add Bitzie/Majestic DACs in with Lautus interconnects and an actual PC so I have more than just USB as an option.

Tozzi Two have a very good stereo image. They are a small desktop single driver single suspension speaker (no crossover, plugged directly to amp terminals) in a rigid aluminium/ABS ported enclosure. Build quality is excellent and they have reassuring weight to them. The driver has a shallow cone profile and waveguide for wide sound dispersion; the sweet spot isn't narrow. The driver is based on the Alpair 5 mono-suspension so has less than 2 grams of moving mass allowing for fast impulse. The main compromise is the ported enclosure; a pressurised internal chamber sacrifices some impulse response for bass extension. I have also observed more bass sounds being emitted into the room compared with open baffle and dipoles. I want to try a simple mod with some tall brass standoffs where I unscrew the back aluminium panel and fix it on further away from the enclosure so it leaves it open at the back with gaps on all sides. This will remove loading off the driver improving sound purity then if paired with my CHR-120 drivers (in matching colour) as deep bass woofers, should be quite amazing.


Edited by Ash - 14 Jul 2023 at 7:56am
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BackinBlack Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Jul 2023 at 11:04am
Ash,
You may recall the general recommendation for MA drivers is some 100 hours of low level mixed music to run them in. I used to leave drivers playing a just audible (at a few metres) signal for the best part of a week then increase volume geadually over the next 50 hours or so before installing in cabinets. There is certainly a marked difference in sound during the process. I don't imagine finished speakers are much different in behaviour, unless they are factory run in, unlikely in my mind.
The enclosures are likely tuned/damped to give the flattest most natural response, opening the enclosure will without doubt upset the overall balance of the output, not just the bass. Interesting to learn what happens when you try this.

Happy Listening,

Ian
Just listen, if it sounds good to you, enjoy it.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Ash Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Jul 2023 at 7:45pm
Thank you Ian, the Tozzi Two continue to really improve. I think they suggest 10 hours playback initially for the single suspension drivers. I was a bit underwhelmed with them yesterday. But as suspected, they needed some use to "burn in". The volume dynamics and frequency balance/bandwidth have definitely improved in the first few hours of playback. I've started to turn my listening volume down because the dynamics at lower volume have got much better so more resolving/settled now. These have a more or less flat anechoic response, which is exactly what I need for critical listening.

P.S Leaving the back panels on for now but I have stuffed a clean black sock into each port on the backs to stop/reduce bass boom caused by rear-firing airflow. Sounds better now IMO. Much prefer these to the Alpair 11MS. Instruments through these sound correct and real.



Edited by Ash - 14 Jul 2023 at 8:13pm
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote BackinBlack Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14 Jul 2023 at 9:31pm
Good to know they are sounding good. From what experience I have with small diameter (less the 8") full range drivers they always struggle to reproduce significant realistic bass. I really do think that to get the realistic slam or gut punching effect of live bass needs speaker cones of of 12" or 15" diameter or equivalent area.


Just listen, if it sounds good to you, enjoy it.
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