I realize this thread has been dead a while, and since its inception went in a very very technical DIY direction. But back to the original title, I thought I’d post that I’ve moved from my DS BII to an Antipodes EX server/renderer. It’s a little dear, and isn’t fulfilling the purpose I originally had in mind for it (making it even more expensive) but I thought I’d post my impressions specifically re: HDMI into the DS:
top line: The EX USB output (via Curious Cable) easily beats the BII (on the clean output of an EtherRegen via a not-expensive ethernet cable) in SQ.
next line: The Antipodes P2, their add-on reclocker/platform, via HDMI output, is probably even better than EX USB, probably more neutral, also as easy as falling off a log to get working with the DS.
If you’re willing to spend at this level (and have a separate Roon core) the EX+P2 is highly recommended. If you’re looking for a Roon core, I don’t recommend it – it’s just too slow for large libraries in my experience. This thing was made to be a great endpoint, and it is.
If you care for details, read on.
The Antipodes EX in my config (which included an EtherRegen upstream and, with the EX, a Curious USB cable to the DS) comfortably beat the BII sound quality (also with EtherRegen, which also definitely enhanced definition and detail when I added it to the BII using the same modest Audioquest Cinnamon ethernet cable used before) in terms of ease and warmth. I would say the soundstage broadened a bit, and things were very smooth indeed. Conceivably over smooth, but I sure didn’t feel like I was losing any detail. The palpability was great, and retrieval of acoustic venue cues improved relative to BII as well.
Next line: I also got the Antipodes P2, which is an external ‘reclocker and converter’ which takes USB (including power) out of the EX and converts to a variety of addl formats including AES/EBU, SPDIF and HDMI. It supports various HDMI pinouts incl PSA. I am still deciding which connection I prefer, but the HDMI connection (again using the Curious USB between EX and P2, and the PSA AC12 HDMI cable to the DS) sounds full, detailed and incisive, works perfectly, and, I’m betting, is the way it’s supposed to sound. (I’m very possibly influenced by Ted saying in his subtle way that HDMI is the best format)
Installation and Use:
Quick intro: the EX runs custom Linux-based OS on a very low-voltage and not-very-fast CPU, and can be configured to run Roon server, Roon Ready endpoint, as well as Squeezebox, HQPlayer and various other pieces of SW, all easily installed through the built-in mgmt sw.
I originally set it up as a Roon server. Short version: it’s too slow for my library. I found it maddening. (I was previously using an old quad-core i7 box, older SSD boot and music on spinning drives, which was sometimes laggy but fine). The EX, controlled by phones and tablets on the network, was slow slow. I set up a new, dedicated Roon server, and have been using the EX’s Roon Ready (endpoint) functionality alone without issue. In this configuration I feel I’m getting the best of both worlds: a fast Roon experience (using a totally standard i5 PC with lots of RAM and SSD for both boot and music storage), network isolation (if you believe in that sort of thing) from the EtherRegen, and the smooth, optimized bit-slinging of the EX.
Deeper Dives, not dived:
- I have not yet turned off / uninstalled Roon Core on the EX. In theory it will be under less load (even though the Roon Core isn’t serving any music streams, the sw is installed and running). Not sure I expect much difference there but sure not going to do it until I’m very sure I have all the stupid metadata in Roon pulled over correctly (don’t get me started).
- I have not yet pulled the BII out of the DS (no ethernet cable was connected to the BII for any of the EX listening). I am hopeful this will yield a lower noise floor, but … we’ll see.
- I have been using an old Van den Hul MainsStream power cord for the EX; I’m sure there might be differences if not improvements with other PCs. The DS was using an AC12, and my whole system incl EX, DS, and Focal studio monitors, is run off a P5.
- There is in fact a word clock input on the P2. Am I going to buy one? doubtful. Would it make a difference given the DS’s clock-agnostic topology? LOL I’ll leave that one to greater minds.
- There are always more combos of USB and HDMI cables to try. I tire quickly of these comparisons (and spending) so I’m sticking with what I’ve got. Sue me.
- Actually, now that I’ve mentioned it, I might be able to say that the HDMI is less cable sensitive than USB – that feels like it must certainly be true – but I have not tried. Certainly many of us have observed huge differences between USB cables. If you were trying this config, I’d see if you can save some dollars on HDMI cables.
- And finally, of course, Antipodes would have me buy their more expensive, i7-based CX box, to pair up as server to the EX with a direct ethernet connection. Would this be better than my current config? I’d like to say no, but then I’d like to not own any $400 USB cables or $1100 power cables. Not all of this stuff is explainable. Perhaps if they’d like me to review it I’d get the chance. : D
Conclusion:
Since I’m back to a separate server for Roon, this is an expensive box. (I’m essentially just using it as a streamer, which is its function in Antipodes’ reference CX - EX configuration). You might well get similar SQ from an Auralic or other streamer, a DIY streamer box, or another customized server box using USB or other output. All I had to compare against was my BII.
For me, the Antipodes is a great turnkey solution, does very high-quality CD ripping (with their own expensive P1 drive or any USB CDR drive, and it works whether you’re using it as a Roon core or not), and has the convenience and savings of user-installable SSDs (handy to be able to easily pull the 4tb SSD after I decided not to use it as a server).
Support has been great.