I don’t have the Phoenix, just the rest of your set up. TBH, I’ve not considered buying one either, given the quality of the Zenith’s USB which is then further isolated by the Matrix I can’t see how it would make a significant difference in SQ for the $.
I did invest in a quality LPS for the Matrix and quality AC, HDMI, USB and Ethernet cables for all components, each of which did improve SQ.
nycenglish, what cables did you end up using? Did you try many different ones? I am saving for the ZEN MkIII for my DSSr. so will need cables.
Tried various USB, Ethernet, and HDMI but settled on WW Platinum USB, RAL HDMI, and Inakustik Ethernet. All gave improvements esp. the HDMI but the addition of the Matrix with LPS was the biggest single improver.
thanks. I will file this for when I need it.
I am using the same. I like it.
All joking aside - I feel good about that.
My final config I hope will be Inakustik Referenz Ethernet & USB and RAL HDMI if it ever ships. The WWPS7 is pretty amazing right now as HDMI. Please you or @aangen listen to this song the wood splitting and horses and sleigh in my setup are all so three dimensional soundstage and imaging it gives me goose bumps and sound of horses crossing then disappear over Right Shoulder at about 150 degrees all done in two channel.I am just hoping the RAL HDMI is even better. [image|281x499] Too Much Rope Roger Waters off Amused to Death. (upload://mmw0ARJ4dHsqFyuyoepYtSr4Qjs.jpeg)
The Matrix is already doing reclocking. It’ll be interesting to see if extra reclocking improves the SQ.
Indeed. It also means that you can decouple the music storage function from other computing tasks, either directly or indirectly related to the listening experience.
One of the secondary attractions of moving away from the Bridge was in simplifying the whole chain. I’m a big believer in aspiring to less is more. Until I discovered the Matrix, I didn’t think I could get away from the Bridge and the accompanying paraphernalia. I have a (Synology) NAS and used Minimserver on it. Excellent product as it is, with the Matrix I can remove it out of the chain and leave the NAS to perform its most basic of functions, Network-Aware Storage, thus reducing the total digital processing load in the chain.
That just leaves the task of getting the musical bit stream from the NAS to the DS DAC’s I2S input in the best state as possible with the least amount of interference to the rest of the chain. My current solution is HQPlayer running on a Raspberry Pi. HQPlayer understands shared folders on the LAN so it simply accesses your music library on the NAS, reads the music file, does its magic and passes on a bit stream to the Matrix which performs its magic and passes on the bit stream over the HDMI cable (in I2S format) and into the DS DAC.
Fortunately for me, this simplification to the chain yielded the best listening experience I’ve had so far. 
I see what you mean, and I am glad it worked out for you. Now, how did you the pain of controlling HQPlayer? When I used it, the only reasonable way was through Roon, what, by itself, demands a further complication.
Aloha kind citizens of Matrix-landia 
For those who use a Mac or PC as a source, how many use a streamer in between the computer and Matrix? If yes, which streamer do you use? Has anyone tried a streamer but found sound superior without one?
I’m trying to figure out if I need a streamer. From what I interpret from Ted’s comments over the years, the DS/J are by design fairly immune to the noise introduced by a computer. @tedsmith please correct me if I misinterpreted.
I’m wondering if a streamer, in the case of the DS/J w/ Matrix is more about geographic convenience than sonic improvement?
Have an audiophile friend who, with fundamentalist zeal, insists my Mac Mini is noising up my chain and that I must must get a streamer.
My counter is that @Paul and Ted use computers as source and neither uses a streamer. If two global audio experts eschew streamers, why do I need one?
What say ye kind citizens of Matrix-landia?
That has not been my experience. My DirectStream sounds much better when Ethernet is between it and the server.
For PC sources it helps to have an LPS to power it and to have one that is either fanless or gives you the option to control when the fan comes on. Also, optimization for audio is imperative for best performance.
Aloha!
Assuming you’re meaning this only for those who use the DS DAC, right?
I use a Mac Mini for the Roon Core, and then another Mini for the Roon Bridge (the streamer). Goes to the Matrix > Topping D70 DAC from there. I don’t have a DS DAC.
So, I guess the answer from me is, yes, sort of, but it’s another computer!
(I think it sounds great in my modest system, but it might not be resolving enough to reveal the computer’s noise.)
The rap, err gospel, against computers is that they are inherently noisy. By going through a dedicated audio streamer, the Matrix/ DAC are super isolated from the noise of the computer. I follow the logic. But I’m given pause by the fact that @Paul and @tedsmith connect their Mac/PC directly with no streamer.
You are a trail blazer, not balking at one computer, but in brazen drop the mike style are using two computers. I like your gangsta style 
I would love to have a revealing-enough system to be able to compare the two sources AND HEAR THE DIFFERENCE.
Or maybe it’s my gangsta ears. Filled with gangsta wax.
Signalyst (the makers of HQPlayer) offer a number of ways to control the server. Depending on which product you’ve bought and your level of computer literacy, geekiness or tolerance, you can use the following.
The Windows version of the server has a crude Windows GUI that allows you to load and play albums
There is also a separate Windows client app that IMO offers a friendlier GUI but is not as feature-rich as some of the better-known music controllers
There is also a client app for mobile devices called HQPDcontrol. IMO this has just a little more functionality than its desktop sibling
There’s also a version of the server called HQPlayer Embedded which is designed to run on a computer platform without a GUI, a so-called ‘headless’ version. This version of the server is accessible from the browser of your choice running on another device. Like the version for Windows, the interface has limited functionality but you can still load and play music files from your library
Finally, AFAIK, there’s a console or command-line interface but it’s a very tedious way of controlling the server and really only designed for application developers wishing to integrate an HQPlayer server control function in their own products.
The good thing IMO is that all these products are at least compatible with each other.
Streamers are computers (tho undoubtedly optimized better for playing audio.)
Sound quality isn’t the main goal of my system. I need to be able to develop, debug, test, etc. my DS, etc. For example I generate and play my test tones with my computer. A streamer would only be in my way. Also when I visit others having a minimal setup is nice.
If you were going primarily for sound quality, would you use a streamer to isolate the computer from the rest of you system?
No, I don’t like the user interfaces of most streamers. A simple PC with a simple software setup, allowing me to do whatever I need to play audio works fine. I’d build it myself after doing appropriate research. I would also consider a galvanic isolator, probably home brew as well. I probably would use a separate box. I don’t think my use cases match most audiophiles so I don’t think my solutions are likely to either. I always like to build from first principles and don’t care about simplicity of the UI since I’m the only one using it.