Indeed. But I was wondering, based on items like the following, maybe PS Audio DACs are fussy about USB input: “The PS Audio 192kHz asynchronous USB input on the NuWave DAC and the PWD MarkII and the PerfectWave DirectStream DACS will require a driver to work properly.” Though I know a Stellar is not a true PS Audio DAC of course. I am really loving the sound streaming DSD from my NAS over I2S HDMI right now using an app to select music. So it is difficult to tear myself away to work on solutions to something that I am not as interested in anyway! But I will look into it more on the weekend. I have another DAC I can try at home. And I want to try the Silent Angel M1T’s AES output with my neighbour’s Bricasti M1. I will try the USB as well. I also have three Pi 4’s in the house running LMS. Would be open to trying them with the Stellar DAC over USB if anyone has setup recommendations for testing.
Looking at more pics, I see that they are using the USB C connector - likely to run data to the board underneath for processing/output.
Since you already have Pi4s, you likely know the C port only runs at 2.0 speeds (not a ‘true’ USB C)
It wouldn’t be a driver issue, since Linux has been UAC2 compliant for years - waaaaaaaay before Windoze. Theyscon even stopped issuing drivers themselves for the XMOS chips since Windows 10 1703 and later is able to recognize the chips (not withstanding any proprietory ASIO drivers - Windows is fully capable of recognizing/using WASAPI (exclusive) with no secondary driver now.
For Pis (Pie’s?) running any Linux distro, it readily recognizes pretty much any DAC I’ve come across that is UAC2 compliant (read ‘everybody’). This is including the DS. I have used my Pi to DS through both USB and the Iancanada hats with no issue whatsoever.
I wonder if whatever they’re doing with the USB C connector to output to the board below is causing some kind of conflict. I’ve never looked into it, but I BELIEVE the C port has a separate controller from the main ports. I do know that all four main ports use one controller.
Unless I’ve completed misunderstood the purpose of the AirLens, it will replace the Aries, not be fed by it. The Aries goes out, the AirLens goes in and it will be connected to my network via the ethernet cable I am currently using for the Aries. I use Roon, which is hosted on a Roon Nucleus, and since Paul has said the AirLens will be a Roon endpoint, I will be using Roon to stream my ripped files (which are on a Drobo that is connected to one of my network switches) and Tidal to the AirLens and then to the Directstream via the I2S input.
Do you also still plan a server HW?
Paul told us two weeks ago that the Octave Server has been cancelled.
He said Octave SW was cancelled.
No S/W = no server.
I was not sure about that, as the main difference between a streamer and a server is the built in hard disk, which probably could also be designed with 3rd party SW…but not sure…you‘re probably correct.
I am sad to say this but the Nucleus and the Nucleus+ are both pretty dreadful sounding sources compared to almost anything else. I know my hero John Atkinson is a huge fan and owns and uses a Nucleus+ but he is incorrect.
It’s my impression that if a company were to make just the server then:
- Depending on if the manufacturer they may or may not deliver it with an operating system. If they didn’t then it would be up to the end user to select the Operating System (this would be determined by the CPU chipset). That could mean Windows or a variant of LINUX.
- The user would then select the Music “server” S/W which would be the users interface to the music library and any music services they would like to include like Qobuz.
This example would be very similar to Roon. You can purchase a Nucleus, and it has everything you need. Or you can install Roon on a multitude of other types of computers and OS’s.
Now he’s my hero too.
“Plus 1”. My understanding is that the music management/rendering software effort has been scrapped.
Not sure I understand that either…but maybe I never correctly understood what PSA had planned.
They were going to make a new and improved system that would accomplish the same thing Roon accomplishes only their version would sound better than Roon.
Yeah, that was the SW part. I thought there were two other elements as well - one being the “streamer” (a/k/a AirLens).
Not sure about the third element now, in light of @vkennedy61’s assertion that no SW means no “server”. Isn’t a server still on the drawing board?
Why would it be?
Respectfully.
Why would a server still be on the drawing board, you ask?
I don’t know…another attempt at building a better mousetrap; like the AirLens?
My analogy:
If you just made the Server without the software, it would be as if you went to the store and purchased a PC with or without Windows 11 and no software installed. It would just be a PC with no “purpose”. You’d have to load your software on it.
The only reason to do this would be to offer an ultra quiet Server (host) with all of the inputs and outputs optimized to be jitter free and very clean from RF.
I assume there would be a market for this, but I suspect it wouldn’t be very big.
I get that. But the server market is pretty crowded as it is.
But then again so is the streamer market.
My guess is the Streamer was created after lessons learned with the Bridge 2 card.
…and to be an awesome compliment to the DS MKII and the TSS.