Sonic transport I7

Network Audio
#1

I have an opportunity to buy a Sonictransport I7 for throwaway money. Cheap.
Looking at the Small Green Computer website and forum it seems Small Green Computer has removed or hidden any useful mention of this device. I am curious as to why they would choose to do this. Is there a problem with these units? Are they lemons?

I just want to play with one to see how they are. I like the two Ethernet ports concept. I have spare Rendus laying around and I might load the STI7 with music and give it to a friend to use without using Roon. I’ve read they are pretty decent when used this way.

Should I avoid this? The guy wants $450 for the thing and it’s gotta be worth that.

Any Help appreciated.

#2

I’m guessing that the i7 was replaced with the i9 at the top of their line. Bet it’s a solid device. Also, I find that Andrew (Small Green Computers owner) is a responsive guy to emails. Bet he’ll tell you the honest story if you reach out.

I’m considering an i9 optical but right now, I’m more likely to stick with JRiver and the i9 optical doesn’t support JRiver. I’ve emailed Andrew a couple times asking questions. Always get a solid quick response.

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#3

Long time user of the i5. Very solid device. And agree that Andrew is very helpful and responsive.

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#4

I have owned a few, STi5, STi7 ( single ethernet port ) and now the STi9 optical.
You don’t mention how much storage it has, that’s really a none issue, but you do mention that it has the dual ethernet ports, so I interpret that as an indication that it can be run in a “bridged” mode.
That eliminates the switch between the STi7 and the renderer ( Rendu ) which is a good thing.
Bridged is how I am configured with my STi9 and Sig Rendu SE optical.

ISP Gateway > FMC > opticalModual > STi9 > Sig Rendu SE optical ( no network switches )

EDIT: It will also run ROON and HQPlayer without issue

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#5

I have wondered how easy it would be to add SSD storage to an i7. High quality SSDs are getting quite cheap on Amazon. Is it safe to buy used?

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#6

It was on my shortlist. Have a good reputation and value or money. They seem to have cut down the product range since I looked. Roon do i3 and i7, these guys do i5 and i9.

#7

Hi @1cdfoley
Samsung 860 Evo is recommended by quite a few manufacturers of audiophile music servers. I bought Western Digital and Samsung SSDs on Amazon, both new. My gut feel is that used may come with some risk in the medium to longer term.

#8

The lowest i9 runs at 4.8GHz. The top one hits 5.3 GHz and all are 20 threads. It would probably stream HiRes to a dozen rooms, or allow for a studio-grade suite of audio processing software! :star_struck:

#9

I just saw a SAMSUNG 870 QVO SATA III 2.5" SSD 8TB (MZ-77Q8T0B) for $842, the 4TB sells for $422. I am giving it some thought; I like upgrades. I will call Andrew at Small Green to see if I can swap out my exiting 2T without problems (my i7 is out of warranty). I watched my friend install a 2TB in my Toshiba laptop, I recall it was very straight forward and easy.

#10

Though companies do rigorous inhouse testing and quality assurance, 8TB SSDs are fairly new on the market. Also, I would check their temperature contribution if used in fan-less devices.

Installing SSD inside Roon Nucleus+ was a breeze.

#11

I do not believe you would ever fill up a 4TB SSD let alone an 8TB one.
I could be wrong.
All my rips would fit comfortably on a 2TB drive. And I have a lot of rips.

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#12

I read that “a model” came with two Ethernet ports, one for the streamer but sadly this is not that model.

#13

You are correct my friend. I have less than half of my 2 TB filled. I will stay with what I have.

1 Like
#14

I am selling that model, Sonic Transporter i7 for ROON DSP, with 2 ethernet ports, as I upgraded servers.

#15

I am very interested in your Sonic Transporter indeed I am.