After some experimenting I have discovered that my PST transport sounds much better with my Auralic Aries G2.1 disconnected. I find that the streamer adds noise to the sound of the PST which sounds much better with the Auralic disconnected. As I have been using the Auralic only on occasion being a secondary source in my system I have decided to just keep it disconnected for now. Does anyone else notice this. I realize that a streamer can be a primary source with the appropriate switches and other things connected to it.
Seems weird. In standby simply having it connected degrades the sound of the transport? I know squat about electronics, but this sounds like some kind of isolation problem. I don’t suppose you have another pre you can swap in to verify it’s the streamer?
I don’t believe it to be the fault of the streamer as much as a fault of the interference of my ac environment. I seem to be one of the only people who has to reboot his Mk2 every 24 hours which is why I disconnected the steamer to see if my dac would last more than a day without needing a reboot. To my surprise in completely disconnecting the steamer I found that the PST sounds quite a lot better.
My mostly LP friends always unplug their digital stuff when listening to LP… years ago there were concerns that digital tuner could cause noise…
In fact an analog tuner will add a little noise but I think it is worth the convenience of a nice tuner for a little noise. As I have been listening to discs this morning with the streamer disconnected I do notice that the sound is cleaner and fuller sounding. That said I will probably hook back up the streamer just the same. I am giving the streamer time off to see if my dac lasts longer before the need of a reboot.
This is a giant rabbit hole one can go down. Many here have. The goal being same SQ as when you spin a SACD. Many are close. Chasing LP SQ via streaming diff. story. Diff sound.
Upgrading your network being first..then top notch streamer like MU2, PGM 512, etc… it gets close. Once close the convenience of streaming is the killer part.
This forum is full of posts on this journey many have taken.
I’ve been reading from different sources online which concur that streamers will in fact induce noise via the electric ground and will degrade the sound quality of a system. This is what switches and conditioning are for to increase the quality of sound and decrease the amount of noise which goes back into the system. This past day I’ve been listening with the streamer removed and the sound quality is much better. It is recommended to plug in the steamer when listening and unplugging it when not listening.
I’ve been enjoying my Aries G2.1 streamer for a while now. What I have done was to isolate the ac and ground of the streamer to a Hydra 2 to the big Keces. The sound is very nice.
I have difficulty getting out of my chair. Streaming was designed for me. Play ANY song from any recording, just sitting in this chair, tapping on an iPad. It’s perfect.
But in a minute I am going to stand up and play some vinyl.
A fine return on my energy investment. Yes sir,