In the land of Audiophiles, there is simply no such thing as being fundamentally wrong. The end issue is about what sounds good, and to whom. That is very subjective.
If we take Paul’s post to heart, PS Audio has decided that a basic Mac Mini with maxed ram, and having all non-audio related software removed, and connected to a P15, is as good or better than any streamer on the market that they’ve compared it to. That’s Paul’s opinion. Because that opinion differs from someone who owns a $50K Aurender doesn’t make Paul wrong, it just means Paul has a different opinion.
Presumably an Aurender would also sound better connected to a P15.
I do find it interesting that with a music room costing hundreds of thousands of dollars, and with the resources to buy just about any streamer made, that PSA has chosen the lowly Mac Mini to demonstrate their product line. For them, its not just about budget, convenience, or familiarity, when they go to audio shows, they are putting their best foot forward - and that foot is wearing a Mac Mini.
This does not prove that the Mac Mini is better than an Aurender (etc), only that’s its interesting that a respected high end audio company says the sound is close enough to not feel the need to buy an Aurender.
I personally that the angle that says in a market filled with extremely high priced gear, that the common man can have access to really good sound via a Mac Mini, especially with attention to software like Audirvana or Roon/HQP, and setting aside the P15.
I also really enjoy that such a position by PSA causes highbrow audiophiles to spew coffee across their computer screens
Or that being an aggressive marketer with a stake in the game, he simply refuses to acknowledge a competitor. To use their product would be to acknowledge that they have a worthy product. Notice that vinyl was not emphasized, not even operable in Music Room 1 when I visited, until a PSA phono pre was on the market. Lots of coincidences. Paul is not close to a unbiased observer on this.
What does PSA use for speakers, both at the shows and in Music Room Two? Isn’t it those giant Infinities, and something like Golden Triton or something at the shows?
So it can’t be that they are unwilling to use a competitor’s product as long as that product does not conflict with the current PSA line. Right?
Warning, cynicism alert! Perhaps PSA is creating Octave because they realize there is a class of people, a particularly market, who derive great value in having something exclusive, something that most can’t afford, and that aura of exclusivity and presumed superiority makes it irresistible to that crowd, and thus there’s money to be made.
Long ago a friend of mine used to travel around selling jewelry at various arts and crafts shows across the west. She had to triple her prices in Aspen just to get them to buy. Just sayin’
Maybe if we open up the Octave, there will be a Mac Mini tucked inside
They don’t currently make speakers. And don’t make cables. They use other brands when they have to. I of course expect them to make great products. But making incredible statements about the competitive landscape is unnecessary. Part of Paul’s appeal is his reasonableness.
You have to put the app on an Ipad. All the controlls are there. That’s all you really need to play music. It’s really a very simple system. They don’t give you a lot of features other streamers might have. Anyway, you probably won’t be interested because there are a lot of streamers out there that has better features and cost much less with similar sound quality.
My Innuos Zen Mk3 isn’t even expensive, cost me £2,000 with a 4tb hard drive fitted.
I agree that there is more cost benefit in keeping noise down and you then don’t need uber expensive gear. I agree that power cables can make a big difference. Also, just let the endpoint do the reclocking.
My big expense was Shunyata cables and distribution. The rest cost pennies. From modem to speakers I only have 6m of copper cable, 3 x 1m of Blue Jeans Cat6a and 3m of Townshend Isolda speaker cable (designed to block external noise). No interconnects and my all in one system has no internal wiring and is in a sealed copper/aluminium box.
Wayman…The music control app is on a phone or iPad. I was referring to the web app that controls everything about the physical device, rather than the music playback.
The second picture you see is the web app. It’s from my computer and that’s it. You can’t do much except move files around, put in meta data, delete files etc… That’s it. Nothing more comes with this unit.
I just got the Matrix yesterday and did some comparisons with the DMP and my brother is here also.
I’m afraid the DMP is outclassed by the Aurender with the Matrix. Even though the DMP uses a better cable (WW Platinum Starlight 7) and the Aurender uses (Cardas Clear and Kimber HD29), we heard it right away, with same recordings (SACD vs dsd 64 files), the Aurender was clearer, more dimensional, more resolution, more real sounding. And it was quite noticeable, you don’t need much a b on that. The Matrix did benefit from the in line Ifi Purifier though. Without it it was just a little duller. Of course my brother has already start ordering. Now I can say I heard something digital that can outperform the DMP in my own system. Hallelujah!!!
Oh, for goodness sake. Let’s all take a deep breath. If I have ruffled feathers please accept my apologies. Also, try reading my comment again. The Aurender, which is the only streamer I have auditioned here in recent months is better than the Mac mini and
I said so. I also said it wasn’t enough better to scrap the Minis, especially when I am weeks away from our own.
I love the passion, but… Let’s enjoy what remains of the fine weather and then there’s the weekend coming up.
The Matrix could be considered an alternate universe, but the pairing is between Neo and Trinity. Who is this Aurender you speak of, and what is the significance of the code N100H -is that the marking on the blue pill?
The Matrix is the Matrix X SPDIF converter. It takes the usb from your computer or streamer and converts it to I2s so you can use the I2s input of your DS. Check out the forum on that.
I just try a Ifi 5v power supply with the Matrix and it’s even better than before. Now I feel the Aurender N10 with the Matrix, Ifi Purifier 3, and Ifi 5v power supply even with cheaper cables is really outperforming my analog system consisting a Well Temper Reference, Benz LPS MR, and Esoteric E02 Phono Preamp. The sound is even lower distortion, quieter background, more detail, just as full body, and more air. I think Paul is right, digital has a advantage in measured performance and should sound better as long as your digital is high enough in quality. Brodric would be gloating right now if he heard this.
Oh, I forgot to mention I’m using the DS Sr dac with the Aurender. This incredible dac just keep getting better every time I upgrade something.
Did the Bill Ernst MacMini die? Is going to a new stock MacMini a significant upgrade? It seems that you just did what Bill did to get a bit of improvement.
