So the above picture is my set-up whilst demoing the VanityPro.
Previously had the ToneWinner AT-300 fed only by eARC from the TV and the Nvidia Shield Pro.
This meant having Analogue XLR cables running to the sub, L/R and Centre.
NB the 8331's shares the same physical XLR input for Analogue and Digital. The 8341 has separate inputs and auto senses after a power cycle.
The 8331 is constantly checking the input signal, which makes a click between menu items being fed the VanityPro from the ATV4K. So after a while I set all the digital Genelecs to Digital only (not auto) to avoid this.
The ATV4K is new and will go back if I don't keep the VanityPro. It's needed as seemingly the only device that decode everything from streaming services to 5.1/7.1 LPCM and from rips using the purchased Infuse app.
I had a few issues with lip synch. This wasn't the VanityPro's fault. Best I can figure it was my TV struggling to render Dolby Vision from the ATV4k, quickly enough. I went to HD10 and back to Dolby Vision and now there's no problems. I'll share all the settings in ATV4k and my TV if anyone wants.
Before I get onto how it sounds, I'll share some niggles.
Not sure what the ARC volume setting does in the VanityPro. Have to keep it off. Somehow I imagined the APTV remote adjusting the volume.
If you want to use ARC, you have to set it to on on the front panel. Obvious really and probably going to be a rare change over, only for Aerial TV and UHD bbc iPlayer (APTV doesn't offer UHD for iPlayer, so no 4k world cup).
Ultimately, with the Genelecs you're resigned to using their volume controller.
This isn't what you get the VanityPro for though.
Also, it's not designed to put delays, distance or adjust individual volume levels of channels. I thought I'd miss this, as the Tonewinner has separate volume controls for surounds, sub and centre, but in reality it sounds so nice and clean I've not minded.
Movies - streaming services and local files.
No measurements as we should have here, just my subjective opinion. Absolutely love it! Sounds so open, like the proverbial veil has been lifted. The best I've heard.
Stereo Music. Roon as source.
So I've compared it to my Roon endpoint, an Allo Digital Signature SPDIF out hat for a Rasberry Pi running RopieeeXL. the idea with this is the audio section is somewhat separate to that of the RasberryPi innards.
This feeds the Genelec L/R and sub via the 9301a (which enables Genelec bass management).
Vs feeding the VanityPro with a Display port to HDMI lead, directly from my ROON core, a silent Intel NUC i7. No fancy linear power supplies for that as A) I don't believe in all that and B) I'd never considered using the on board audio of the ROCK as a source (so perhaps I do).
Roon player I had set to:
Beuna Vista Social Club, Chan Chan (a track I know really well, I know how that recording room should sound and echo, where the voices and instruments should come from and how wide and open they should be)
Source FLAC 44.1kHz 16bit 2ch
Bit depth conversion 16bit to 64bit Float
Volume leveling -5.2dB
Bit depth conversion 64bit to 16bit Float
Had this set for both Ropieee and Cores HDMI outputs, and swapped between these to outputs and swapped the XLR feed to the Genelecs.
So as an A/B test quite good, but there were gaps between hearing one and the other, but volume was identical.
My personal bias when listening was that of wanting the VanityPro to be as good as if not better than the Ropieee, but suspecting it wouldn't be.
I figured if it could be that good, I could ditch the roon endpoint, have one less box, just get an HDMI switch between Roon music to APTV
My 16 year old daughter and 49 year old girlfriend had no such biases and I was able to blind test with them.
So to my ears and that of the 2 girls, it sounds amazing. 2 channel stereo has no business sounding that good, coming over HDMI!
However, it can't quite match the dedicated endpoint doing sound alone.
It's really really close though!
If you weren't A/Bing you'd struggle to tell.
But the ropieee source is slightly more "open" and unveiled, you can hear the echoes of the hall, with positioning of voices and trumpet (on that track) "imaging"? seeming slightly tighter. Both of them spotted this without prompting (maybe some, I'm being honest).
As such, being a perfectionist, I'd probably keep the RasberryPi for music listening sessions of Roon.
It means swapping the L/R XLR cable when I do this, which is easier than swapping the HDMI inputs.
Stereo Music. Spotify as source.
Spotify from ATV4K through the VanityPro will probably get quite a bit of use. Even at 48Khz, it sounds amazing when one's pottering around.
Final thoughts.....
But loving this for TV and movie watching. Nothing I've plaid with has come close. Had Audiolab 8000 for a bit and then an ADA Cinema Rhapsody m4 balanced and now the Tonewinner.
You basically compromise some convenience of choices of source and source switching and volume control, for best audio performance possible from HDMI.
Which is basically what designed to do.
I love the box. It's smaller, solid and more living room friendly.
I love not having to remember to lower the volume of the Genelec system, when switching from analogue to digital (analogue needed them pumped up 15 clicks, forgetting to set them down before swapping to digital woke the neighbours), because they're permanently digital.
I love the audio meters screen and all the info it tells you.