New Computer Build

[charbug]

I am in the process of Working with Mitch Barnett to acquire his services to dial in a room using Audiolense and his expertise. I have Klipsch Jubilees (2 way speakers) and a subwoofer. SO I will need 5 channels out and also want an analogue in for my phono and a digital in for my CD player. I plan to use the latest version of Jriver media center for the convolution engine and run everything. I do have a hodge podge of music on a 1TB hard rive in this computer. I would day this computer is 8 years old. I really want to use the Lynx Hilo but I am missing an analogue out. I have been told I may be able to use the headphone output but I am looking into it. I talked to a guy tonight and he highly recommended the RME Fireface 802 for my interface. Bottom line I want an excellent unit and I am open to suggestions. I have always been an analogue guy and I want to do this right. The only reason I am doing this is because the room modes are terrible and Mitch assures me that once we implement FIR filters, it will clean up.
The real reason for this post the guy at ADK Audio that is recommending the 802 said for what I wanted to do my computer had to be updated, it is an Generation 4 I 7 4770 with 16MB ram and he said for what I wanted to do I needed to upgrade it. Bummer... SO I need recommendations on what to build for a computer that will be reliable and very stable. I hate computer issues.

Rob

 

[Doodski]

Are you intending to overclock the pooder? What about gaming too; will this pooder be used for gaming?

 

[charbug]

This computer would be for my Audio only and maybe some video. No games. The Guy at ADK said it is all about Latency and my unit now will not cut the mustard... The other thing that is a must. Dang thing needs to be quiet..

 

[JeffS7444]

ADK Audio appears to specialize in audio workstations; Are you actually producing music, or just wanting to play it back? Because while RME Fireface 802 does appear to be top-notch, it's not the sort of thing I'd expect to use to digitize a lone phono input. Not aware of latency being a concern for music playback, but for music production, it absolutely is.

 

[Doodski]

If you are not overclocking and have little to no heat issues to deal with like that then you can use some silent fans or get water cooling and run the fans slowly for increased stealth.

 

[JeffS7444]

If the video in question is going to be the likes of 4K streams from Netflix, Amazon, Apple etc, yes you may need a newer CPU. Don't have to get fancy about it, but in the case of Intel, you'd want Kaby Lake (7th generation Core processor) or newer for smooth 4K playback, think even a Pentium or i3 would suffice there.

 

[charbug]

Mainly Music playback.

 

[charbug]

The key on the 802 I want the best D/A Convereters I can get for playback. I just need a digital input for CD player and analogue for phono. I am sure ADK wants to sale me a Top Notch unit but I just need to figure out what I need and buy it and put it together and pay microsoft again.

 

[sailor2005]

What about this interface?
https://motu.com/en-us/products/gen5/ultralite-mk5/

 

[JeffS7444]

The key on the 802 I want the best D/A Convereters I can get for playback. I just need a digital input for CD player and analogue for phono. I am sure ADK wants to sale me a Top Notch unit but I just need to figure out what I need and buy it and put it together and pay microsoft again.

Or you could buy a phono preamp with optional digital output like Puffin Phono. There, I just saved you $1400, which will handily cover the cost of a Windows license many times over. And speaking of which, you can probably shave off a few bucks here too by opting for Home rather than Pro, because most home users do not need Hyper-V or Bitlocker, and probably won't be joining their computer to a domain. I have heard of folks using Windows Server for home audio playback, but that's madness.

 

[Beershaun]

Minidsp shd?

 

[charbug]

I have a MiniDSP SHD and you can not use it with the convolution engine in J River. The USP interface only always me to program plugins and play what is on the hard drive. It will not feed my inputs (phono) back to the computer

 

[charbug]

Here is some info
What is Accurate Sound? - Bits and Bytes - Audiophile Style

 

[charbug]

Here is what I understand so far and I am learning here, We will use Audiolense to set up FIR filters that will get programmed into JRIver. The Convolution engine in Jriver will do its thing and send the signals to the 5 channels in the 802 which go to the speakers drivers and sub. I cant do that with an SHD. I wish I could.

 

[EchoChamber]

I am in the process of Working with Mitch Barnett to acquire his services to dial in a room using Audiolense and his expertise. I have Klipsch Jubilees (2 way speakers) and a subwoofer. SO I will need 5 channels out and also want an analogue in for my phono and a digital in for my CD player. I plan to use the latest version of Jriver media center for the convolution engine and run everything. I do have a hodge podge of music on a 1TB hard rive in this computer. I would day this computer is 8 years old. I really want to use the Lynx Hilo but I am missing an analogue out. I have been told I may be able to use the headphone output but I am looking into it. I talked to a guy tonight and he highly recommended the RME Fireface 802 for my interface. Bottom line I want an excellent unit and I am open to suggestions. I have always been an analogue guy and I want to do this right. The only reason I am doing this is because the room modes are terrible and Mitch assures me that once we implement FIR filters, it will clean up.
The real reason for this post the guy at ADK Audio that is recommending the 802 said for what I wanted to do my computer had to be updated, it is an Generation 4 I 7 4770 with 16MB ram and he said for what I wanted to do I needed to upgrade it. Bummer... SO I need recommendations on what to build for a computer that will be reliable and very stable. I hate computer issues.

Rob

I'm assuming you'll be running Windows...

If you want it 100% quiet you can get a fan-less case for your build.
The fastest consumer processors today are from AMD, 5000 series. Intel are also excellent of course and might be a better choice for this setup. For a fan-less setup you should get a 65W CPU.
Get the fastest NVMe SSD you can get, I've had good results with Samsung EVO and PRO series.
If you are not doing any 3D rendering or gaming, then you probably don't need a discrete GPU, Intel CPU's come with a built in GPU. GPU's are really hard to find lately anyway...
For the motherboard, I'd suggest something from Gigabyte that fits in that fancy fan-less case.

Here's a suggestion for a fan-less build without a discrete GPU:
Stracom DB4 fan-less case
Strecom ZF240 fan-less PSU
Intel® Core™ i7-11700 Processor
Gigabyte Z590I AORUS Ultra ITX
Samsung 980 PRO 1TB PCIe NVMe
Crucial Ballistix 3200 MHz DDR4 DRAM 32GB kit

This case looks amazing IMO... And this build should allow you to configure it as a hackintosh if you ever feel adventurous and want to run MacOS on powerful PC hardware.

Hope this helps...

 

[charbug]

Thanks for the recommendation

 

[JG2020]

The key on the 802 I want the best D/A Convereters I can get for playback.

The best DA converters from RME are the ADI-2 DACs with AKM chips. I have a Fireface UCX in a similar setup for 2-way active floorstanders with UCX digital out HP to an Esoteric D-05X dac and LP to a ADI-2 dac, UCX analogue outputs to dual subs, 6 channels in all. The 2 dacs are a significant upgrade to the UCX as analogue converter, I expect the same would be the case with the 802. In listening tests the D-05X (AKM chips also) has a very slight edge over the ADI-2 in the mid-range and up, otherwise nothing in it. So for the best DA conversion either 3 x ADI-2 for 6 channels with an RME Digiface USB to keep it all in sync (not very convenient and expensive) or a multi-chan dac such as the Octo DAC8.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...d-measurements-of-okto-dac8-8ch-dac-amp.7064/

 

[Gekel]

If you want a silent PC which is fast enough for some calculations, and you don't have issues with the space, then I would recommend the following:

- stable and good Mainboard for AMD ryzen (e.g. the Asus Rog series)
- a good server tower with enough space. I have the Phanteks Enthoo Pro II (with metal case, no glass). This ensures good air flow, no matter what you put into the case. And it is simply black without gimmicks and light show.
- Ryzen 5600X will do the job, maybe you can even underclock/undervolt it
- A quiet, potentially even passive cooled GPU should be enough. Otherwise you can also underclock/undervolt NVidia cards. Then they stay silent.
- A quiet CPU cooler. Either the Noctua NH-D15 if you want air cooling, or the Arctic Liquid Freeze 280 if you want a AIO water cooling.
- add three 120mm fans for the case (Silent wings or Noctua are best brands) and let them run at the lowest speed. One for the back, one for the front and one at the bottom. If you use the Noctua CPU cooler, place one fan at the top instead of the front.
- passive cooled PSU or a high end one with silent wing fans (be quiet straight power)

Now you have a system which generates zero noise, except you push the CPU to 100% for a while. But if you don't overclock the 5600X, the temperature will stay well below 80°C and the CPU cooler won't make any noise.

I have an AMD 3600 overclocked to 4.4Ghz plus 1060 GTX and 8 HDD drives plus 4x 120mm Silent wing fans in such a case, and the machine simply makes zero noise.And after turning off the LED light show on the main board, it's a nice looking black brick. I built the whole system with the focus on noise because I sit beneath this machine maybe 10-14 hours per day.

 

[charbug]

The best DA converters from RME are the ADI-2 DACs with AKM chips. I have a Fireface UCX in a similar setup for 2-way active floorstanders with UCX digital out HP to an Esoteric D-05X dac and LP to a ADI-2 dac, UCX analogue outputs to dual subs, 6 channels in all. The 2 dacs are a significant upgrade to the UCX as analogue converter, I expect the same would be the case with the 802. In listening tests the D-05X (AKM chips also) has a very slight edge over the ADI-2 in the mid-range and up, otherwise nothing in it. So for the best DA conversion either 3 x ADI-2 for 6 channels with an RME Digiface USB to keep it all in sync (not very convenient and expensive) or a multi-chan dac such as the Octo DAC8.

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...d-measurements-of-okto-dac8-8ch-dac-amp.7064/

Thanks for the information. The last thing I want to do is to try and piece mill this together trying to get the best components. In theory the idea is great but in my experience I end up having headaches trying to get everything to work together. I just want to try and find a single unit like the RME 802 that has great hardware and be done with it. I will have to give up some sound quality but I hate making things complicated.
These guys use quality stuff and their products and I wish they made something that would fit my needs but they dont. dspNexus DSP Audio Processor | dspNexus DSP Audio Processor | Products (danvillesignal.com)
I do appreciate the recommendations.

 

[phoenixdogfan]

Mainly Music playback.

I don't know why you would need to update a 4th generation I7 with 16gb ram especially if you are only using it for music playback. Should be plenty powerful enough to run J River and any convoltion files from Audiolense. The only possible issue is how loud the thing's fan is. If it sounds like a Pratt & Whitney, you may want to buy some low noise option like an Inuc, otherwise, you have more than enough horsepower. If you need an interface the RME Babyface is a lot more expensive than, say, a Motu M4 and seems to not do a lot more, but does it with 2-4 db lower sinad for around $500 more, so you decide if that's worth it.