Towards a SqueezeCaiman

[Labarum]

Moderators note: Split from this thread at Brian's request: http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=6892

The WiFi connectivity of this Arcam DAC could prove interesting.

This is an area I think Stan should watch carefully.

I do know, for example, that Logitech is prepared to licence the streaming firmware in the Squeezebox, which is the only part of the system that is not in the public domain.

A Beresford DAC sitting on the Home Network receiving data from any chosen computer in the house could be an attractive option. Remote control would be a smartphone, PDA, netbook or laptop.

[technobear]

The WiFi connectivity of this Arcam DAC could prove interesting.

It isn't WiFi http://www.technobear.btinternet.co.uk/emoticons/nonono.gif


This is an area I think Stan should watch carefully.

I do know, for example, that Logitech is prepared to licence the streaming firmware in the Squeezebox, which is the only part of the system that is not in the public domain.

A Beresford DAC sitting on the Home Network receiving data from any chosen computer in the house could be an attractive option. Remote control would be a smartphone, PDA, netbook or laptop.

Ah, you mean the Beresford SqueezeCaiman :)

That could be a very interesting product. Take the receiver and display of a Squeezebox, upgrade the clock and add the back end of a Caiman (minus the SPDIF stuff). That would be one hell of a streamer and I'm sure could be brought in for well less than the £400 Arcam will want for a wireless rDAC.

[StanleyB]

You can already connect my DAC to a network wirelessly. I use a Freecom 350, which has a 500GB harddisk and both optical and coax output.

[technobear]

You can already connect my DAC to a network wirelessly. I use a Freecom 350, which has a 500GB harddisk and both optical and coax output.

That's missing the point though Stan. A SqueezeCaiman would have no need of SPDIF. It could easily have the jitter performance and therefore sound quality of a Transporter for a fraction of the price.

I go all shivery when I think what a Transporter might sound like if it had a Caiman DAC inside with no need for SPDIF in the middle. It would quite likely slay CD players at £10,000.

[Labarum]

And there is no need for any sort of display.

iPeng on a iPhone or equivalent programs on Android and other devices work extremely well; or any machine running a browser will do the job.

As I said, only the streaming chip firmware needs licencing. The rest is public domain and much of it very high quality third party software.

[Ali Tait]

That's missing the point though Stan. A SqueezeCaiman would have no need of SPDIF. It could easily have the jitter performance and therefore sound quality of a Transporter for a fraction of the price.

I go all shivery when I think what a Transporter might sound like if it had a Caiman DAC inside with no need for SPDIF in the middle. It would quite likely slay CD players at £10,000.


Have you heard a Modwright Transporter Chris?

[technobear]

Have you heard a Modwright Transporter Chris?

Yes but not on my own system so I can't say how it compares to the standard Transporter.

[Mr. C]

. In some ways the best solution would be to use a standard IP core and implement it all in a FPGA, but I am only doing this in my free time, so thats a bit too far left field. The XMOS solution is a good one, and their USB reference board will do exactly what we are talking about, provide a async USB device that runs up to 192/24 and output toslink. Its about £100 for the board, but its far from a finished device. Though they have just release a final set of firmware that I should download to the thing and try.

Hi Lurcher,

Very nice logic and research ther :-). I have a feeling you will see something very close to this in the not too distant future, possibly going the way of an ethernet to I2S as well, again using field gate arrays for the doney work.

There is a current dac which impliments the 24/96 asyn usb very well, the Ayre Q9.
The Arcam dac should prove (as long as it doesn't have *issues*) quite an attraction for a lot fo people.

[lurcher]

Hi Lurcher,

Very nice logic and research ther :-). I have a feeling you will see something very close to this in the not too distant future, possibly going the way of an ethernet to I2S as well, again using field gate arrays for the doney work.

There is a current dac which impliments the 24/96 asyn usb very well, the Ayre Q9.
The Arcam dac should prove (as long as it doesn't have *issues*) quite an attraction for a lot fo people.

I think so, XMOS do seem to have been working towards a ethernet music distribution system.

I think the async USB could be done simply using a combination of CY7C68014 with a smallish CPLD to convert the FIFO output to i2s. I should get one of these and try again.
http://www.ztex.de/usb-1/index.e.html

[michaelhigh]

It isn't WiFi http://www.technobear.btinternet.co.uk/emoticons/nonono.gif



Ah, you mean the Beresford SqueezeCaiman :)

That could be a very interesting product. Take the receiver and display of a Squeezebox, upgrade the clock and add the back end of a Caiman (minus the SPDIF stuff). That would be one hell of a streamer and I'm sure could be brought in for well less than the £400 Arcam will want for a wireless rDAC.

Hail BSC!:eyebrows:Audiophiles have spoken...

[technobear]

Hail BSC!:eyebrows:Audiophiles have spoken...

My money is currently on the Audiolab MDAC ;)

Other contenders are a bit opaque at the moment but it is hoped that someone might soon bring some coherence to the party :eyebrows: