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Unfortunatley not without a lot of DIY and understanding. Once you factor in the cost of an external DAC, super regulators for all the supplies, the new clock and clock supply, packaging, case etc you won't be far off the asking price for the Transporter!Quote:
Originally Posted by Spur07
I wasn't suggesting any DIY beyond connecting a SB3 or Duet by s/pdif to a stand alone DAC.Quote:
Originally Posted by NRG
In the Audiophile section here http://forums.slimdevices.com/forumdisplay.php?f=7 you will find two views: that the Transporter is worth the extra, and that it isn't.
I can't say. I have not heard a Logitech Transporter
http://www.slimdevices.com/pi_transporter.html
It costs over £1000.
I didn't imply that you did ;)
An SB3 plus external DAC does not cut it against the transporter. I'm a member of the SD forums and have read the debates. In pure sound qaulity terms the transporter is way better, I've compared the two at length, to get the SB3 to the same level would take a lot of effort and skill, a challenge that a dedicted DIYer would probably relish. In terms of value that comes down to individual choice, if you want the best sound from a Logitec SB but can't hold a soldering iron the right way 'round then the Transporter or Mr Dixons SB+ represent good value...YMMV
I have to agree with you there Neal, I'm sure people are more than happy with a standard SB3 + external dac which is fine but its no way able to outperform something like the Transporter, the SB3 has design compromises as standard (its no dig at the thing especially for the price) , if you understand circuits then simply take one apart and you can see where these compromises are, no matter what external dac you use, de-jitter tricks on the SPDIF or I2S is just a bandaid, it takes time and work inside the SB3 to get the best out of itQuote:
Originally Posted by NRG
Neal / Leo
what can you expect with regard to driving the transporter with a dac?
how 'high' would you have to go to hear a noticeable upgrade?
judging by comments on the naim forum i'm guessing a lavry wouldn't cut the mustard.
I think that would be down to personal taste tbh regarding the Transporters analogue out against a Transporter feeding an external dac where as a stock SB3 used either as a transport or source falls behind imo.Quote:
Originally Posted by Spur07
It makes sense the cheapest ugrade for a SB3 owner is an external dac, the analogue outs of a SB3 isn't exactly that great
With some work either by paying a company that knows what its doing or doing it yourself the standard SB's can be modified boosting its performance as a transport no end, even the analogue outs can be improved.
Patric Dixons SB+ is a heavily modified SB3 and the reports are it betters the Transporter
The only real main limitation of a SB3 stock or modded is that it cannot supply an external dac higher than 24/48 where as the Transporter can do 24/96
As mentioned before a stock SB3 + external dac would be decent enough for a lot of people
Leo are you aware of anyone (individual or company) that offers SB3 upgrades in the UK? The only one I have come across is Audiocom.
And what about these modders?
http://www.audiocom-uk.com/
I hesitate to buy a Transporter because I am enjoying my stock SB3 and Beresford 7510 6:4 so much, and because the market for streamers is still relatively immature. Who knows what is round the corner (who knows in any market)?
I may, of course be up against the limits of my upgraded Quad 405-2 and my 20 year old MB Quart loudspeakers, even if they were in the same price bracket as the Quad Electrostatics when I bought them.
In the longer term I may be in for a Transporter (or something of that class) and a pair of active speakers, or else some active speakers with internal DACs.
But the speaker manufacturers are not rushing to the future!
(Edit: Covenant, you beat me to the question by six minutes!)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Covenant
I'll have a look but don't think theres much choice over here
Not knowing what mods these places do make it hard to recommend any of them, obviously the improvements will vary depending whats been done internally.
Maybe Audiocom should provide an evaluation for a modded SB so you can see if you feel the improvements are worth it;) it makes it easier to compare against your own stock unit
I'm actually amazed at the small choice of streaming devices , its time they did ones with 24/192 capable outputs
One of the reasons why I am not spending lots on the project at the moment.Quote:
Originally Posted by leo
And what's Linn up to?
https://www.ripcaster.co.uk/node/399
£1000 with 20w power amps. Why? At that price I would want more than 20w to drive suitable speakers. Or is this their "Squeezebox Boom" for bedroom or kitchen use?
On the up side I note that the box has been hacked to work with Slimserver because the supplied software is - awful. And some say it sounds better than the transporter.
We have a way to go, and I hope open software will prevail so we can mix hardware.
I wonder if AVI will pitch in.