Any experience with Pachanko Constellation Server? help with shortlist

[Bogan88]

Hi all,

Been lurking around this forum for a while, first post. Lots of "BS-free" posts unlike some other forums.

Been looking for a new (proper) server.

my shortlist so far (happy for any other suggestions)

- Innuos Statement
- Pachanko Audio Constellation SE+
- Taiko Extreme (though over my budget atm)
- ??? any others???

There's surprisingly very little info on the Pachanko server online. Looks like it was announced early this year. I can't even find a photo of the back panel.

Any Pachanko/Innuos users here? Taiko seems to be the flavour of the month on this board, but want to get a balanced opinion/comparison of the above as there is a significant price gap with the Taiko. Please don't give me the "you get want you pay for" argument....

The Pachanko's specs look decent with proper bespoke power supply on the SE+ and have their top of the line cabling throughout.
The Innuos also has good reviews, Mundorf caps, separated and individualised power supply etc. But photo of the internal looks a bit "meh" for the price, though I am no computer expert.

I prefer ethernet direct into the my CH C1 DAC. I think all 3 options have direct ethernet into DAC option.

It needs to be able to run as a Roon Core as I like the Roon interface and not likely to change. again, all 3 options are Roon ready i think.

thanks all, any opinions welcome!

 

[Tubeman66]

One piece of advice is to check previous reviews of their products,
There are too many newcomers who try to put themselves in this industry on substandard products

 

[matthias]

I prefer ethernet direct into the my CH C1 DAC. I think all 3 options have direct ethernet into DAC option.

thanks all, any opinions welcome!

I am a Source First follower and think that a server is more important than a DAC.
You have already an excellent DAC, so I would try to get the best server available.

Matt

 

[drrsutliff]

Bogan88 did you move forward on your server acquisition? I just purchased a Wolf Audio Alpha 3SX for my system. Using it as my Roon Core and employing the Reclocking USB upgrade I had installed. Previously I used an Ethernet input to the Ayre QX5/20 from the tower computer in my office set up as a dedicated server over a Ubiquity network. The improvement was startling. Also discovered that my WireWorld Platinum 7 USB cable was bettered by the Audience frontRow.

Rick

 

[Oliver H]

I have this weekend been finding out how good the Pachanko Signature Edition power supply is.

My equipment is shown below. I am a vinyl lover and have been building several computer music servers for a while now, starting with improving what I was first sold by a now-defunct business in the UK: Item Audio.

The power supply has made a difference every time. I started off with an HDPlex LPSU, first the 100w one, then the 200w one, and then, a week and a half ago, I received the 300w one. I had already by then spent what for me was a lot of money ordering Pachanko's Signature Edition LPSU (https://www.pachankostudio.com/product-page/pachanko-audiophile-signature-edition-highend-lpsu), but I wanted to see what the HDPlex one was like, since I have three computer audio transport sources - two SSD-based, playing high-resolution and lossless files (one for a headphone-only system, one for a speaker system), and one streaming-only source (fanless, of course) - and if the new HDPlex LPSU was good then it was not going to be wasted.

The 300w HDPlex LPSU was quite a big step up from the 200w one, and I wondered whether I had spent wisely getting the Pachanko LPSU. I had indeed. The Pachanko Signature Edition LPSU has done precisely what I wanted in the speaker-based system, in which I have my vinyl replay equipment. The Pachanko LPSU-based computer audio transport sound now equals the sound of the vinyl replay system (a good mid-range one based on a Nottingham Analogue Ace Spacedeck with heavy kit and Wave Mechanic) and in some cases betters it.

The sound is now organic (not normally a word I would use in this context, but if feels right here), rich, detailed and such that I can just enjoy the music, which of course was my aim all along.

I decided to splash out on the Pachanko Signature Edition LPSU after taking into account the high cost of the Taiko (which combines both SSD replay and streaming, which if done properly via components in the same case is expensive, I am guessing) and the fact that Naim's big thing is power supplies. I now agree with Naim: the most important thing in the chain is the power supply.

I can guess that the Pachanko server will be every bit as good as the Taiko: but I cannot vouch for that as I have not heard the Taiko, nor the Pachanko system as such, although the Pachanko Aphelion SATA cable made a big difference (as compared with the Pachanko SATA Pure Reference, which itself was a big step up from a stock but cryo-treated cable) in my SSD-based computer transport for the speaker-based system.

I have had a Chord DAVE DAC in my system for a while, comparing it with the DAC64 with the 4-second delay, and the latter was more musical, so I do have some experience of well-regarded top-of-the-line stuff.

The Pachanko LPSU is a great buy, in my view.

My speaker-driving digital file replay equipment currently is this: a Streacom FC9 Alpha housing a Gigabyte gaming motherboard, with a mix of Pachanko Studio and Ghent Audio DC leads; a JCAT XE PCIE USB card fed by a JCAT Optimo Duo power supply; a 2tb M2.SATA disk for storage; a 128gb SSD fed by a Pachanko Aphelion SATA cable for the OS, with Audiophile Optimizer; the Pachanko Signature Edition power supply for the motherboard; Tellurium Q Black Diamond USB cable to Matrix X-SPDIF 2; Nordost Heimdall 2 AES/EBU to Chord DAC64; Clearer Audio Silver Reference BNC to MHDT Pagoda.

For headphones I use a Stax SR-007 Mk1, fed by a Stax SRM-007tii modified by Kimik (which at the time I bought the combination was among the very best in the world, and remains so in my view if fed with a high-quality clean signal). They are fed by a second Chord DAC64, which is fed by another well-fettled computer audio set-up housed in a Streacom FC10 Alpha and now fed by the HDPlex 300w LPSU.

 

[onsionsi]

I have this weekend been finding out how good the Pachanko Signature Edition power supply is.

My equipment is shown below. I am a vinyl lover and have been building several computer music servers for a while now, starting with improving what I was first sold by a now-defunct business in the UK: Item Audio.

The power supply has made a difference every time. I started off with an HDPlex LPSU, first the 100w one, then the 200w one, and then, a week and a half ago, I received the 300w one. I had already by then spent what for me was a lot of money ordering Pachanko's Signature Edition LPSU (https://www.pachankostudio.com/product-page/pachanko-audiophile-signature-edition-highend-lpsu), but I wanted to see what the HDPlex one was like, since I have three computer audio transport sources - two SSD-based, playing high-resolution and lossless files (one for a headphone-only system, one for a speaker system), and one streaming-only source (fanless, of course) - and if the new HDPlex LPSU was good then it was not going to be wasted.

The 300w HDPlex LPSU was quite a big step up from the 200w one, and I wondered whether I had spent wisely getting the Pachanko LPSU. I had indeed. The Pachanko Signature Edition LPSU has done precisely what I wanted in the speaker-based system, in which I have my vinyl replay equipment. The Pachanko LPSU-based computer audio transport sound now equals the sound of the vinyl replay system (a good mid-range one based on a Nottingham Analogue Ace Spacedeck with heavy kit and Wave Mechanic) and in some cases betters it.

The sound is now organic (not normally a word I would use in this context, but if feels right here), rich, detailed and such that I can just enjoy the music, which of course was my aim all along.

I decided to splash out on the Pachanko Signature Edition LPSU after taking into account the high cost of the Taiko (which combines both SSD replay and streaming, which if done properly via components in the same case is expensive, I am guessing) and the fact that Naim's big thing is power supplies. I now agree with Naim: the most important thing in the chain is the power supply.

I can guess that the Pachanko server will be every bit as good as the Taiko: but I cannot vouch for that as I have not heard the Taiko, nor the Pachanko system as such, although the Pachanko Aphelion SATA cable made a big difference (as compared with the Pachanko SATA Pure Reference, which itself was a big step up from a stock but cryo-treated cable) in my SSD-based computer transport for the speaker-based system.

I have had a Chord DAVE DAC in my system for a while, comparing it with the DAC64 with the 4-second delay, and the latter was more musical, so I do have some experience of well-regarded top-of-the-line stuff.

The Pachanko LPSU is a great buy, in my view.

My speaker-driving digital file replay equipment currently is this: a Streacom FC9 Alpha housing a Gigabyte gaming motherboard, with a mix of Pachanko Studio and Ghent Audio DC leads; a JCAT XE PCIE USB card fed by a JCAT Optimo Duo power supply; a 2tb M2.SATA disk for storage; a 128gb SSD fed by a Pachanko Aphelion SATA cable for the OS, with Audiophile Optimizer; the Pachanko Signature Edition power supply for the motherboard; Tellurium Q Black Diamond USB cable to Matrix X-SPDIF 2; Nordost Heimdall 2 AES/EBU to Chord DAC64; Clearer Audio Silver Reference BNC to MHDT Pagoda.

For headphones I use a Stax SR-007 Mk1, fed by a Stax SRM-007tii modified by Kimik (which at the time I bought the combination was among the very best in the world, and remains so in my view if fed with a high-quality clean signal). They are fed by a second Chord DAC64, which is fed by another well-fettled computer audio set-up housed in a Streacom FC10 Alpha and now fed by the HDPlex 300w LPSU.

If you don't mind can you post some photos of your streamers?

 

[Oliver H]

Here are three photographs: (1) the inside of the music server (which I call my CAT, i.e. computer audio transport), from the top, (2) the rear of the server, showing the JCAT XE card and the DC lead coming from the JCAT Optimo Duo into the XE card, plus the Tellurium Q Black Diamond USB cable, and (3) the front of the case, with the Pachanko LPSU below it. My streaming computer/server is not so interesting. If you want to see it, then I will post photographs of that too. The same is true of my other music server/CAT - for headphones.

 

[onsionsi]

Here are three photographs: (1) the inside of the music server (which I call my CAT, i.e. computer audio transport), from the top, (2) the rear of the server, showing the JCAT XE card and the DC lead coming from the JCAT Optimo Duo into the XE card, plus the Tellurium Q Black Diamond USB cable, and (3) the front of the case, with the Pachanko LPSU below it. My streaming computer/server is not so interesting. If you want to see it, then I will post photographs of that too. The same is true of my other music server/CAT - for headphones.

Your music server is awesome, congratulations.

 

[Oliver H]

Your music server is awesome, congratulations.

Thanks!

 

[Addicted to hifi]

Thanks!

Welcome Oliver H to wbf.