Went to go hear Nik Baertsch live in Zurich last night with him. He will be coming over tomorrow evening and we will try to get one of his servers working in my system...curious...
LDMS Server
- Thread starter Golum
- Start date
Glenn
No, I just talked to him on the phone while he was driving to Zurich. I will be trading in my current LDMS for the upgraded version. There may be an opportunity to demo my unit if interested.
Can't wait to get mine back from the upgrade with the new PS and that SPDIF option...
And I have to stress again - first HW upgrade after almost exactly 4 years of zero issues and countless hours of pure joy. Way to go LD!
Nope, spdif reclocker was brand new. My reclocker’s burning in since 4 days and is getting better every day. Maybe Ayon‘s the bottleneck in the system?
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Well, of course it was thin, lacking bass, etc. What I've learned in this business is to hold back judging or making decisions about anything until everything is fully burned in, typically at least 300 hours.
I'm rather surprised, as this is totally opposite to my own perception of how significant was the contribution brought by Mini into my system. Especially given the fact I've upgraded from the blue sound vault running from lipo battery pack, I've exercised several of more affordable sources in my ownership, including heavily modified rp3&rp4 with hats and battery power, prior allowing my curiosity itch for exploration of the other upgrade path & options, this leads me to conclusion that there was either an averaging factor in place or hard bias towards what's already on the table, either way overall mental state can play with senses, due to work stress etc, it is common knowledge this can play a very important role of how we perceive each component, that said, the sound of my LDMS Mini which btw isn't even inclusive of the wizzkid latest development is something of a missing link or 5th element if you will. In my personal experience, the sonic leap from BSV to Mini wasn't even a comparison which could have been fairly placed in the same league of refinement, the delicate nuances of background detail, strike, sustain and decay of the piano, or slam and space between the notes which made poorly recorded rock track sound like fun again, all packaged in immersive and holographic image filling my room to the brim, so well that even in off axis position sound is highly satisfying, and isn't glued to the speakers. I still have the blue sound, so can easily move back and forth, hewever it was delegated to feed a kitchen ceiling system replacing well-worn Sonos, and can't be a real substitute in my main rig any more. I would strongly advise to revisit and listen at reasonable levels.
First things first. With the help of my good buddy @Phonatix and his packaging skills 
combined with the strength of LD I've received my upgraded LDMS yesterday. Many thanks to both of You!
A while ago when LD was sharing preliminary chassis design ideas I really was not a big fan of them but its fair to loudly admit that I was utterly wrong as the new chassis in person looks and feels great! Quality of craftmanship and attention to details is spot on so kudos to him for that.
Idea for this upgrade came from the perspective that I wanted to have an Spdif output option and not only USB, as many friends and users reported that it gives another flavor to the table (not necessarily better then USB out). While doing so LD proposed to repack everything into new chassis and do few minor additional HW upgrades (no idea what they are). Additionally I took also a new hybrid PS which also elevates the game with dedicated Laboga custom made DC power cable.
After installing it yesterday into the rack and quick remote session with LD to kick start it it has been playing like it never left the system. But initial feeling in this quasi burned in state is that it gives more PRAT, nuances and seduction to the presentation. What is great is that there is an option in Roon to link bot outputs (USB/SPDIF) to work simultaneously so its super easy to switch back and forth between those to via Horizon inputs to observe the differences between them. And truth is that the sound different - very noticeably. USB is faster, more detailed and somehow more into the face while Spdif a bit laid back, warmer with more rounded presentation. Still as advised by @Phonatix who did this same exercise it will take some time for spdif to come to life in full bloom so for time being server will be up and running 24/7 to speed up this process a bit but even now I'm extremely happy.
Service from LD does not need to be mentioned again but it is impeccable!!! Thank You!
combined with the strength of LD I've received my upgraded LDMS yesterday. Many thanks to both of You!A while ago when LD was sharing preliminary chassis design ideas I really was not a big fan of them but its fair to loudly admit that I was utterly wrong as the new chassis in person looks and feels great! Quality of craftmanship and attention to details is spot on so kudos to him for that.
Idea for this upgrade came from the perspective that I wanted to have an Spdif output option and not only USB, as many friends and users reported that it gives another flavor to the table (not necessarily better then USB out). While doing so LD proposed to repack everything into new chassis and do few minor additional HW upgrades (no idea what they are). Additionally I took also a new hybrid PS which also elevates the game with dedicated Laboga custom made DC power cable.
After installing it yesterday into the rack and quick remote session with LD to kick start it it has been playing like it never left the system. But initial feeling in this quasi burned in state is that it gives more PRAT, nuances and seduction to the presentation. What is great is that there is an option in Roon to link bot outputs (USB/SPDIF) to work simultaneously so its super easy to switch back and forth between those to via Horizon inputs to observe the differences between them. And truth is that the sound different - very noticeably. USB is faster, more detailed and somehow more into the face while Spdif a bit laid back, warmer with more rounded presentation. Still as advised by @Phonatix who did this same exercise it will take some time for spdif to come to life in full bloom so for time being server will be up and running 24/7 to speed up this process a bit but even now I'm extremely happy.
Service from LD does not need to be mentioned again but it is impeccable!!! Thank You!
As an LDMS owner, I thought I'd post my impressions of different music servers, conducted through extensive in-home auditions. This content was previously posted on the LDMS Facebook page, but could well be of interest here.
All comparisons were against my previous transport, a fairly humble Auralic Aries Femto (retail price £1,495 when removed from the market) that gave me my start in file-based, rather than CD-based, playback.
All units were connected directly to my BeoLab 90 speakers (which have their own DACs – eighteen in total – as well as DSP, 36 drivers per pair, and 16,200 watts of Class D amplification).
I've arranged the servers in ascending order of price.
dCS NETWORK BRIDGE (£4,320 when withdrawn)
No audible difference. Unit was a pain to work with – despite frequently being pictured with a wifi antenna, it cannot be used wirelessly, and despite dCS announcing that they would add USB output this never happened. Was connected via S/PDIF (a decent quality but far from high-end cable I had spare) and refused to output at 192/24 over this cable, whereas no other unit that used it had any problems.
AURALIC ARIES G2.1 (£4,799)
A noticeable improvement on just about everything, although manifesting itself as a thickening of textures. A good choice if you like your music punchy and powerful, but it made me wonder how sonically accurate it was.
LUCAS AUDIO MINIMAX (around £8,000 with modifications)
A clear and consistent improvement on most things – tracks with congested soundstages had the elements more correctly separated and drums became much realistic, losing the slightly cardboard quality they had with the Auralic Femto.
AURENDER N20 (£12,500)
No audible difference. I was astonished given the price.
PINK FAUN 2.16 ULTRA (circa £23,000)
Performed very well on acoustic and audiophile recordings: soundstages were elegantly separated into their constituent elements, decays were much more realistic and acoustic instruments such as piano assumed a much larger scale. A good choice if you mainly listen to classical or acoustic jazz but less impressive on rock and very expensive.
TAIKO SGM EXTREME (circa £23,000)
Everything had a little more presence and impact, especially the vocals. However, the difference was very small considering the unit's huge price, and it probably had the best audition conditions of any of the servers – the dealer brought a £2,000 power cord, £2,000 USB cable and Stillpoints. The other units all used at least one stock cable (whether the power, USB or S/PDIF) and sat on the carpet or on a wooden board. The hype surrounding this piece of equipment left me baffled – whilst it was by far the most visually beautiful server I tested, it wasn't nearly as good sonically as either the LDMS or the Pink Faun.
There were three manufacturers from whom I didn't get to test units: Antipodes, Pachanko and Wadax. The Pachanko Constellation Masterpiece looks like possibly the best engineered server on the market, with an enormous two-piece power supply, but that doesn't necessarily mean it will translate into great sound, as the Taiko also looks impressive internally. I was also put off by the fact that it's manufactured on a very remote island (which could create issues if it needed to be returned for servicing) and has only a two-year guarantee, whereas the LDMS has an impressive seven. I was prejudiced against the Wadax Atlantis Reference Server from the beginning because of its silly price (£45,000) and grotesque looks, so wasn't bothered about hearing it.
All comparisons were against my previous transport, a fairly humble Auralic Aries Femto (retail price £1,495 when removed from the market) that gave me my start in file-based, rather than CD-based, playback.
All units were connected directly to my BeoLab 90 speakers (which have their own DACs – eighteen in total – as well as DSP, 36 drivers per pair, and 16,200 watts of Class D amplification).
I've arranged the servers in ascending order of price.
dCS NETWORK BRIDGE (£4,320 when withdrawn)
No audible difference. Unit was a pain to work with – despite frequently being pictured with a wifi antenna, it cannot be used wirelessly, and despite dCS announcing that they would add USB output this never happened. Was connected via S/PDIF (a decent quality but far from high-end cable I had spare) and refused to output at 192/24 over this cable, whereas no other unit that used it had any problems.
AURALIC ARIES G2.1 (£4,799)
A noticeable improvement on just about everything, although manifesting itself as a thickening of textures. A good choice if you like your music punchy and powerful, but it made me wonder how sonically accurate it was.
LUCAS AUDIO MINIMAX (around £8,000 with modifications)
A clear and consistent improvement on most things – tracks with congested soundstages had the elements more correctly separated and drums became much realistic, losing the slightly cardboard quality they had with the Auralic Femto.
AURENDER N20 (£12,500)
No audible difference. I was astonished given the price.
PINK FAUN 2.16 ULTRA (circa £23,000)
Performed very well on acoustic and audiophile recordings: soundstages were elegantly separated into their constituent elements, decays were much more realistic and acoustic instruments such as piano assumed a much larger scale. A good choice if you mainly listen to classical or acoustic jazz but less impressive on rock and very expensive.
TAIKO SGM EXTREME (circa £23,000)
Everything had a little more presence and impact, especially the vocals. However, the difference was very small considering the unit's huge price, and it probably had the best audition conditions of any of the servers – the dealer brought a £2,000 power cord, £2,000 USB cable and Stillpoints. The other units all used at least one stock cable (whether the power, USB or S/PDIF) and sat on the carpet or on a wooden board. The hype surrounding this piece of equipment left me baffled – whilst it was by far the most visually beautiful server I tested, it wasn't nearly as good sonically as either the LDMS or the Pink Faun.
There were three manufacturers from whom I didn't get to test units: Antipodes, Pachanko and Wadax. The Pachanko Constellation Masterpiece looks like possibly the best engineered server on the market, with an enormous two-piece power supply, but that doesn't necessarily mean it will translate into great sound, as the Taiko also looks impressive internally. I was also put off by the fact that it's manufactured on a very remote island (which could create issues if it needed to be returned for servicing) and has only a two-year guarantee, whereas the LDMS has an impressive seven. I was prejudiced against the Wadax Atlantis Reference Server from the beginning because of its silly price (£45,000) and grotesque looks, so wasn't bothered about hearing it.
I left it up to the respective dealers as to what equipment to bring, and the dealers who brought the Pink Faun and Taiko did not bring reclockers. Lucas did bring a reclocker with the LDMS, but it didn't make much difference and we decided not to use it as it had problems handshaking with the BeoLab 90s. In the final event, we installed a much smaller and cheaper reclocker with the LDMS for reasons of practicality, due to the layout of my sitting room – the FTA Sinope cable we wanted to use would not reach from the LDMS to the speakers, so we used a cheap stock USB cable from the LDMS to the reclocker and then the Sinope from the reclocker to the speakers, which gave very much the same audible result.
@morricab maybe the story is exactly opposite and something is off with your system/DAC if reclocker makes such a diff. Heard top Ideon reclocker in several systems including mine and never had a feeling it brings much to the table - DACs used were top notch ones with usually LDMS or Superkomputer as server. Same feeling as @Manxman
Sometimes things don’t pan out well it’s troubling for both parties involved. Having said this posting comments In a negative manner seems offensive to me. LDMS servers have always shown improvement and further improved with time in use. it’s easy to do a fast compare with little time and no upfront information.
equipment lists , specs and pics is a fair ask. what music and resolution , pcm or dsd. even the volume played is data we need to get us a better understanding of the end result.
I think too many of us judge by price overall.
Packaging matters in appearance to me as
Does servicing. but sound is first and foremost and needs time to settle. I can’t or won’t judge and devices in my systems if cold and of new or unknown devices mixed to play together makes this more complex.
over the years not all adjustments I’ve made were moving the ball forward and more of fixing last weeks mistakes this week. LDMS may do the same at his level but when his products come to market this process is long competed.
lastly since he composes his own software he then makes adjustments in your room and not by DSP
But real-time integration of the data stream
we can can change usb or spidif cables but what he does levels the sound to what’s needed for you in your room , not in a lab environment. Man he has made adjustments for me while we were on the phone as I asked him to.
I can’t think of any server other than his that give us this opportunity. now some may say theirs is correct and does not require such in the field tweaking. oddly then why do we still try alt usb or spidif cables.
lastly maybe he just might think a little editing is in order , a kind gesture would be nice.
equipment lists , specs and pics is a fair ask. what music and resolution , pcm or dsd. even the volume played is data we need to get us a better understanding of the end result.
I think too many of us judge by price overall.
Packaging matters in appearance to me as
Does servicing. but sound is first and foremost and needs time to settle. I can’t or won’t judge and devices in my systems if cold and of new or unknown devices mixed to play together makes this more complex.
over the years not all adjustments I’ve made were moving the ball forward and more of fixing last weeks mistakes this week. LDMS may do the same at his level but when his products come to market this process is long competed.
lastly since he composes his own software he then makes adjustments in your room and not by DSP
But real-time integration of the data stream
we can can change usb or spidif cables but what he does levels the sound to what’s needed for you in your room , not in a lab environment. Man he has made adjustments for me while we were on the phone as I asked him to.
I can’t think of any server other than his that give us this opportunity. now some may say theirs is correct and does not require such in the field tweaking. oddly then why do we still try alt usb or spidif cables.
lastly maybe he just might think a little editing is in order , a kind gesture would be nice.
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