$30,000 Music Streaming Server is the Next Audiophile Dream Device

[_roman_]

400 W linear power supply

Have I understood correctly they are not using a switched power supply? I wonder of the efficiency of that power supply from 1 Watt to 400 Watts.

That electrolytic capacitor bank looks insane.

--

Thank you for covering other products. It's nice to see something out of my tech bubble.

 

[Selaya]

the scam's the world's oldest business model indeed.

 

[xSneak]

might as well look into getting some bionic cyberpunk style implants to improve your hearing at this point.

 

[FoulOnWhite]

haha, audiophiles are a crazy bunch, investing thousands in ridiculous hardware, like AC-multiplugs or even perfect resonance-free-racks

But this is certainly a market, otherwise there would not be useless expansive audiophile stuff. So there must be thousands of people out there spending millions on absolutely useless equipment.

Anyways, I opt that a person who listens to any kind of digital (streamed) music is not an audiophile to begin with. And if their setup is then powered by AC (and not distortion-free batteries) they are even further away from being an audiophile

Anyways, people do what you must. I am pretty satisfied with my Realtek onboard audio and some mediocre DAC/Class-D aplification, so thats not really a piece of hardware for me.

I once saw a pic of a japanese(i think) guy who ran his entire hifi setup from soldered(not soddered) together batteries, now that is dedication to pure audio

 

[SOAREVERSOR]

You mean these

Pivetta Opera Only - $2.2m​

​

10 of the world's most expensive stereo amplifiers

Eye-wateringly expensive (and technically sublime) horsepower

www.whathifi.com

As crazy as some of those are there are actual uses for an amp that spits out 14,000 watts and weighs a ton. Just as there is a use for those speaker towers that cost over 250k each and are eight feet tall and as wide and deep as fridge/freezer combo unit and weight just as much. Such as when one has a grotto or a mansion. But I doubt anybody is hooking a network streamer up to those. Those are also the cases where woo cables and power cleaners actually do matter and you've firmly crossed into "cost be damned" at that point.

I once saw a pic of a japanese(i think) guy who ran his entire hifi setup from soldered(not soddered) together batteries, now that is dedication to pure audio

A lot of this is rare products made by hobbyists. A friend of mine does sound engineering/mastering for professional bands and corporations like Disney. This is a job that requires an engineering degree and usually a masters so it's hard science. He buys products here that people here would claim are snake oil but to do that work you have to know what you are doing. He's not above spending five figures on a turntable stylus because it does make a difference and the cost comes from the fact that they are hand made to order in Japan in extremely small numbers which is why.

 

[londiste]

Have I understood correctly they are not using a switched power supply? I wonder of the efficiency of that power supply from 1 Watt to 400 Watts.

Linear power supply makes sense for audio equipment. For a streaming server at the other end of network on the other hand...

HDPlex does have linear ATX power supply btw:

HDPLEX 500W ATX Linear Power Supply

HDPLEX 500W Linear PSU Enjoys Free Shipping Worldwide Stock Status:Asia : In Stock USA : Sold Out Germany : Sold Out

hdplex.com

 

[lilhasselhoffer]

So....wait....what?

Their logic is that 30k for a 2TB server is reasonable?
This ignores that "smooth" is not a thing for a digital system...that spits out 1 and 0 values.
This ignores the cables, which might actually introduce some losses to whatever you're actually playing the music on.
This ignores that the power supply to a digital device doesn't need to be linear because the data is store as discrete values.
This ignores that they are using insane-o levels of processing power for less actual data than comes out of the average DVD.

I...cannot believe how stupid some people can be. The amount of RAM is just sickening, because with the demands of an audio server they could remove the need to "balance" this by using a single stick. The dual Xeon processors is more than you could ever need for dozens of audio streams. The motherboard is just a standard affair...so if the thing connecting all of this isn't special then why is everything else? And you top all of this off with sound damping and a passive cooler, which make a silent system...more silent presumably? Anyone looking to spend 30k on a music server is already unhinged. Let's just enjoy that there are actually people out there who will pretend this matters.

I'll do some rough math. 1 person, $100 per ticket. One ticket every other week, as not all weeks of the year have shows. 26*100 = 2600. 30000/2600 = 11.54. 11.54*52 = 600. So, if I went to a concert every other week on average then not buying this would get me 600 weeks of entertainment, probably adult fun times, and I still wouldn't have purchased a DAC/amp/speakers. Consider me a lover of seeing bands at a live show far more than disappearing up my own behind to pretend that the 30k server is better.

 

[Vayra86]

Seriously? "Streaming" "audiophile"? This gotta be an early entry for April Fools 2025.

Right?! This breaks about 76448 audiophile rules in the book just to begin with. But that is exactly why it is so revolutionary! It fixes 76448 problems you didnt have!

So....wait....what?

Their logic is that 30k for a 2TB server is reasonable?
This ignores that "smooth" is not a thing for a digital system...that spits out 1 and 0 values.
This ignores the cables, which might actually introduce some losses to whatever you're actually playing the music on.
This ignores that the power supply to a digital device doesn't need to be linear because the data is store as discrete values.
This ignores that they are using insane-o levels of processing power for less actual data than comes out of the average DVD.

I...cannot believe how stupid some people can be. The amount of RAM is just sickening, because with the demands of an audio server they could remove the need to "balance" this by using a single stick. The dual Xeon processors is more than you could ever need for dozens of audio streams. The motherboard is just a standard affair...so if the thing connecting all of this isn't special then why is everything else? And you top all of this off with sound damping and a passive cooler, which make a silent system...more silent presumably? Anyone looking to spend 30k on a music server is already unhinged. Let's just enjoy that there are actually people out there who will pretend this matters.

I'll do some rough math. 1 person, $100 per ticket. One ticket every other week, as not all weeks of the year have shows. 26*100 = 2600. 30000/2600 = 11.54. 11.54*52 = 600. So, if I went to a concert every other week on average then not buying this would get me 600 weeks of entertainment, probably adult fun times, and I still wouldn't have purchased a DAC/amp/speakers. Consider me a lover of seeing bands at a live show far more than disappearing up my own behind to pretend that the 30k server is better.

These are CPUs dedicated to load balancing man. Its like RT except on an audio stream: a huge performance hog for an interchangeable result

I bet one CPU each for the L and R channel. Running at identical clocks all the time, otherwise Id feel cheated! You gotta love the audiophile logic they applied. Its literally a 30K noob trap!

I'll do some rough math. 1 person, $100 per ticket. One ticket every other week, as not all weeks of the year have shows. 26*100 = 2600. 30000/2600 = 11.54. 11.54*52 = 600. So, if I went to a concert every other week on average then not buying this would get me 600 weeks of entertainment, probably adult fun times, and I still wouldn't have purchased a DAC/amp/speakers. Consider me a lover of seeing bands at a live show far more than disappearing up my own behind to pretend that the 30k server is better.

You missed a key point here. You cant show off or brag about your tickets for Slayer.

 

[xeph713]

I am relatively new to the hobby, as I just ordered a pair of Hifiman Arya Stealth for 500 euro, 160 euro FiiO K7 and a FiiO LL-RC 2024 Balanced cable for the headphones (75 euro) and I am yet to receive them. I feel that I've spent a little more than what's reasonable. And yet there are people buying "Music Servers" for 30k like those? I feel there is a paradox in the audiophile community - the people, who are able to afford the absolute top tier equipment are already in their late 30s - early 40s and their hearing has diminished to the point of being unable to hear sound above 15 KHz, hence this kind of equipment is merely a waste of money. Meanwhile, the young people tend to be broke, despite being able to hear up to 17-19 KHz with ease. When I was studying in the uni (19-years old at the time), I was able to hear around 18.5 KHz, but due to a lack of funds my best headphones was a pair of Chinese IEMs for 25 bucks. Now I can afford better headphones, but my hearing is down to 16.5-16.7 KHz. and I am only 25-years old. By the time I am 40, I'll probably hear only up to 14 KHz. So it will make little sense for me to buy a 30k euro equipment, even if I could easily afford it.

The best case seems to be to buy a decent mid end pair of headphones, while you are young and enjoy your time with them. Because all of the money in the world can't buy back your youth and hearing. Those types of spendings seem to be a part of the mid-life crisis at least in my opinion.

 

[Canned Noodles]

Didn’t Linus Tech Tips do a video on this? It was likely an older model, but this looks very familiar.

 

[SOAREVERSOR]

Right?! This breaks about 76448 audiophile rules in the book just to begin with. But that is exactly why it is so revolutionary! It fixes 76448 problems you didnt have!


These are CPUs dedicated to load balancing man. Its like RT except on an audio stream: a huge performance hog for an interchangeable result

I bet one CPU each for the L and R channel. Running at identical clocks all the time, otherwise Id feel cheated! You gotta love the audiophile logic they applied. Its literally a 30K noob trap!


You missed a key point here. You cant show off or brag about your tickets for Slayer.

People have been trying to make streaming a thing for a while now but it's always flopped. The edge use case is for people with a mansion who want some sort of solution but even that is iffy.

Clock sync isn't nonsense. But for 30k you can get something like this https://bloomaudio.com/products/dcs...98rDOwkGIpsyQzVtpe9viUWfcfgnd0VBoCes4QAvD_BwE

 

[Tom.699]

Wow, I’m getting two of these.
I just need to purify air in my room, kind of semiconductor lab.
When sound waves hit dust particles suspended in the air, they get distorted.
Even worse for wireless streaming. 0 or 1 can get lost or flipped ☹

 

[Makaveli]

lol all these comments are winning you guys rock.

 

[Vayra86]

People have been trying to make streaming a thing for a while now but it's always flopped. The edge use case is for people with a mansion who want some sort of solution but even that is iffy.

Clock sync isn't nonsense. But for 30k you can get something like this https://bloomaudio.com/products/dcs...98rDOwkGIpsyQzVtpe9viUWfcfgnd0VBoCes4QAvD_BwE

You're trying to make a case for a 30K headphone amp!? Please bro. I've been in the audio world for a while, you don't fool me. This is 100% bullshit material. Forget diminishing returns, this is safely in the ridiculous zone. The moment music went digital was basically the end of the audiophile world as we knew it - yet it lives on. Audio was done already fifty years ago. All we've added was virtual surround and more audio channels, since - which was purely the digital format enabling more data to be processed. The rest? Just people trying to feel special and to maintain that they spend buttloads of money to deny they actually have a mental issue.

There is certainly some quality difference in sound reproduction between different pieces of gear. But the level we're at in this topic isn't that, and there is a huge grey zone before you reach this point, too. This is just built for people who never have enough, and a fanbase that aspires to be just like them for reasons unknown.

 

[Tom.699]

We are laughing but I understand some people can hear a difference.
I can’t ☹, all I hear is distorted with sound of my ear hair growing.
I have this rare condition when your cells are using masonry tools to build stuff.

BTW, sh.t AI can create is scary, like picture above :-/

 

[Readlight]

I haw better idea. Rent computer, from mostly EU made component's, with EU made TV.

 

[Vayra86]

I haw better idea. Rent computer, from mostly EU made component's, with EU made TV.

If you can find those EU made components and EU made TV's do wake me up Are you replying to the right topic though?

 

[AsRock]

lol the cashed up audiophiles will eat something like this up. More money = more better sound in their brains, even when it's the dumbest proposition ever. I knew a bloke who spent like 50 grand on these insane speakers for his house and no word of a lie, to me, it sounded exactly the same like my 1.5K system.

I take it they were not the old Infinity speakers then, but yes a lot of crap out there.

 

[Wirko]

Have I understood correctly they are not using a switched power supply? I wonder of the efficiency of that power supply from 1 Watt to 400 Watts.

That electrolytic capacitor bank looks insane.

70% on 12 V rail would be achievable at a reasonable cost. But rich audiophiles shouldn't be bothered by reasonable things. The correct answer is a class A power supply with an efficiency of up to 25%.

You missed a key point here. You cant show off or brag about your tickets for Slayer.

300 concert tickets later, you'll either prefer a $30,000 amplifier or a $30 amplifier, depending on your favourite music genres in the years past. $29,970 is a lot of money saved.

 

[londiste]

The moment music went digital was basically the end of the audiophile world as we knew it - yet it lives on.

Not all of it - there is still the whole DAC part that can benefit from various analog things.

Clock sync isn't nonsense. But for 30k you can get something like this https://bloomaudio.com/products/dcs...98rDOwkGIpsyQzVtpe9viUWfcfgnd0VBoCes4QAvD_BwE

What does clock sync do? Where, what stage of the process is that necessary?

 

[Legacy-ZA]

lol the cashed up audiophiles will eat something like this up. More money = more better sound in their brains, even when it's the dumbest proposition ever. I knew a bloke who spent like 50 grand on these insane speakers for his house and no word of a lie, to me, it sounded exactly the same like my 1.5K system.

The mind is a powerful thing, yes some things can be "imagined" however we shouldn't discount what others say; It's harder to explain when it comes to audio, as not everyone hears on the same frequency spectrums, so what you hear, is not what someone else can hear, it' varies from person to person and thus some audio systems, sound better to some, while sounding worse or the same to others.

There are extremely expensive speaker systems, that hurt my ears, I still use my Nakamichi Soundspace 11 from ages ago, because it has a neutral to warm sounding audio with rich bass, where many modern speaker systems and headphones hurt my ears, they can go loud, but they hurt my listening experience.

Wait until you realise, that cable quality can make a difference too, it's subtle, but it's there, for example, if you get cables made of silver, instead of copper (I haven't personally tried gold yet) but it does make a difference.

Some old Valve amplifiers sound way better than modern junk.

The real question is, how much does sound mean to you, and what do you want to spend on audio equipment?

Some spend more on "graphics" OLED, bigger screen, better GPU, some do both. In the end, they all do matter if you want the best experience, it's just ones wallet, has to, well, run very deep to achieve it, once upon a time, I could claim this, not anymore, but when you got used to the "best" it's hard to downgrade, harder still to explain to someone that never had it to begin with.

Anyways, ranting again. blah blah etc.

 

[Bwaze]

The best thing is, this cottage industry builds these high end audiophile wet dreams mainly by throwing in massively overbuilt power supply, massive chassis and precious metal connectors, use cables that defy physics, and then slap an off the shelf insides into it, because they lack all the engineering needed to actually develop such a ting. Even the larger companies with decades of presence.

And what's even better, with products such as streaming server you can be sure they have right about zero customer support, and right about zero dedicated programmers to actually take care of all the bugs that inevitably show up, and to properly maintain compatibility with other systems. They offer apps for Apple, Android? Be sure very quickly these apps won't even work on newer iterations. New Windows? Application there won't work properly ever again. Etc.

Gotta focus on selling the next pseudo high end product.

 

[AcE]

I am relatively new to the hobby, as I just ordered a pair of Hifiman Arya Stealth for 500 euro, 160 euro FiiO K7 and a FiiO LL-RC 2024 Balanced cable for the headphones (75 euro) and I am yet to receive them. I feel that I've spent a little more than what's reasonable.

I think you're perfectly reasonable with that, you're still under a 1000$, which is in my books, still very reasonable. The best reasonable headphones are probably still under a 1000, after that diminishing returns is so heavy, either you're rich then or a lost audiophile who is imagining and placeboing things (or you just like shiny toys).

We are laughing but I understand some people can hear a difference.

Until they do a blind test and then suddenly all their bubbles burst. This is why it's so important to have decent character, the only way to counteract your own biases and weird placebos and delusions.

 

[Bwaze]

People claim they hear many things. When it's demonstrated they don't, they just pretend nobody saw that.

Take for instance Michael Fremer, a long time Stereophile reviewer and analog proponent.

He claimed he could hear the difference between various Analog to Digital converters used by studios, because they were so deterimental to the sound, all of them.

Then the Mobile Fidelity scandal broke out in 2023. It became apparent that the main audiophile studio that made bespoke limited edition vinyl pressings that sold for $100+ (and quickly shot well over, because they were limited) had hid they converted ALL their "master tape transfers" to digital before converting them back to analog before making the LP. For more than a decade.

Michael Fremer, who deemed many MoFi records best ever produced, first attacked the guy that spilled the news. Because he wasn't one of them, one from the industry, an established reviewer. But he failed, because technicians of Mobile Fidelity just admitted the conversion step, even when the higher ups were covering it up.

Michael Fremer lost his long time job as a reviewer for Stereophile. But he was quickly hired by their rival, The Absolute Sound. So he can continue to claim to hear minute sonic differences between rhodium, silver and gold plated connectors. While being an old guy that probably doesn't hear anything above 14 kHz.

And Mobile Fidelity? They got sued in a class lawsuit, but settled for 25 million dollars, and anyone who bought their record and thought they can't listen to it now because it was digital in between the master tape and cutting could return it and get their money back. But they continue selling their records, just that they now admit it's not a "pure abalog" path any more.

 

[Vayra86]

The mind is a powerful thing, yes some things can be "imagined" however we shouldn't discount what others say; It's harder to explain when it comes to audio, as not everyone hears on the same frequency spectrums, so what you hear, is not what someone else can hear, it' varies from person to person and thus some audio systems, sound better to some, while sounding worse or the same to others.

There are extremely expensive speaker systems, that hurt my ears, I still use my Nakamichi Soundspace 11 from ages ago, because it has a neutral to warm sounding audio with rich bass, where many modern speaker systems and headphones hurt my ears, they can go loud, but they hurt my listening experience.

You think? The mind is a powerful thing indeed. How do you know the difference between perceived and imagined? Why can't we ever measure it? Its really not hard to explain at all: different sound systems have different sound. And that's all it is. Different. Our attribution of a certain quality is 99% bullshit beyond a certain point, which has been reached convincingly way before reaching audiophile gear.

If you've used drugs while listening to music you know this in a different way. I could have sworn I heard more than just music on some festivals. New frequencies, too, that impacted me in ways I never knew before. And it didn't happen because my body was suddenly capable of something new. It happened because my state of mind was attuned to it. If you want something to exist, or if you seek that something, you will find it. Here's a nice experiment, try a shot from a helium balloon and lie down in between two speakers playing music. Fun times, you'll experience music like never before for as little as 0,20ct.

Its nothing different from religious people finding what they seek in religious places. The mind conjures it.

Similar things occur at extremely high refresh rates in gaming. There is a limit to perception, and that's where imagination starts to take over. Being more 'sensitive' is really not an advantage, it just costs you more money, and you can rest assured you're not enjoying music or gaming more than anyone else. Enjoyment is a mind state. Not a qualitative thing.

What's far more factual is stating that the music industry like every other will do whatever it can to make money. Everything else follows that. You actually said this yourself: 'what does sound mean to you' - that additional meaning of sound, for you, gets converted into spending ungodly amounts of cash on it to get 'some bigger benefit' out of that sound. But I can imagine there are millions on the planet for whom sound (more precisely 'music', and often quite specific music pieces too, its not about their sound quality but the music itself) is an integral part of their lives, while they never even hear a good sound system. Do they enjoy sound less than you? I doubt that. That said there is of course a quality difference in audio gear. But like high refresh, at some point it just doesn't matter, and even before that, our mind is perfectly capable of filling in any 'blanks'.

The bottom line is, no matter how you twist it in your own mind, that you have money to burn and you burn it on this. That's fine. But that's all it is.

I am relatively new to the hobby, as I just ordered a pair of Hifiman Arya Stealth for 500 euro, 160 euro FiiO K7 and a FiiO LL-RC 2024 Balanced cable for the headphones (75 euro) and I am yet to receive them. I feel that I've spent a little more than what's reasonable. And yet there are people buying "Music Servers" for 30k like those? I feel there is a paradox in the audiophile community - the people, who are able to afford the absolute top tier equipment are already in their late 30s - early 40s and their hearing has diminished to the point of being unable to hear sound above 15 KHz, hence this kind of equipment is merely a waste of money. Meanwhile, the young people tend to be broke, despite being able to hear up to 17-19 KHz with ease. When I was studying in the uni (19-years old at the time), I was able to hear around 18.5 KHz, but due to a lack of funds my best headphones was a pair of Chinese IEMs for 25 bucks. Now I can afford better headphones, but my hearing is down to 16.5-16.7 KHz. and I am only 25-years old. By the time I am 40, I'll probably hear only up to 14 KHz. So it will make little sense for me to buy a 30k euro equipment, even if I could easily afford it.

The best case seems to be to buy a decent mid end pair of headphones, while you are young and enjoy your time with them. Because all of the money in the world can't buy back your youth and hearing. Those types of spendings seem to be a part of the mid-life crisis at least in my opinion.

See this is a whole other category of audio than what's in the topic. Sure, you can spend a few thousand, or even five thousand, on great audio gear and that will certainly pay off. But if you have to start stretching to ten and keep buying? You might want to start reflecting. If you do audio with common sense, you buy stuff once, and you stick with it for a long time - 10+ years at least, or double that, easily, if you buy quality gear. It actually pays off like that simply because its built well and does the job well. If you do more than that, you're practically just in it for buying stuff, not for the audio experience.

Its the same thing as people who upgrade their PC every gen. Its utterly pointless unless you have actual workloads that you make money on, that need speeding up to generate more money for you.