Ok, so the processor came in Saturday rather than yesterday. I pushed the build along putting that in, setting the cooling system, installing Windows 7, updating the OS and adding the latest drivers through "Slimdrivers free version.". Yes, I will plug some of the software I use here to get the box up and running.
You know, A computer is only a tool. I've detailed a lot of what I'm doing but any computer could be used for this simple purpose. My intent here was simply to quite it and give it more than enough power to handle the task of a audiophile music player flawlessly. As it goes, the fans in the computer... I used Noctua exclusively. Three 60mm fans in the rear, a 92mm up front, plus the single underhung fan on the Noctua CPU cooler. All of these except the CPU fan are using the reduced noise adapter which sets the fans running at 7 volts. With everything running and stressing the system with Prime 95, it's whisper quite. The media storage drives are louder than the fans, much louder. Under stress with the program mentioned, temperatures are in the mid 30's. Under normal use, I haven't seen above 28 degrees centigrade. With it whisper quite and these temps, I have no reason to change the cooling configuration, though I could, from it's current setup. For reference, I'm using Core Temp as the monitoring software.
What makes or breaks the intended goals here is the media software and the output of the system to the stereo. In this regard, I used JRiver and the setup blog from Assassin HTPC to configure the outputs. A bit perfect output to the Meridian Explorer DAC. I also swapped out the ported Klipsch subwoofer for my DIY Rythmic Audio 12" sub I built some years back for what should be obvious reasons giving I'm looking for quality of sound.
On my first listen, I opted for something I knew well musically. Unlike most people, I went to poorly recorded music. My thinking on this is where on well recorded music, you look for minor differences and nuances. In poorly recorded music, the differences are immediate and pronounced. I'm happy to say that this system put a smile on my face from recordings such as the band Nantucket. From there, I went to the better tracks. As I've stated before, my tastes run in the Classic Rock and Jazz styles along with some Easy Listening. The Eagles, Pink Floyd, Pat Benatar, and whatever else struck my fancy went to cue. My overall impressions are that in most cases, the highs were crystalline, the bass had the authority to make you feel the music. Vocals were well defined and fluent and the musical content seemed like a aura around the vocals. I might add that during the audition, I kept the Bass, Midrange and Treble controls centered and no loudness compensation added. It did take some time to get the Subwoofer balanced so it extended the music rather than stood out past the content being played.
The real question to all of this madness is was it worth the time and expense for my final result? In my opinion, absolutely. This was a great repurpose of a old computer and though could have been done much cheaper without upgrades, it met all my criteria for it's intended purpose. The sound is equal to or beyond most systems I've listened to in recent years. If there's a improvement to be made in my opinion, it's in room treatment and a more costly DAC. Otherwise, I'm very pleased with the system's sound through the current equipment.
Granted, my tastes aren't everyones, but if you have a decent sound system you're happy with, using a older computer with a decent DAC and lossless files streamed through it seems a great alternative to upgrade the performance to the next level. You only need to do it to prove it to yourself. You might even find that a upgrade in stereo and speakers aren't even necessary, or at the least, you know exactly where the weak points of your equipment are Nuff said.
