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Computer audio newbie? Don't panic. Start here. FAQs | Forum | Bargains | > Email or call 0(044) 1782 621225 |
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Item Audio CUSTOMISED NETBOOK AUDIO COMPUTER • Pure DC battery operation We spent years developing big power supplies and big computers that sounded great - all the while, at the back of our mind knowing that an early benchmark in computer audio performance was the 2008 spec Dell Mini 9 running Linux and a solid state drive. Feeling the need for a compact, portable, but top-drawer transport for our own use, in February 2011, we revisited the latest Dell Mini, armed with tools, and painstakingly acquired knowledge about how to make computers sound better. A lot has changed since 2008: the latest Dell Mini 10 has a better screen, a smarter battery, the newer N450 Atom processor, a leaner OS in the form of Windows 7 Starter. Also, crucially for our purpose, DDR3 memory: quicker and more energy efficient. And the USB-specific audio output path no longer looked like a liability: in fact, some of the best sounds we've been getting in 2010 have been with the latest crop of USB > SPDIF or AES/EBU converters. Not to mention the arrival of new USB-dedicated converters like the Antelope Zodiac, Wyred 4 Sound and Calyx DACs, which offer class-leading performance at price points from £899 to £5K. So we take a netbook, strip out all the noise-producing hardware, pare down the OS to a bare-bones 230Mb stack with minimal active background processes. Practically as streamlined as Linux; much, much easier to use. We assessed numerous solid state drives for optimal speed and an absence of latency issues: not all work as advertised for this application. Then we went to work with the Stillpoints ERS Fabric: absorbing EM and radio interference. It clads the display, crucial locations on the motherboard, internal cabling and I/O ports. Then we added bitumen vibration damping and copper shielding. Then we cryo-treated it, enabling the processor and buses to run cooler and cleaner. Then we listened. Eerie silence. Is this thing on? Oh, OK . . . loading screen; vanishes: SSD drives are fast. Automatically, the audio library loads. All sample rates play seamlessly. Within seconds the display powers down and the transport seems to be inert: no lights, no sound - at all - no disk activity. Are we sure this thing is on? Power up the DAC and monitors: let's find out. Oh, OK: it's on. And wow! This is what high-end transports sound like. This is what electrical noise doesn't sound like . . . oh, OK: that's what's really in that recording: 'new' stuff. Make no mistake, this is a very transparent and detailed transport. We can supply the Stealth Mini Computer Audio Transport complete, with scripts written for your particular DAC, or you can send us your Dell Mini 1018 and we'll 'Stealth' it for £425. Demonstration models will sooon be available for loan. Call 01782 621225 for details. |
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STEALTH MINI Compact Audio Transport: £650
STORAGE & DRIVE OPTIONS:
AUDIO OPTIONS:
EXTERNAL DAC BUNDLE OFFERS:
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