Intro
Contents
We’ve come across a lot of wacky tweaks over the past twenty years. Stickers that affect acoustics, socks that go around a plug to improve the sound, or what about rf systems that are supposed to deepen the music experience? Now we have an SSD that is supposed to sound better. Let’s take a closer look at that.
An audiophile SSD. And a pricey one: 750 (normal) or 1000 Euro (plus version)…. for 320GB of pseudo SLC (pSLC) or 1TB of TLC flash. Serious prices, since a decent 1TB SSD can now be bought for less than 100 Euro (time of writing, June 2023).To clarify: SLC stands for single level cell and TLC in this case does not stand for tender love and care, but for Triple Level Cell.
It is important to understand the difference between SLC and TLC. With SLC, an ssd stores one bit per cell. These days it is often not really SLC, but MLC or TLC which works in SLC mode. But let’s keep it simple for a moment. So with SLC, it’s one or zero. With MLC it is two bits per cell, with TLC it is three and QLC it is four.
Now it is nice and economical to store more bits per cell, but this is at the expense of durability and sometimes speed. So SLC is both more durable and that it is mostly faster than MLC, TLC and QLC. And according to Zzyzx, SLC also sounds better….
Zzyzx Revelation Femto SSD
Above you can see how Zzyzx views their product. And they have made an interesting chart showing the sound characteristics of other brands of SSDs as well as theirs.
What Zzyzx has done is make an SSD with the ability to power it linearly. Moreover, the power supply is filtered and there is a nice Crystek clock on it: the CCHD-957X-25. A 25 MHz model. This should have extremely low phase noise: -97 dBc at 10 Hz. However, this can only be achieved with extremely clean power supplies and perfect isolation. On an SSD, next to a chipset and in a PC, we wonder if this is achievable.
Our set-up
We first wanted to build the SSD into a separate PC, but it soon started to have some issues. No idea why, but in the end we just built the Zzyzx into the official Alpha Audio PC, along with a ‘regular’ Samsung Sata SSD for comparison. Fine in itself, because we know this PC well ánd it is a bit more representative. After all: there are nice Jcat cards in it as well as an internal filter for the SSD on which the operating system runs.
We tested both with an external power supply – Sbooster 5V – and with internal power. We used Audirvana Studio as software, because it allows easier navigation by folder. Something needed in this test. In addition, Audirvana sounds great.
We put the same tracks on both SSDs. Tracks that we recorded in the Artone Studio. The reason: it doesn’t get more pure than those recordings
- Melle – On the Road
- Tim knol – My Love Could Kill
These tracks are full of dynamics and details. We’ve experienced these recordings ourselves, live… so a direct comparison is easy.
Recordings
We sampled Melle’s track for you. Completely in the digital domain. You can find these samples in the specs tab (for Patreons)
Great article. It’s a pity that the English comment regarding Revelation SSD and better RAM for audio is not shown here because I completely agree with the 1st comment: did you miss something?
There have been too many good results with the Revelation SSD + external power supply music files for at least 2 years to ignore. I would think that something else is going on with your set or with the (resolution) of the Alpha Audio computer if this does not improve anything audibly. (Or the mutec or your power supply or whatever?)
Since even longer ago it has been known, especially for DIY servers, that other RAM such as Apacer industrial wide temperature can also provide a huge improvement (if the Alpha Audio computer still uses standard RAM, definitely try this).
Julie OS could also be put on a smaller (eg 16 Gb) Optane M.2 memory for even better sound (if there is an M.2 slot left, definitely try!) Innuos used (only now) in the latest server SLC Apacer memory for the OS.
The music SSD fed with BV the JCAT Nano or an (even) better power supply should also give a better sound.
To make RAM sound even better, the power supply of the computer must also be of a higher level (the very best BV. Sean Jacobs). If the motherboard has 2 connections, definitely try with 12V 4pin and the ATX 24 pin with separate power supply. Also if the power supply is distributed, eg independent motherboard, SSD for OS and SSD for music, it also sounds better.
I’m certainly not saying here that you’re not doing well, so much and fast is being done in audio, but I recommend trying even more if you can’t hear a difference with this Revelation SSD or (Apacer) RAM.
There are simply too many users with very good results after upgrading memory (be it music SSD, RAM and OS memory). Also not even that expensive compared to other audio improvements. But as always not every system sounds the same and it can be more or less audible either ; YMMV.
I am very curious about results! Good luck!
Comments are split between languages, for the English and Dutch version are actually two different articles. The comment about RAM is posted below your comment.
Waarschijnlijk minder ervaring dan jullie samen 😉 Zoals het Engelse commentaar al aangaf, op Audiophile Style zijn tientallen gebruikers te vinden die met betere SSDs en RAM vooruitgang boekten. Zelfde verhaal op de Franse forum Hifi.
Het is belangrijk voor de Audio PC een OS te selecteren dat de RAM buffer gebruikt. Dus één song EN ook de tweede song gebufferd VOORDAT de eerste afgespeeld is, of het hele album gebufferd.
Ik ken niet precies jullie audio pc details. Ik lees blijkbaar niet vaak genoeg jullie site. Er was een hint dat jullie geen speciale LPS voeding gebruiken?
Ik ben overigens net 3 maanden Alpha Audio Patron geweest ben en ik zou het heel mooi vinden als jullie PC met beter RAM en de Revelation Femto SSD wel vooruitgang in geluidskwaliteit boekt.
Sorry this was for the Dutch section
Boy, are you late!
There IS Audiophile RAM on the market. For several years now. Apacer’s industrial grade RAM is touted as being superior to other types. I’m not smart enough to know how it’s supposed to work, but cruise over to Audiophile Style to get in on the conversation.
Neither am I smart enough to figure out if that powered SSD card works. I just know I almost went into cardiac arrest at the sight of the price.
Only God knows why we do what we do, and He’s apparently keeping it to Himself…because gods just wanna have fun. They just wanna. 🙂
Damn… Audiophile ram… That is nuts… Whyyyy
Kan je navraag doen hoe de fabrikant deze SSD geïmplementeerd wil zien?
Al mailcontact. Hij ziet het ook als een system drive.