Hi, are there any differences between these 2 ie if only using the server side of an oladra are you as well off using a K41 instead?
The K41 is the equivalent of the K50’s server side. The Oladra has a more advanced Server engine than those Kala models. I suspect the power supply might be more advanced in the Oladra as well, but can’t say for sure.
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To me, the sweet spot is a K41 for the (Roon, in my case) server portion and a K22 for the (also Roon, in my case but I may play with trying different players) streamer portion.
Those two together do not cost more than one K50, but with the combo you get two separate chassis and the double power supply. Buying a K50’only makes sense to me if you are pressed for space.
I think most people will be hard-pressed to hear a difference between this K41+22 combination and the Oladra.
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As I understand it, there are two power supplies in the K22 (one for Player Engine, the other for the Reclocker/DDC) and one in the K41 (for the Server Engine). With the K50, the three power supplies are all stuffed into the same chassis.
Two power cords are required in the case of K22+K41, which adds to the cost, obviously. I imagine a K50 powered by a $2000 power cord might outperform K22+K41 with each powered by a $1000 power cord, so maybe that is something else that one might want to factor in. Same maybe for better isolation footers.
What I wonder also is whether K22+K41 might outperform the K50 if the ethernet connection between them is optimized - like with maybe a good switch or filter between them. Stands to reason they would but a direct comparison can’t be done without having all three models in house.
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