Contra Tube — My Handcrafted Audiophile Music Player (AIMP-based)

[zagor]

Every audiophile eventually realizes that silence is not the absence of sound — it’s an essential part of it.



Contra Tube I - Audiophile Music Player

After years of experimenting with DACs, audio streamers, and players that are often far from affordable — especially those that proudly carry the word “audiophile” in their name but still lack features I find essential — I decided to build my own audiophile music player, focused solely on delivering pure digital sound quality.

That’s how Contra Tube was born — my personal series of handcrafted, completely silent audiophile music players, designed for AIMP and Daphile, and dedicated to high-resolution playback formats such as FLAC.

A key element of this project has been the careful selection of each component. Nothing was chosen randomly — every part serves a single purpose: achieving absolute silence and maximum sonic purity.

I selected the ASUS Xonar Essence STX II sound card not for its brand name, but for its remarkable technical balance.
The card offers a 124 dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for line outputs and around 120 dB for headphone output. It features a TCXO (temperature-compensated crystal oscillator) as an ultra-precise clock source, and its integrated amplifier can drive headphones up to 600 Ω.
It also employs high-quality LDO voltage regulators and WIMA capacitors for stable, noise-free power delivery. Within the audio community, this card has long been regarded as a “legitimate hi-fi component” — far beyond what typical integrated sound cards can deliver.

For the power supply, I chose the SilverStone Nightjar ST50NF (500 W) — a fully fanless PSU.
As reviews confirm, it operates at 0 dBA, has no moving parts, and provides a stable 500 W continuous output with ±3% voltage regulation.
Tom’s Hardware noted that this model rivals other premium passive PSUs, offering a strong +12V rail (38A) for system stability. Overclocking forums often praise its robustness, reliability, and build quality, noting it feels “appropriately heavy and built to last.”
This PSU allows my system to operate under high loads (multiple HDDs, DAC, GPU) without introducing any electrical noise or mechanical hum.

For CPU cooling, I use the Arctic Cooling Alpine 12 Passive, a completely fanless cooler that efficiently dissipates heat from Intel CPUs up to 47 W TDP.
Its surface is black-anodized for improved thermal radiation, while the micro-porous structure enhances heat transfer.
It comes pre-applied with MX-2 thermal paste and features simple, tool-free installation compatible with Intel LGA-115x sockets.
Reviews confirm that with minimal airflow inside the chassis, the Alpine 12 Passive maintains stable temperatures in complete silence and requires zero maintenance — since there’s no fan to attract dust.

Although the concept behind Contra Tube was absolute silence, the case includes two 80 mm Arctic Cooling P8 Max fans, added purely as a safety measure.
These fans use dual NMB ball bearings, operate between 400 – 5000 RPM, and can completely stop (0 RPM mode) when PWM duty falls below 5%.
At around 400 RPM, they are effectively inaudible. I configured them in BIOS to run continuously at low speed as a preventive measure — not because the components require extra cooling, but simply to maintain a steady internal air circulation under all conditions.

The first Contra Tube was built as a proof of concept — to demonstrate that a carefully assembled, completely silent computer can perform like a true high-end music component.
No fans, no mechanical noise, no unnecessary background processes — just a stable, bit-perfect source focused entirely on playback quality.

The result is a remarkably natural and open sound, almost analog in its presentation, with a pitch-black background and zero electronic interference.
Playback is controlled via the MonkeyMote app on a tablet, so the device remains sealed and untouched during use — just like a dedicated high-end player.
Optionally, it can also be controlled via a Bluetooth/Wi-Fi remote.


Contra Tube – First Generation

Component                    Description

Case	SilverStone GD02 – aluminum front panel (silver finish)
Motherboard	ASUS H110M-R
Processor	Intel i3-7100
Cooling	Arctic Cooling Alpine 12 Passive
RAM	Crucial 2×4 GB
System Drive	256 GB Patriot SSD
Music Library Storage	2×2 TB Western Digital HDD in RAID 1
Sound Card	ASUS Xonar Essence STX II
Power Supply	SilverStone Nightjar ST50NF 500 W – fanless
Fans	2 × Arctic Cooling P8 MAX (dual ball bearing, BIOS-controlled ~400 RPM)
Operating System	Windows 10 IoT
Audio Software	AIMP (exclusive WASAPI mode)
Remote Control	ICANING G20S PRO BT remote + Samsung Tab 4 (Android 9) with MonkeyMote app