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Streamers that stream better

There is no such thing as a true 75R connection using RCA plugs and sockets, due to the geometry of the connectors. For this, you need to use BNC.

I’ve read that a lot but I wouldn’t worry about it. All things being equal BNC should be the default choice, but all things rarely are equal!

I‘ve compared BNC-BNC, RCA-RCA and various combinations of adaptors. IME a better RCA cable will outperform a less good BNC cable (either with/without adapter).

For a laugh I just tried an analogue I/C from my spares box and it did sound a fair bit worse than either of my digi I/Cs.
 
The Lindemann Network bridge and player are excellent, less than £1k and small and unobtrusive.

I stumbled upon this device a few days ago whilst web searching for a replacement streamer to replace my UQ2 that feeds a Qutest.

Looks like an interesting product but as others have suggested above does the streamer make a huge difference.
 
I really don't wish to use a mac computer. I want to know what the Rega Planar of Streamers are. I like the bluesound option, are there others? Like an Allo?

I have Allo and like it a lot, great sound and highly customisable/upgradable. But it’s basically an optimised Raspberry Pi that encourages “semi DIY”. A very different product to the Bluesound that is more “plug and play”.
 
Looks like an interesting product but as others have suggested above does the streamer make a huge difference.

Everyone has their own definition of “huge”...

Running an Allo USBridge Sig + Digione Sig provides a lot of options to change things on the streamer and discover what is or isn’t audible. I can say that different software sounds different. Even things like underclocking the CPU can help!
 
They claim they tested RAM for musicality, really!

And what is wrong with that? It might not make a huge difference, but Lampizator obviously found it did make some worthwhile difference.

Lampizator started as an hobbyist and enthusiast - he didn't set out to be an Audio Business. His pages on testing CD players and modifying them testifies to his enthusiasm, especially his write-ups and sharing of knowledge. He rates Naim CD players very highly along with the JVC K2 filter players and an old Grundig player. He then moved into exploring DACs and made his own and eventually started to sell them.
 
Well for what it is worth I would always consider a Raspberry Pi 4 - 4GB / 8GB with whatever distro you feel comfortable with is an ideal and very cheap streamer solution . If you use a USB DAC then just the Raspberry Pi and use the USB 3 output . If no USB input on your DAC then you will need to add a Digi Hat which gives you SPDIF and TOSLINK digital out straight in to your DAC.

I personally use Max2play for which to get all of the options you need to pay a license fee . Many object to this and so use other distros like Moode , Picore etc and each will work . I use Max2play because i find it simple to use and set up and it uses Logitech Media Server which is free and supported by the Squeezebox Forum . Using a GUI called Material Skin you get a very nice interface on your phone / tablet / PC / Mac which shows you articles and details of artists and also shows your albums as a gallery of album covers . I also like that LMS has plugins for Tidal , Spotify , Deezer , Quboz and then also BBC Radio stations and the Flac stream of Radio Paradise . The unit when built is very small and can be hidden away it uses very little power so can be left on 24/7 or turned off if you want to do that (I turn off my Pi based players but leave the Media Server unit on all the time) .

Just doing this will cost about £100 -£120 depending on the box and Pi you use and will work and sound very good . If you are like me and get a bit twitchy about what if this etc you can add a nice Linear Power Supply to the PI (this will cost you more than the whole Pi set up) but that is an option and not needed unless you are a little bit obsessive (guilty as charged) .
 
Gents thanks for the suggestions, we've arrived at the rub;

Can there, is there, and if there is, how big can be, the difference between streamers only doing streaming of either cloud based services or local storage files? (Keeping the DAC the same and all else being equal).

I realize some people have said that "bit perfect is bit perfect" but I'm not so quick to accept this. As I said earlier, I notice a significant different on the same system of a new PC running into a Mojo, between the Web version of tidal and the tidal app. Same bit-rate, same presumable settings, the App sounds significantly better.

So above someone wrote that ultimately a good streamer is a stripped-down, purpose built PC and I'm inclined to agree, so I don't care WHY it might sound better, I just care what is out there and how much better can one piece sound than the next. But I have to imagine if my PC system (as an example) would sound better simply adding a line conditioner, or adding one just to the PC, that a streamer's P/S approach would matter....etc. So this is what I'm curious to look into. I'm interested in options for streamers, not changes in DACs as that is a separate matter for a separate day.

So far the interesting suggestions are the Arylic, the Bluesound Node 2i, The Allo, and the Lindeman.

OOC, I wonder how an original Linn Klimax Renew would sound? Can it access Tidal and what bit rates does it support?

Anyway great suggestions by all. Thanks. Also thanks to Strictly Stereo for giving a solid retailers opinion, many thanks.
 
That “rub” Can probably be split into 2 parts....
1–Is there any difference between streamers or do they all sound the same & it’s all down to the DAC
2- IF there is a difference between a budget one & a high end one, is it worth the £££?
Thats when it’s time to demo & see if the price is justified.
 
I don't think that streamers should be seen in isolation rather as forming a system with the DAC.

I have a feeling that some streamers play better with some DACs. I would guess that some DACs are more sensitive to quality of the streamer output. If there is more than just bits in the output (such as psu noise) and this has an effect on the DAC which may affect the sound.

On the other hand some DACs may not be sensitive to the quality of the output of the streamer.
 
Again my view is that streamers in the full sense of that and passing on digital streams to a DAC are pretty much all the same . The only difference and in my view way they can be improved is by a a quieter power supply . Now this in my case for the money I can afford has to be a Linear Power Supply . There are incredibly low noise and high quality SMP supplies but they are often very expensive to produce . I would also say that the full network of router , player and streamer and if on its own Media unit can all be made to sound better by improved low noise power supplies . If the power supplies are equal then in my view all streamers sound the same .
 
Among other pieces, I have the Matrix Element i mentioned above and I can vouch that it is a fine piece of kit that does almost everything you could want in a streamer/DAC/pre.

On the other hand, you could also get a Raspberry Pi4 and a nice DAC for about half it's price that would probably sound just as good. There would be some time involved in setup, and possibly less features, but such a pairing can also give you excellent sound for a very affordable price.

The difference in SQ between something like a Pi and a "higher end" streamer (most of which are Pi's, with some modifications, etc) is a matter of debate. Some say the differences are there, others say there aren't any. There isn't a consensus.
I'd suggest starting with something relatively modest and seeing if you are happy with the result. If you are, no need to go down the audiophile rabbit hole.
 
Not a troll post, I listen to a lot of Tidal and Spotify. What, in terms of SQ, does a streamer give over a PC connected to a good DAC?

Simple. Nothing.

Stand alone streamer(s) make sense in some systems, depending on how you store or access music and what your physical layout or restrictions are, or how many users want to access the music at the same time (whole house systems and so on). But as far as SQ there is nothing the streamer is doing that the PC is not. The streamer (inside) IS just another computer, but with restricted workload to do the one job.
 
The difference in SQ between something like a Pi and a "higher end" streamer (most of which are Pi's, with some modifications, etc) is a matter of debate.

For me the difference between a good streamer and a bad one isn't as much about the SQ (as all the ones I've heard, including my Pi, have been fine), but more about the software and in particular the control app.
 
For me the difference between a good streamer and a bad one isn't as much about the SQ (as all the ones I've heard, including my Pi, have been fine), but more about the software and in particular the control app.
Agree. For me, I'm also willing to spend some money on cosmetics and a nice heavy case. For those who aren't sensitive to that, the Pi (even spending a bit on a nice case) is a good buy.
 
For me the difference between a good streamer and a bad one isn't as much about the SQ (as all the ones I've heard, including my Pi, have been fine), but more about the software and in particular the control app.
+1
I would add to this the point that a good streamer is almost inevitably going to require regular software upgrades to keep abreast of new services and updated APIs of the existing services. There is always some risk of obsolescence but buying an expensive device from a hifi manufacturer is IMHO inherently high risk compared with

  • buying an inexpensive device which can run software from different sources especially free ones from people who specialise in software (eg a pi); or
  • using a multi purpose device like a mac mini or nuc or even regular PC.
perhaps more debatably one might trust in someone like sonos whose entire brand is about streaming.
 
buying an inexpensive device which can run software from different sources especially free ones from people who specialise in software (eg a pi);

I started off with a Pi as a streamer but after trying various software options found they were all a bit crap so ended up going with dedicated streamers in all of my systems (Cambridge Audio ones in 2 of them and a Squeezebox Touch in the other).
 
I started off with a Pi as a streamer but after trying various software options found they were all a bit crap so ended up going with dedicated streamers in all of my systems (Cambridge Audio ones in 2 of them and a Squeezebox Touch in the other).
You can make a pi into a squeezebox touch.
 


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