Amber Audio
This is the Day
Think of a Music Server in terms of a CD Carousel player from Sony with 100’s of CDs in, or a Wurlitzer for LPs.
Confused ? What's the difference between :-
- Thread starter AudioAl
- Start date
AudioAl
pfm Member
So my i mac is a streamer ? If I did not have the i Mac and had a streamer how would I know what music is available to play ?
Sorry for all the questions , As said I'm a digital numpty
Amber Audio
This is the Day
Cos the Streamer supplies said Digital Signal. A DAC on its own makes zero noise, nothing coming in so nothing getting converted and sent out to the Amp.
Amber Audio
This is the Day
An App on a phone or Tablet is usual, more convenient than using a computer and software App. Limited functionality to choose/play misic is available via buttons/screen on some Streamers.
Tumeni Notes
pfm Member
The streamer would have to be connected to your internet router, same as the iMac is, and it would operate by accessing one or more streaming services. It would either have a display (a small screen equivalent of your iMac's screen), or you would use a tablet or phone, connected to the network and the streamer, to browse what is available via the internet.
wylton
Naim and Mana member
Because the DAC on it's own, can't play the file, it only converts the signal! The streamer plays the digital file, from whatever source, but it has to be converted to Analogue (hence the DAC) in order for you hi-fi to drive the loudspeakers.
geetee1972
pfm Member
I had this wrangle myself just recently and found the biggest confusion was between a music streamer and a music server. The following analogies helped:
- Servers and streamers ostensibly do the same thing, which is to prepare the data ready for conversion and playing. There's a lot in the way that happens that can impact the quality of the music reproduction.
- A music streamer/server is analagous to a CD transport - they both retrieve data and turn it into a 'stream' of data which can be converted into an analogue signal and played through amps and speakers
- The CD you put into the transport previously is then replaced by one or all of the following:
- a music stream from a website like Tidal or Qobuz
- an internal or external hard drive with pre-ripped music stored on it
- The use of the word 'stream' is the part I always found confusing because you can stream from a website or you can stream from a network or internal storage device but it's more associated with 'streaming services', such as Tidal et al.
- Servers and streamers ostensibly do the same thing, which is to prepare the data ready for conversion and playing. There's a lot in the way that happens that can impact the quality of the music reproduction.
- A music streamer/server is analagous to a CD transport - they both retrieve data and turn it into a 'stream' of data which can be converted into an analogue signal and played through amps and speakers
- The CD you put into the transport previously is then replaced by one or all of the following:
- a music stream from a website like Tidal or Qobuz
- an internal or external hard drive with pre-ripped music stored on it
- The use of the word 'stream' is the part I always found confusing because you can stream from a website or you can stream from a network or internal storage device but it's more associated with 'streaming services', such as Tidal et al.
narabdela
who?
geetee1972
pfm Member
In theory a i mac and a streamer do the same job , But a i mac has a screen and a streamer does not ? To use a streamer I would then need either a phone or a tablet connected to my hub to enable me to view what I could play ?
Am I getting it or am I still lost
You're getting it - you're talking about the user interface and this is where Roon has really cornered the market. Roon will sit on both your streamer or server, whichever you want to call it, and then act as the client to do two things. One is organise your music (either stored on a HDD or SDD either inside or outside the server/streamer), and present it to you in a way that is engaging and rich. I'm not sure if it also the software that forms the media player on the hardware of the server. I think it does but I could be wrong. The other thing it does is sit as an app on another device will then talk to the core sitting on the server/streamer.
geetee1972
pfm Member
LOL I struggled with this question as well! What does the streamer add? I think the anser is that you simply don't technically need a streamer. You can plug an ethernet cable into the back of some DACs and feed it a signal from Qobuz/Tidal and it will work. The weakness of that is that you're then limited to just that as a source.
AudioAl
pfm Member
geetee1972
pfm Member
mqa wtf is that
Master Quality Assured - it's a digital file format (I think), like DSD or PCM. This is a whole world of confusion I know; I'm litterally just getting to grips with it mself so I feel your pain.
AudioAl
pfm Member
Amber Audio
This is the Day
Dealer Blog - might have some snippets you will find useful
https://www.audioaffair.co.uk/blog/how-to-stream-music-a-beginners-guide/
https://www.audioaffair.co.uk/blog/how-to-stream-music-a-beginners-guide/
Welcome to how to stream music: a beginner’s guide.
Always wanted to explore streaming but don’t know where to start? In this blog, we will explore what streaming is, how it can enhance your hi-fi experience and the products the team at Audio Affair recommend to make your streaming system sing.
Always wanted to explore streaming but don’t know where to start? In this blog, we will explore what streaming is, how it can enhance your hi-fi experience and the products the team at Audio Affair recommend to make your streaming system sing.
AudioAl
pfm Member
Wait until someone comes along and tells you all you need is a pie with a hat on...
Cold apple pie and cold custard , Yum
AudioAl
pfm Member
OK thanks , Will read that later today