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High Quality Streamers....debate and advice please

Hi Paul,

Seldom contributes here but thought I would say something..

Linn DS players are among the best digital players out there no doubt. Having heard DS players including Klimax at my dealers many times in
complete Linn systems. They sound fun and tight and dynamic no doubt. For me they are too expensive and therefore I have looked at alternatives during
many years.
As for front end/server I think that this is the most important part in the audio chain.

After trying streamers like Sonore microrendu and sotm 200 Ultra both connected to an Audiostore server with ripping. I have now found the Antipodes EX wich ticks all by boxes so far. No need to use a streamer anymore.

Use the Antipodes as a server/player with inbuilt SSD storage , Roon ready. It also has a DAC inside and rca outputs if you don`t have an external DAC.

I use my Antipodes EX as a renderer connected to a Vinnie rossi preamp/ DAC. Power amp is the Mivera purepower SE class D amp.

Someone suggested earlier the neat solution with Antipodes EX direct to active speakers that sounds interesting.

Hope this rambling was for some use to you.

Good luck

Magnus
 
How are you finding the Antipodes EX? I've been looking at these myself. But i see Aurender have recently introduced a new streaming protocol using Ravenna/EAS67 which if roon adopt too would be checkmate to all streamers.
 
CK,

The Antipodes EX is very good. Using it as the Roon renderer and my old Audiostore prestige as the server connected with direct ethernet. Sounds sublime.

There was optical fibre converters and now we can see dedicated switches for ordinary ethernet with improved clocking. I myself has fallen for that with AQVOX SE switch.
 
Hi - I’m interested in the EXs USB performance as I’m moving away from hifi steamers, that can do be done via rooncore now. From discussion over on roons forum we/I uncovered USB is a better platform as it’s a more robust platform for them to work with. Ethernet is tricky and untill the new standards are adopted (Ravenna/AES67 etc) steaming over Ethernet will always have some kind of compromise. Plus the platform in general isn’t mature as say a DAC/pre. It’s also a direct connection so no switches from the server to the system and a well implement USB input will be galvanically isolated and clocked at the receiver end.
 
Hi

I am using USB out to DAC but I guess you need to connect your server to ethernet? This is where the good switch does wonders.
 
Yes, ATM I have rooncore running on my QNAP TS251+ NAS. This has 2TB of SSD and sits in a the media unit next to the amp/DAC. There’s a 1m USB cable coming from the NAS, the router/switch sits next to it and is connected via 0.5m of Ethernet Cat7.

As the server is effectively isolated (galavincally) it’d be interesting to hear if the EX brings anything to the party as the clock is inside the DAC. So from this I conclude the network isn’t in the chain unless streaming from TIDAL within roon.
 
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Even if your server/Nas is not in the direct audiochain an audiopile switch is of very much use.
It was for me. :)
 
Paulq2 said:
Sorry for the long post but would welcome some advice from outside the Linn community.

I have been a long-term Linn owner (20 years+) and have generally been pretty happy with the sound they give but am becoming increasingly brassed off with their treatment of customers and, of late, me.

I own an Akurate DSM and Majik DSM with the former being under consideration to be upgraded to Linn's Katalyst DAC architecture. That would cost £1800 on top of the initial streamer outlay of £6400. I also wanted the case changing from silver to black and was quoted £450 on top of the £1800 Katalyst job for them to be done at the same time. I have held off as I am no longer sure it's not snake oil.

I was then told that the upgrade would take 3 months and that Linn was now 'refusing' to change the case despite me having email correspondence from them confirming that they would, at the above cost.

I'll get to the point - I like their stuff but I don't like them as a Company, at all. Their constant pushing of 'upgrades' like Katalyst and Exakt, at a high cost, along with lousy customer support is a sheer irritation to the point where I am seriously considering selling it all and trying something else. I don't have to - I can stick with Linn and spend nothing but I get to a point where they overstep my value line and that's a problem for me.

So here's where I'd welcome some objective advice guys (and please, leave the Linn hate and derision at home - I have heard it all :)). Having spent a few days researching what a quality alternative would be I have looked at the following:

  • Auralic Altair (£1800)
  • Simaudio Moon 390 (£5000)
  • Lindemann Musicbook25 (TBC)
  • Merdian Zoneplayer 218/MusicCore 200/DSP5200.2 (£8500)
  • Electrocompaniet ECM1 (£3000)
  • Yamaha R-N602 (£600)

The 'must haves' are:

  • Tidal
  • Internet Radio
  • Optical and Coax inputs
  • Preamp (I currently run active speakers) unless I go with the meridian options
  • Robust control point app.

Having read a lot I confess I am no techie but there seem to be polarised opinions on whether the cost of high-end streamers is at all worth it. I like the convenience of one box so I won't be using a PC but my question is rather:

Is there any justification, sound and quality wise, for choosing something like a Linn Akurate (£6400) over something like the Auralic Altair which looks very capable at £1800. I like the idea of Meridian gear given the technology but it's a very closed system and the most expensive.

I don't know whether I should adopt the approach that:

1 - 'they all convert bits and the high-cost ones are a rip off' or

2 - 'the high-cost ones convert bits better'.

All sensible advice would be very well received, along with recommendations for any of the above if people have experience of any of them, and thanks in advance. :)

Sorry again for the long post.
Click to expand...
I am sure I will be an outlier here, but I would recommend a really good, quiet PC, with a properly cleaned USB interface and a really good USB DAC. MS Surface and a new Brooklyn+? Inexpensive and efficient.
 
Cleanliness is next to Godliness , but just a PC and a decent dac will sound as good as anything at any price, and you can play absolutely anything on it.
Keith
 
I really want to believe you Keith.

Out of interest, you’re building a system with no possibility of physically treating the room, what proportion of your money goes where? To avoid seizure, ignore cables, fuses and sorbothane.
 
Magnuska said:
Even if your server/Nas is not in the direct audiochain an audiopile switch is of very much use.
It was for me. :)
Click to expand...

I've tried unplugging the ethernet cable from the NAS to the router so the only connection is a cable from the amps USB input and the QNAPs output; not change is sound quality.
 
Roon has kinda taken pole position.
Rooncore is a streamer.
Ravenna is a much better universal platform and will output via Ethernet and USB without a need for the receiver/render/DAC being roonready.
 
Roon has still only got a tiny share of the streaming market.

There is pretty much zero chance Roon will switch to ravenna as they have their own proprietary platform (RAAT) and I doubt if they will even look at aes67.
 
Aurender have Incorporated Ravenna (which has itself incorporated AES67) in there new streaming firmware's. I was in discussion with a few of roon's development teams on there forum.
The unanimous opinion was Ravenna/EAS67 would technically and universally be the best streaming protocol. With Aurender having done this it would be interesting to hear why and how.
 
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