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iPhone into Chord DAC vs Mac Mini

N

novak

pfm Member
Hi,

My 'headless' Mac Mini has been a little slow recently and I have been having to fix and tinker via screen share on my laptop which is a bit of a pain. The Mac Mini feeds a Chord Qutest DAC, I usually play lossless files.

I realised today I can connect directly from my iPhone via the USB connector straight into my Qutest DAC, meaning I can play lossless files directly into the DAC, into the Jadis amp, into the Harbeth SHL5+.

I have been experimenting with Tidal and Amazon HD, playing high res files / Ultra HD tonight, and I have been very impressed with the results. I haven't made any detailed comparisons but it has caught my attention. I wasn't expecting any difference, maybe there is none, but you know when you're having a casual listen and you keep having your attention diverted back to the music because something just seems a little different.

I'm intrigued... could the iPhone 11 be a brilliant source because it's battery-powered, solid-state, streaming high res into a high-quality DAC?

Does anyone have any experience here? Have there been any tests and measurements carried out? Is it my imagination?
 
I use a free vnc server installed on my mini (one just has to register).

https://www.realvnc.com/en/connect/home/

and the free viewer on an iPad to control it.

It's a bit clunky with my fat fingers but I have a stylus pen to try out, just haven't got round to it.

I have used both the iPad and an old iPhone to stream direct to a few dacs and have been impressed with the SQ.

I use the camera kit with the usb power option and also this very cheap connecter, which is suprisingly good

Well it is, to my old ears ;)
 
novak said:
Thanks, this is for the iPhone DAC and headphone jack, as opposed to using the digital output into a DAC?
Click to expand...

It is, and the only iPhone measurement in the public domain as far as I'm aware.

My father runs Spotify premium from an iPad Pro to an old Airport Express (which is notorious for jitter) into a Young DAC. Whilst the Mac mini sounds better directly connected, it's marginal to the point I wouldn't be confident picking out the source blindfolded. For casual listening streaming is the way to go IMO. Critical and special evenings etc, well mastered albums in AIFF 16/44 is certainly nice to have.
 
I'm also using Amazon HD/UHD part of the 3 month free trial and remain very impressed, I may revert back to Spotify -- not sure yet. As above, well mastered albums in AIFF sound better so like my father I enjoy both scenarios. I'm listening to Jeff Buckley's 'Grace' album at the moment, the Kevin Gray remaster I have is superior to Amazon's offering. The mastering is more important than the numbers IME. The convenience of streaming cannot be denied though.
 
Pedro83 said:
I'm listening to Jeff Buckley's 'Grace' album at the moment, the Kevin Gray remaster I have is superior to Amazon's offering. The mastering is more important than the numbers IME.
Click to expand...
Interested, do you have a link to the remastered version, as Amazon is not very good at being specific as to which one is being sold?
 
I’m very impressed too. I’m comparing my lossless FLAC library to the Amazon HD. Hard to distinguish, but Amazon sure sounds excellent. Wish it the connect function like Spotify does, so I can stream it from one device whilst controlling it from another. Same goes for Tidal, last time I liked it didn’t have that function. Super useful, saves using screen share and much easier operating from the app itself. Especially with the iPhone as a remote.
 
novak said:
I’m very impressed too. I’m comparing my lossless FLAC library to the Amazon HD. Hard to distinguish, but Amazon sure sounds excellent. Wish it the connect function like Spotify does, so I can stream it from one device whilst controlling it from another. Same goes for Tidal, last time I liked it didn’t have that function. Super useful, saves using screen share and much easier operating from the app itself. Especially with the iPhone as a remote.
Click to expand...
I think Tidal do now have Tidal Connect so you can stream it to one endpoint but control it from your phone or tablet.
https://tidal.com/connect
 
... I had a go with Tidal – the Connect function only works on certain devices, so you cannot use the mobile app to control the desktop app, but apparently, it's coming soon.

On a related note, I have been comparing Tidal Hifi to Amazon HD, and I find it hard to believe (as I thought they were both lossless) but Amazon sounds better to my ears. I have been really enjoying the sound of Amazon HD. It has depth and space, whilst sounding very organic and easy to listen to. I have been playing album after album and enjoying it very much. Tidal sounded flatter to me, which I wasn't expecting as I read it was the 'leader' in lossless streaming.

I'm not a huge fan of Amazon as a brand from a design perspective but HD is doing great things.
 
This isn’t too far from a subject I was wanting to ask about as can’t find answer anywhere so I’ll jump on the back, hope don’t mind
1) Can I run my iPhone directly into my naim nac82 without a dac? I have already bought a din to jack.worried in case it’s dangerous to amp in anyway? If not I’ll plug and play
2) I had bought an old chromecast for this purpose but have limited options on what I can stream to it. Seems like iPhone and google chrome not very compatible with each other. I can play a track from iTunes but not an album. Tune-in radio works so that’s one thing, but thought I’d have been able to play playlists/albums
Any advice appreciated
 
Man in a van said:
Which iOS on the phone might have a bearing and which chromecast, do you mean the one for the TV ?

ronnie
Click to expand...
Cheers for response Ronnie,
I have an iPhone XR if that answers that part and yeah, the chromecast is the old TV type that I’d read a recommendation for on a post a few months back. I bought it as a reconditioned unit as I don’t think they’re available new anymore.
I’d be happy to sack the blue tooth side of things if I knew for sure that iPhone to Naim nac82 won’t cause damage to hifi in any way. I suspect it’s safe but frightened to test without being certain
 
@Naimngame

I'm still not sure which chromecast you have

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chromecast

If it is the TV one, then I think you have made an error, sorry. :(

Anyways, I hooked up the Chromecast tv mk1 that I have and played to it through an Iphone 6s running iOS14.4.

I can't stream the Radio Paradise app, but can stream BBC Sounds, Spotify and Radio France..

I don't do iTunes or Apple Music, so can't comment on those.

It's very, very clunky and the sound through the TV depends a lot on the audio set-up available.

I had to google both phone and pre-amp :oops:.

The iPhone can use either the camera kit with power supply (if you have a suitable dac; I'm guessing not, as you didn't mention it) or the headphone connecter(for a tenner, it's good)

I don't see why it would not work / or damage the pre-amp, just start with the volume really low. But unless someone come in, yhat decision is up to you ;)

Alternate devices would be Apple TV3 (for use with a dac) or an Airport Express (direct into the pre amp) some people say it has high jitter, but I have never let that bother me.

Or a streamer of sort sort, depends what you want to spend and also on the rest of your playback equipment, computer OS and what you want to do.

atb

ronnie
 
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