"A Streamer Dac is not the same as a pure streamer! I have said this repeatedly. A pure Streamer is a digital device and can have only digital volume control."
Wisnon - not sure why your getting so frustrated. No one is refuting your statements. Your information is welcome and, uh, informative. Lol. I was just telling Audiolabyrnth that the component he wants exists already. There are Music server/DAC's available with analog balanced outputs, such as Lumin.
A DAC/streamer (like what Steve will be offering) is different from a DAC/music server (which also includes software to select and control the music from wherever it's stored) like the Lumin. Everyone wants a slightly different product.
For me, I want a music server with built in SSD, linear power supply, audiophile grade through and through. There are actually a lot of these out and more every day. But what many of them lack is the ability to directly access an iTunes folder on my Mac (so I don't have to copy everything already in there to another drive or location), and truly native access within the music server to stream off of services like Tidal and Rhapsody (some have this Antipodes, Auralec, TotalDac I think). The native streaming service will unquestionably be integrated into ALL next gen music servers. The only music server I know that can currently access my iTunes folder is Antipodes (they signed the license with Apple 3 weeks ago to integrate that access). It's a $23- license you pay for with the devise.
So there are already produces from one extreme to the other available. But I think it will take one or two generations for we audiophiles to figure out what we really want and need to have a variety of choices that all do exactly what we want. I would prefer the top tier design philosophy and implementation of the Aurender W20 or the Baetis, but neither has native streaming of Tidal nor access to the iTunes folder directly. And both (Along with the TotalDac) are truly designed for AES or SPDIF output to get their best result. While the Antipodes and Computer Audio Designs are truly designed to work best with a usb DAC like the ODSE or pending ODSX.
Auralec Aries is a very neat little affordable tool that does a lot. It's a temporary solution for many of us. Even the top stores will sell an Aries with a full DCS stack and a Baetis or Aurender server to access streaming on line music. But I don't think it really sounds any better then a properly done Mac mini with external power supply or equally prepared PC server.
As I said, I'm learning and still deciding. As of right now, the unit that, I think, would do it all, is the Antipodes DX. But I don't know how much better it will really sound then my Mac Mini. I'm trying to arrange an audition.
JKMNOP- I have fully auditioned the DirectStream ( read way back in the thread) and I admit it is a great product. But to my ears the ODSE is in a completely different class!
