2. digital
  3. 192710-196145

ARE SUPER EXPENSIVE STREAMERS REALLY WORTH IT

Folks I am confused why some streamers need to be so eye wateringly expensive. I appreciate the internal basics need to be covered such as a high quality, low noise power supply and a decent processor speed etc..  but that is not rocket science.

So my question is could a decent streamer outputting its data stream via I2S to a good quality DAC receiving the I2S stream be a more cost effective way of rivalling let’s say a streamer costing 5k upwards.

I have heard and digested the argument for expensive streamers quality being centred around the management of the data timing via a quality clock circuit but there are very reasonable in relative terms, DAC’s out there that have dual super high quality temp controlled clocks within, at least the equal or arguably even better than the say a 5k streamer with some sporting dual high end DAC chips etc.

So could utilizing a good quality streamer and a separate high-quality DAC connected via I2S indeed offer significant benefits and potentially reduce the need for a very expensive streamer.

I say this with the knowledge that I2S is designed to preserve and separate the Signals so avoiding the timing issues connected with multiplexing. I2S (Inter-IC Sound) separates the music signal from the timing signal, potentially eliminating jitter or at the very least greatly reducing the possibility for the pesky music killing jitter which we all could agree would lead to improving overall sound quality.

Wouldn’t this separation ensure that the timing information is more accurately preserved, even when compared to a high price streamer, leading as clean or cleaner and more precise audio data output. With I2S, the DAC can use its own high-quality clock/s to synchronize the data, which will reduce jitter and improve sound quality.

Could this possibly mean that even if the streamer has a less advanced clock, the DAC’s superior clock can take over, ensuring best  performance.

So bang for buck would it not be advantageous to investing in a high-quality DAC and using a good but not necessarily top-tier streamer to achieve excellent sound quality without the need for an extremely expensive streamer. Surely the DAC’s performance will play a crucial role in the final sound quality.

Play gentle with the pile on please....................

nubiann
ghdprentice
7,124 posts
 

Streamers are like every other component in an audio system. The better the component the deeper the thought has gone into it, the designer has gone through extraordinary efforts to clean power, eliminate internal interference and vibration and chosen materials and subcomponents accordingly. The fruits of this are very heavy... my Aurender W20SE weights 46 pounds, full footprint and expensive streamer that sounds simply spectacular. I have tried a dozen streamers starting with low end ones and confirmed, that in general you get what you pay for in terms of sound quality.

Nope there isn't a cheap work around.... or there wouldn't be all those expensive streamers on the market. 

 

I have tried iPhone, iPods, iPads, PCs, MacBooks running on batteries. None of them measure up to a good budget streamer... and the sound quality just gets better from there. I you just want something that sounds pretty good... than any of these work well.

glennewdick's avatar
glennewdick
1,700 posts
 

From my experience once a good DAC is implemented the streamer has very little to do with it as long as the signal is good. Most good quality DAC's now can overcome any issues with timing/data issues/ noise,  ect.  I’ve gone through a half dozen streamers now with little difference, at least not enough to warrant the cost of some of them. In one case i found the $6800 streamer to sound worse than a dedicated and optimized PC (Aurender I'm looking at you). For me once I got an excellent DAC it was about user interface and ease of use, some of those streaming apps are terribly designed.  

Recently I've been comparing Apple 4kTv box with a tidal app loaded to many of the streamers I've or friend have and I'm shocked at how good the Apple tv box is, even only at CD quality. Yes, Hi rez files do sound better on a dedicated streamer/PC/Apple computer/etc.

 

Ag insider logo xs@2x
cleeds
5,970 posts
 

nubiann

I2S is designed to preserve and separate the Signals so avoiding the timing issues connected with multiplexing.

There's nothing magic about I2S, it's simply another interface du jour. And I'm not convinced that there's any truth to the claim that it avoids "timing issues connected with multiplexing."

audphile1's avatar
audphile1
5,281 posts
 

i2s was developed for internal connections and was never meant to be an interface between two components i.e. streamer and DAC. There are no standards defined for i2s snd that is precisely the reason why there are compatibility issues between components.

You need to understand differences between streamer types, DSP, jitter and clocking more than you need to worry about i2s.

sns
3,301 posts
 

Listen to the Taiko Olympus and report back. I've heard differences with every single streamer I've had in my system, extremely important  streaming component. Issue is full potential of any streamer won't be heard if rest of streaming chain not up to snuff. I treat streaming chain exactly like entire system chain which means everything from AC quality to room.

More to discover