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Do I Need a Dedicated Streamer?

Hello everyone,

As the title states, I am still unsure of if I need a dedicated streamer and if it would increase the fidelity of my music compared to how I am listening at the moment. Which is using AirPlay 2 from my iPhone to my Hegel H590 Integrated amp.

 

I know that the DAC in the Hegel H590 is considered quite good and it was one of the reasons that I bought the amplifier to begin with. However, would I get a better input using a dedicated streamer for around $1000 (such as the Cambridge CXNV2 for example) or would I be better off leaving things as is?

I am just not sure if airplaying music to the Hegel is degrading the signal in comparison to a streamer that would pull its own data and send it directly to the amplifier? Also, would improving my router placement and wifi signal make any difference to the sound since my Hegel is hardwired using a mesh wifi system?

 

I am open to switching streaming platforms if I can gain something out of it such as resolution but I’m not sure if apple music is the issue in any of this.

 

If the answer to the title is a no. I am curious what I would need to take the quality of my listening experience to the next level or where money would be better spent to achieve that. I do have acoustic panels in my room and have done my fair share of research on speaker placement already.

 

The only thing that I have been considering in the near-future would have to be the isoacoustics gaia 1 feet.

 

My equipment:

Hegel H590 Integrated

KEF Reference 5 Meta

Metra Velox Speaker Cables

 

Thanks for reading.

danb99
yage
400 posts
 

AirPlay 2 is limited to 44.1 kHz sampling rate. If you're trying to playback a higher resolution stream, it will be resampled to match.

 

However, the Hegel supports another protocol that will perform high-res playback - UPnP / DLNA. You need to use an app that supports this feature. On iOS, I use mConnect Player HD. On my Android phone, I use BubbleUPnP. Unfortunately, neither supports Apple Music so if you're planning on sticking with that service, it's best to use your iPhone and AirPlay.

 

There's no advantage to using a wired Ethernet connection vs Wi-Fi. As long as you're not hearing dropouts or glitches during playback then your network is performing fine. I have a Mac Mini on a mesh node that functions as a streamer / file server for a second system without any issues. I also pull the music files over the wireless backhaul to a Raspberry Pi 4 running moOde for the main basement system and it works perfectly.

 

Streamers, whether they're standalone or built into an amp, are just tiny computers - usually running some form of Linux. If you don't hear any obvious problems, then it's functioning as intended.

Ag insider logo xs@2x
o_holter
975 posts
 

@yage - "There's no advantage to using a wired Ethernet connection vs Wi-Fi. As long as you're not hearing dropouts or glitches during playback then your network is performing fine."

Hmm - well yes - but there are different opinions. Some say that the streamer means a lot. And I have not seen anyone who had the choice between wired ethernet vs wireless who says it sounds better with wireless so I'll use that.

carlsbad2's avatar
carlsbad2
1,602 posts
 

First, get off compressed air play. 

Second, get a dedicated streamer.  a $200 streamerw will greatly outperform a computer.

Go wired from the router to the streamer to the DAC.

yage
400 posts
 

@o_holter

Most people like the convenience of using their phone or tablet as a remote control for a streamer. The good news is that you most likely can already do this with the hardware / software that you currently have.

 

If you’re running Windows on the ThinkPad, you can enable the built-in UPnP media server and control playback using the apps I mentioned above. All you need to do is type "media streaming options" in the search box and enable it in the Control Panel. I think your music files need to be stored in the Music folder for it to work automagically.

 

Re: networking - whether you're using Wi-Fi or wired Ethernet, if the data gets to the DAC without any errors, then there's no logical reason for one transmission mode to be better than another.

zlone
649 posts
 

Nice system. Streamers matter, a lot. Given the investment you have made, I would do some research and get something at the same level. It seems that Aurender and Innuos are the top choices around here. I would avoid getting one with a DAC built in, use the Hegel for now, though you may want to get a separate down the road. I am pretty sure your sound will improve massively with a real streamer. 

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