@jbhiller see link above to a recent discussion that touches on same topic. I am a strong proponent that, putting aside processing differences (e.g., reclocking, up sampling/oversampling, dsp), the only differences across streamers - sonically - is differences in noise (and the science is really clear on this, btw). Some DACs do a much better job than others at eliminating any or certain types of noise from sources (streamers). But regardless of your DAC, there are a number of inexpensive streamers that do a great job of minimizing noise, hence the list in my previous post. Bottom line: there’s a lot of hype out there re streamers in part because this is the leading edge of the industry for a lot of consumers still, so there’s a lot of opportunity for high margin products for producers. Good luck.
Looking for High Quality Streamer Only Options (NO DAC)?
I'm looking to find a dedicated streamer, ideally <$2k. Here are the objectives:
1. Must be Roon Ready
2. No internal DAC
3. USB, Optical or Digital Coax input
4. Great quality to feed an outboard DAC.
The idea here is to hopefully avoid paying for an internal DAC and just by a stable streamer, giving the manufacturer the ability to dump all the parts and labor costs into the streaming side only. In other words, why pay for an internal DAC I won't use.
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Track down a used or BNIB Auralic Aries Mini. Picked one up (BNIB) a couple months ago for less than $250. Has a DAC, but it’s bypassed if you route the outbound signal into an external DAC. Mine is fed by ethernet. To date, it’s functioned perfectly as a Roon endpoint (I’ve also used it plenty, sans Roon, with Auralic’s Lighting DS app).
—Specs— Music Sources
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- 52 posts total