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MHDT dac...and which streamer/server?

I've been sitting on the fence re streaming for years now, getting splinters you know where Lol.
Time to get off the fence.

So here's my dilemma. I love lp, have a heavily-modded analog rig that serves my 3k lp collection v well.

Critically, I have a special cdp, the Eera Tentation, that after 2 decades of searching for digital to sit happily alongside my tt and not be shown up, target achieved. I love playing my 1.5k cds.

Throw into the mix that I am a real stick in the mud on computers, hate them with a vengeance, w streaming leaving me cold as a personal human activity, I am a hugely reluctant adopter.

Plus, SO many streamer setups I visit just have a "cold" sonic signature, akin to cdps from 80s (which I know is a lot to do w noise and hash associated w how streamed music enters the home).
Only exception being an SGM 2015/Aqua Formula rig...at £30k all in.
...and lack of confidence I'll find 00s or 000s of albums to make the foray worthwhile.

Hence, my series of trade offs on streaming, choices, how much to spend, is far and away my biggest challenge in decision making in 22 years in this hobby.

Spend too little (Bluesound Node)...have a sound I'll wear of l/t
Spend too much (SGM, Innuos Statement)...have no cash to spend on lps and cds (yes, I still love cd collectors editions)
Don't spend enough (Innuos Zenith or SGC/Rendu maybe base level to not go below) and streaming is a sonic missed opportunity.

Throw in my "all fingers and thumbs" w using a tablet, and total lack of knowing what, and how much, is out there in my deep genre loves of prog, fusion, electric jazz, avant garde, prog ambient electronica, and there you have my intersecting pressures on a decision.
Although, more and more, I'm confident I'll find at least 250 albums I never would have easily on cd, and deffo not on lp.

Last issue is Roon. To Roon or not to Roon, conflicting advice here too.
----
So here I am, open to all suggestions.
I could go Bluesound Node. I could go all in one Linn or Lindemann. I could go to Zenith or SGC/Rendu plus commensurate dac like Holo Springs Kitsune.

However, my eye is drawn to MHDT dac as my option. Not a bad word on SQ reported. Indeed users are punch drunk ecstatic on their choice...at under $1.5k, if it really isn't embarassed in any way by a 10x pricier Lampi GG, it seems a no brainer. Certainly a big contrast to the Chord Qutest I'm considering.
So at MDHT level, and knowing my reticence on this subject, but not wanting to shortchange myself on the streamer, which to consider?

I could go Chord2go/Hugo all in one.
I could go Stack Audio The Link.
Limetree Network Bridge.
DCS Bridge 
Innuos Zenith.
SGC i7/Rendu.
Obv, can look to save cash here buying used.

Dacs I'm looking at...MHDT Orchid or Pagoda (maybe w BBQ Audio mods), Holo Springs Kitsune, Schiit Yggy w USB update, Chord Qutest or Hugo TT.

Is there a streamer at the affordable end that performs out of it's skin, would be a great complement to the MHDT, easyish to use...and thus at an affordable but performance-led level, get me into streaming affordably...and keep me interested 12 months down the line.

Thanks for bearing w me guys, and the inside of my fevered mind Lol.


spiritofmusic
big_greg
6,623 posts
 
@musicmann1 I'm really happy with the Vincent.  Besides the ARC, I have a Peachtree Audio Nova 300 and had a Heed Elixir for a while and have also owned Peachtree Grand Integrated X1 and a Krell KAV-300i.  The Krell was my initiation into integrateds.  It was OK, but not that great.  The Peachtrees are very smooth and neutral, while still having a fair amount of detail.  They are nice sounding units, but not as exciting as the ARC, which was more punchy and had a richer sound, without being overly "tubey".  The ARC was just too hot for my small computer room, which is why I replaced it with the Vincent. 

At first I thought I'd made a mistake with the Vincent, it sounded grainy and harsh (compared to the ARC), much like the Heed Elixir (which didn't last long in my system).  I replaced the stock tube in the Vincent with a Tungsram ECC 83 tube and it really smoothed out the sound, and has most of the same sonic characteristics as the ARC.  It has 10 watts of Class A, which I probably never get out of in that small space and the integrated section is tubed. I'd say it's probably 95% or more as good as the ARC if I had to assign a value to it, only because the ARC is just a little bit smoother.  I usually listen to it for an hour or so every morning with my main source being my computer into a MHDT Labs Orchid DAC.  I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.
sptwriter
7 posts
 
You said you don't want to deal with computers and you're not even sure about tablets, so I assume you have no stored music library or interest in one and that takes away some of the value of Roon and a Roon Core. While a lot of the responses have been on sound quality, those are based on opinions, all of us have different ears and tastes, none of us have heard everything, so you're going to get some good advice but no consensus. Two considerations I haven't seen mentioned are ease of use of the associated applications and the streaming services you plan to use or try. I tested an Innuous and while the support in England was very good, they had no plans to add Amazon Music or (Tidal) MQA so that limited two services I was interested in. If you go Innuos, you'll probably be limited mostly to Qobuz, which has good sound quality but for my tastes isn't as easy to use or have quite as much of the music I like. Most streamers' apps work with Apple products but some struggle with Android. Some are easier to use than others so make sure you factor that into your equation. Innuos works better with Apple, I believe, and I tried another that froze so often with my Android tablets I gave up and returned it. I didn't want to keep an iPad around and charged simply for music but you may decide otherwise. The extra screen size of a tablet over a phone is pretty handy for selecting your music and viewing details on the band and song. 

For what it's worth, I bought a Bluesound Vault 2i. Yes, it may not be an endgame unit for a high-quality system, but it's a good all-in-one introduction to streaming and it couldn't be simpler. The Vault lets you burn all your CDs in the unit and since my CD player was old, I did that and once complete, I haven't touched my CD unit since. It's so simple to pick and choose among my library and all the music services. The interface is simple, not as good as Roon but it doesn't cost me an extra $120 a year. I figure I can always add a better DAC or combination and move this into my second system. 
flavo's avatar
flavo
40 posts
 
@ sptwriter
I get easily coonfused by all this, but it appears that the Innuuos handles Tidal as well.
https://www.innuos.com/en/catalog/go/zenmini-mk3-1tb-hdd

The poor inteface with Android would be a rough one for me too.
fiza
38 posts
 
@mapman  How do you stream via Roku?
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,179 posts
 
Fiza


On Roku, I run Plex app to play from my music library.  Plex also provides Tidal streaming.  You can also run Spotify or other streaming apps.  Depending on TV, you might do audio out to an amp and speakers for better sound.   
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