Point of higher priced streamer?

My main DAC today is a Matrix Mini-i 3 Pro. I sold my Benchmark DAC3B today. I hope to buy a much more expensive DAC in the Spring. So tonight I thought I would do a few streaming tests.

The Matrix is rather incredible in terms of connectivity. However, at the moment the Matrix Mini DAC is not ROON READY via the Ethernet RJ45 streaming input (Matrix is working on it with ROON). You can setup Apple AirPlay2 on the ROON Server and also the DAC to play music from ROON via an iPhone. In this setup, the Airplay2 protocol uses the DAC’s Ethernet RJ45 input to stream data. I also have an Sonore microRendu that has been my only streamer for the last 5 years with various DACs. I love the microRendu connected to a DAC’s USB input.

So tonight I tested Muddy Waters - Hard Again album with both ROON zones, AirPlay2 and the microRendu. The AirPlay2 sounded a lot more lively so I was shocked by that. I thought there was something funny going on. I turned my iPhones SPL meter and found that the AirPlay2 was 10 db louder than the microRendu. Likely something in the iPhone settings.

I made an adjust on the SPL level when streaming via the microRendu. This is pretty easy with my Benchmark HPA4 which has an incredibly precise volume control. I then compared the Mannish Boy track again and I could not tell a difference. That was also very surprising. I was not expecting the AirPlay2 to sound so close sonically to the microRendu. My DAC is a brand new model released in 2020 and has some great tech in it (for $899). So maybe streaming has gotten much more reliable these days.

Once the DAC is made ROON READY I will create another ROON Server zone for the Ethernet RJ45 (might have to remove the AirPlay2 zone). I will compare that with the microRendu and if possible AirPlay2. I am rather shocked by what I heard today.

@vinylshadow

But there aren’t many "inexpensive" options where I can use my phone as the controller.

Actually, there are quite a few. If you do a little research you'll find there are a lot of apps for Android or iPhone which offer the ability to use a phone or tablet to act as a control point for software residing on a Windows PC, Mac, or Linux machine. For example, there are a number of different UPnP servers/media software (many are free and/or cheap) which you can access with programs like Bubble DS, Plug Player (not sure if that is still around), etc. to control a simple web-browser based media player.

Heck, I used to run an old Windows PC with Foobar 2000 and an iPhone App called MonkeyMote: https://www.monkeymote.com/home

They have Android versions of the App and you can use a number of player software (JRiver, foobar, AIMP, Winamp). 

You don't need anything particularly powerful for this type of application, a pretty basic PC will work just fine and with the right player software will likely sound quite a bit better using your USB>SPDIF convertor.

I'd guess one could put something like this together for less than $200 if being savvy and patient to find the right stuff. 

To top it off you can then also install whatever streaming service's app you happen to like (or want to try) - like Spotify, Tidal, or Qobuz - and control the app on the PC from the service's phone app as well (most seem to be doing this nowadays).

To the thoughtful posts on power cables, it is incredible how expensive some of them are. I respect Shunyata but can a $6000 Omega mains sound $4000 better than a $2000 Vertere Acoustic HB mains?

When you put it in those terms, not really. But if $4,000 is a drop in the bucket for you, and you have the inclination to spend a lot of money on HiFi, I'm sure there are plenty of people who can convince others that the difference is worth the extra $4K

The issue I find with the expensive cables is that only some of them offer synergy and improvement with certain equipment while sometimes actually detracting from the performance of certain other gear. 

And to make things more complicated. if one is considering a $6,000 Shunyata mains lead, one is doing themselves a disservice by not evaluating Transparent, Nordost, AQ, Cardas, Kubala-Sosna, Chord, Furutech, MIT, or any other number of high quality brands I've failed to include on that list - and evaluating those next to their supplied leads or OEM offerings from quality suppliers like Volex.

I was not expecting the AirPlay2 to sound so close sonically to the microRendu.

@yyzsantabarbara 

If you are using USB from a microRendu into a USB DAC, the DAC is treating the data differently than through a network connection.

The technical reasons for this will make most people's eyes bleed but in a nutshell the protocol(s) being used to deliver the stream data are quite a bit different under the hood.

AirPlay2 and Roon endpoints are essentially "capturing" real-time playback occurring on an auxiliary device over the network. 

In this scenario what you are comparing is the Matrix DAC's ability to "capture" an AirPlay2 stream from the network and deliver it directly to the DAC circuit, to the Sonore's ability to "capture" the same stream (assuming from AirPlay2, or Roon, it wasn't exactly clear) from the network and convert it to a USB digital stream for use by the USB input on the DAC.

Looking at it in this light you can see there is an additional process in the signal path using the Sonore microRendu which is unnecessary if Matrix audio have done their job correctly on the network side. It's likely why you are surprised at the similar fidelity.

@ironlung I get what you are saying and the is also what i was thinking was going on under the hood. That 10db difference is another matter but not really a concern. BTW - I was streaming to the Rendu via ROON RAAT.

I am now seeing a Network DAC input as the short term future for me. My current DAC can use the Ethernet, my next DAC needs the Ethernet for the best sound (the AudioByte HUB component). Unless I get the Benchmark DAC3B again the microRendu is going to sit idle.

My hope for the longer term is that DACs get a Fibre optical input like the $15K Lumin X1. That way a direct fibre wire from an Network switch to a ROON READY DAC.

I am not sure if WiFi is also a contender for this. Other that Aurelic no one else is pushing Wifi. I have rock solid Wifi but have not really tested it out. The Matrix does support Wifi but I need ROON READY certification for that to work. So  I will try this one day soon.

I am not sure if WiFi is also a contender for this. Other that Aurelic no one else is pushing Wifi.

WiFi should only be used when absolutely necessary. I know there are Auralic guys who claim the WiFi input on their streamers is the better connection to make to the network, but I think if that's the case then the ethernet implementation must be poor.

WiFi is totally fine to use for the control point but in terms of connection between the server (Roon Core) and the client (Roon RAAT/Ready device) the connection should be hardwired with sufficient detail paid to the rest of the network to minimize possible conflicts/bottlenecks.

There may be people with minimal networks and a robust enough WiFi connection that Roon will work over a wireless connection to an endpoint, but my guess is most people using Roon are hardwired ethernet.