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Streamer for LTA Aero

I've been shopping for a highly capable, yet sensible streamer to pair with a LTA Aero DAC... on order. I'm trying to read everything, but being just about as far away from tech savvy as one can be, I have to give great weight to the guidance of others. The streamers that are most of interest to me are the Aurenders N200 and N150, and the Innuos ZEN and ZENith. My interest in the Innuos line is due mostly to their ripping feature - that might be unfair - I have a couple thousand CDs. That being said, I'm not deaf to those who advise that If I get the streamer/DAC thing right, I'll never reach for a CD again. My interest in the Aurender line is not only that they are high end, but that they are a friendly choice for those with limited computer savvy (I ain't kidding either, my new cellphone is kicking my behind). After talking with the Aurender rep at Axpona, I was all in on the N200. Now that I've chosen the Aero DAC, I'm considering that I'll be paying for capabilities, not relevant to the Aero, and that the N150 might provide essentially the same SQ at half the price. I'm very happy with my amplifier/speaker combination and believe that it's a highly capable pairing. They're pretty obscure in this country, but FWIW, I have a New Audio Frontiers Supreme 300B SE integrated feeding SoundKaos 40 speakers. I'm open to criticism as well.

phaelon
jacoblta
1 posts
 

@mezzguy2 wouldn't this be resolved by using the S/pdif output from the Grimm, which is limited to 24-bit 192kHz? I haven't confirmed but I would imagine that the MU1 upsampling algorithm would respect these unconditional limitations.  

mezzguy2
3 posts
 

The Grimm only upsamples through the AES output.  I ran the AES output through a Hosa CDL-313 AES/S/pdif converter specifically to take advantage of the upsampling.  Anything run through the S/pdif output could not be upsampled regardless of setting and would work fine.  

audioman58's avatar
audioman58
4,152 posts
 

I recently bought a innuos Zenith MK-3  ,I have been into audio 4 decades and look under the hood on everything  for parts quality ,

3 LPS power supplies not just Two ,throughout the chassis the feet iso bearing feet for top isolation ,inside very high quality Teac cd ripper ,their program is excellent and intuitive Sense app.CD rips sound excellent right to the Intel SS drive , the whole interior has isolation treatments on both drives and chassis , the Mundorf Mlytic  capacitors are very $$ but  well worth it ,you get a more warm perspective ,which I feel very natural ..get rid  of the 50 cent fuse and put in a 20 mm Hifi tuning 3Amp ,slow blow supreme silver gold fuse $90 don’t break the bank and adds openness and detail , a good power cord highly recommended also for Digital by far my favorite Digital cables is Tubulus Digital Audio cables , Ethernet ,USB,As well as I2S the Only true I2S Solid core  Air-tube dielectric Great cables make a very big difference to your digital Realism fo . My Denafrips Gaia DDC  to Terminator15 Dac,  Everything counts .also from your router a LPS a Must ,digital is not grounded and wall wart just adds more noise, 

tkrtrb125
373 posts
 

Innuos Zenith MK III

phaelon OP
1,052 posts
 

Hi Audioman. I'm happy with my Zen as well, although I can't help wondering if the ZENith wouldn't have been an even better option. I kind of wish I had auditioned them both.

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