2. digital
  3. 182786-179552

Streamers?

I have 2 dacs.
I like the r2r ladder dac for some music and the delta sigma for others.
I mainly listen to streaming, qobuzz and tidal, with masters and hires qobuz.
I do not yet have a network streamer though.  I cannot find one that I prefer and, being rural, I don’t want to start just running through streamers since it is a long drive into town to send equipment back (for those that allow inhome trials) so mqa pass through, dsd 512, 32/384 preferred.

Everything I listen to is sent from phone over bt ldac.. (not great)
I would like to fix that so I can play tidal masters, qobuz and my dsd files through streamer to, selectable, outputs to each dac.. preferably using the streamer to login to the services directly and not be required to have the path run through my phone or ipad and then to the dac.
Also, I would really like to find a network streamer that caches an entire track prior to beginning playback.   It is frustrating and really irritating, to start a track and have it interrupted 4-5 times during playback of ONE track because of my network here.
I actually have 3 internet services right now: starlink, a local wireless ISP and an

t-mobile 5g “hotspot” device on its own 100gb/month line. (ie, not shared with phone) and each of them have network “drops” of the stream.

One with cd ripper would be fine, but I do not need another dac, amplifier nor pre-amp, nor do I need roon etc.

Anything under $3000 would be great.. I cannot afford a $10000 network streamer..

Figured I would ask.. also am pursuing a daphile server, just waiting on hardware (at least, if it doesn’t meet needs, I can use for something else)

Thank you,

Matt
 

nevada_matt
rockrider
181 posts
 

@nglazer 

Thanks for letting me know my question came across as puerile. Sorry about that.

But it is a serious question, since a genuine Nordost ODIN AES cable is 5 figures USD.  You were kind enough to include your cable setup in the description.  I agree that cable choices are important.

I hope you choose to let us know along with your assessment of the Holo Red, so we will have your complete picture. 

nglazer
846 posts
 

Apology accepted, Rider. Thank you.

 

I actually purchased the Odin digicable in 2015 from a highly rated Audiogoner. Yes, it was 5 figures USD, but not ridiculously so compared to the IC's, which are two cables. I compared the Odin to the then SOTA digicable Stealth Sextet back then, and the Odin was audibly superior. So I bought and kept it ever since, running from my old Bryston BDP-1 with an external HD via the BDP-1 to the PS Audio DSD DAC. Don't use it very often, and can repurpose the cable when the Holo Red arrives (in its due time).

Will post my impressions vs the DAC streamer card. Neal

nevada_matt OP
155 posts
 

So, got the pulse mini, hooked up with usb to gustard R26.

configured my qobuz and tidal in streamers.

I cannot play any master.  Mqa files quit downloading after 2-8 seconds.

so far, the only thing I can see is that the pulse mini shows my tidal login as hifi instead of the hifi plus I pay for… and can use on other devices (phone, Ipad, PC)..

flac files feom both qobuz and tidal play fine.

inuos support emailed me today.  They will do a, scheduled for now anyway, remote diagnostic session Monday morning.

Seems the problem is related to the inuos login to tidal and not getting the correct sign in so I am denied mqa downloads.

 

nevada_matt OP
155 posts
 

All fixed. Playing full mqa and qobuz.

switching between the dacs is easy enough is easy.

so far, knock on wood, the stop/start track issue has not come back.

I did try the builtin dac of the inuous. Just not my cuppa.

So far, I am enjoying the new setup.

now if only my tekton subs would ever show up.. (ordered before christmas..)

Oh yeah… volume on inuos has to be at 0 for mqa pass through, then use external dac volume control.

calieng
144 posts
 

Whatever you do - don't buy a Musical Fidelity MX streamer. Very well built but buggy slow software. The one I just tried crashed with Roon at higher bit rates. Much better off buying a Lumin U1 Mini used for around $1200 which is rock solid and good software. 

I also had lots of issues with iFi Zen stream in the past. Especially a volume out not staying at 100%. It also has slow buggy software.

Oddly enough the Raspberry Pi I built for Roon sounds better than either the MF or iFi and works flawlessly! Running that one into a Denafrips Aries 12th Anv for a headphone amp. Sounds really good.

More to discover