I really appreciate the input from everyone. I think I'm leaning toward the Innuos Zenith MkIII. But one thing's not clear to me, does using Roon actually impact the sound quality? If so, how?
What's the best non-DAC streamer?
I've already got a great DAC (an Yggy) but have never auditioned any streamers. The rest of my system is all Schiit Audio with the 400W monoblocks and Tekton speakers. Have just been using an iPad as a streaming source for Tidal and Spotify.
What streamer under $3k would give me the most bang for the buck?
What streamer under $3k would give me the most bang for the buck?
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Did a fair amount of research recently and decided on the Lumin U1 mini.Late to the game because it seemed complicated. (Server, renderer, network storage Roon Core , Network bridge, reclocker, computer, CD ripper, streamer, WiFi, etc.) With the Lumin it is simple. Connect power cord, connect ethernet cable, connect AES EBU (or output of choice) to DAC (Yggdrasil) Quick app download to iPhone. Done!Streaming hi res Tidal in no time. Don't need any other devices for my purpose. Complete setup can be done in just a few minutes.Obviously there are many, many different ways to proceed.People who say "This is the only way", or "this is the only device" are super annoying.I'm pretty happy with the Lumin, and for the money, I haven't seen any opinions on this thread yet that makes me wish I had made a different choice. YMMV.BTW I added the SBooster power supply and am very happy with the SQ. |
Innuos Zenith MkIII
probably a good choice if you need music storage. But Tidal has 60 million tracks that they store for me, so why do I need a storage device? If I added Lumin L1 to the Lumin U1 mini I would have a storage device and still save $1000 off the
Innuos Zenith MkIII. The kicker though is SQ. I have no idea which would sound better. If anyone has heard both, please chime in. |
If cost is no object for anyone reading (sorry, I know the op asked for sub $3k), the taiko sgm extreme is supposed to be one of the best... https://6moons.com/audioreview_articles/taiko/ @mikelavigne has one in his absolutely beautiful system: https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/615 |
- 62 posts total