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streamer for PWD DAC mkII - tired of a computer and complicated connectivity!

Hello All,

I have a PS Audio Perfect Wave DAC mkII (PWD II) and I am sick and tired of having a computer connected to my hi-fi system.  I find it far easier to clean and play a record than it is to play a digital file, this is not acceptable!

I would love to keep my PWD II as it is a great sounding piece of gear, but I need to feed it with a music stream that is simple, and eliminate the mac mini and software.  I would love to use a Sonos Connect, but it cannot handle high res music.  Is there any other solution?  Is there a competitor to Sonos that handles high res?  Can I plug in an Apple TV and play music from the network without needing to look at iTunes on a computer somewhere?  Is there a low cost streamer that can plug into the PWD?  Can I control a NAS drive connected to the PWD II via ethernet without a computer?

Or, do I sell the PWD II, raise some funds, and buy a Cambridge 851N or Sony HAP-Z1ES?  Both of these units look way simpler, and both have plusses and minuses:  The Sony supports DSD, The Cambridge supports iTunes Airplay (and I would assume I can stream Apple Music through that?).

Thank you for your help!
- Mark
marktomaras
sc53
720 posts
 
Either the Aries or the Node 2. Or for more money an Aurender. I've been reviewing my options for removing my laptop from my system too. Just when I think I've landed on the perfect solution, I discover something like I need to run an ethernet cable from my router (upstairs) to my stereo (basement) or put all my music (on external firewire or USB hard drives) on a NAS or something else I don't want to do. So I decided to buy an ultrasonic record cleaner instead. I haven't given up but just can't find the ideal substitute for my laptop. Like you, I already have a DAC I like (PS Audio DACII and Ayre QB-9 DSD).
moryoga's avatar
moryoga
103 posts
 
I had a PS Audio PW Dac w/bridge and it was the most frustrating and disappointing experience I've had in audio. The only upside is it drove me to sell all my digital gear and get into all analog tube gear. That was about 4 years ago and I now have about 1000 lps, they play every time, they sound awesome every time. I did get a Schiit Gungnir and have it running through a mac mini for my digi files, mostly for casual backround music or through super highbend headphone  rig, but all my serious listening is vinyl. With a good analog vinyl setup there's absolutely no contest, vinyl just blows digital away. 
marktomaras OP
544 posts
 
Moryoga,  that was probably a good move! I prefer listening to vinyl on my system though my whole quest for a digital plan here is to at least to be able to enjoy my digital somewhat!

for the time being I decided to reconfigure my Mac Mini and my set up somewhat and hold off on any additional purchases. I had an old SSD laying around so I installed that in the Mac Mini to make it a little zippier,  I connected the hard drive directly to the Mac Mini to  eliminate network funniness,  i've converted all my files to AIFF, and playing them using iTunes and bit perfect.   I've set the computer to never sleep, there's no display attached to it so it looks fine on the audio rack,  and since the computers use for absolutely nothing else, it seems to be always ready for the iPhone remote app. 

So that's the plan, I haven't tested it fully yet,  but I'll keep you posted on the thread! Thanks for your help so far. I hope in a year's time  there will be an interesting solution for me at a good price.
bhans
7 posts
 
marktomaras- Can you rip CD's with the mac mini? This seems like a nice option. I'm looking at the Bluesound Node2 right now but this might be something worth looking int.
marktomaras OP
544 posts
 
Yes, you can rip with the mini. Some models have a built in optical drive, some require an external drive to rip.  I like the idea of a bluesound vault 2 over the node. It is basically a node  with an optical drive for ripping and a hard drive for storage.  I have yet to use one, but they look interesting.  The app and usability will be important in making a decision on that brand.
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