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Suggestions for streaming equipment

streaming newbie here so please pardon my ignorance...i used to listen to analog exclusively, but now have started listening to CDs more due to convenience.  i'd now like to venture into streamed music software as a source.  current equipment is as follows:

analog: clearaudio max solution w/ dynavector 507 arm/xv1s cart and graham 2.2/zyx airy cart
digital: wadia 861
preamp: manley steelhead (feeding amps directly)
amps: pass xa160
speakers: wp 7

what i'd like to do, if possible, is to connect the streaming device to the wadia 861 and use the 861's DAC.  is this possible?  if so, which streaming equipment would you recommend?

appreciate your thoughts.
ca2284
jl35
4,006 posts
 
I use a Wyred 4 Sound modified Sonos Connect into an Exogal Comet Plus (made and designed by Wadia engineers) and it sounds great...

willemj
1,036 posts
 
Chromecast Audio, using the optical digital out. See here for a test: http://archimago.blogspot.nl/2016/02/measurements-google-chromecast-audio_27.html
audioengr
3,282 posts
 

The cheap way to get nice results is the Raspberry Pi for $40 (Amazon) and the Allo DigiOne (Allo in India) for $100 and a SD card for $10. It’s a 2-board stack with connectors. You can put it in a box, or not. They make lots of plastic boxes for this.

There are lots of instructions online to load the OS, DietPi onto the board and program the board from any computer on the network using an app called PuTTY. Google these. All free downloads. You don’t have to be a programmer to do this.

This will give you BNC and RCA outputs to your DAC. You can load DLNA driver from DietPi and Roon Bridge. Then you can use Roon, Jriver or Audirvana + to send music files to it.

The result is quite good, although not quite as musical as my outboard Ethernet renderer which costs $3K. How can you lose for $150?

Steve N.

Empirical Audio

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