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Need DAC/Streaming Advice

I currently own a Bryston BDP-2 digital player that I run through a Bryston DAC.  As far as playing high resolution files via a thumb drive or other external drive, the BDP-2 sounds great.  The streaming part leaves a lot to be desired.  I can stream Tidal but it is extremely slow and the IPad controller is pretty lousy.  I can listen to Sonos through the DAC into my main system but obviously there is no hi-Rez via Sonos. I would like to find a better solution and am willing to start over (I can move the Bryston components to my secondary system).  What I would like to find is a higher end streamer for my main system that would allow me to stream Tidal, Spotify and Deezer if possible while also playing digital files via thumb drive etc. I have no idea if that can be done in a one box solution or if I would need a separate streamer and DAC.  I would very much appreciate any and all thoughts.  Thanks in advance.
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ghulamr's avatar
ghulamr
104 posts
 
Hi Steve, 
I always appreciate your posts. Unfortunately unlike other folks on this forum, I stream using Apple Music. Don't find much difference between Tidal basic and Apple music basic plans. And besides the entire household is using Apple Music. I don't like to use Airplay as that really compromises the sound - so my connection is streaming from my Apple TV to OPPO 105 digital out (to split the HDMI sound) and spdif into my Benchmark DAC. Can I use the Synchro-Mesh at the source (Apple TV) to re-clock? Will it improve sound? or should I bite the bullet and get Tidal hi-rez along with a better streamer? 
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puppyt OP
97 posts
 
What does it mean to “reclock with a Synchro-Mesh”
davehg
85 posts
 
Surprised no one referenced Roon. Allows you to choose your preferred streamer gear but not be enslaved to an app or UI that may not be supported once a device is obsolete.

Running Roon with Tidal and Qobuz on a Squeezebox and will shortly add a Lumin D2, still using Roon. Roon does not support Deezer or Spotify which may be a dealbreaker. This is due to both services not agreeing to participate, not anything on Roons part.
headphonedreams
527 posts
 
@ghulamr you probably want to re-clock as close to the dac as possible, not near the source if you go through another device. 

puppyt, re-clocking is when a device takes in a digital signal and then sends it out (or to some internal part) but changes the timing of the bit-transfer. It usually uses a small cache-memory and a very precise clock. A problem with digital transfers through spdif and such are that they carry the clock-signal as a "side effect" in the transfer. If this don't work perfectly the digital data sent to the dac will arrive (slightly) out of time and decrease the sound quality. Many expensive dacs have built-in reclockers now days and some allows an external clock to be connected and used.
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puppyt OP
97 posts
 
Headphone:

Thank you!  I very much appreciate explanation.
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