@spiritofmusic I haven’t tried the optical yet. I have my Roon nucleus connected via USB and my Oppo 105 connect CoAx and it sounds amazing. BTW. Check the mart. A really nice unit was just listed with a upgraded WE tube.
MHDT dac...and which streamer/server?
I've been sitting on the fence re streaming for years now, getting splinters you know where Lol.
Time to get off the fence.
So here's my dilemma. I love lp, have a heavily-modded analog rig that serves my 3k lp collection v well.
Critically, I have a special cdp, the Eera Tentation, that after 2 decades of searching for digital to sit happily alongside my tt and not be shown up, target achieved. I love playing my 1.5k cds.
Throw into the mix that I am a real stick in the mud on computers, hate them with a vengeance, w streaming leaving me cold as a personal human activity, I am a hugely reluctant adopter.
Plus, SO many streamer setups I visit just have a "cold" sonic signature, akin to cdps from 80s (which I know is a lot to do w noise and hash associated w how streamed music enters the home).
Only exception being an SGM 2015/Aqua Formula rig...at £30k all in.
...and lack of confidence I'll find 00s or 000s of albums to make the foray worthwhile.
Hence, my series of trade offs on streaming, choices, how much to spend, is far and away my biggest challenge in decision making in 22 years in this hobby.
Spend too little (Bluesound Node)...have a sound I'll wear of l/t
Spend too much (SGM, Innuos Statement)...have no cash to spend on lps and cds (yes, I still love cd collectors editions)
Don't spend enough (Innuos Zenith or SGC/Rendu maybe base level to not go below) and streaming is a sonic missed opportunity.
Throw in my "all fingers and thumbs" w using a tablet, and total lack of knowing what, and how much, is out there in my deep genre loves of prog, fusion, electric jazz, avant garde, prog ambient electronica, and there you have my intersecting pressures on a decision.
Although, more and more, I'm confident I'll find at least 250 albums I never would have easily on cd, and deffo not on lp.
Last issue is Roon. To Roon or not to Roon, conflicting advice here too.
----
So here I am, open to all suggestions.
I could go Bluesound Node. I could go all in one Linn or Lindemann. I could go to Zenith or SGC/Rendu plus commensurate dac like Holo Springs Kitsune.
However, my eye is drawn to MHDT dac as my option. Not a bad word on SQ reported. Indeed users are punch drunk ecstatic on their choice...at under $1.5k, if it really isn't embarassed in any way by a 10x pricier Lampi GG, it seems a no brainer. Certainly a big contrast to the Chord Qutest I'm considering.
So at MDHT level, and knowing my reticence on this subject, but not wanting to shortchange myself on the streamer, which to consider?
I could go Chord2go/Hugo all in one.
I could go Stack Audio The Link.
Limetree Network Bridge.
DCS Bridge
Innuos Zenith.
SGC i7/Rendu.
Obv, can look to save cash here buying used.
Dacs I'm looking at...MHDT Orchid or Pagoda (maybe w BBQ Audio mods), Holo Springs Kitsune, Schiit Yggy w USB update, Chord Qutest or Hugo TT.
Is there a streamer at the affordable end that performs out of it's skin, would be a great complement to the MHDT, easyish to use...and thus at an affordable but performance-led level, get me into streaming affordably...and keep me interested 12 months down the line.
Thanks for bearing w me guys, and the inside of my fevered mind Lol.
Time to get off the fence.
So here's my dilemma. I love lp, have a heavily-modded analog rig that serves my 3k lp collection v well.
Critically, I have a special cdp, the Eera Tentation, that after 2 decades of searching for digital to sit happily alongside my tt and not be shown up, target achieved. I love playing my 1.5k cds.
Throw into the mix that I am a real stick in the mud on computers, hate them with a vengeance, w streaming leaving me cold as a personal human activity, I am a hugely reluctant adopter.
Plus, SO many streamer setups I visit just have a "cold" sonic signature, akin to cdps from 80s (which I know is a lot to do w noise and hash associated w how streamed music enters the home).
Only exception being an SGM 2015/Aqua Formula rig...at £30k all in.
...and lack of confidence I'll find 00s or 000s of albums to make the foray worthwhile.
Hence, my series of trade offs on streaming, choices, how much to spend, is far and away my biggest challenge in decision making in 22 years in this hobby.
Spend too little (Bluesound Node)...have a sound I'll wear of l/t
Spend too much (SGM, Innuos Statement)...have no cash to spend on lps and cds (yes, I still love cd collectors editions)
Don't spend enough (Innuos Zenith or SGC/Rendu maybe base level to not go below) and streaming is a sonic missed opportunity.
Throw in my "all fingers and thumbs" w using a tablet, and total lack of knowing what, and how much, is out there in my deep genre loves of prog, fusion, electric jazz, avant garde, prog ambient electronica, and there you have my intersecting pressures on a decision.
Although, more and more, I'm confident I'll find at least 250 albums I never would have easily on cd, and deffo not on lp.
Last issue is Roon. To Roon or not to Roon, conflicting advice here too.
----
So here I am, open to all suggestions.
I could go Bluesound Node. I could go all in one Linn or Lindemann. I could go to Zenith or SGC/Rendu plus commensurate dac like Holo Springs Kitsune.
However, my eye is drawn to MHDT dac as my option. Not a bad word on SQ reported. Indeed users are punch drunk ecstatic on their choice...at under $1.5k, if it really isn't embarassed in any way by a 10x pricier Lampi GG, it seems a no brainer. Certainly a big contrast to the Chord Qutest I'm considering.
So at MDHT level, and knowing my reticence on this subject, but not wanting to shortchange myself on the streamer, which to consider?
I could go Chord2go/Hugo all in one.
I could go Stack Audio The Link.
Limetree Network Bridge.
DCS Bridge
Innuos Zenith.
SGC i7/Rendu.
Obv, can look to save cash here buying used.
Dacs I'm looking at...MHDT Orchid or Pagoda (maybe w BBQ Audio mods), Holo Springs Kitsune, Schiit Yggy w USB update, Chord Qutest or Hugo TT.
Is there a streamer at the affordable end that performs out of it's skin, would be a great complement to the MHDT, easyish to use...and thus at an affordable but performance-led level, get me into streaming affordably...and keep me interested 12 months down the line.
Thanks for bearing w me guys, and the inside of my fevered mind Lol.
- ...
- 46 posts total
Should you decide to use Roon, be aware that Innous are about the only streamers that can also function as the Roon Core. With the other streamers, you’d need another computer on your network running Roon Core. Also consider a streamer that has USB out (don’t think Limetree does) in case you want to try an MQA DAC sometime. Most DACs only do full MQA unfold through their USB input. Good luck! |
To Roon or not to Roon does remain a consideration. And I'm really unsure how decisive this is. For me, this option is gonna run alongside my preexisting formats, not instead of, or taking over from them. I have no interest at all in upsampling, dsp, multi room or fancy archiving. All I want to do is find new music on deep dive genre searches. |
Another streamer that looks interesting is the Bricasti M5 - $2400 new. There's a positive review here, and the reviewer also provides a link to his review of the DCS Network Bridge. There are a number of Agon members that have posted their impressions of the M5 and the consensus appears positive. The Bricasti M5 does not have any native streaming capabilities of music services (Tidal, Qobuz, Deezer, etc) - so you would still need a server running Roon or JRiver. No wifi in the M5, either. To keep things simple, I was looking for a single box solution that had native internet streaming capabilities - without requiring a separate server. In addition to the Lumin U1 Mini, the Sim Audio Moon Mind 2 ($1900) was another streamer I was looking at closely. Not a lot of reviews on it, but I reached out to a few owners directly and all had high praise for it. Most of them had come from a Node 2i. It has native streaming capabilities for all the popular streaming services - so no Roon required, but it is Roon-ready. No USB digital out, but it does have AES out. It has built-in wifi. 10 year warranty. I'm extremely happy with the DCS Network Bridge. I think it will scale with any future DAC I can afford. Over at AudiophileStyle, there are many owners that use it with high-end dacs from Lampizator, DCS, Total-Dac, Berkley, etc. The NB streams the major music services natively. Drawbacks? The app is just ok, no usb-out, no wifi - which weren't dealbreakers for me. You can attach a usb-drive to the DCS NB - which I use for the handful of higher-res files that own. I bought mine for $3100 used, and I have no regrets. People might think spending almost 2-3x of your dac on a digital front end would be crazy. Maybe. But what I've learned over my digital journey is that the source matters - a lot. I think some people might be mistakenly upgrading from their already very good dacs, when there are significant sonic gains to be made from a source upgrade. |
- 46 posts total