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Seeking advice on purchasing a new streamer

Once again I turn to you guys for advice.  Thanks for all the input you've given to help me along the way

I have 2 systems and only one streamer:  A blue sound Node 2i.  I paired it with a chord Qutest and I love the combo.  I want to get another streamer so I can have one in both systems.  I am considering getting a streamer transport (no DAC) and using it with the Qutest in my primary system and using the Node in my secondary system by itself since the DAC in the Node isn't half bad.

My other thought was to get a cambridge CXN which has a built in upsampler.  Currently I listen to almost all CD quality (and I listen to a lot of red book CDs) so the upsampling feature sounds interesting to me.  Also the dual DACs sound like they'd be a plus.  If this solution improves SQ with CD quality recordings, then I would use this in the primary system.  Are there any other streamers with DACs that you'd recommend?

in summary, looking for possibly a transport streamer OR a DAC streamer

I'd like to spend around $1200 on a solution.  

Any thoughts?

thanks
adam8179
adam8179 OP
68 posts
 
thanks for the recommendations guys!  I'm gonna check these options out.  @arafiq, I'm curious, what do you need the media converter for?

the Lumin U1 mini, the Innuos Zen mini and the Sonore opticalRendu look like the strong contenders.  Though all are stretching my budget a bit

Does anyone have any experience with Auralic?  I saw some used units on A-gon and USaudiomart that are less expensive than the new units mentioned above

thanks!
arafiq's avatar
arafiq
1,662 posts
 
@adam8179 ... the opticalRendu utilizes a fiber optic interface to eliminate noise from your network. Since my ethernet switch does not support fiber optic interface, the media converter takes a CAT 6 cable from my switch on one end and connects via a fiber optic interface on the opticalRendu device on the other end. So basically ...
Router >> switch >> ethernet cable >> media converter >> fiber optic cable >> opticalRendu >> USB >> DAC

At first I was skeptical that the fiber optic conversion would yield any meaningful results, but at least in my system this has resulted in a lower noise floor and I can definitely notice the difference.
adam8179 OP
68 posts
 
Ah I see @arafiq,  thanks for the clarification.  If I was to just use a CAT6 cable to connect to the router I would go with the ultraRendu correct?  I might go for that option just because it's more within my budget

thanks
ddude003
161 posts
 
Your Chord Qutest internally upsamples everything already... I have a Lumin U1 mini feeding my Qutest and love the combination... If you really want to play around with upsampling and filtering try SoX its free... The Qutest has galvanic USB that helps in noise isolation...  Good luck in your choices...
arafiq's avatar
arafiq
1,662 posts
 
@adam8179: If price is a concern you should also take a look at the microRendu sold by SmallGreenComputer. With an additional power supply, I think it will cost < $600. They're also offering a 60 day free Roon subscription.
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