MHDT Orchid or Audio Mirror/ pick one for me please

A quick way to start with streaming is to get a RaspberryPi based solution (RPi). You can build one yourself if you like to tinker, it is not very hard, or by a ready-made product.  I built my own by adding a HifiBerry Digi+ to a RPi and placing it all in a box and then connecting it to my normal dac through s/pdif.

If you don't want to tinker you can by one already assembled like the Volumio Primo or Orchard. You might need to subscribe to MyVolumio to get Tidal och Qobuz.

I think streamers are still evolving and they contain a lot of software which makes it harder to keep them going for years to come. If the company that built it is out of business you might not get any updates and it might stop working. For these reasons I would probably limit my spending on streamers for now and wait a few years.

https://volumio.org/product/volumio-primo/

https://orchardaudio.com/pecanpi-streamer

https://darko.audio/2020/01/raspberry-pi-audio-streaming-101/

Here are two other cheap streamers that looks like a good start. Roon ready and also supports Chromecast and Spotify Connect.

https://www.primare.net/products/np5-prisma-network-player/

https://www.primare.net/products/sc15-prisma-preamplifier-and-network-player/

Glad I found this topic. I have a PS Audio Directstream Jr. and like it. Been curious to try a NOS dac. Was reading about SW1X, Audio Mirror, Border Patrol, Orchid, etc. I’m just wondering if these are an improvement over the DSJr.? SW1X Level 2 Special or Level 3 STD. peaked my interest but others sound good at a lower price. The Audio Mirror TSE sounds like it uses some top tier parts like dueland caps. Anyway, if anyone has experience with the DSJr. and these NOS dacs I’d be curious to hear your experiences. 

@abd1 I had a Directstream dac with the bridge 2 for two months. I strongly prefer the Audio mirror. 

That said, the DSD dac does something in it's signal processing that simply doesn't work for my ears. I had a Perfectwave for many years and twice tried to upgrade it to the DSD. Both times I sold the unit and went back to the pwd. Not sure if there's some phase issues or something that my speakers and I are particularly sensitive to or what, but it just doesn't work for me. Given all the positive experiences people report with it, I have to assume there's something special going on in my auditory system. 

Anyway, I truly adore my AMT3se and highly recommend it. It sounds so much more like real music to me than the psa units, and as I said above, I also loved my Perfectwave.

I had a Directstream Dac Senior for a couple years then I bought a Denafrips Terminator. Which I liked better, but tried a AM Tubadour IIIse and thought it sounded better out of all of them. It has the smoothness of the DS and the prat of the Terminator. Plus really nice tone and timbre and just has a natural flow about it.