Point of higher priced streamer?

f your connection to your DAC is coax or USB, then there is the potential for noise entry which can impact jitter which can impact sound.

If the entry is coax or fiber and the DAC is recovering timing info from the digital I/F that can be an issue.

The Node2i has a setting for jitter reduction that seems to makes things worse. Electrically noisy and coax out ... It's not a viable comparison point.

Goes isolated USB and pretty much every argument goes out the window. No jitter, no electrical noise.

Ignore people making comments using NOS DACs as they are highly dependent on the data rate they are fed so variability is understandable.

Take our electrical noise and jitter and what is left? Nothing, unless there is intentional manipulation of the data stream.

The trusty old Radio Shack sound meter does not have the resolution for level matching and take with a grain of salt that a dealer would properly level match which you never do with a sound meter you do with a test tone and a multimeter. However it's a digital stream. You should not have to level match at all ... Unless manipulation of the stream is happening.

As a recent subscriber to Audiogon and the world of the audiophile, I find this discussion on DACs very interesting. And also as someone with a limited budget it’s interesting to hear from people who run through various DACs seeking a ’better sound’ like they’re trying different brands of razor blades.

My questions may show my ignorance about DAC technology but they are thus: With limited access to audio showrooms how does one sample the qualities of different DACs without actually listening to them? Is there a ’DAC of the month’ rental club?

How far away are we from a ’variable’ DAC that, instead of ’bass, treble, balance’ controls you’d have ’instrument separation, nuance accentuation, etc’ for fine tuning your sound.

Speaking for myself, I recently purchased a Bluesound Node 2i and am thrilled with what I’m hearing.

^Actually this thread is about “streamers” not DAC’s, though some streamers have built in DAC’s.

Sangbro – 

Thanks for the followup.  I now agree with you:  ASR is your best source for what you are looking for.  

If your objective function is the most provably well-measuring (by scientific devices, not your years) end result for cheapest dollars spent, that is a good path.

As long as that will make you happy, and the question of "well does it actually sound enjoyable to a human" is 2nd order of importance or maybe even irrelevant, you should be all set.

It seems like for a bunch of enthusiasts, no one really knows what they are talking about around here...

Allow me to provide a hint - anyone who thinks that AirPlay is "indistinguishable" from other methods of data delivery on a network has absolutely no idea what they are talking about. You should not listen to these people, they have no insight to offer, and your enjoyment of music will suffer as a result (I'm speaking as someone who listens to music. not gear).

To also slightly illuminate your awareness as to why purely rational, knowledgable individuals are willing to part with hard-earned cash to improve their listening experience in this particular arena, I offer the following sliver of technical analysis as to what is really happening with audio and streaming.

AirPlay is flawed because it is using kernel-layer audio processing on the device one is using to play back the audio. This alone means the signal itself is suspect as it may not be bit-perfect (and usually isn't). Not to mention, sample rate conversion on the device and in the player/playback software (which itself may be considered as a "component" in your digital audio system, much like a CD transport - it's just virtual so most pay no attention to it) can dramatically affect sound quality before it is delivered over the network to the endpoint. Sure, it works (meaning, the 1's and 0's sent by the device arrive at the endpoint intact as they were sent) but most have no idea of flaws in the playback software (application layer) they are using, let alone the fact that the device uses kernel audio post-software (so there are two competing processes at work).

This is why so many "audiophiles" use bit-perfect programs such as Audirvana on their Mac or PC (I also remember Amarra, and personally used programs such as this one when I was using a Windows machine to play digital music: https://sourceforge.net/p/playpcmwin/wiki/PlayPcmWinEn/)

The answer for the OP should be - please don't play music from your iPad at all. Use your iPad as a control point, not a playback device, and buy a computer or device that provides bit-perfect output to your DAC (or better yet, has a high-quality DAC built in). Those suggesting a Raspberry Pi are on the right track, but much of their reasoning is flawed (digital is digital).

As an analogy, very few in the digital video or imaging world would have any problem acknowledging the dramatic affects software processes (embedded or otherwise) can have on the final image results. The idea that audio is somehow different is simply ludicrous.