This may have been mentioned; I didn't see it in this thread. Adding a streamer means that music is no longer coming from your iPad. You would sign into streaming services (Qobuz, Spotify, Tidal) on the streamer, music is sent directly to the streamer from the Internet, and an iPhone/iPad/Web browser on a computer is used only to control the streamer. The
iPhone/iPad/Web browser on a computer is not the source of your streamed music.
I recently got a Pro-ject Stream Box Ultra S2 at $850 instead of streaming from an iPhone or computer. I considered the Bluesound Node 2i, but read enough reviews and forum postings to think that the Pro-ject might sound better. So I took a shortcut by not directly comparing both streamers. Short answer from me about whether a streamer is worth it is that I was astounded at how good a cheap Dragonfly Red could sound with the Pro-ject streamer versus an iPhone or computer as the source. Same held true for a Denafrips Ares II DAC.
A thought that I had about not starting off with an expensive streamer is to figure out how well optimizing other parts of the signal path might compare to a more expensive streamer. I think these optimizations that I find could also improve a more expensive streamer so I don't think the cost of doing these experiments will be money wasted. If not, I haven't spent $thousands to do these experiments. My null hypothesis is that these optimizations will make no difference to the sound and my personal hope is that cheaper solutions are just as good as more expensive one (USB cables, Using Ethernet rather than WiFi, Ethernet switch to reclock the signal, etc.) The parts of my signal path that MIGHT make a difference and which I will experiment on are:
1. USB Cable to DAC:
- Result of this experiment: Generic HP printer USB-A to USB-B cable sounds like crap (Sound feels shut-in and veiled. Trailing edge of notes have an overhang. Treble is a bit harsh, Bass sounds tubby), Belkin Gold USB cable ($12) sounded okay, Pangea USB cable ($50) had better resolution but was a bit harsh. Shunyata Venom cable ($100-200) was better overall and unfortunately a $250 Phasure Lush cable sounded best of all (most detailed and articulate, but also very pleasant in tone quality). I'm sold on the effect of spending a bit more on a USB cable.
2. USB Noise filter (Added an Audioquest Jitterbug noise filter on the USB output): I found out about this inadvertently. I had a Jitterbug on hand and thought 'what the h@ll', just plug it in and see what happens. What a surprise. Same DACs (Dragonfly Red & Denafrips Ares II both sounded more 3-dimensional with better resolution, more evident tonal colors , more reverb & presence around voices and instruments. A significant improvement from a $60 device.
3. Use Ethernet cable instead of WiFi, turn off WiFi on streamer (I needed to get a network extender to create an Ethernet access point & also get an Ethernet cable to do this) - Results TBD, total cost of TP-Link network extender and generic Amazon Cat 6 Ethernet cable was about $45
4. Switching from a generic Ethernet cable to a better Cat 8 Ethernet cable - Results TBD, cost was a Supra Cat 8 cable that I got for $60
5. Better power supply: Apparently the Pro-ject is reported to have better clean power so I'm choosing not to bother with this step. That was one of the advantages that I saw in getting the Pro-ject.
6. Ethernet switch: Using an Ethernet switch to reclock the Ethernet signal (i.e. Uptone Audio EtherRegen): A friend has one that I might borrow
How I'm testing: Do I hear a difference initially? How do I feel about the change when listening casually over a period of time? Does my 15 y.o. son hear a benefit? (He doesn't care so much about audio but seems to have good hearing). I figure things that make a difference only when listening casually and also don't engage my interest when listening over time aren't worth the money.
Oh, one thing that I've heard that tells me there are improvements to be had with my current streaming setup. Listening to local music files on a USB memory stick attached directly to the Pro-ject streamer sounds smoother, clearer and with better musical flow than the same track via Qobuz. I figure that the shorter signal path might have less opportunity to be affected by outside noise.
I recently got a Pro-ject Stream Box Ultra S2 at $850 instead of streaming from an iPhone or computer. I considered the Bluesound Node 2i, but read enough reviews and forum postings to think that the Pro-ject might sound better. So I took a shortcut by not directly comparing both streamers. Short answer from me about whether a streamer is worth it is that I was astounded at how good a cheap Dragonfly Red could sound with the Pro-ject streamer versus an iPhone or computer as the source. Same held true for a Denafrips Ares II DAC.
A thought that I had about not starting off with an expensive streamer is to figure out how well optimizing other parts of the signal path might compare to a more expensive streamer. I think these optimizations that I find could also improve a more expensive streamer so I don't think the cost of doing these experiments will be money wasted. If not, I haven't spent $thousands to do these experiments. My null hypothesis is that these optimizations will make no difference to the sound and my personal hope is that cheaper solutions are just as good as more expensive one (USB cables, Using Ethernet rather than WiFi, Ethernet switch to reclock the signal, etc.) The parts of my signal path that MIGHT make a difference and which I will experiment on are:
1. USB Cable to DAC:
- Result of this experiment: Generic HP printer USB-A to USB-B cable sounds like crap (Sound feels shut-in and veiled. Trailing edge of notes have an overhang. Treble is a bit harsh, Bass sounds tubby), Belkin Gold USB cable ($12) sounded okay, Pangea USB cable ($50) had better resolution but was a bit harsh. Shunyata Venom cable ($100-200) was better overall and unfortunately a $250 Phasure Lush cable sounded best of all (most detailed and articulate, but also very pleasant in tone quality). I'm sold on the effect of spending a bit more on a USB cable.
2. USB Noise filter (Added an Audioquest Jitterbug noise filter on the USB output): I found out about this inadvertently. I had a Jitterbug on hand and thought 'what the h@ll', just plug it in and see what happens. What a surprise. Same DACs (Dragonfly Red & Denafrips Ares II both sounded more 3-dimensional with better resolution, more evident tonal colors , more reverb & presence around voices and instruments. A significant improvement from a $60 device.
3. Use Ethernet cable instead of WiFi, turn off WiFi on streamer (I needed to get a network extender to create an Ethernet access point & also get an Ethernet cable to do this) - Results TBD, total cost of TP-Link network extender and generic Amazon Cat 6 Ethernet cable was about $45
4. Switching from a generic Ethernet cable to a better Cat 8 Ethernet cable - Results TBD, cost was a Supra Cat 8 cable that I got for $60
5. Better power supply: Apparently the Pro-ject is reported to have better clean power so I'm choosing not to bother with this step. That was one of the advantages that I saw in getting the Pro-ject.
6. Ethernet switch: Using an Ethernet switch to reclock the Ethernet signal (i.e. Uptone Audio EtherRegen): A friend has one that I might borrow
How I'm testing: Do I hear a difference initially? How do I feel about the change when listening casually over a period of time? Does my 15 y.o. son hear a benefit? (He doesn't care so much about audio but seems to have good hearing). I figure things that make a difference only when listening casually and also don't engage my interest when listening over time aren't worth the money.
Oh, one thing that I've heard that tells me there are improvements to be had with my current streaming setup. Listening to local music files on a USB memory stick attached directly to the Pro-ject streamer sounds smoother, clearer and with better musical flow than the same track via Qobuz. I figure that the shorter signal path might have less opportunity to be affected by outside noise.