Ready For Digital Source...Computer?
The Innuos reclocker should be able to improve the sound of a audio streaming from a computer It is very pricy so it may not be the perfect choice for your budget but it may be worth thinking about. There are other brands that are cheaper that may or may not sound as good. I have not tried this but is using an Audioquest Jitterbug which improves the sound for me.
http://hifiknights.com/reviews/accessories/innuos-phoenixusb/ There have been threads about this before. |
I just want to add another option. Start with a Raspberry Pi as a streamer and use this for a few months or a year. Then you can upgrade to something better. You may be able to try another streamer in your home and compare them. I have a RPi with a s/pdif card and it works great. I might upgrade later but have to upgrade the dac and speakers first. This solution may be had for around $120. I also use the Volumio software (including their $3.5/month subscription) which let's me use the Tidal app on my phone to control what to listen to. RPi requires some technical knowledge and tinkering. If you don't feel this is for you there are pre - built solutions available for about $500.
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OK, but remember that things are personal, i have not heard everything etc. I really try to avoid the superficial "buy this i like it". Using that logic we can deduce from this thread that aPC is both perfect and laughably bad. :-)
All that said, I’d listen to are the Denefrips Ares and -- if you can put up with a "kit car" and nonexistent customer service -- the Allo Revolution DAC with the USBridge and their Shanti linear Power supply. The shanti both measures and sounds suprisingly good.
People also seem to like the Chord. I find it somewhat analytical which is not great for poor recordings/masterings of whcih there are many right in my sweet spot of superb classic rock....
I have heard many, many $2-4k DACs that are far worse. Listen! Spend some time and effort and get something you really enjoy. And spend more time on getting the basic right than listening to "this is awesome and that sucks". generally both are wrong, at least IME.
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