2022 Audio System Wish List and thoughts about streaming

Summary:

Volumio Premium OS for existing Raspberry Pi based streamers

Qobuz

New MM Cartridge for recently purchased Pioneer PLX-1000 TT

Details:

For a couple of years, I think I replied with "streamer". A couple of years ago I built a couple of Raspberry Pi based streamers, running Moode Audio OS. I was never happy with them and a purpose-built streamer has been on my list ever since. However! A couple of months ago I downloaded and installed free Volumio OS on the 2 existing Raspberry Pi based streamers and I am now very happy with my 2 streamers. 

I cancelled my 1-year trial priced Tidal subscription due to not being particularly happy with the user interface, etc. I've had Spotify Premium for a few years and love the user interface and the discovery algorithms. Hope high-res arrives soon. 

So, for 2022, I'm going to trial Qobuz and upgrade my Volumio subscription from the free version to the premium version so I can get native Qobuz support, as well as the other features that premium brings. 

Additionally, I stumbled upon a near give-away priced Pioneer PLX-1000 TT late this year. It came with a lowly Ortofon Concorde mkII MIX DJ cartridge. However, even with this lowly cartridge, it surpassed my Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Esprit SB w/ Ortofon Blue cartridge in most respects. Based on this epiphany, I sold the Pro-Ject and I'm on the hunt for a cartridge for the Pioneer here at the beginning of 2022.

Happy (Audio) New Year to everyone!

Thought I was done but apparently not since I, 

• added a Khozmo passive this year to control volume remotely and provide a display when using my SMc Audio buffer - and that led into
• recently purchasing a used Hattor The BIG preamp with Amtrans resistors and NewClassD opamp active gain stage, which led me to figure out that the SMc buffer betters the opamp active stage, which was good enough to make me want to...
• pull the trigger on Hattor's Tube Active Stage that I will compare directly with the SMc buffer (both in unity gain) while using The BIG in passive mode (working with Arek this week on the purchase)
• May try replacing the the two AN Silver Tantalum non magnetic series resistors in the SMc buffer with something else but no idea what else I might try after a review like this
•  Would consider adding one or two more SW-12 subs to the two I have now
• Making some XLR cables this week out of Furutech wire and some other stuff I have sitting around here so I can optimize lengths
• Add Qobuz trial this week
• Sell stuff I have around here that I no longer use or need

To @dekay - try the streaming, it is easy and opens the door to a lot of music as the OP posted.  We are about the same age and I got started with a server/streamer a few years ago, Roon lifetime, and Tidal.  Plan to add Qobuz trial this week and hardly ever play CDs anymore.

@jond - Pretty sure I am headed towards Auralic- and I agree- the user interface/app is tremendously important. I now have experience using Bluos as well as Audirvana to access Qobuz- I find Audirvana notably more flexible and Bluos is perfectly adequate

In 2019-2020 I upgraded or added

Conrad Johnson CT5 preamp

Don Sachs Kootenay 120 amp

Pangea 14 XL power cables (2)

Core Power 1800  Balanced Power conditioner

2021 additions

Teac NT 505 Streamer/Dac

TriPlanar Vll tonearm

As for 2022, I may have to take a break. Being retired and living on a fixed income has its $$$ challenges. However @70 yrs old, I figure I'm going to enjoy life til the expiration date arrives. So 2022 hopefully gets my streaming capabilities easier to manipulate. This might include

Aurender N100 server streamer which will help do away with some of the network hiccups. Though the Teac sounds really good, a better Dac may also bring this system to a pinnacle....well except for new cables, footers, PPT mats & filters,  fuses and on and on..................................................

I hope everyone had a good Christmas and that the new year is better for all of us.

These material things are really of little importance in the scheme of things. I learned this as a young man (29) with cancer. I had the chance to look death in the face for a month.  Best thing that happened to me because I learned what is important in life. Its about family, friends and relationships in general. How have you treated others? No one ever looked back from his death bed and said, I wish I had gotten that amp, or speakers. No one ever says I wish I had worked more. This life is a beautiful experience. I learned to "live like I was dying" long before Tim McGraw sang about it.  Maybe if we all learned that lesson, division may be lessened and true peace may come.

Live Like You Were Dying

2022 will be the year of capacitor upgrades to my Orchid dac and my speaker crossovers and a couple of subs and build the speaker wire connects.

If I don't screw it up and it actually sounds better I'll be done for the year.  The Golden Gate DAC will just have to wait.

Whir Click Click Bleep