Suggestions for a streamer only (I have a great DAC)


I have a dCS Paganini DAC and Paganini Clock. I’m looking for a streamer only to pair with the Paganini to stream via Tidal.  That’s it, I don’t need a streamer/DAC/etc.  I don’t want to extra for pay for redundancy.  Any good suggestions on a streamer only  that you have paired to a high end DAC with good results would be appreciated. 

 

PLEASE no “try some at home on your system” responses …. that’s the reason I came here, for some recommendations. Price range $1500-$5000.

 

Thanks!

naperaudio

ghdprentice …. Good question. Perhaps  I haven’t heard a really good streamer? The Lumin T-1 that I listened to for a while just couldn’t match the sound (to my ears) of the Esoteric & clock on red book CD. I used the Lumin via Tidal (non MQA) and while it was good, I found the Esoteric better. 
 

Do you think your Roon set up enhances the sound or maybe something that my system lacks? 
 

 

OP , did you mention a budget ?

For my part Taiko Audio SGM Extreme would be my weapon of choice , Unfortunatly quite expencive. Pink Faun and Lumin are also very good.

@naperaudio - " I have heard of people not liking the Auralic software music management (Lightning?). Do you like it?"

I have not used it for many years, because recent versions run only on iOS, and I use Android devices. I would buy an iPad for this if I needed to, but there is no need. I use Auralic’s Web interface for managing the Aries G1 and other software for playing music.

As to people not liking Lightning DS, that is unsurprising. Name any audio product here, and you will find some people who don’t like it. I also have heard from many people who think it’s superb. But the Aries G1 hardware is not tied to Auralic’s software exclusively.

Now I am using Roon to play music. It’s easy to use and interfaces with Tidal and Qobuz simply. There is a recurring small cost and also the cost of a computer to run it on, but it runs very well with the Aries G1 (which is "Roon Ready"). If you own dCS gear, the cost of Roon isn’t likely to bother you.

Other apps I’ve used to direct music to the Aries G1 are BubbleUPnP, which runs on Android, and Lumin’s software, which I think is available on both ioS and Android. Of course, if you are willing to use an iPad for this, you can try Lightning DS, too. All of those can play from Qobuz and Tidal, as well as from local files.

OP, 

Yes, today a top notch streamer is at or above the level of a high end CD player.  In fact my streamer performs at the level of my vinyl rig (also not shabby, see my UserID).

We are taking about full wide and deep soundstage. Instruments suspended I’d space, mid-range bloom, incredible detail with dead quiet background… low noice floor. But with a nearly infinite music library. But like all other pieces of high end audio, you want performance you have to pay. Alternatively you could go the N10 route. About half the price. But given the quality of your DAC you should mate it with something appropriate or streaming will just be a way to find music to then purchase a CD. When you could be experiencing as good or better sound all the time.