Anyone else feel like it’s the Wild Wild West?
I’ve been following the streaming threads here for a while now, and I find it both exhilarating and intimidating. I mean, we all know everything in high-end audio matters to some degree or another, right (Ok, maybe except for the flat earth contingent)? From what I’m reading and from my own experience the process of optimizing steaming has near unlimited potential, and some even say it rivals or even surpasses vinyl if taken to the max. Cables, routers, optical, filters, extenders, power supplies, switches, etc., they all seem to make a significant difference despite the naysayers who say bits are just bits. I’m all in on this steaming renaissance, but most of the jewels of useful info are buried in other posts, so I’d like to have this be a consolidator post of your best streaming experiences and recommendations for others who could benefit greatly from your hard-won victories and maybe save a lot of people the agony you went through to get to streaming nirvana. So have at it — let’s empower this community in this noble task and help everyone realize the amazing potential of this magic gift to audiophiles. What say you?
“Although the iFi Zen Stream seems to be a relative bargain for the sound quality per $, I have to say their customer support is ass. ” That’s sad but expected at those bargain bin prices. That’s why it’s just as important to select a streamer / server that provides a good customer service support with a robust OS. It’s all part of the experience and many folks failed to see that when they think why pay for $2K streamer when I can get something for $500 or less. | |
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Having a really good DAC helps enormously. In my case it's an Esoteric N-01XD. The N-01 is clocked with a Cybershaft OP21. I mostly use it via Roon fed from my custom PC fitted with a JCAT USB Card XE and which is hardwired to my router. (A big improvement over wi-fi in my situation). I occasionally play files directly into the N01 via memory stick. This requires the Esoteric App which is not great to be honest so I stick with Roon for most of my listening. That combination delivers excellent sound quality - comparable to CD played from an Esoteric K-01XD on 44/16 files and better on true 24/96 files. Regarding the above post, I think the point the original poster was making was that vinyl didn't/doesn't require any of the bulleted items. | |
Yup, setting up vinyl is like plugging a toaster to a wall outlet, plug and play 😂 Look at the recent threads started by @holmz
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In reply to "No Power COnditioners" I must say, If you aren't running off of a battery then how are you stabilizing your Trun Tables motor? I know of one guy that has a table with three separate digital motors sank and is controlled via a computer. You can go as far as you want with any tech. just because vinal is Analogue doesn't mean it is free of voltage variations and current surges, power insufficiency, and any lack of overall control needs. |
