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?
To each their own @lalitk you chose to dump money in digit@holmz likes to spend his on vinyl. So what. I enjoy all of it and prefer vinyl over digital. Is one bad and one good? Nope, just different. You do you. No one is right or wrong.
|
@juanmanuelfangioii My takeaway from lalitk’ post was that he was simply suggesting that holmz experience with vinyl was in reality no less involved than what he and others have stated about their digital setups |
Sure vinyl is simple but good to great vinyl requires a lot of parts too and that isn’t inexpensive. No it ain’t! We all know that list and what the ensuring costs are.(And what’s Beethoven’s fifth with out the ticks and pops?) Great digital can be had “reasonably.” For $2200 on up you can get a used Lumin T2 or Mytek Brooklyn Bridge Network both with very good inboard DAC’s and the ability to connect directly to an amp with no pre amp needed. Compared to a vinyl rig or upper CD/SCAD this is far far cheaper. To tweak it up, linear power supplies and ethernet filleting can be used (and Bam!) but this is assuming all the rest such as your room, amp and pre or integrated, connects, power cleaned, speakers and the whole schmear is stellar. Digital steaming equaling vinyl costs less too. And yes Virginia, CD’s are digital just delivered on a player. Vinyl does give one more exercise as you have to get off your duff a lot more. There are also some all in one solutions like the Naim Uniti boxes that are good. @ghdprentice Yes Digital into tubes. Right on brother! It’s all about choices!
You Go To Your Church You go to your church and I’ll go to mine The road is rough and the way is long You go to your church and I’ll go to mine The Lord will be at your church today by Phillips H. Lord
Please don’t talk about me when I’m gone Please don’t talk about me when I’m gone Oh honey, though our friendship ceases from now on And listen, if you can’t say anything real nice It’s better not to talk at all is my advice
We’re parting, you go your way I’ll go mine It’s best that we do Here’s a kiss I hope that this brings lots of luck to you Oh makes no difference how I carry on Remember, please don’t talk about me when I’m gone
We’re parting, you go your way I’ll go mine It’s best that we do Here’s a kiss I hope that this brings lots of luck to you Makes no difference how I carry on Remember, please don’t talk about me Please don’t talk about me Please don’t talk about me when I’m gone
by Sidney Clare
|
@lalitk Point taken. Unfortunately budget largely dictated my choice, and I assumed a company the size of iFi would have at least some form of phone support. I’ll definitely not make that painful mistake again. Were I doing it over I probably would’ve bought a used Innuos Mini Mk3 and added their upgraded power supply later, and I would’ve had a server and been able to ditch my CD transport altogether as a bonus. Live and learn I guess. My takeaway — some things are just worth paying for. |
