HoloAudio STREAMER is out now

@hilde45

High praise indeed for a $800 streamer. IME, we often overlooked the other most important aspect of these ‘giant killers’ …..the user interface and associated complexities i.e. how many more boxes, LPS we need to make these giant killers sing. Does it have its own robust app that is easy to navigate or are we relying on 3rd parties apps. Would you mind giving us a full operating breakdown of Red.

@lalitk I didn't have control over the streamer and was mainly listening. It was operated using Roon.

I think a longer, more in depth review by a professional is needed.

One thing I suspect is happening is that the streamer is entering a more mature phase as a product. As with other electronics familiar to folks here, new, smart ways of designing and economizing what is necessary to sonic quality is being implemented. I could be wrong, but doing streaming well is not rocket science; what is needed is a scalable, intelligent approach to solving a number of issues at once. The Holo may be an advance which builds upon both the higher priced and lower priced models and is finding the market niche in between. Others will surely follow.  

“doing streaming well is not rocket science”
@hilde45 

I agree, Raspberry Pi 4, Node 2 and iFI Zen Stream comes to mind. 

@lalitk I totally agree,  the user interface and associated complexities, is what seems to be a after thought for these manufacturers, and its the main reasons for keeping me looking and not committing to any right now. No one can seem to get it all on one simple app.

As quirky and low fi as Heos is, that's the only one I have tried that kind of covered it all.

@hilde45 

I hope that you did not misinterprete my inquiry. What you reported is very good news and inspiring to learn. Yes, the Magna Mano Ultra MK III is nearly double the cost of the Holo network player. 
 

I mentioned it because Hans is so impressed with its sound quality. He considers it genuinely a high end streaming component for very accessible price.He said that it really delivered quality performance. So, this and now the Holo seem to offer a level of sound quality well beyond Bluenode entry level standards. As far as I am concerned, this represents a very good development.

Couple the Holo or Magna with for example a high quality network filtering system (Network Acoustics) and one could seemingly have very cost effective, very good sounding audio streaming solution. Not dirt cheap nor exorbitant either. I hope that you understand my point.

Charles