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Streamer Selection - Thoughts Requested Please!

I have been talking way to much to myself on my next purchase - a streamer, no DAC. I have reached the point of going round and round with the same three streamers - Innuos Pulse, Auralic G1.1 and Aurender N150.  Mid $3K price range max.  The Auralic G1.1 list just dropping by $1K to $2,249.  The Innuos Pulse list is $3,250 and the Aurender N150 is at $3,500. Would be open to lightly used to upgrade my choices but the upgraded next step in each product line is a significant jump.  

I began streaming with a Blusound Node 2021 Gen 3 which I converted last year with the PD Creative board LPSU and added an SBooster P&P Eco power supply.  This was an improvement in my digital listening using the BS node for the DAC and streaming mainly TIDAL. Six months ago I added a Schitt Yggydrasil LIM (Less is More)  and oh my goodness what a difference overall.  I have the BS Node connected by an ethernet cable to my router.  Use an iPad to run BlueOS and the Tidal app.  The BS node is connected via USB to the Schitt Yggy.  

I don't have a need for storage or playing CD's.  Reading a few threads here have convinced me that a streamer upgrade with my system will provide better sound overall.  How much is certainly an open question but I am willing to go forward.  The rest of my system is a First Watt F8 amp, Modwright LS100 and Modwright 9.0 along with a Clearaudio Concept table and Zu Dirty Weekend Supremes.  

Whats important to me would be the sound quality, an app with solid integration with Apple and TIDAL.  I am leaning to Aurender as their players/transports are "streamers" / no DAC, they seem to integrate well with Apple and the Conductor app gets mixed reviews but mostly is well liked.  I am just not sure if with my present system it makes sense to be over $3K for a streamer, although if down the line I move on from the Yggy, I wouldn't want to then add a new streamer.  

Please jump in with thoughts, suggestions and let me know if I have missed any important criteria or other approaches/audio streamers.  Thanks in advance.....

norust
mazian's avatar
mazian
354 posts
 

I have an Aurender N150 and am looking to replace it, not because of the SQ which is very good but because of the Conductor app. The app seems to have been designed around Tidal because using Qobuz I am unable to sort albums saved to my library into Genres or Composers, as you appear to be able to do using Tidal. All I can do is artist or album and as seems common to most apps listing is by first name for artists or the first letter appearing on the album cover. Maybe I did something wrong when I first installed Qobuz but I followed the online instructions as far as possible but most did not relate to Qobuz and Aurender customer support have been unable to help and have given up. Also I lost about 150 albums and my playlists  when I connected to Aurender and had to transfer them one at a time from Qobuz, a long and tedious process. But as you use Tidal for whatever reason you might be OK.

rbstehno
1,406 posts
 

Been there, done that, and left that. 
Been down the software route on computers for almost 20 years ago, then went to a dedicated Auralic which I thought was the best at that time over Aurender and Lumin, then got a dac that uses Ethernet and i2s (which is much better than usb by far), then went back to computer running Roon.

since i2s and Ethernet are superior inputs for a dac, if I was looking for a streamer today, I would look at the ps audio air lens and use i2s.

 

mrskeptic
262 posts
 

Raspberry Pi with a good hat will save you thousands of dollars and will objectively sound the same if you use the same DAC.

fuzztone's avatar
fuzztone
5,502 posts
 

I haven't seen ANY Apple and Tidal (together) replies. Be careful when you wish for Apple and anything else in a streamer. Apple likes you to use one of their nosy computers. Bluesound has the most services that I have seen, no Apple.

rbstehno
1,406 posts
 

Fuzztone- what’s noisy on a Mac mini? The hardware, fans, disks?

IMO, Mac minis are much quieter than most other computers, which is what EVERY dedicated server is. Also, I believe these factors that weigh heavily on sq:

) a server of any kind in your audio room is bad, that’s why I use Ethernet to the dac with the server 50ft away from my audio room 

) I believe the software running on the server is the most important component: Roon and audirvana have it over any other software out there, and I really liked Auralic DS lightning

) there are many drawbacks that people compromise on when buying dedicated servers. For example: some if not all of these servers run a proprietary OS, which you might think is good, which I think is terrible. Support is the main thing, I read last week that somebody was using a proprietary system and it took a week for support to call them back. Most of these servers run Linux which is great, but 99% of the clients of these servers no nothing about Linux so how in the hell is the client going to run VI to edit a file the manufacturer wants you to modify? What kind of backup do you use on the server to backup the TBs is music files you might have?

) I do think i2s is superior to Ethernet and worlds better than usb, so I would be inclined to look at the air lens and have a dedicated box in my audio, but have all my data on a local server located in another location in the house.

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