2. digital
  3. 186628-20132

Upgrading my streaming/digital system- what would make the most sense?

Hello all,

I would like to improve my digital chain and I'd like to get your feedback on which component(s) are worth upgrading first.  I would like to get a more natural/organic sound and more naturally layered soundstage.  Don't get me wrong, it sounds good but there is a bit of digital haze ( I think the blacks could be blacker and spatial cues could be more present- thus the somewhat flat presentation), and at times the music sounds a little artificial, albeit very clean.
I use Roon to stream Tidal and Qobuz and the digital audio chain consists of ethernet  cable> switch (basic cisco)>  2 ethernet cables
> Macmini (roon core) 
> Moon 280d with Mind2 bridge (roon endpoint etc)
(The rest is Vinnie Rossi preamp in passive mode to Pass Labs xa60.5 mono's to Avantgarde duo's or Thiel 3.7's; cabling Nordost Heimdall 2; I also have an analogue set up).

I had always assumed that the most effective upgrade would be the dac, particularly because in this configuration the '"noisy" Macmini does no processing other than sending a stream of 1's and 0's as a Roon core/server to the Moon/Mind2 bridge as Roon endpoint/renderer.

But some have suggested that this is not the case ie the Macmini should be replaced with a Nucleus or Small Green Computer, or something else along these lines, rather than the Dac.  But would that really make such a noticeable improvement rather than a considerably better dac?
Or would something else yield a better improvement?
I would like to go in stages rather that doing a wholesale replacement of the entire chain so I need a bit of help to decide what the next step should be- many thx for your thoughts and feedback.



 

pgastone
dougthebiker
219 posts
 

The closest contender was the Innuos Pulsar.  Also tried the T+A MA 200 which was a bit edgy in the treble no matter what I paired it with.  The EVO 432 Aeon was almost as refined as the Pulsar.  Nothing else was much better than my old Innuos Zen Mk3.

 I also am unloading my old NUC.

Surprisingly, the Grimm made my old Schiit Yggy sound about twice as good.

creativepart's avatar
creativepart
154 posts
 

I used to output USB from my IMac to my DAC... Sounded OK to me. Then I got a SOtM SMS200 Ultra network streamer to feed my DAC. Everything opened up more and became both better controlled and Wider/Deeper at the same time.

Every once and awhile, I got back to iMac > USB > Dac for a few days to reconfirm the rightness of my now 4-year old choice. And it has always been a joy to return to the streamer. The iMac still runs the Roon Core, but the music comes via the SMS 200 ultra via the network. I also now use HQ Player and the SOtM comes stock the the HQP NAA built in.

I’m very happy with the SOtM streamer, but more than that I am just recommending the addition of a network streamer/bridge of sufficient quality rather than feeding your DAC from your Mac Mini.

pgastone OP
79 posts
 

Thank for this.
I hace started seriously considering upgrading what feeds the dac particularly as many more upgades have to come to the market since the last time I was looking into this as KNOCK1 pointed out.  And was looking to hear what others have experienced in their own systems.
I would love to try a GRIMM but I have $4-5k budget- so this well outside my means.  But I will look at some less costly alternatives- any suggestions?
I has considered a Small Green Computer with an ultrarendu but maybe I should consider a higher level solution.
Just out of curiosity, is a card/bridge as I have in the Moon, a solution that others like Bricast or PS Audio (previous dac) also offer, a major compromise to a separate streamer?

dougthebiker
219 posts
 

If the Grimm is beyond your budget, I would recommend the Innuos Pulse.  If you need it to be a server, too, the Innuos Zenith Mk3 would probably make you very happy.

pgastone OP
79 posts
 

Thank you!
I will definitely look into that.
In fact, along with the Innous I have started researching Lumin (U2/U2 mini), Auralic (Aries G2.1).  If I am not mistaken, and I might well be as I find that often the product websites are not as clear as they could be, the advantage of the Innos Zenith is that I would have it working as both a roon core/server AND as a streamer.   This would mean being able to replace my Macmini and adding a streamer rather than having to upgrade the server as well and adding a streamer. The other brands mentioned above, as far as I can tell thus far, offer streamers only, or streaming dacs, or all in one solutions (server, streamer, and dac). 
I understand that keeping all functions separate is probably the higher quality solution butt the Innous Zenith seems to be a well reviewed so I assume that the inherent compromise of having server/streamer is fairly limited (within the constraints of my budget).  In otther words it sounds like a potentially good solution vs replacing the Macmini and picking a good streamer.

This has all been very helpful to help me think about various upgrade paths so thank you everyone,  Now I am going to have to decide if to go for the dac upgrade first or upgrade what feeds the dac.

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