I started out with a Cocktail Audio X45 streamer. I ripped all my CD's to an internal hard drive and it sounded pretty good, at least as good as my cd player. I finally upgraded that to an Auralic Aries G2.1 and it blew away the X45, so I can tell you the streamer matters. The biggest quip I have with the Auralic is the APP, it really is not any better than the Cocktail APP when it comes to usability. I bit the bullet and ordered an Aurender N20 which should be here tomorrow, I am hoping for a lot better interface with their APP and according to Upscale the sound quality should be a lot better, they have never steered me wrong yet. I have the streamer running through a PS Audio MK2 DAC which is very good, and from there to a BHK preamp then to BHK 300 mono's.
Help settle a streaming argument!
This is a SQ argument and is as follows- I argue if you connect your streamer to an outboard DAC the streamer does not matter it’s just serving the music to the outboard DAC to do the work. Therefore, buy a basic streamer. The other is that you need to buy a top quality streamer and DAC to get great SQ.
I liken it to cd players or the more pretentious cd transport argument- if the intent is to connect to outboard DAC the cd player doesn’t matter the outboard DAC DOES!
features and functionality aside! Thoughts…..
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- 137 posts total
@fastfreight +1 |
I sense alot of folks hold that in digital (sources), a file is a file. That 1s and 0s dont get scrambled no matter the price-point yet will agree that a LPS can make a difference. Does an inferior PS flip bits or is the decoding software failing intermittently without a "better power supply". How would a LPS affect these rote processes? Not saying I have a dog in any fight but these two positions seem at odds to me. Not talking analog in this regard, nor amps. |
My experience so far: I bought a PS Audio Direct Stream DAC/ Streamer with the the Bridge !! ethernet adapter about a month ago. In short the DAC is great but the Bridge II card left a lot to be desired. The music was dull and flat. All but the really well engineered recordings were a drag to listen to. Just disappointing. Plus it kept dropping the internet signal. In my frustration I called PS Audio for tech support and was persuaded to try the AirLens Streamer. It arrived yesterday (10/23) Night and day. I was amazed. It was money well spent. The card is pretty simple vs. the AirLens which is a good bit bigger, heavier, and has multiple connections. Conclusion: Buy an expensive streamer. You won't remember the price after a while and the joy of all that music out there at your fingertips is exhilarating. |
- 137 posts total