Streaming through upconverting DAC - can I even improve audio quality?
New to streaming but have been at this hobby for over 50 years. Started by getting a Marantz SA-10 SACD player that enables streaming through its DAC only via SPIDF. The SA-10 upconverts everything to DSD 11.2. So I started with ifi Zen Stream via ethernet, good Belden 75 ohm cable, then upgraded streamer to ifi's linear power supply, which made an improvement I could hear through balance of system, Luxman 590axii and Yamaha NS-5000 loudspeakers. Sounds good so I'v e started to look at other streamers thinking it could get better, including the new Eversolo DMP-A8 (where I could use its DAC or the Marantz) and even the $5200 HIfi Rose RS-130 (streamer only). But here's the thing: so far, just using free Spotify 44.1 redbook quality, 1) since the Marantz upconverts everything to DSD 11.2 would I gain anything from a premium streaming subscription? and 2) the Ifi's femto clock and it's purifier noise removal works on the signals into the unit (clock) and then out (purifier on coax) and then the Marantz' dual clocks take over, so is there anything to be gained with a different streamer's clock? Or have I gotten the quality to about as good as its going to get without investing significantly more in another higher end DAC and streamer? Should I be able to get SACD quality via streaming or maybe I'm getting that now and it's just that streaming sounds different than a SACD.
Completely untrue usb with a good streaming device and cable with a high res source puts spdif to shame also the marantz website says the usb can hook up to a pc. https://manuals.marantz.com/SA10/NA/EN/WBSPSYdzpskctb.php
And the sa 10 is asyncronous https://manuals.marantz.com/SA10/NA/EN/WBSPSYdzpskctb.php
From marantz directly The SA-10 is designed to set a new standard in audio. Whether listening to ... Asynchronous mode rear USB, Yes. Bit-perfect transmission, Yes. Signal |
Yes, I can use my Macbook Air and did. I wanted to hardwire ethernet but use the computer from across the room so I purchased a 25 or 30 ft. usb a to usb b cable with an inline booster. There was also the need for a uab c to usb a connector since the Mac only has usb c. This was in my living room so I was getting the data stream to the Mac vis the computer's Wifi 5. The ifi streamer is connected via ethernet to the modem/gateway. So then, when I use the MAC wirelessly it is sends the signal over ethernet to the ifi. For whatever reason, the ifi sounds much better than the usb directly to the Marantz although its been a while since I listened that way and I never tried the setup with a shorter usb from the computer to the Marantz. It's just too inconvenient to do that and sit in the sweet spot on the other side of the room. I thought I had read synchronous, but I guess I was mistaken. However, the way the Marantz is made its USB inputs are for connection to a computer or a memory device/stick or for files stored on an ipod or iphone. For connecting to a device with digital outputs, i.e.digital streams, and using the Marantz as a DAC, the digital inputs on the SA-10 are only coax or optical. The ifi Zen Stream has 2 usb-a 3.0 outputs and I tried both into both the Marantz usb-a and usb-b inputs and it does not work. I thought that was a synchronous/asynchronous issue but it's something else in the way that handshake has to be configured that simply was not designed into the SA-10. The word "streamer" is absolutely not mentioned once in the SA-10 manual. I'm not technical enough to understand how the SA-10 is engineered to only take a digital in signal via coax, but unless I'm missing something or there's some magic trick or device to insert between the ifi usb output and one of the SA-10's usb inputs to allow it to stream that way, it's only coax for streaming through the SA-10. |
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