It doesn’t seem like most suggestions have even
heard the Alambre. I have and think it hard to beat.
I sent it back for a media player that plays local (USB-A) files.
Good luck.
Streamer Comparison and Suggestions
I am considering options for a new streamer for the specific purpose of improving sound quality as a Roon endpoint feeding a DAC.
The set-up:
The Ambre is a Raspberry Pi based device with internal LPS and femto clocking. I am curious whether some of the more expensive, more well-known streamer options may result in improved sound quality as a Roon endpoint feeding my DAC - which is my only goal. I intend to continue using Roon to control Tidal, Qobuz, and my server stored music files so the addition of fancy touchscreens, on-board storage, or optional player software will not affect my decision unless the device also offers improved sound quality.
Streamers I have been considering are in the $5-8K price range and include:
Thanks for any suggestions and specifically any comparisons between the streamers listed above.
Thanks everyone, so far. @joc3021 - I am glad to hear you have had good luck with the Pulsar. I have heard several times that the SQ from Innuos' own Sense app is better than from Roon. Do you know if there would be a way to toggle between Roon and the Sense app, depending on whether I were listening casually or more critically? BTW, I have not considered Aurender because it is not Roon ready. @fuzztone - You are saying the Metrum Ambre (not Alambre) is "hard to beat", right? I am not surprised, because I also think it sounds good. I wish I could try a couple of these streamers (mainly the Pulsar and the Sig Rendu SE opt.) in my system so I could compare them to the Ambre that I am currently using. |
I have Pi2aes with LPS (running RoPieeeXL, HqPlayer upsampling, to Holo Spring 3 KTE), tried some Innuos and Aurender streamers that local shop had for demo, and never found them worth the price difference. Paying 2-3k (or 5k!) for "I think I heard the difference on that song" is not worth it in my system, maybe would be if i have 50-100k setup, but for ~15-20k for my whole system definitely its not. So, be sure to try before buying and see if that money would better spent into something else. |