Do I Need a Dedicated Streamer?
Hello everyone,
As the title states, I am still unsure of if I need a dedicated streamer and if it would increase the fidelity of my music compared to how I am listening at the moment. Which is using AirPlay 2 from my iPhone to my Hegel H590 Integrated amp.
I know that the DAC in the Hegel H590 is considered quite good and it was one of the reasons that I bought the amplifier to begin with. However, would I get a better input using a dedicated streamer for around $1000 (such as the Cambridge CXNV2 for example) or would I be better off leaving things as is?
I am just not sure if airplaying music to the Hegel is degrading the signal in comparison to a streamer that would pull its own data and send it directly to the amplifier? Also, would improving my router placement and wifi signal make any difference to the sound since my Hegel is hardwired using a mesh wifi system?
I am open to switching streaming platforms if I can gain something out of it such as resolution but I’m not sure if apple music is the issue in any of this.
If the answer to the title is a no. I am curious what I would need to take the quality of my listening experience to the next level or where money would be better spent to achieve that. I do have acoustic panels in my room and have done my fair share of research on speaker placement already.
The only thing that I have been considering in the near-future would have to be the isoacoustics gaia 1 feet.
My equipment:
Hegel H590 Integrated
KEF Reference 5 Meta
Metra Velox Speaker Cables
Thanks for reading.
I'd agree that BluOS provides a very good UI, but IMO Roon is even better. For BluOS, you need a BlueSound device. You can install Roon Core on your Mac Mini then control it from your iPhone or laptop. One thing I do really like about BluOS is its programmable IR remote capabilities. |
@tony1954 I am trying to keep my sugar intake down, I will pass on the Cake unless it’s the band Cake. 😎
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Just a couple of points: 1. Any iOS device (phone or tablet) will send the correct sample rate of a streamed or onboard file via the hardwire Lightning or USB-C port. (AirPlay resamples the signal) 2. It's all about the DAC, if it has an input buffer, jitter and clocking are filtered and corrected, via SPDIF or USB (isolated and different circuits ideally, but sourced from the buffer. Use an external one! 3. When comparing streamers any built in DAC (and it's implementation) is probably the difference in sound. (or the power supply) imho offers 4 excellent curated channels of free (listener supported) 16/44.1 FLAC music streaming. Good for discovering new music. |
@rick_n +1 I didn’t do my homework and realize he already has streaming capability. Follow ricks advice for a no cost way to trial a better streamer. I expect you will like the results, then you can dive down the rabbit hole. |
