Best streamer, don't want Roon, don't want a screen, A DAC is OK but not necessary


budget = $4000

To be clear, a built-in DAC is fine, but not a necessity

ullogu1

I haven't heard Innuos but I love my Aurender n150, paid retail $3500 and it was worth every penny. 

I have a big library of CDs all ripped in .WAV and it has a built in slot for a SSD hard drive which has my library on it. It sounds dead quiet, sound quality is amazing connected to my Schiitt Yggdrasil DAC.

I have Qobuz which sounds very good and the hires stuff is really nice, but full CD quality on the built in n hard drive blows away streaming.

The app is a little clunky but not bad and I wish it came with a standard IR remote for pause, play, skip tracks without having to look at a phone or tablet, but besides that it is a fantastic streamer that is built like a tank with all kinds of isolation and a battery backup built in so it runs off pure power internally, it also has a buffer so it downloads the songs as it goes etc and doesn't get bottlenecked as it streams.

I think Aurender just came out with a new model that is basically a N150 with a built in DAC for the same price at $3500 and I think it does come with a IR remote.

If you want Hi-res streaming and having your library in one box instead of your music  being on a NAS or computer I highly recommend Aurender.

 

Innuos has a excellent interface  and even their $1500 streamer you can get a SS hard drive  and buy a linear power supply , Linear tube audio linear power supply 

and half the price $750 vs $1500 and much better.$1500  just for the matching power supply.case.

No love here for Lumin? I started with a D2 with S booster and stopped my search for a streamer/dac. I love the software and isn’t glitchy. I’ll end up with a T3 when I decide to upgrade. In all fairness I didn’t try a bunch and was coming from a pi4 so keep that in mind. Good luck with the search. 

+1 Wiim Pro Plus, used $160, with ifi ipower 2 / X or 5V/2A LPS. Don’t recommend 5V/1A.  If you don't wish to spend the extra, make sure to use old, low ripple noise Apple 10VA recharger.