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Computer Audio..Stream or download?

Fellow Audiophiles,

Until now, i never cared for music streaming or downloads, simply because of compression. I owned fairly large selection of CD's, SACD's, DTS and DVD audio discs. DTS and DVD audio are long gone and SACD's are now pretty much limited to classical titles. I have been watching the digital trend pretty closely..it seems that we have evolved from digital downloads to now streaming. For sake of convenience, i have installed Sonos in couple of rooms. In my HT setup, Sonos just couldn't live up to high standards set by Krell and Raysonic. The streaming from Spotify, Amazon and Rhapsody is just average (flat and dull most times).

I am looking for ideas and feedback based on your experiences with high-res downloads. I am only interested in listening to high-rez / DSD64 or DSD128 files.

Please respond with your recommendations on DSD software and DAC's/Players.

MY Equipments:
Classe SSP-800 / CA-2200 / CA-5200
Krell Cipher
Raysonic CD-128
B&W 803s/804s/HTM2s/SCMS
Audience Au24 SE - IC's, Speaker, Power and Digital Cables
Audience AR6-TSSD/AR2-TSSD
128x128lalitk
sonicdead
26 posts
 
I recommend (and own) the Ayre QB-9 DSD. Best I have heard except for Wavelength gear for DACs. Only drawback is USB input only. Streaming sound quality is suspect (imo) but have not tried Tidal. Easier to build a digital music library with external hard drivers and running via MAC/PC (using a macbook pro late 2008 model). Switched from ITunes to Decibel as software a while ago, but looking into Audio Nirvana as upgrade in future.
elevick
2,636 posts
 
I stream Tidal wirelessly and wired. It sounds a little bit better with hard wire, either from my pc or phone to DAC with and OTG cable.
One very interesting find was that when I used Tidal on my phone via bluetooth to a chord hugo the sound was simply phenomenal. No need for a wire there. Granted, the bluetooth receiver was the Audioengine with the x technology which is much better than most bluetooth.
eastein
97 posts
 
Just wanted to recommend checking out Tidal through an Auralic Aries music streamer which was a surprising leap in refinement and overall sound quality over the Mac Mini it replaced.
lalitk's avatar
lalitk OP
5,448 posts
 
I have been auditioning Azur851N since this Friday and very pleased with the sound.

In case, anyone wants to know, this is how I hooked up Sonos -

Sonos - Azur851N via Digital Coax
Azur851N - SSP800 via XLR

Streaming music through Tidal HIFI
lalitk's avatar
lalitk OP
5,448 posts
 
Hey JI35,

You may already know this, I just found out that Aesthetix ready to ship Pandora with 'Eclipse' upgrade. The retail went up 3K from Signature Edition.

Here is the article -

We are pleased to announce the official launch of Aesthetix Saturn Eclipse components. Saturn series are classic, high value components, and their performance has risen to new heights with the amazing StealthCaps capacitors as found in their IO Eclipse and Callisto Eclipse.

Saturn Eclipse components include
Calypso Eclipse line stage
Janus Eclipse full function preamp
Rhea Eclipse phono stage
Pandora Eclipse DAC
Romulus Eclipse DAC/CD Player

StealthCap Capacitors:
Highly regarded for their ability to dramatically reduce reflections, resulting in a quieter sonic background, richer and more detailed spatial imaging, time focused musical coherence, and a broader more impactful dynamic range.

Acoustically-Damped Chassis:
Delivering new levels of articulation and clarity by improving the damping of the audio chassis and the transformer/power supply cover.

Enhanced Transformer Isolation:
As a result of our recent research into internal power supplies, the Saturn Eclipse utilizes a new mounting for its multiple transformers, enhancing isolation to further increase dynamic range.
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