Just an audio streamer

[DB1989]

ifi Zen Stream. Although I haven’t heard it , but @DB1989 is extremely happy with it.

Sounds blipping good.

And he has quite a few expensive streamers.

No no, not at all. The Zen Stream takes top honours price wise and also manages to justify it. Other sources for streaming are Allo Digione Signature with Shanti LPSU, Marantz SR6013 (inbuilt - also sounds quite good), and PC.

Needless to say, PC is most inferior.

 

[Bloom@83]

Needless to say, PC is most inferior.

+1

 

[Ajitsank]

Arylic Up2Stream is another option.

I have an Arylic S50+ Pro. I would not give it much weightage. It gets the job done via 4stream app. Also has Spotify connect. After I build RPI+Moode, I have never gone back to Arylic.

 

[gurujee]

Sounds blipping good.

No no, not at all. The Zen Stream takes top honours price wise and also manages to justify it. Other sources for streaming are Allo Digione Signature with Shanti LPSU, Marantz SR6013 (inbuilt - also sounds quite good), and PC.

Needless to say, PC is most inferior.

Zen Stream vs Marantz SR AVR inbuilt - which is better? If I already have the Marantz, adding Zen Stream to it will yield better output? Is it worth investing ?

 

[amit11]

Hi Guys

I am seeking some help and advice.

I want an good audiophile grade audio streamer. Not a media streamer. I only want to stream music from the Tidal and Spotify app on my phone to my DAC.

I have a DAC, pre amp and power amp.

So far, I find when I look for a streamer, it come bundled with a DAC. I guess that makes me pay for a DAC that I do not need or want.

I’m not a DIY person so not looking at assembling a raspberry pi based DAC/streamer , or anything on those lines. Just want to buy something off the shelf.

Any recommendations or advice will be welcome.

Since you want streamer which is audiophile, it is crucial that the power quality is equally important.

Also since you have a pre-amp, the streamer should support that kind of output mode.

If you like "warm" sound, i would recommend Marantz ND8006.
I had recently purchased it and i like it.

Spotify.... can direct Stream to marantz. Heos not required. I use spotify directly.

Now it has 2 more things which you may not require as such.
Cd player and dac.
Both are very good however.

 

[DB1989]

Zen Stream vs Marantz SR AVR inbuilt - which is better?

The Zen Stream.

The problem with the SR6013 is that no matter how good the inbuilt streaming system is, you are constrained to use the DAC that comes alongwith it. While a very respectable DAC by all means, my other DACs are more resolving. Coupled with the Zen stream, these DACs outperform the streaming solution offered by the SR6013.

If I already have the Marantz, adding Zen Stream to it will yield better output? Is it worth investing ?

The DAC being the limiting factor, connecting the Zen Stream to your Marantz amp will also relegate you to that DAC. Therefore, there's no real gain with adding the Zen stream to the Marantz AVR.

IMHO, you are looking at the wrong upgrade. The streaming, DAC and amp section of the Marantz are fine. Adding a Zen Stream (36k) and a DAC (20k) is going to yield a 10-15% improvement. On the other hand, spend the same on speakers and you'll get a substantially bigger improvement.

 

[gurujee]

The Zen Stream.

The problem with the SR6013 is that no matter how good the inbuilt streaming system is, you are constrained to use the DAC that comes alongwith it. While a very respectable DAC by all means, my other DACs are more resolving. Coupled with the Zen stream, these DACs outperform the streaming solution offered by the SR6013.

The DAC being the limiting factor, connecting the Zen Stream to your Marantz amp will also relegate you to that DAC. Therefore, there's no real gain with adding the Zen stream to the Marantz AVR.

IMHO, you are looking at the wrong upgrade. The streaming, DAC and amp section of the Marantz are fine. Adding a Zen Stream (36k) and a DAC (20k) is going to yield a 10-15% improvement. On the other hand, spend the same on speakers and you'll get a substantially bigger improvement.

Oh thanks so much for the detailed answer

 

[Ash]

Thanks Guys for all your responses. Now to sum it all up and my next round of questions.

The stand-alone DACs I have are the Chord Qutest and the Audiolab CD8200 (now discontinued) which is a CD player but can also be used as a DAC without the CD option. I have a CCA which I use with these DACs, however, I was wondering if a better streamer would improve the sound.

I have received suggestions for various stand-alone streamers at different price points.

I don't want to buy a streamer/DAC as I don't see any point in paying for the DAC section which I will not use.

1.
At what price point should I buy a streamer to ideally compliment these DACS ?
2.
Is the streamer the more crucial component or the DAC ?
3.
Do manufacturers club streamers and DACs for commercial viability or better synergy ? Is there such a thing as synergy between streamers and DACs ?
4.
Should I opt for another used CCA at 4k+ or go for the higher-end streamers? Will the increase in budget result in a noticeably better sound?

 

[rikhav]

Thanks Guys for all your responses. Now to sum it all up and my next round of questions.

The stand-alone DACs I have are the Chord Qutest and the Audiolab CD8200 (now discontinued) which is a CD player but can also be used as a DAC without the CD option. I have a CCA which I use with these DACs, however, I was wondering if a better streamer would improve the sound.

I have received suggestions for various stand-alone streamers at different price points.

I don't want to buy a streamer/DAC as I don't see any point in paying for the DAC section which I will not use.

1.
At what price point should I buy a streamer to ideally compliment these DACS ?
2.
Is the streamer the more crucial component or the DAC ?
3.
Do manufacturers club streamers and DACs for commercial viability or better synergy ? Is there such a thing as synergy between streamers and DACs ?
4.
Should I opt for another used CCA at 4k+ or go for the higher-end streamers? Will the increase in budget result in a noticeably better sound?

When you say streaming is it playing digital files via local network or online audio steaming services like tidal, qobuz?

 

[Ash]

When you say streaming is it playing digital files via local network or online audio steaming services like tidal, qobuz?

Only Tidal , Spotify and hopefully Qobuz in the future. I don't have any stored files on a server

 

[rikhav]

Only Tidal , Spotify and hopefully Qobuz in the future. I don't have any stored files on a server

My personal experience is how much ever better streamer I have used (hardware wise) I never Iiked the sound from online streaming services, even tidal
Sounds very thin and tiny

 

[ZzZzZ]

Thanks Guys for all your responses. Now to sum it all up and my next round of questions.

The stand-alone DACs I have are the Chord Qutest and the Audiolab CD8200 (now discontinued) which is a CD player but can also be used as a DAC without the CD option. I have a CCA which I use with these DACs, however, I was wondering if a better streamer would improve the sound.

I have received suggestions for various stand-alone streamers at different price points.

I don't want to buy a streamer/DAC as I don't see any point in paying for the DAC section which I will not use.

1.
At what price point should I buy a streamer to ideally compliment these DACS ?
2.
Is the streamer the more crucial component or the DAC ?
3.
Do manufacturers club streamers and DACs for commercial viability or better synergy ? Is there such a thing as synergy between streamers and DACs ?
4.
Should I opt for another used CCA at 4k+ or go for the higher-end streamers? Will the increase in budget result in a noticeably better sound?

I am also on same boat more or less, deciding between a Streamer or DDC for my DAC, have made a thread for same to ask for opinions from seasoned fm, have you considered a DDC in chain and streaming from your laptop or mobile for improvement in sound quality, or your primary goal is wireless music ?

 

[Ash]

I am also on same boat more or less, deciding between a Streamer or DDC for my DAC, have made a thread for same to ask for opinions from seasoned fm, have you considered a DDC in chain and streaming from your laptop or mobile for improvement in sound quality, or your primary goal is wireless music ?

Never thought about a DDC. Just want to stream wirelessly from my phone to my DAC. Of course, without a drop in sound quality. I used to hook up my Macbook to my DAC thru USB and control the music app from my phone. But placing the laptop gets a bit clumsy. Hence the streamer. But happy to consider suggestions as long as I can go wireless. If it improves the sound, all the better.

 

[ZzZzZ]

Never thought about a DDC. Just want to stream wirelessly from my phone to my DAC. Of course, without a drop in sound quality. I used to hook up my Macbook to my DAC thru USB and control the music app from my phone. But placing the laptop gets a bit clumsy. Hence the streamer. But happy to consider suggestions as long as I can go wireless. If it improves the sound, all the better.

Which streaming service are you using primarily?

 

[Ash]

Which streaming service are you using primarily?

Spotify and apple as of now. But will renew my Tidal subscription soon

 

[ZzZzZ]

Spotify and apple as of now. But will renew my Tidal subscription soon

If we take tidal out of equation, for Apple music and Spotify, apple airport express can work as a Airplay 2 Streamer, and none of available streamers in market support better than airplay 2 bitrate as of now.

 

[Ash]

If we take tidal out of equation, for Apple music and Spotify, apple airport express can work as a Airplay 2 Streamer, and none of available streamers in market support better than airplay 2 bitrate as of now.

So how does one go about it ? How does it work ? How does one connect the DAC to the airport express ? Sorry but I’m a bit Duh about this

 

[ZzZzZ]

So how does one go about it ? How does it work ? How does one connect the DAC to the airport express ? Sorry but I’m a bit Duh about this

Optical out of Airport Express using a Toslink to Mini-Toslink Digital Optical S/PDIF Audio Cable like this and connecting that to your optical input of DAC. Rest setup could be found in this video.

 

[Ash]

Optical out of Airport Express using a Toslink to Mini-Toslink Digital Optical S/PDIF Audio Cable like this and connecting that to your optical input of DAC. Rest setup could be found in this video.

Only one problem. Has Apple discontinued this product ?

 

[ZzZzZ]

Only one problem. Has Apple discontinued this product ?

Yups, but search OLX and you would find a lot of Apple Airport Express at around 3k-4k.