Streaming newbie advice needed.

[shane]

Some time ago my daughter's partner inherited my old Heybrook HB3s. He's been using them with a nondescript Wharfedale amp fed from the headphone socket of a late 2013 MacBook Pro using Spotify, but now wants to try to take things up a level. He's using my A&R A60 for the moment and I will advise on a suitable replacement, but I don't know enough about digital and streaming to advise on the input side. What is the best streaming source? What would people advise for a suitable DAC? Budget is fairly limited, but he's a handy bloke who's forgotten more about computers than I could ever hope to learn so setting up software won't be an issue. All advice gratefully accepted...

[pgarrish]

To see if he likes streaming, I'd suggest a Chromecast as you can plug it straight into the amp (jack to phono cable needed), then go via a DAC if you want to. It's only £30, and with a laptop and wifi you can stream almost anything to it for free - spotify, youtube, bandcamp etc... You just need Chrome on the laptop and a plugin installing.

He can always go the PI/DAC route if he likes streaming and wants to get his hands dirty.

[shane]

He's already established that streaming will be the main source. He's got a chromecast, but for some reason the Mac won't talk to it, and it seems to be introducing extra stages of transmission and conversion. What I'm trying to find out is firstly, is there any difference between the various streaming sources, and secondly, what is the best way to feed the digital output of the Mac to the amp?

[Stratmangler]

Does the Mac have a dual output headphone connection?
If it does then turn on the optical output and feed it into an external DAC.

[shane]

Yes it has. Any recommendations for a suitable DAC?

[struth]

smsl m6 minidac/headphone amp. also has outputs for a amplifier ie rcas. in that mode the v/c and amp inside are disconnected and its just a dac, but use the head socket and it becomes an amp too. Sounds very good too. Nice small footprint

edit.. it has usb, toslink and coax in. up to 32 bit/384 khz

[Stratmangler]

I use one of these http://www.m2tech.biz/en/evo_dac.html#

[Cycleallday]

Yes it has. Any recommendations for a suitable DAC?

For some time I have been using my iMac using the Audirvana plus player software into a Meridian Explorer2 DAC and then my Meridian amp. Russ Andrews currently has that DAC for sale for £129 (down from £199). I love the sound the combo produces and using that DAC I can also plug it into my portable macs to use in other systems in other rooms.

BUT - over the past month I have been using a number of PI based system players and am now really unsure which I prefer. PI based systems are small, self contained, very flexible and easy to control. I have prepared a short review of 3 systems based on different products and will post it in this section sometime over the weekend.

Mel

[WAD62]

Yes it has. Any recommendations for a suitable DAC?
As a starter one of these would be good...no need for drivers with Mac

http://hifimediy.com/U2-DAC

...and if you really want to push the boat out, get the isolator as well ;)

http://hifimediy.com/usb-isolator

I was using one as an upgrade to the DAC on an SBTouch (kitchen system), which it certainly was...(that's now been replaced by a pi2/Audiophonics combo)