View Full Version : Dac+Streamer advice
infinitus
19-05-2018, 18:14
Hello,
Just building my small audio system and looking to get streamer and dac..I just ordered Primaluna tube amplifier and will be using it with Harbeth speakers..I have Tidal Hi-Fi and Spotify Premium accounts so integration in to the streamer unit would be nice ..Otherwise money vice to get a better dac maybe worth to stream from Macbook in to dac? Advice needed..Thanks..
Hi Erikas. Whats your budget?
infinitus
19-05-2018, 18:26
Not looking for very high end...would spend probably £1000 plus...looking in to used market... If my Turntable will sell then could go for £1700 :)
Hi Erikas. Whats your budget?
I would recommend a Chord Qutest and and a second hand InnuOS Zen mini server. I have evaluated both together recently and they make a stunning digital system, far better than using a MacBook. I tried mine and it sounded very ordinary compared with the InnOS Zen mini.
infinitus
19-05-2018, 19:19
With current budget probably can go for qutest only..InnOS Zen mini it seems ticking all boxes except hardware cd ripping is not necessary option for me
Jimbo;978615]I would recommend a Chord Qutest and and a second hand InnuOS Zen mini server. I have evaluated both together recently and they make a stunning digital system, far better than using a MacBook. I tried mine and it sounded very ordinary compared with the InnOS Zen mini.[/QUOTE]
For a thousand pounds you could get a used Chord 2Qute or a Hugo and something like a used Auralic Mini or even a Mac Mini optimised for audio. For your budget you could build an excellent streamer dac the 2Qute or Mk 1 Hugo go for £650 now on the used market or eBay that would leave you £350 for a streamer of which there are many choices. If you just want Tidal, Spotify and internet radio then any streamer using Logitech Media Server would work well .
A used Chord 2Qute will probably be your best bang for buck for your DAC....I might be able to help you there ;) As Jimbo has suggested, go for a dedicted audio server as your source if sound quality is important to you. Try to audition one against a laptop or pc, the differences may surprise you.
Hi,
You could look at a Raspberry Pi based streamer, you'd need the following items to build a pretty good streamer:
1. Raspberry Pi
2. HAT DAC (allo boss is currently getting great reviews but there are many options)
3. A better power supply (many options from linear power supply's to batteries)
4. A case
5. Software (both picoreplayer and Volumio are good but again there are many choices)
6. About an hour to put it all together and load the software onto the Pi.
Setting up the Pi is pretty simple but you will need a computer and a sd card reader to load the software and there are step by step YouTube videos to follow.
Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
infinitus
20-05-2018, 11:57
A used Chord 2Qute will probably be your best bang for buck for your DAC....I might be able to help you there ;) As Jimbo has suggested, go for a dedicted audio server as your source if sound quality is important to you. Try to audition one against a laptop or pc, the differences may surprise you.
Just wondering.. why Chord dacs so popular? I t seems evetyone has one:)) Is it realy worth the price? I thinking to go for Auralic Altair..wich is streamer and dac in one...but it seems dac installed in it is not the best one...
Just wondering.. why Chord dacs so popular? I t seems evetyone has one:)) Is it realy worth the price? I thinking to go for Auralic Altair..wich is streamer and dac in one...but it seems dac installed in it is not the best one...
For just over £200 the Caiman SEG is excellent and probably as good as anything else out there sub £1000.
I'm using the SEG with a fairly cheap £199 Denon streamer I use for internet radio (it doesn't do Tidal or those other services) and honestly I can't believe how good the Denon and the SEG sounds together, I bought the SEG with a view to upgrading the Denon but I'm not going to bother now, not for a while anyway.
Just wondering.. why Chord dacs so popular? I t seems evetyone has one:)) Is it realy worth the price? I thinking to go for Auralic Altair..wich is streamer and dac in one...but it seems dac installed in it is not the best one...
Chord DACs are popular because they are very good. One of the few (if not the only) companies that have deigned and manufactured their own chips. The best way to know for sure is to audition a few back to back at a decent hifi emporium. Your ears will tell you which one to go for.
MasterTape
20-05-2018, 20:10
Definitely go for a dedicated streamer to go along with the DAC. Supposedly the Allo Digione is the value king at the moment if you want to leave as much as possible for the DAC. I haven't tried any other dedicated streamers but after hearing it I wouldn't consider plugging a USB or Optical cable into my desktop or laptop ever again.
infinitus
20-05-2018, 23:04
I'm leaning towards to Chord 2Qute plus Zen mini..what do you mean about being able to help please?
A used Chord 2Qute will probably be your best bang for buck for your DAC....I might be able to help you there ;) As Jimbo has suggested, go for a dedicted audio server as your source if sound quality is important to you. Try to audition one against a laptop or pc, the differences may surprise you.
I would recommend a Chord Qutest and and a second hand InnuOS Zen mini server. I have evaluated both together recently and they make a stunning digital system, far better than using a MacBook. I tried mine and it sounded very ordinary compared with the InnOS Zen mini.
...this is very DAC dependent, I wonder if your Qutest is using the +5V USB power. I have always gotten the best results from bypassing the USB power pin and feeding it with a low noise +5V supply. When I do this, the differences between laptop, media server etc. disappear.
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