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Advice for Streaming Newbies - Best Bang for Our Bucks

Hi All,

I'm currently building up my 'streaming only' system having read more reviews and forums in the last three weeks than in the preceding three months!

I'm a firm believer that I don't need to spend thousands upon thousands to get the best out of Tidal but conversely, there are good investments to be made to get the best sound.

I'd like to call on your collective wisdom for either general recommendations or specific product recommendations that give good "bang for the buck".

To start the ball rolling, my specific system looks like this:

Tidal Premium

5G Mobile Router with stock PSU (on separate extension lead)

Audioquest Pearl CAT6 Ethernet Cable to English Electric 8 Switch with stock PSU (on shared core extension lead with 2 x ifi AC iPurifiers)

Chord C Ethernet Cable to ifi Zen Stream with stock PSU (12v iPower 2) (on shared core extension)

Wireworld Chroma USB3.0 to ifi Zen DAC v2 with ifi iPower X  (on shared core extension)

ifi 4.4mm Connector to ifi Zen Can with stock PSU (on shared core extension)

Topping PA5 with stock PSU (on separate extension lead)

Audioquest Rocket 11 Speaker Cable to Wharfedale Diamond 12.3 Speakers

I have an ifi iPower Elite on Order and two more iPower X's

Possible upgrades I am considering:

Improved PSU for the Router

Improved Power Cable to the iPower Elite

More use of iPower Elite's

eno Ethernet Filter

Gigafoil v4

Improved Ethernet Cables

Improved USB Cable

Additional AC iPurifiers for other extensions

Starting from a basic system what areas of investment have yielded the best results? An improved PSU on the DAC or the Swtich? An ethernet filter? A better ethernet cable? etc.?

jabbaman

Showing 2 responses by fuzztone

fuzztone's avatar
fuzztone
5,638 posts
 

Change the DAC to an E50 (with a LPS) for remote control volume and form factor match. Monoprice TRS jumpers are fine, proaudiowiring an upgrade. As an added bonus you can parallel a SPDIF connection to hear which sounds better from the streamer (switchable.) The Elite is a great add, I have one on a RasPi with a cheap AQ power cable.

I ended up with an ENO and ViaBlue RJ45s. And moved from Supra to Atlas for best buy USB cable.

Unfamiliar with your switch but reviews say that the stock SMPS is superior to most substitutions for my Silent Angel N8. Unless it is downstream of the ENO, I wouldn’t bother.

 

fuzztone's avatar
fuzztone
5,638 posts
 

@marco1

I have 2 DACs going into the PA5 and the E50 holds its own with the $6K one. Remote volume (ir or rf) is a must for me. I run the PA5 at about 90% and adjust volume with the DACs remotes. CbLocking bananas work fine into the PA5. The Topping units stack perfectly.

The "best out of Tidal" is switching to Qobuz. Out being operative.

I had both on the same gear.

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