Another person going digital and full of questions

@hilde45 ,

Though the guts of DAC's and streamers are pretty much the same, the difference between them is the software driving them.

I have no experience with Orchard, so I cannot comment on it's performance, but I will say that if you do compare your DAC paired with a BS Node, Aurender or Innuos, you will hear a difference in sound reproduction. Whether this is 'better or worse' will depend upon your taste.

Bob

Great info so far.

My 2 cents:

I, too, struggled to understand the streaming thing.

I started with a BS Node- very inexpensive, very capable unit. Lots of connectivity to a wide range of music services, but the included DAC, though good for the price, can be improved upon.

I moved to Aurender, which had a slightly improved sound, but very limited (Tidal and Qobuz only) apps, and no means of playing on a second system. (I like to stream to both my office and the Main system).

I now use a Innuos Zen Mini for the office and an Ayre Qb-9 Twenty.

This is a pretty decent combo and stacks up pretty well to the Brinkmann Nyquist in the main system.

The Zen Mini has an optional power supply (which my dealer says can be left out when using a good Power cord like an AQ Thunder). I also added the Innuos Phoenix USB- which adds a bit of clarity.

If you buy used, like I did, you can save a lot of money and be well below your budget.

Bob

Wow, I seemed to have missed a lot.

In any case, let me put, in a nutshell, what I have learned in my Streaming Education.

DAC's and Streamers DO affect sound reproduction.

Remember, besides converting those 1's and 0's, it has lots of software to eliminate jitter, noise, etc. Compound that with the software to integrate various streaming services, and you have a match made in hell.

Bluesound has a very extensive list of streaming apps to choose from, and for most people it will be all that they need or want. But, when you are on the 'Audiophile' quest of 'best sound', you get caught up in the details.

As I mentioned, the Aurender N100 I had was a slight improvement over the Bluesound, but the apps are limited to Qobuz and Tidal. (Slight improvement to my ears meant a bit more 'clarity' and 'detail' YMMV).

So, let me detail my equipment changes:

Bluesound Node with Ayre Codex- good, easy to set up, nice sound.

Aurender N100 with Ayre Codex- more clarity and detail, but not earthshaking difference over the Node.

Innuos Zen Mk3 with Codex- Definite upgrade, sounds more 'alive'.

Innuos Zen Mk3 with Ayre QB-9 Twenty- (Ayre had an upgrade program so I bought a QB-9 and had it upgraded to Twenty status). Now we're cooking. Things seem to be dialing in nicely. More clarity, richness/.depth.

Innuos Zen Mk3 with Brinkman Nyquist 2- Wow! My first thoughts were:

This sounds like vinyl. Lots of subtle qualities that I don't seem to have the proper words for. It just sounds right.

 

Okay, yes, I fell down the rabbit hole.

But, I did see the reason why some spend so much money on their streaming systems. Yes, it does make a difference. 

So, what would be my recommendation? 

If you have a budget of $1-2K, get the Bluesound Node and an Ayre Codex (used).

If you have a budget of $4-5K get the Innuos Zen Mini or Mk3 and the Ayre QB-9 Twenty

If you have a budget above that, then you can pick and choose whatever you want.😉. But, using the Brinkmann Nyquist would be on my short list.

 

 

And, to those who say;

Why not just play vinyl?

I respond with:

I grew up with vinyl. 

I remember all the pops and ticks, the warped records, having to get up every 30 minutes to turn the thing over, and the space required to store them.

Streaming allows me to listen to just about anything I want to listen to, when I want to listen to it, and let's me listen to new artists/composers that I would be hesitant to buy an album unheard.

 

One of my longer posts, sorry, but I am hoping my experiences will help others make their decisions. (And, though I do give specific recommendations on equipment, I do so only from my experiences. There are lots of other manufacturers that I am sure are just as good/better).

Bob