Another request for Streamer Transport options


I am starting to research Audio streamers, preferably transport only.

Budget is unclear until I learn more but I hope to keep it under $3000.

I have Apple iPhones, MacBook Pro’s, Windows PC’s, and a Synology DS923+ NAS. I have both wired, up to 5g, and wireless.

I’ve saved all my CDs in both ALAC and FLAC. I don’t currently stream but am open to trying Qobuz. My primary music source is a record player and a streamer is a secondary concern.

I would like to connect to both an Anthem STR preamp and an Anthem AVM 90 AV preamp/processor. The STR has USB, digital and analog, the AVM has HDMI, digital, and analog inputs.

I avoid purchasing from Chinese owned companies if possible while realizing even if a company is US based, my preference, manufacturing could be in China. It seems a number of commonly recommended products are made by Chinese owned companies. I don’t judge others choices; it is just my personal preference.

Thank you.

george_r

Showing 1 response by ghdprentice

You should buy a streamer that is at or above the quality level of the other components in your system. Streamers are very important components and require the same consideration and investment as other components. I have used iPhones iPads, Macs, PC, and streamers at the $350 - $22K range. I own a Bluesound, Aurrender N100, and Aurender W20SE ($22K). Purpose built streamers are in a different class than any general purpose device that can stream like PCs and Macs. 

A good quality streamer will deliver stored files and streamed content with exactly the same sonic quality. So, in my systems using my Aurender streamers: CDs, Stored files and streamed files sound of the same material sound exactly alike. I have over 48TB in a Synology NAS... and 30tb more on a Drobo NAS. I use none of them (except my Aurender discovered them and I allowed them to download a copy of all my music from the NAS). So if for some reason the internet is down, I can play music from local storage. That never happens any more. Just a trickle of wifi and they work flawlessly. 

With greatly increased reliability streamers less and less are they used as storage devices. For $14 / month you get access to over a million albums and over half a million in high resolution (higher than Red Book CD) on Qobuz. The rational to buy a really good streamer and put stored music gathering dust is no longer compelling. 


I have gotten rid of all my CDs and never play my stored files... or vinyl albums for that mater. 

I would look into a used  Aurender Streamer (you can use a wifi range extender near your system to avoid cabling), Aurlic G 2.2 (I had a 2.1... get a 2.2, much better sound quality) should be good. Lots of folks like Lumin. One of the real benefits to Aurender is the control app... Conductor. It resides on you iPad or phone and catalogs all the music you have and from say Qobuz and allows you to search, play, create playlists. Conductor is very highly regarded and is worth consideration. I have friends with other streamers like Linn and others and the control app is their weakness making them awkward to use.