2. digital
  3. 179322-96

Anyone else feel like it’s the Wild Wild West?

I’ve been following the streaming threads here for a while now, and I find it both exhilarating and intimidating.  I mean, we all know everything in high-end audio matters to some degree or another, right (Ok, maybe except for the flat earth contingent)?  From what I’m reading and from my own experience the process of optimizing steaming has near unlimited potential, and some even say it rivals or even surpasses vinyl if taken to the max.  Cables, routers, optical, filters, extenders, power supplies, switches, etc., they all seem to make a significant difference despite the naysayers who say bits are just bits.  I’m all in on this steaming renaissance, but most of the jewels of useful info are buried in other posts, so I’d like to have this be a consolidator post of your best streaming experiences and recommendations for others who could benefit greatly from your hard-won victories and maybe save a lot of people the agony you went through to get to streaming nirvana.  So have at it — let’s empower this community in this noble task and help everyone realize the amazing potential of this magic gift to audiophiles.  What say you?

soix

Showing 3 responses by facten

facten
2,932 posts
 

@drbay "A good streamer with a good external DAC would beat any vinyl or CD at any price point."

What streamer and DAC are you using and what were the CD and vinyl equipment you compared it to in the same system that allowed you to arrive at this de facto conclusion?

Personally, I recently had the opportunity to audition vinyl, CD and DAC with separate streamer in the same system. Speakers were Cessaro Horns, New Audio Frontiers amplification , vinyl TW Acustics , CD Neodio, DAC Tron Electric GT, streamer Aurrender. I’m not a vinyl guy but I gave the edge to the TW Acustics versus the Neodio and the Tron/Aurrender combo. It wasn’t a night and day level difference but it was there. As far as the Neodio and the Tron/Aurrender combination there was no "winner" they were both very engaging, no losing propositions , and simply a matter of sound taste preference - Neodio smoother, more romantic; the Tron/Aurrender leaning somewhat more towards transparency. The Neodio was my preference. Would there have been different outcomes with different gear, always possible. My point being I don’t think there’s a de facto statement that can be made about any of this.

 

 

facten
2,932 posts
 

@juanmanuelfangioii My takeaway from lalitk’ post was that he was simply suggesting that holmz experience with vinyl was in reality no less involved than what he and others have stated about their digital setups

facten
2,932 posts
 

@drbay -   I'm glad that you are happy with your system and I didn't suggest that one can't have a very good or great sounding system with a DAC & streamer front end. I don't stream but I have a digital front end in both of my systems , a Neodio Origine S2 CD player in my main system, and the 2nd system is fronted by either  a Mojo Audio EVO DAC or Modwright Elyse DAC,  and a Simaudio 260DT CD transport. Like you I enjoy my listening sessions. Where I guess we'll agree to disagree is on the blanket take that a DAC/streamer will always trump either CD or vinyl. Anyway, enjoy the music, that's the end game

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