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Best Cheap DAC Streamer

I have come to possess a fairly high quality setup with Linn Amps and Speakers, but I have no where near the wealth to buy the type of gear discussed on here. (Furthermore, if I did, I hope I would send a good chunk of it to fix cleft plates in India before spending tens of thousands on a stereo.)I tend to do most of my listening from my phone by way of car stereo, ear buds or an $85 JBL Flip speaker. 

I want to set up a home streaming/DAC device that will sound good enough for my ears. I would like the interface to be simple for getting music from a streaming service, with music info available on a display, and I would like it to have a voice activated interface which might encourage me to listen to more music on the stereo at home. I know some of you can't wait to scorn me for my weak listening abilities. Maybe you can skip it this time and let anyone speak up who has some some advice on a system for pretty close to $300 (or less!). I would consider buying used.

charleyprice
kofibaffour
230 posts
 

Get the Ultra... it is the best one @charleyprice 

jl35
4,173 posts
 

WiiM Ultra is terrific...had one in my Amazon cart and they sent me a brief offer for one at $279...Pro Plus is also quite good if you want to spend less...but the Ultra well worth the slightly higher cost, and works good as preamp too...

mattmiller's avatar
mattmiller
1,536 posts
 

Whatever you decide, do not buy a Bluesound, its way overrated for the crappy SQ you get, spend your money on something worthy.

 

Matt M

jcwilson
29 posts
 

Another vote for Wiim. I have many more expensive streamers, but I am always impressed by the Wiim. 

panzrwagn's avatar
panzrwagn
613 posts
 

For under $100 you can get an Amazon Echo and a patch cable that connects to your Linn's Auxiliary input. If you're an Amazon Prime member, youre almost done. Use the Amazon Music App to connect Amazon Music as your source. For a $99 annual upgrade fee, you get Amazon Music Unlimited and access to 100 Million songs, plus podcasts, and one free book a month from Audible, all in CD or better than CD quality. All with the best voice control on the market. You can also connect to other streaming services, if you wish. 

The perfectionists on this forum will be *shocked* at this recommendation, but im also sure they haven't tried it. The integration is very effortless, and you may be able to add a switched outlet to give you power on/off for the amp. The Echo itself can support any streaming speed Amazon Music supports, up to 24-bit 192 Kbps, over 4X faster than CD quality requires. 

Feel free to spend on the WIIM and Bluesound equipment. both are very high quality solutions, but voice control is going to be a challenge. I own a Bluesound Node, and voice control is not, to my knowledge, supported. WIIM does support Alexa, but you still need an Echo for microphones and to act as a control hub. 

Personally, I would start simply, with just an Echo. Then, if you feel the need to upgrade, consider the WIIM Pro Plus. 

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