Clock vs Streamer advice

OP @zpatenaude37  mentioned he currently uses Roon. I love Roon. And that is why I didn't get Aurender. I have been playing around with squeeze and yes it sounds a wee bit better than Roon, but it is not nice to deal with- frustrating compared to Roon. Almost begs the question if I am going to futz with this squeeze app everytime I want to change a song etc. I might as well have put all this streaming money into a turntable setup and got up and changed records. Maybe sense is much better, I have't tried it. But eventually squeeze could get better, and Aurender could get Roon, one day. 

+1 for the Innuos products. The Innuos products are easy to use, sound great and the Innuos Sense app is rock solid and very user friendly. Roon is also supported, but the Innuos Sense app is just as good and IMHO sounds better than Roon.  As you go up the Innuos product line, the power supplies and noise isolation improve to concur with the on point comments from @blisshifi regarding the importance of power supply quality and noise. Ditch the computer!

I have had an Innuos Zen Mini and it’s LPS since 2019. I cannot compare it to any other streamers since it is my first and only. Innuos Sense, the on board streaming platform, is pretty darn good. I use Qobuz as a streaming service that feeds seamlessly into Sense. I also have many hundreds of CDs that I ripped into the Zen Mini’s hard drive. Good luck!

Used Lumin, absolutely!

@OP. Melco's app is not great either. As you have a quality DAC, and I'm working on the premise that it is USB equipped, you do have the potential to run Roon straight into that DAC. However, you need a purpose built computer to get the best results.

Agree w new + warranty, had an “inexpensive” CA CXN V2 and was getting faint crackling static sound from left channel through Klipsch Fortes, high sensitivity speakers. Tried a number of diagnostics and fixes with CA support, DAC chip suspect. Upgraded source in that system, moved the CXN to system two, less sensitive Focals, but still static.  One call to Crutchfield, two weeks later, brand new CXN, no crackling static! Problem solved. Had registered CXN w CA for extra year on warranty.  Have no idea if you could pull DAC chip and replace, but what if that not the gremlin? New + warranty or used with brand where warranty transfers.

blisshifi

1,011 posts

01-30-2024 at 11:21pm 

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I suggest you save a bit more or wait for a higher priced unit to come on the used market. That said, warranties count for something, as streamers are inherently computers, and who hasn’t had computer problems? Many times it’s worth buying new just so that you’re not stuck with a lemon in the long run.

Or the short run.
When you run with the expensive streamer camp, buying used is putting a lot of faith in the in-house software and the parts (from the PCB on up) not malfunctioning. If something goes wrong and an RMA is necessary, out-of-warranty can get costly in time, parts, labor.

@lalitk

I tried apps associated with streamers from Elac, Cambridge Audio, Auralic, iFi Zen and Aurender but none of them was as good as the native Qobuz app. I was unable to find any way of using the Qobuz app with any of those streamers except via Airplay but when doing that I could not stream in Hi Res. I resisted subscribing to Roon for years but eventually succumbed and Roon is easily the best way of managing streamed albums, not perfect but the best. To achieve that I ended up buying an Antipodes CX streamer which was both Roon Ready and Roon Core in the same unit. The sound quality is excellent, on par with an Aurender N200, but not cheap and there is also the ongoing payment for Roon. Is it worth it? This you have to judge for yourself.

@mazian

Which app you found best to browse classical music?

Another vote for buying a better streamer and the one with a clock input is a definite plus! 

Ya, I'm not a huge fan of the Aurender app. It's organization was good, but the connectivity could be a hassle. I'm currently using Roon, and I like it, but it's not a deal breaker for me whether or not I use it. 

Aurenders sound great but the app is not good if you want to stream classical music. Also you can't at present use Roon with an Aurender if you think you might want to go the Roon way. 

@blisshifi thank you so much for the informative reply. I will try to demo the N200. 

🤤

tempting but not quiet there yet….

@zpatenaude37 

@audphile1 can buy this and then he will sell you his N200. Win win. 😁

+1 used Aurrender

@zpatenaude37 Definitely move away from the computer as others said. There are three areas that a quality streamer focuses on that largely results in the quality of its performance.
 

First is noise reduction, which is actually two areas. The first is in the power supply, and better units like Aurender will implement high quality linear power supplies to reduce DC ripple. The second area will be in the hardware architecture and isolation characteristics, which keep EMI and RFI out of the chassis and away from different components inside the chassis. People really underestimate what that can do to the sound. With both of these covered, a delicate digital signal will have more resolution, a lower noise floor, and a deeper, wider, more engaging soundstage. 

The third area is clocking, where the better the clock, the more in focus the image is. It’s very similar to photography. Where you can use a subpar lens and get an image that seemingly is focused, you can then compare it to a high quality lens and see what the subpar lens is unable to capture. Or it’s like a lens that is just slightly out of focus vs one that is not. The dynamics improve, edges are a little less hazy, and overall the presentation is much more palpable. 

Given your components and speakers, which are quite revealing, you ought to be investing in a higher quality streamer than the ones you mention. The streamer is your source, similar to a turntable without the phono stage. In your system setup, I could easily see a $5-7K turntable outfit and $3-5K phono stage. You’ve got a $9K DAC, and will benefit from a $5-7K streamer. 

Being an authorized Aurender dealer, the Aurender N200 by audphile1 is a great suggestion. I haven’t yet come across another streamer in its price range that sounds better (I get a number of streamers in trade). Even if not the N200, I suggest you save a bit more or wait for a higher priced unit to come on the used market. That said, warranties count for something, as streamers are inherently computers, and who hasn’t had computer problems? Many times it’s worth buying new just so that you’re not stuck with a lemon in the long run. 

I wish I could recommend the Mutec Nano to you but unless you are going to seriously upgrade with an outboard LPS you will be disappointed . Sent mine back. 
Keep it simple with a good dedicated streamer from Lumin, Rose, etc. 
you can always upgrade your Bricasti with a network card and be good to go at a very reasonable price. 

Keep the computer outta your system at all costs.  It’s a hot mess of noise and poor performance. 

Awesome, thank you for the advice. 

I believe so. There’s no going around the noise the laptop generates. Not optimized for streaming. Too many things running, fan, etc.

On top of it all, it’s inconvenient. A good streamer should be all you need. If you feel the need to add a reclocker, you can tackle that later. 

Thanks for the advice, so you are suggesting a better streamer will outweigh a computer->clock->dac?

I wouldn’t bother with the Bricasti streamer. Their DACs are very good though. 
Depending on your budget, you can pickup a used Lumin U1 or U2 (the big boy vetsion, not the mini). Or look for a used Aurender N200. With a good USB cable into the Bricasti that will be the combo to beat.