2. digital
  3. 184330-145382

Digital Dilemma

I purchased an inexpensive Onkyo C-7030 CD Player more as just a transport, but also to use as a benchmark to compare to streaming music on-line. With intentions to get the streamed content to sound as good, if not better, than the CD player could muster.

After sitting my wife down for a listen (she has better ears than me) and playing Tidal, Quboz and then the same tracks on a CD, the CD was the clear winner every time. It also seems the CD playing without using the Gustard R26 DAC didn’t even sound all that much better than when played through the CD Player only, bypassing the R26. That doesn’t say too much for the R26 DAC or alternatively, it says a lot for the DAC in the CD Player!

I am using the R26 as the renderer via a LAN connection that is optically isolated. There are a few filters and adjustments on the DAC, but tweaking those still didn’t get the sound quality up to that of the CD Player.

A lot of you say you have achieved streaming that sounds as good as your analogue systems. What do you think, do I need a betted DAC?

128x128navyachts

Showing 3 responses by ghdprentice

ghdprentice
6,475 posts
 

What is your streamer?

Since you found the CD to sound better than the stream using your DAC that points to the streamer. I think also it seems your DAC is not much if at all better than the one in your CD player.

 

Ok, no insult intended here. But let’s review the pieces:

CDPlayer = spinner, streamer, and DAC

Streaming system = network, streamer, DAC

 

I find that streaming is roughly equally dependent on the streamer and DAC. If you have a good quality streamer then the network is taken out of the picture (as it will isolate the system from noise and cache the file in some way before streaming). So, the resultant sound requires both roughly equal in investment. Sounds like you need both.

 

 

ghdprentice
6,475 posts
 

Thanks, then the answer is easy. A get a good quality streamer and a good quality DAC. I recommend separates. Not sure your system / interest levels, but <~$2K or so per component is budget gear. You can expect a sizable improvement over $3.5K and again and again doubling. But the choice cannot be made just on cost… you need to seek components at the top of their category and with the sound quality you value.  So, in general, given what I just said, you get what you pay for.

 


 

 

ghdprentice
6,475 posts
 

OP,

 

I had a look at your system. Looks like you have about $10K in your preamp and amp or an average of $5K / base component. So, you should be looking at a Streamer and a DAC for that price range. Don’t worry about interconnects, those come after you have well matched components… maybe a year or two.

 

So, for a streamer, I recommend an Aurender N150… well, better yet an Aurender N200. Then a DAC for around $5K… hmm, I am having a problem in that price category. I like the Audio Research REF 9 and Berkeley Alpha. Too expensive. The Schiit Yggdrasil… to budget. I’ll have to do some research.

More to discover