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Digital music questions

I'm somewhat new to hi res digital audio and I'm looking for some tips. I have been building my system and have purchased McIntosh c2700, which has a DAC built in, a 462 amp, and B&W 802d4s. Using Apple Music, I have been streaming music through a Macbook Pro via a USB cable to the DAC of the c2700 preamp.

The McIntosh preamp states the streaming quality is 44.1 kHz, which seem to be the low end of high-res streaming. I currently have so many subscriptions, including Sirius XM for the cars and Apple Music for my family, and more recently Nugs for concerts, (not to mention video subscriptions...seems it never ends), so I was hoping not to add another paid subscription.

That being said, am I leaving a lot on the table? Would a dedicated streamer sound a lot better than the Macbook Pro? Are there streamers without DACs, so I can use the McIntosh DAC without purchasing redundant equipment? I understand I cannot use Apple Music to get high res audio to the preamp, as they only provide it through Apple equipment at this time. Can I get a streamer that uses the DAC of the c2700 preamp? Finally, do I then need to add another subscription, such as Tidal or Qobuz, to get high res audio? 

Thanks....it's a lot of questions, but I'm sure someone here can help!

cmb13

Showing 4 responses by cmb13

cmb13 OP
8 posts
 

Thank you for the responses. ghdprentice, can you help me understand, if the MacBook is sending a digital file, comprised of bits (0s, 1s), why would the streamer make so much of a difference? Isn't the digital file the same regardless of the source? I'm trying to left brain this, it just isn't making sense the way there can be such a difference in speaker quality or amplifiers, for instance. Asking with all sincerity. Anyone else can chime in. Next question, dealing with a little sticker shock, is the Aurender N200 at $6300 really THAT much better than, say, a Bluesound?  

Fuzztone, can you let me know brands / models?

thyname, the issue with Apple Music (I love the interface), is that I understand you cannot stream hi-res unless it's through the apple produce, wired; ie not bluetooth, and there are incompatibilities that make it only cd-quality when going through, say a Bluesound or Sonos or other streamer.

Soix, not sure of budget, but don't really want to spend several thousand unless I'm really convinced of the superiority of it. That's why I'm posing the question above. I was hoping to be in the $1000 range, for instance, or maybe a little higher, but the Aurender N200 is quite costly!!

cmb13 OP
8 posts
 

Thank you for all the detailed and thought out responses. This is a great forum. I’m going to have to do some research, pick one out and give it a shot, I suppose!

cmb13 OP
8 posts
 

Thanks for the varied opinions on this. I’m considering dipping in with a Bluesound, as a trial. The UI certainly does matter!

@femoore12 you raise a very good point. How would I know if the Macintosh is decoding the signal or if it’s the MacBook Pro? I just seem to be stuck at 48K making me think it’s probably the latter. I’m not quite sure how to change this. I do have it coming out via USB. It would be interesting to see if this makes a big difference. 

cmb13 OP
8 posts
 

Thank you. That’s kind of crazy. It really means that the Apple Music on Hi-Res is basically nothing more than marketing tool because it’s virtually impossible to listen on Hi-Res. You can’t even do it with their own wireless products.

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