Add me to the list of "wanting to upgrade but don't see the value". Have done blind A/B tests with BS Node vs. Lumin and HiFi Rose (the latter on balanced inputs no less). Using the Rose example, had a musician friend come over. Did maybe 10 A/B tests with primarily Fleetwood Mac Rumors via Qobuz synched for volume with db meter. Maybe 5 times he preferred Rose, 2 times the Node and 3 times a draw.
If I was quantifying the difference I would say on the order of 1% better, but certainly not worth nearly $5K. The search continues.
Discerning a difference between streamers is difficult...only me or common for all?
I have struggled to appreciate the upgrade to the streamer in my system. A couple years ago I had an Audio Research DAC 8 being fed by a Bluesound Node 2i. I picked up an Aurender N10 and did not appreciate anything so sold the N10. I tried a couple all-in-one units. First was the Aurender A20 and I was happy but curious about dCS. I got a Bartok 2.0 and felt the music was more natural sounding from the Bartok and sold the A20. I have always wanted the Audio Research DAC 9 to match all my other AR gear so got one that showed up on eBay a couple weeks ago. Since I couldn’t use the Bartok to stream I ordered a new Bluesound Node Nano so I could utilize the DAC 9 immediately. The pair sounded wonderful but I did not compare it to the Bartok. I ended up getting a quick buyer and it was already gone. The following week I purchase an Aurender W20. I was prepared to have my mind blown....but no. Some albums I could not tell any difference in the sound and others I think the W20 sounded slightly better but again...nothing huge. For the money and the space the W20 took on my shelf, I sold it. Over the years I always appreciate upgrades for all other components. This makes me feel like I am losing my mind. Have any others experienced this regarding streamers? I want to try more. Auralic and Lumin are on my list.
Thanks,
Dana
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- 159 posts total
@mtbiker29 |
Not too surprised by this streaming discussion. It’s apparent that if you have a well performing system, you will see bigger gains in other areas as the streaming factors have been advancing steadily over recent years. The streamer vs. DAC chatter is an interesting one but amplification quality with speakers are big drivers and IMHO, the amplifier is the first place for investment then speakers. There’s a great level of improvement in the DAC and streamer world. Factoring in those gains is getting harder as the improvements in recent years with the tech have rapidly filled gaps. I’d like to do more testing on the streamer side. I’ve made gains with fiber internet, then CISCO boxes and fiber running to a streamer. It sounds great in my system even compared against an M1 MacBook Air running Roon direct. Roon seems to have made strong improvement to sound quality of late and running it direct through systems output versus a WiiM Pro with 5v external ps to an RME ADI-2 DAC is outstanding. I run unique tube amp mono blocks and recapped McIntosh LS340 floor standing speakers. Have never seen such a narrowing of sound quality differential with Roon direct streaming vs. RAAT streaming to date. That says a lot about the gap narrowing with the right choices along the way. Fiber is probably the biggest game changer (from fiber router) making these gains possible. YMMV
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I have read that a few times over the years, and saw some Youtube videos where some swore by it- cheapest tweak to improve your streaming sound. So I tried it- I got a Cisco switch with sfp output, figured out how to configure it and entered the commands to get it to work, got a 50' fibre cable and the modules, and connected them after the router and before the EtherRegen. I believe I can hear the difference, but it is very slight, and I concluded that I prefer the generic cat7 copper ethernet cable over the fibre- less "glassy" I have read numerous posts from Lumin users who claim to get the huge "game changer" benefits you subscribe to.
It would be nice to get some ATC actives, or a Grimm system where one doesn't have to worry about this- I admit it does appeal to me. |
Yes, @mclinnguy, there’s numerous factors to weigh and consider often system dependent. As another small example, the Cisco Meraki was better than the Cisco Catalyst 2960. Had read about Meraki couplings and other adjustments. Removed the power supplies from the two Merakis and thought that was also a nice improvement. No digging into the settings needed on any of them. More improvement with choice of SFP too. That narrowed the performance but the RME ADI-2 is the master via USB and so that application remained superior streaming via computer versus optical out from the WiiM Pro. (That too has changed ironically going back to Roon. Now Roon on the M1 MacBook Air is more dynamic and superior even using glass toslink.) In some earlier configurations, I didn’t see improvement but learned along the way and have seen a remarkable improvement with the fiber aspects here starting from a Verizon fiber router to the streamer. Additionally, although I’m not a big cable guy, on the ethernet front I’ve seen a nice uptick in performance using Blue Jeans ethernet cables. As the streamer technology continues to narrow audible improvement, performance is likely to be succeeded by elegance, usability options and ease of implementation. From this perspective, DACs may be more interesting in performance differences although I remain a believer in starting with the best amplification one can obtain, IMHO.
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I get more of a difference in the sound by changing any other cable in my system. So for me it was a waste of $200, but you don't know until you try. - 159 posts total