Do I Need a Dedicated Streamer?

AirPlay 2 is limited to 44.1 kHz sampling rate. If you're trying to playback a higher resolution stream, it will be resampled to match.

However, the Hegel supports another protocol that will perform high-res playback - UPnP / DLNA. You need to use an app that supports this feature. On iOS, I use mConnect Player HD. On my Android phone, I use BubbleUPnP. Unfortunately, neither supports Apple Music so if you're planning on sticking with that service, it's best to use your iPhone and AirPlay.

There's no advantage to using a wired Ethernet connection vs Wi-Fi. As long as you're not hearing dropouts or glitches during playback then your network is performing fine. I have a Mac Mini on a mesh node that functions as a streamer / file server for a second system without any issues. I also pull the music files over the wireless backhaul to a Raspberry Pi 4 running moOde for the main basement system and it works perfectly.

Streamers, whether they're standalone or built into an amp, are just tiny computers - usually running some form of Linux. If you don't hear any obvious problems, then it's functioning as intended.

@o_holter

Most people like the convenience of using their phone or tablet as a remote control for a streamer. The good news is that you most likely can already do this with the hardware / software that you currently have.

If you’re running Windows on the ThinkPad, you can enable the built-in UPnP media server and control playback using the apps I mentioned above. All you need to do is type "media streaming options" in the search box and enable it in the Control Panel. I think your music files need to be stored in the Music folder for it to work automagically.

Re: networking - whether you're using Wi-Fi or wired Ethernet, if the data gets to the DAC without any errors, then there's no logical reason for one transmission mode to be better than another.

@o_holter

Why do people insist that streamers make a change?

My guess is that virtually all of these anecdotes come from sighted listening tests which are prone to psychological biases. I don’t doubt that these listeners perceive a difference, it’s just that the outcomes or their tests aren’t very reliable.

So given the lack of reliable subjective evidence, the only evidence we can use is objective measurements. I haven’t come across any data that conclusively shows that a modern bit-perfect source (e.g. streamer) makes an audible difference in terms of distortion, noise, frequency response or jitter with respect to the USB interface - link.

In any case, you can test this yourself by having a friend or significant other switch out something in your playback chain without you knowing. Then see how many times you’ve detected a change. If you get it right 9 out of 10 times, it’s most likely making an audible difference.

@danb99 

Re: Mac Mini, it depends on what you need.

First off, keep in mind that you have a streamer built into your amp. There's no need to buy another box to get streaming capability. If you need more info on how to best use it, I suggest contacting Hegel to get their advice.

Here are my thoughts:

If you only want to stream from Apple Music, you're probably better off just using AirPlay and your iPhone. Adding a Mac Mini would only complicate matters in terms of remote control. Also note that the Music app on macOS doesn't perform automatic sample rate switching. Instead, it will resample the audio data to whatever is set in the Audio MIDI system app.

If you have music files stored on the Mac Mini that you want to playback on the Hegel, I suggest installing a free program called Kodi. This will turn the Mac into a UPnP server with the Hegel set as the client (or 'renderer' in UPnP speak). You can control playback using the Kodi web interface or from your phone using a remote control app called Yatse. There's no need to directly connect the Mac to the amp using USB - it will stream the audio data over your local network. See the links below for more information.

If you'd like to try another streaming service such as Qobuz or TIDAL, I suggest using the mConnect HD Player app on your iPhone. Tap on 'Play to' in the top left corner and select your Hegel from the list that appears. Then tap on the music service and supply your username and password.

Kodi homepage - link

Kodi - how to add music to the Kodi library - link

Kodi - how to set up UPnP - link

Kodi - how to set up remote control - link

Here's a link to a short tutorial on UPnP if you need more info - link.

mConnect Player HD - link

@ghdprentice

Clearly you're a smart person and had a lot of smart people working for you. Here's something to think about. You say noise is crucial to audio performance. Surely transmitting and storing audio data isn't as important as the data of the multinational corporations that you worked for. Yet did you ever suggest or did your team ever employ 'audiophile' servers, switches or cables in a corporate network? I'm guessing no. Commercial, off the shelf hardware is perfectly capable of storing data and transmitting it from point A to point B without errors - whether it's files, audio or video streams.

This is a pursuit better pursued by listening than applying logic…

I agree that you can (and should) apply listening... but you also need to apply logic. Control the variables and make sure that it's a valid listening test with a level playing field. I think it's pretty reasonable that you should ensure that your outcomes aren't influenced by, say, the price or appearance of a component.

I think an important part of this is knowing your limitations. For example, having a good understanding of what jitter actually sounds like (link) or the audible effects of transmission errors in digital cables (link). Also understanding the limits of your perception of distortion (link) and noise (link). Even knowing the limits of your hearing acuity (link) and detecting frequency response deviations (link).

I sincerely believe that we need to use listening and logical reasoning to make the best decisions on what equipment is actually worth buying.

@toro3

Yes - still using a Raspberry Pi, first with the 3 B+ when it was released and most recently the 4 B. I’ve tried multiple OSes as well - piCorePlayer, Volumio, DietPi, OSMC - and settled on moOde.

@littleman 

If you're using the UPnP / DLNA capability of your FiiO, then you're already set for streaming.

@caslon 

Do you have separate 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi networks set up on your wireless router? Sometimes connection problems between two devices can happen when they're roaming between the two frequency bands.