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Fairly new to streaming. Where to start?

$2k & under budget

Aralic Vega has streamer  and DAC. May be the easiest start?
Then there is Schiit...Yiggy or Gumby...which streamer?
Ladder NOS dac? Or Chip? I'm old. maybe I'll like the old school DAC?
Then there is  Benchmark DAC 3...I think it has streamer?
Then
Exasound E32
Audio Mirror?
Metrum
MHDT Orchid
Border Patrol?
Musical Paradise?
Whats a newbie to do? I am a classic rock fan with lots of FLAC & M4a files. I like detail & PRaT. Love a good bass line. I also play some 70's jazz. I have a Theta Miles CD player from the 1900's & play a lot of vinyl too. But I need to come into the 21st century.  Besides, I will probably become tired of the vinyl ritual and work at some point as I get older. I think I have done enough homework to be somewhat confused. Maybe the biggest question in light of how fast digital changes is the question of streamer with DAC or separate Streamer and DAC. One other question is the streamer & bridge the same thing? OK Thanks!! 
artemus_5

Showing 3 responses by biku

biku
3 posts
 
You don't need to be an adept to build a RPI solution.
Volumio provides a very good guide: https://volumio.org/get-started/
If Roon is your forte: https://ropieee.org/getting_started/
I've used them both and many others with RPI3 for years and spent more money on DAC.
If somebody still feels tech-challenged, I could help.
While all commercial solutions are pretty good, the do tend to cost $$$, after al, all depends how much $ you have to play withl.
biku
3 posts
 
Some good conclusions here: https://archimago.blogspot.com/2013/06/measurements-do-bit-perfect-digital.html
His system is likely better than mine and he still uses a "cheap" transport. Bitperfect transport of your music bits is pretty much the same, now it is more about packaging and features.
biku
3 posts
 
My old audio digital bits have not changed for over a decade.

"..Unless programmed to manipulate the digital data.." here is one from 2016 - https://archimago.blogspot.com/2016/08/musings-do-audiophile-computer-based.html mentioning Aurender as one of the solutions.

Since we are talking streaming pedigree, I've been streaming since 2004 with Apple's Airport Express(M9470LL/A), bit perfect even then if used with optical out, before all other solutions came around.

Personally I use RPI3 with venerable RopieeXL. Have I compared it with USB directly out of my laptops, iPads, YES. RPI has a DigiOne coax SPDIF, so I do both USB and Coax and even optical with Audio Chromcast into my DAC, which is Chord Hugo TT2 and on either input, optical/coax/USB of any combination, PC, iPad, RPI, all of them sound just as good, actually better then good, but that I do not attribute to transports or source but to TT2. Source can be FLAC/ALAC/DSD or lossless streams.
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