2. digital
  3. 187218-178163

how does the app affect Sound Quality once streamer connects to the provider endpoint?

I am confused...I see many users comment on how an app [ roon, qobuz, spotify, jplay, lms, vendor app, etc] sounds better/worse than the other apps.  My understanding (excluding case like the software unfolding MQA) is that the app is just a user interface to access a site and present menus from which you can select music to stream.  Of course, if using a mac/pc as the streamer with USB to your DAC, then the app is responsible for the connection and sending the stream of 10101 to the DAC, but with a hardware system (streamer/network player) that control app on your phone or tablet just helps you make the connection (helps the player authenticate to a provider).  You use the app to change the selection, but again, the stream from the Internet goes directly into the streamer.  That app has no relevance to the 11011's coming from the provider.

Concluding: it's the streamer that is the source and the [local] beginning of the sound processing chain, not an app on the phone or tablet.  

dukebdevil

Showing 1 response by dukebdevil

dukebdevil OP
23 posts
 

@ghdprentice  thank your responding.  you have adderssed the bits I already understand. 

OP (me) is questioning why many posters say aurender's or lumin's or or auralic's  roon app sounds better.  the SQ question- which should be moot when using anything but a pc/mac for a streamer... 
You would be a good one to debunk them all.  you have that swagger :)

you have seen this thread" The devil is in the details, those who have compared it, knows Innuos Sense and Aurender Conductor UI is much more faithful and natural sounding than ROON"  

maybe it is just a few who mistakenly attribute SQ to the control app?

I have a PS Audio Dac Jr with bridge2.  I don't have roon.  my only demo with the bridge is spotify connect (not hi-res)  my only streamer experience is the ML Unison which I bought at half price discount.  
as you are well aware, there are a lot of moving parts in a system, but my windoze pc has a lot more resources than any of the high dollar streamers.  how many have an intel i7 with 16GB or RAM?  zero.  so, it doesn't take that much CPU or flash to receive data and forward  to the DAC.  my laptop is idling to serve the bits

the Unison feeding the PSAudio seems to sound better, until I lower the volume to match the laptop source. then hard to discern.

still looking for my entry point into a streamer that makes the SQ difference.  I will need to demo it in my system Rogue Cronus Magnus III + Martin Logan ESL-X speakers.
 

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