@Chilehed, I would love to hear your reflections on your move from the Vault to the Zenith. I am not considering the Bluesound only because I don't perceive it as enough of a step up sound-wise from the Yamaha WXC-50 I currently have, to be worthwhile. You made the kind of jump I am considering. I'm not so sure that the integrated file server is essential for me. I have a Mac mini with Audirvana that works well and I suppose I could always stream files from the Mac to the streamer. Integration would just simplify things and hopefully add a tad more sound quality. I appreciate what Roon offers but I'm not sure it is worth the price of admission for me. Since I'd be holding an Ipad anyway to control the system, it seems very easy to jump to wikipedia, allmusic or other places to research artists composers etc. The one thing that would tip in Roon's favor is if they offer the kind of info that used to be standard on pop and jazz album covers naming the sidemen by track, song authorship, producer, etc..I don't know if they do this. I am currently using Spotify and I can tell you that they very rarely offer this info to a sufficient degree. Recently I had the chance to use Roon while listening in an audio store; I didn't find the interface that intuitive, despite being pretty computer literate with other software.
Move to the next level
I would appreciate opinions. In the past two years I have put together a modest system that has tremendously increased my appreciation of music. I have legacy collections of vinyl and cds, about 500 of each, but what has really excited me is streaming because of the way it lets you roam through time and genre virtually unrestricted. Currently I am listening to a Yamaha wxc50 connected to a Rogue Sphinx which feeds into a pair of KEF LS50s and a Syzygy SLF850 sub. I also have a Mac mini running Audirvana that hosts my ripped collection of CDs in the Apple lossless format and that runs into the Sphinx through a Topping D50s DAC.I am at the point where I'm ready to make a major investment in a quality source for my system to move to the next level of sound quality. I’m thinking of a budget of about $5000 for which I’d like a streamer/server with quality power supplies and preferably the DAC, along with, if within budget, Roon. Candidates so far are the Aurilac Aries G2, Innuous Zenith Mk II, SOTM SMS200-ultra, and Lumin D2. What do you think fellow sound addicts?
Showing 7 responses by bruce19
@jbuhl, I studied the Bryston Pi and the other Bryston items. Have you seen this review of the B-pi by Hans Beekhuysen? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4FU1tqZdeUI like him a lot and found it enlightening. But its not the direction I want to go. The Bryston player and dac are more in that direction but if I was going that high for hardware I think another Canadian offering, the NAD 50.2 would be a strong competitior. Especially since I have previous good experience with NAD products and the dealers are easier to find in my neighborhood. BTW that BDA-3 dac you pointed me to resides right down the road from me in New Jersey. I think it is more DAC than I want right now but I may go take a look. Thanks! |
@jazzman7 , Thanks for your post on a couple of counts. First it brings me to realize I don't fully understand the exact meaning of the terms server, streamer, bridge and player. So I've got to do some homework. Which of these can access online streaming services such as Spotify, Tidal and radio stations vs playing audio files from a local source? Second, I gather that the above streaming capability is a combination of hardware and software functions. There is proprietary software like the Musicast system on my Yamaha, but then there seem to be several downloadable versions of software that can provde similar if not identical functionality presumably, if you have the right hardware. Piecing this part together is another blind spot at the moment. Any light you can shed would be appreciated. Third, I'm was not familiar with Small Green Computer in New Hampshire, they look like an interesting company. Had you previously used their Sonictransporter before getting your Roon Nucleus. It looks like it is a parallel product. Lastly, does your current set up offer access to on-line streaming services and radio, if so how? If not that is the key missing piece for me in you otherwise admirable setup. |
@artemus_5 , you would think being in NJ I'd have lots of choices but perhaps it has to do with the death of retail but I have found that usually when you get to a dealer they may not have the model I am interested in, making it a "special order" and if they do it is connected to equipment that is so different from what I own that the listening test is meaningless. |
Artemus, thank you for bringing another contender to my attention. I have not settled in one DAC camp or the other due to inadequate opportunities to actually listen to a variety of DACs. But I currently I am of the opinion, based on reading, that DACs are like ice cream, they come in flavors. Ideally you listen to enough and you develop an opinion of what goes best with you taste on your system. For that reason I was trying to start with a quality streaming source, figuring to address the DAC question down the road. However I have run into the reality that there are many interesting products out there like your Exasound and like the Mytek Brooklyn Bridge, that "start" with the DAC and add on the streamer/network bridge. Life is complicated.I like the look of the Exasound products and they are in the right price range...have you heard them? |