Need to get off of bluetooth.... looking for a wifi streamer for my budget


My current system is a McIntosh C12000 preamp and a 861 Moon amp. 

I have a Eversolo Z8. I want to get off of blue tooth (streaming from my phone) and get onto wifi. So I need a streamer. 

I know this sounds crazy... but I stretched my budget and it will take about a year for me to recover. So, what would like to do is buy a streamer (used hopefully) to tie me over temp. 

Can anyone recommend a wifi streamer brand/model for my setup that I might find used for *around* $500? I would consider a streamer/dac combo if the dac was better than the one in the Eversolo Z8 because that one is pretty good spec wise (it has the ESS Pro)

 

dman777

You can export an Apple playlist and then import it into Roon and/or BluOS.  Not sure how effective it is and you would still have to get a subscription to Tidal or Qobuz as well as to Roon, if you want to go that route (which would maybe take you past your ~$500 budget).  Or just stay with Bluesound, and BluOS.

What if I could stretch the budget to 1200 for a used streamer? Would Rose be a good brand? Or is there something better to look for in that range?

You might look into the iFi Zen Stream. It retails at US $399 and has a 30-day return period (in the US). I have not tried one, but I've built a couple of RaspberryPi-based streamers and though they were very good to excellent in a revealing system. Anyway IMO a lot of streamer performance depends on the quality of the downstream DAC; how good it is, and how well it rejects jitter, noise, etc.

 

Stay with what you have until you can truly afford something better.  Interim solutions are a waste of money.  I imagine you would be perfectly happy If it wasn't for people on this forum telling you to ditch BT.  Be happy and be patient.  Good things come to those who wait?

The Bluesound Node is a good way to break ground on getting started. And if you check online, a number of dealers are selling the previous generation for 300 or slightly more. The money you save from the 500 in your budget can go toward a good digital cable, and check around, e.g. The Cable Co for a good used digital cable. Then you can get acquainted with Qobuz or Tidal and expand from there.

good luck