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Noob question about streaming . . .

Okay, I’m not exactly a Luddite, but my audio journey started in the 70’s with Marantz separates, JBL speakers and a Dual turntable. Thaw about thirty years ago I got into home theater, with Parasound separates and four Bose 901s (no haters please — they work well for watching movies). 

Anyway, my Parasound AV preamp died, and I replaced it with a Marantz AV7706 preamp. I’m starting to explore its capabilities, which are light years beyond the old Parasound unit. I’m also exploring using it for music listening in addition to home theater, but streaming is new to me.  (I’m also exploring new speakers, but that’s a discussion for another day). 
 

So, with that background, here are my questions. I’m using the HEOS in the Marantz to stream music through Spotify, which I’ve used in my car for several years. Would a separate streamer be a significant improvement over what I have now?  My understanding is the Marantz’ built in DAC is good enough that I don’t need a separate DAC, unless I’m going to spend big money on one, which I’m not inclined to do right now (speakers first). Second, would a streaming service like Roon or Qubuz or Tidal provide significantly better music quality?  Spotify provides access to all the music I want, but I do realize that it’s limited in terms of sound quality. Help educate this old dinosaur. Thanks!

mbarrett635

Showing 1 response by bipod72

bipod72
105 posts
 

Marantz AVR user here. I use mine as a pre-amp and stream Spotify and Radio Paradise via HEOS as well. I bought the Cambridge CXN V2 a year ago to see if it would be an improvement over the Marantz DAC. It has better detailing and sound stage when playing my digital library of FLAC files and as the DAC for my CD transport. I use the CXN when I'm doing critical/focused listening but default to using the Marantz & its HEOS app when I'm using Spotify to stream music through out the house.

I think if you have higher-res digital sources a separate DAC may be worth having in the system and for critical listening but for casual listening of Spotify premium, I think the Marantz will serve you well. 

The nice thing about the Marantz AVR is having the Audessey software to do room correction. Which I never thought  I'd take advantage of but do. 

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