I am still using the 901s (and a Monoprice Monolith M-10 v2 sub) and even though they sound better with a pair of Deer Creek Audio equalizers, I recognize that they are the weakest link in the chain at this point. As I read the spec sheet, HEOS is capable of playing Tidal files at 24 bit/192 khz, and can decode FLAC, ALAC and Wav lossless files. I believe I’m listening to FLAC files on Tidal. I’m streaming Tidal wirelessly to the preamp.
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!
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You have a long journey to get good sound ,for 1 the junk $5 power supply to your router needs to be replaced by a linear power supply ,little green computer sells them $300 , then you need a decent Ethernet switch ,LTY SW8 2 decent Ethernet cables the end point cable is more important Pangea dual wire $50 each is good enough for yours . These are bare minimum to get better sound. I would though save for the Denafrips Aries which is just under $1k which is night and day better then your current built in dac. |
I have the AV7704 and it’s a solid HT preamp. I would definitely try the Wiim Pro and Tidal to determine whether it’s worth the difference. Personally, I typically utilize Spotify Connect from either my iPad or phone with this preamp and it sounds pretty good. I also appreciate the convenience of staying within Spotify and simply “Spotify connecting” to the Marantz without having to switch any inputs. Convenience and simplicity override ultimate fidelity in my situation. I’m still waiting for Tidal Connect, but don’t think this is in the future anytime soon. For clarification are you going through HEOS to access Tidal or are you staying within the Tidal app and AirPlay to the Marantz? Apologies in advance if I missed that. |
I don’t think you should pay for another DAC, but I do think it’s worth it to have direct streaming of Qobuz or Tidal that doesn’t involve a tablet or phone as an intermediary. I have Roon and while it’s OK, I find the overhead of keeping another server, and paying for it as yet another subscription kind of burdensome. If I didn’t have so much music on disk I’d probably give it up for something simpler. IMHO, you want a little box with Ethernet on one side, and S/PDIF on the other. You could get a combined streamer/DAC, which would improve the digital resolution you can download also. Here is one example, so I’d say don’t spend more than the ifi Zen streamer. |
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