2. digital
  3. 181196-34300

Recommendations for good sounding streamer

I am looking for a decent sounding streamer without breaking the bank. My daughter has Spotify premium and it would be nice to connect up to my audio system (de Havilland UltraVerve tube preamp, McCormack DNA-1 amp, Martin Logan SL3s).

I mostly listen to vinyl (Pro-ject RPM5) and CDs (Ultech UCD100) using the internal DAC. I do have a V90 DAC however that I used for playing digital from my phone. 

I don't really have the money any more for expensive digital playback. So what a recommendations for bang for the buck system. Could include using my V90 DAC. 

Reading through the forum here it seems that Spotify is not the best quality digital (Tidal seems to come up a lot). But for now we have tons of Spotify playlists - just looking for an affordable way. 

Some considerations:

Bluesound NODE 3

iFi Zen Stream

Any others? Pros/cons?

1trackmind

Showing 1 response by cat_doorman

cat_doorman
236 posts
 

For Spotify quality, utilizing your V90 DAC, the simplest, most inexpensive, expedient solution is a Wiim Mini. I use it in a 2nd system over WiFi with Qobuz at up to 24/192 into an external DAC through optical, controlled by the iPhone app. The interface is adequate, the setup is easy.

I do like the Bluesound app better. The Node also has a much better internal DAC than the Wiim so it may not be worth the trouble of connecting the V90. It also has more connectivity options for external DACs which might be helpful if you later decide to scale up. 

I’m assuming your home WiFi is decent. You can hardwire the Node. I don’t because WiFi is more convenient for me, and the little LED showing the connection was bright enough to annoy me.

I’m sure there are better sounding solutions, but either of these is a good start.

 

 

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