Streamer

Where you looking?

Cambridge Audio gets a lot of positive press. Model CXN V2....1100.00 MSRP.

CHEERS.....

@carlsbad the Node 2i doesn't have usb out.  The new node does now I think.

If the iFi Zen Stream has worked out it's bugs then it's the best one I've heard for under $1k.  I had two and they both had issues but I've heard they've worked out a lot of the bugs.

Yep, I bought an iFi Zen Stream and really like it. I know some had connection issues, but not me, it’s worked flawlessly. The app is pretty basic, but does what it does well, in a utilitarian way.

For me, who has a DAC, and uses external drives as my ‘server’, all I needed was a streamer only that sounded good, and the iFi does.

Highly recommended.

And yes, it has a USB out option to my DAC, which I use.

InnuOS Zen if you want to also rip your cd collection

1+ for Cambridge CXN 60

blkwrxwgn what issues?

iFI's development dept. seems robust. Connection problems are just as likely your network. 

+3 Cxn v2, with modwright tube dac and upgraded power supply. 

The streamer I have in my office system, a Pro-Ject Stream Box S2 Ultra, has usb out for a dac, accepts usb in from an external hard drive and, of course, has an ethernet connection.  Sounds great to me and comes in at just under $1k.  Good luck with your search.

So, on this topic. I have recently been looking at the A Capella III Streamer from 

Musica Pristina.

Does anyone have experience with them and/or this Streamer? It's a bit pricey, but it has direct I2S out, which is something I've been looking for.

Just a bit of cautionary advice: I2S interfaces are not always compatible between different manufacturers as the standard is relatively loosely defined

Yep, understand that fully. I am already using a Matrix Audio X-SPDIF 2. And my DAC is the PSAudio DSD, so I can validate whether a particular vendor supports that particular LVDS pinout. Luckily, the DSD DAC is a 'sort of' standard.

I'm using a Raspberry Pi 4 running PiCorePlayer.  USB output to DAC (Bryston BDA-2).  Controlling it from an Android phone running Squeeze Ctrl.  Using Ethernet but the Pi4 also has built in wifi.

Minimal cost and sounds very good.

Just to update. I have purchased the A Capella III from Musica Pristina. It will be here this week.

I will update my experiences after some burn-in and listening.

@thegm How is the streamer working out for you so far? I will be looking for one soon and trying to get a handle on a variety of streamers. The one you have is up there in price so I would expect it to be competitive with the likes of Aurender.

Silent Angel M1 or M1T. Add the F1 PSU and N8 Switcher and ‘Bob’s your Uncle’!

The euphony summus endpoint has some impressive specs, but is twice the price of the silent angel streamer. 

@thegm, what's your experience with the Musica apristina A Cappella III been like?

Entirely satisfying. Now understand I went through multiple streamers prior to the A Capella III, including the Zen Stream. 
One of my key requirements is to have I2S output to go into my Directstream DAC.  This is still unusual to find in a Streamer under $10K. I also own quite a lot of DSD media files and SACD discs. 
The A Capella III was a breath of fresh air. I2S plus support up to DSD 256, USB support as well. Kevin at Musica Pristina provides direct, personal support. And,  BTW the audio quality is superior to every other solution I’ve tried. 
Highly recommend anyone give it a trial. 
 

Having Intel NUC i5 as Roon Core and Roon OS running (ethernet connected), with external SSD digital music storage as NAS. Auralic Aries Mini (ethernet connected) as Roon endpoint. Playing music from Roon software (desktop/iOS/iPadOS/Android) via external SSD and streaming services like Tidal, Deezer, Qobuz , etc.

Does the Cambridge CXN V2 have USB out? I'm not seeing it.

The Bryston BDP Pi has 4 bidirectional USB ports, A web interface (albeit spartan) but no wifi.  Wifi issue can be solved with a walwart extender or a mesh network setup.   The Pi sounds good but is limited to local file streaming ,Tidal and Qobuz.   Also works well as a roon endpoint.   But you can also hook up a DVD player via usb and play CDs or rip them to local storage.  Can be found for ~$600 used.  Does not do DSD.

Bryston retired the Pi from production but its still supported with updates.