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Streamer / DAC Combo apps

Three-week lurker, first-time poster.  I have now officially reached the point where the more I read the less I know.  I am putting together a two-channel system from scratch.  Never had one before but can't stand the sound of my Bose playing via bluetooth anymore.  At this point I have only an integrated tube amp (Jadis Orchestra Black) I bought here a few weeks ago.  I want to get a combo streamer / DAC next; I will figure out speakers last I guess (I understand that may not be the best way to go about this but, oh well).  I would like to spend $15K or less total, so I will likely buy a lot of it used.

I know this topic has been covered extensively here, so I just wanted to focus on the apps, which I think are critical.  Ideally I would like the system to be able to be run by everyone in the house (i.e., wife and young kids), and want it to play well with Tidal and Spotify.  Eventually I want to integrate a CD-ripper / sever, as I have a few hundred CDs I'd like to be able to access.  And let's set aside Roon for the moment, which I understand is a whole 'nother thing. 

I have narrowed the candidates to Aurender A10, Bryston BDA 3.14, and Cary DMS 550 (or 600 if I find one cheap).  I have app questions about each, so any input from owners is appreciated.

A10: I understand the Conductor app gets great reviews, but it only works on iPad and not iPhone (I don't have any Android stuff).  The Aurender site says an iPhone version is "coming" but doesn't say when -- which means it could be years away or never.  My question is whether an iPad is too big and clunky to use to control the system?  If it worked on the phone, then everyone could control it from their own phone.  With a iPad I think I would have to have a dedicated unit.

Bryston:  Apparently Manic Moose works on iPhones but I have heard varying reviews of its usability / stability / functionality.  Is the consensus that it's good enough, or do most people buy these units with the idea to use them as Roon endpoints mostly?

Cary:  Same thing with the Cary app.  It works on phones but the reviews seem to be that it's just OK.  Is there a consensus view on whether it's inadequate and thus most buyers bite the bullet and go the Roon subscription route?

Thanks in advance for any help.
cccjr

Showing 2 responses by cccjr

cccjr OP
2 posts
 
Thanks for the responses about the iPad.  The comments about image size make sense.  I personally have never used an iPad as it always seemed to me to hit the sweet spot of uselessness -- too big to use as a phone, too small and underpowered to use as a computer.  But there are a few in the house that the wife and kids use.  I will try one over the next few days to surf the net and whatnot to get a feel for it.  I like the idea of having an inexpensive, wifi-only, dedicated unit.

One concern I had about using one to control the system is where to put it?  I think I would want to hide it in a drawer so it wasn't always lying around on a countertop, but I think most of my available drawer space is spoken for.  I guess I could get a little stand to prop it up on on top of the entertainment cabinet, which would probably look OK and that way I would always be able to find it.
cccjr OP
2 posts
 
soix, thanks for the comments.  To respond:

I admit the Jadis was an impulse buy.  I bought it based on reviews I read and watched.  The Art Dudley review in Stereophile from last March was quite positive, as were some others I found.  What sold me was a YouTube video from a hifi shop where they had taken off the cover and were examining the internals.  The technician, an older guy who seemed quite experienced, marveled at the construction, said it was one of the best made he had ever seen and didn't understand how they could manufacture it that way and yet sell it so inexpensively.

I am basically a low-tech old school kind of guy, so the notion of tubes and no computer chips or motherboards to go bad appealed to me.  My main hobby is restoring industrial woodworking and metal-working machines from the early 1900's through the late '60's, so I like the idea of well-engineered, solidly built products.

I also realized that I don't know how to describe the sound I like (e.g., I have no idea what "bright" and "warm" really mean), and with the pandemic I wasn't going to be able to hear any in person, so I might as well take the plunge to see if I like it.

It's interesting that you mention the Innuos.  I had pretty much decided on the Zenith Mk 3 if I went the Cary or Bryston route, and the Aurender ACS10 or 100 if I went with the A10.

I think I will end up with at least one separate DAC.  To muddy the water a bit, I want to end up with two separate two-channel systems.  One would be for my basement office, and would probably incorporate a turntable eventually.  The other would be for the main floor of the house, and would co-exist with a multi-channel surround-sound set-up. ( I am sure that is a complicated topic and I have not even begun to educate myself on it.)

So my thinking at this stage is that I could buy something, try it out, and see if it makes most sense to use it in the basement or upstairs system.  I am thinking that the combo unit makes more sense upstairs, but that plan is subject to change once I hear it and use it.  (The $15K budget is per system, so I plan to spend around $30K over the next year as I piece both systems together, and will have to spend a bit more upstairs for the multi-channel items.) 

Your comments about the importance of cabling and power supply are well taken.  I have been reading about those and have a lot more to learn.  I have decided to get an ether Regen as everyone seems to rave about it, but that is as far as I have gotten on that front.

Thanks again.


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