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streamer for PWD DAC mkII - tired of a computer and complicated connectivity!

Hello All,

I have a PS Audio Perfect Wave DAC mkII (PWD II) and I am sick and tired of having a computer connected to my hi-fi system.  I find it far easier to clean and play a record than it is to play a digital file, this is not acceptable!

I would love to keep my PWD II as it is a great sounding piece of gear, but I need to feed it with a music stream that is simple, and eliminate the mac mini and software.  I would love to use a Sonos Connect, but it cannot handle high res music.  Is there any other solution?  Is there a competitor to Sonos that handles high res?  Can I plug in an Apple TV and play music from the network without needing to look at iTunes on a computer somewhere?  Is there a low cost streamer that can plug into the PWD?  Can I control a NAS drive connected to the PWD II via ethernet without a computer?

Or, do I sell the PWD II, raise some funds, and buy a Cambridge 851N or Sony HAP-Z1ES?  Both of these units look way simpler, and both have plusses and minuses:  The Sony supports DSD, The Cambridge supports iTunes Airplay (and I would assume I can stream Apple Music through that?).

Thank you for your help!
- Mark
marktomaras

Showing 3 responses by arafiq

arafiq's avatar
arafiq
1,707 posts
 
acousticfrontiers: perhaps you can help me out. Most of my digital music is stored in iTunes (Mac OS 10). I am using iTunes --> AirPlay --> Apple TV --> TosLink --> Cambridge Audio 851D DAC/Preamp.

Do you think Bluesound Node 2 will give me noticeably better sound quality over Apple TV? I understand that ATV samples at 48 kHz, but the question is whether the degradation in SQ is noticeable at this point. I don't want to introduce a relocker in the chain in order to keep it simple.

Secondly, I understand that AirPlay cannot support anything higher than CD quality. What other streaming options are there to stream hi-res music?

Thanks in advance

arafiq's avatar
arafiq
1,707 posts
 
I don’t know, but I don’t think Bluesound is doing a good job of explaining the technology as well as they should be. For example, they don’t explain how well streaming works if you only buy the Node 2 unit, i.e. no Vault. Currently, I’m using Airplay to stream music to my Apple TV. There’s very little information on how this can improve the sound. I'm sure someone has done subjective studies, but I can't find any info. Bluesound doesn’t support Airplay, so they advise that you buy an airport express and hook it up to the Node.
https://support.bluesound.com/hc/en-us/articles/200271836-Does-Bluesound-support-Apple-AirPlay-

Well, that’s confusing. Do I really need to buy an airport express? I don’t want to, because the whole idea is to simplify the setup with Bluesound, not add more pieces to the puzzle. By suggesting that the user add the Airport Express, I believe Bluesound is diluting the message.

I’m assuming that they have an alternative (to Airplay) proprietary streaming protocol that can work well with a Mac/iTunes. We know that Airplay cannot stream hi-res music, but can a Node 2 stream in, say 24/96, given a Mac and iTunes combo? There are lots of obvious questions and not much information on the net.
arafiq's avatar
arafiq
1,707 posts
 
kijanki, a few comments ...

1. When you say WiFi, I'm assuming you mean you're using Airplay. The problem is that Airplay doesn't support anything above 16/44.1. So if you want to stream hi-res, e.g. 24/96, I don't think that's an option with your current wifi setup. I could be wrong though.

2. Apple TV sample rate - I understand that it outputs at 48kHz but I have never seen conclusive data that it impacts the sound to the point where the difference is noticeable to the average listener. The question is if it's worth going to Airport Express (which probably has worse jitter problems) over the Apple TV.

3. I have thought about using Airport Express instead of Apple TV, but I'm not sure if I'll be trading one problem with another - i.e. better sampling rate but worse jitter. I use Cambridge Audio 851D, so not sure how well jitter suppression works here.

Part of me says that I should just stick with Apple TV over Airplay until the streaming technology improves substantially.
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