Streamers rabbit hole


boy.  there are so many streamers out there all claiming to be better than the other.  My head is spinning.

I have an Anthem STR integrated amp, SVS SB300 sub, and Sonetto II G2s.  Looking for a good streamer pairing for this system. 

Comments please....

arstereo

Showing 3 responses by goodlistening64

So the OP wants a 5K streamer (no DAC or storage needed) to go along with his 5K integrated?

Good God, why not sell the Anthem for $3,500 on the used market and use the 5K you have budgeted for the streamer and buy an NAD Masters M33 V2 ($7,200) which will sound far better and have all that you want? And you save money.

A stripped down 5K streamer is, IMHO, a crime against the audiophile community.

Someone correct me if I am wrong. 1, 2, 3...

I did just notice that the ICON went up in price about $100 (this week) on Crutchfield dot com.

I agree with others that it makes sense to go with the Bluesound Node ICON. You would have the advantage of using the ICON's XLR output to your Anthem's XLR input. The ICON is said to sound best using the XLR ouputs. 

When I take the streaming plunge in the near future I feel that while the Hi-Fi Rose, Aurender and others have minor advantages - including better sound quality - the experience is within the application that you will be using. And what sound quality you may gain, it will come at a fair higher cost.

While my wife listens/plays music on the tuner, she does not touch the vinyl and only occasionally clicks on songs on my dedicated jukebox computer. Having the music on a handheld will allow her to control and select at will without having to get near my gear! We can all appreciate that, right!?