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

I’m not familiar with Hifi Rose but have read good feedback from owners, and the RS151 looks to offer everything you’re looking for if the sound quality is there (didn’t see any what I’d consider reputable reviews after a quick search).  I’d look at the functionality of their app and whatever customer support they offer as those things are important for longer-term satisfaction.  I’ll also mention the new Eversolo A10 with the caveat that I’m not confident in their customer support that could be very important.  That said, from a features, sound, and value proposition it seems to be all there, and here’s a review from a reputable reviewer that may be helpful…

https://soundnews.net/reviews/sources/eversolo-dmp-a10-review-feature-rich-great-sounding-and-incredibly-beautiful/

Frankly, if sound quality is paramount I’d forgo the combo unit and video screens and go with separates, but that’s me.  Hope this helps, and best of luck.

  Although it’s over your budget the Bricasti M3 with added network card meets your needs and has great reviews. Maybe a used one ? Terry London reviewed it a few years back in great detail. After giving it some thought plus what you’ve auditioned, I think you’ll be hard pressed to stay at $5K. What I’ve found excluding a DAC you’re at $3k for a streamer with a good power supply and $6k for the same with an upgraded clock. Cheers , Mike B. 

I have owned the following streamers: Bluesound Node2i and Node, Wiim Pro, Innuos ZenMini MK3, Eversolo DMP-A6 ME (with added LPS) and currently a HiFi Rose RS 130 (streamer only--no DAC).  The HiFi Rose RS130 cost significantly more than all the others and I was really wondering beforehand if the cost would be worth it.  I was quite pleasantly surprised at how much better it sounded than all the others I had owned.  I honestly did not think there was much room for upside improvement, but there was.  The other features it has--RoseTube, the incredible screen, etc--are awesome as well.  The user interface is not the best I've used (with those honors going to the Innuos Sense app), but it is OK.  I bought mine at Music Direct and they were great to deal with and even negotiated a little on the price, which was great!  Good luck on your search!

 

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!?

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