Thank you Mahler123 and other replies. I meant Airplay. Exhausted from hours of my own “research” - reading here from previous related posts and numerous online reviews. I’m going to pre-order a Cambridge Audio EXN100. I hope I can tell the difference in sound once I have it. I like the interface, numerous I/O options and being able to use XLR out to my pre-amp. It looks well made by a reputable company. My budget was ~ 5K for a streamer and a DAC. No real reason for 5K; seemed a reasonable figure based on my upstream analog gear spend. With this single unit there will be fewer wires too and I can connect my existing SSD library. I’ve read about streamers and DACs costing 2-5x more but frankly I suspect I wouldn’t hear enough difference to spend 5K or even more. If it turns out there is no noticeable sound improvement using my typical listening library (vs the Node), then my experiment done for now.
Suggestions for a DAC/Streamer to replace BlueOS Node Streamer
First of all I’m not a “hifi nut” and not looking to replace any other gear, cables, power supplies, conditioners etc. Music is just one hobby. I stream Apple music via Apple play; that’s it (replaced Quboz with Apple for several reasons). My 2 channel gear is the said Node, an MC2700, an MC462 and a pair of BW 801D4. I have a CD collection that was ripped and resides on an SSD drive connected to the Node. A rarely used source. I have a Magnum Dynlab FM tuner for the occasional radio listening so don’t need a digital radio signal. I don’t use headphones. There seem to be “good/great/fantastic” DACs out anywhere from ~ $500 to 5K+. Seems like I’d benefit from replacing the NODE with something complementary to my existing gear to improve the sound presented to my ears. I’d appreciate some suggestions.
Surjio
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@sengha How are you using AirPlay now with your Node? If you are streaming from an iPhone or iPad, the Apple Music app will down-sample the stream to a lossy 256kbps. If you are using a MacBook Pro (according to Bluesound) the AM app will stream at 16/44. The Cambridge unit you mention uses AirPlay2, so you will get the same lossy stream if you are using an iPhone or iPad. So if you stick to Apple Music, you might not see any improvement. I believe only Eversolo and Fiio have the ability to get the AM app and a lossless stream since they use an Android OS. |
@dinosore Yes I am. And so uneducated about streaming/lossless. I used to use Quboz but swapped for Apple Music as the former’s content for Indian music is very poor. Before that I had Spotify and switched thinking Quboz is what I needed for lossless without any thought on how streaming from my iPhone works. So, can I/how can I feed lossless to my pre-amp with a streamer/DAC combo and still select what I want to listen to via my phone using an App? Thanks.
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@sengha The Eversolo streamers will have an app where you can control them from your phone or tablet. Your other alternative with Apple Music is to connect your iPhone or iPad directly to an external DAC if you want high-res lossless. But then your device is tethered to your stereo system. Unfortunately, you don't have many options with Apple Music. |
@dinosore. Thanks, I concur. I did listen to WAV files ripped from my CDs via USB into the NODE and out via optical to my C2700 etc. Boy! What a difference to Airplay. Blown away. I’m thinking of PC to NODE for now via USB and replace NODE with maybe Cambridge EXN100 when it ships. Same USB in from PC but XLR out to the C2700. The EXN100 seems to have alot of other nice features/music sources as well as a great DAC from what I read. |
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