Thinking of taking the plunge.


Thinking of going into streaming. Any advice on equipment between 1 and 2000.00.

argee

Are you looking for a streamer that has a built in DAC, or just streaming capability?  I heard the Volumio streamer, but it was feeding a separate DAC, and it sounded quite good.  I was surprised that the streaming device sounded considerably better than the Sonos streamer, with both fed from the same source and both feeding the same DAC.   

There are lots of choices with that budget. No specific recommendations on brands/models, but I suggest for a budget that size you get a separate a DAC and streamer, versus integrated. 

I have a Wadia 26 DAC, no USB port. It is older technology but still sounds good fed by a transport. 2000.00 all in is the most I can afford

A good way to get your feet wet with streaming is with a Bluesound Node 2i. Available for $400 or less used. HI-Res DAC built-in, uses NAD BluOS (which is stable streaming software) and it’s easy to use. You can obviously get a better DAC and/or Streamer later but its a good place to start.

Three general ways these days:

1) Smartphone, tablet or computer to hifi

2) Media streamer like Roku as the source

3) dedicated audio streamer......Bluesound is the popular place for many there.