wanting to take a digital step
hello, more lately I have been discovering artists on Bandcamp and elsewhere who don't put things out on vinyl. More often new things I have bought on vinyl don't always sound that great. so with that I want to try a cheap set up of some kind to listen from my laptop connected to my system. I did have some cheap $10 interconnects that did the job, barely. just wondering what some digital vets would suggest. Any simple decent solutions for say <500 that would be ok? I have tried looking on different threads and it got confusing. Do I get a cheap CD player or some kind of better set of interconnects to listen from a laptop. I just don't know. thank you.
It’s possible to stream Band’s Campout (Bandcamp) from a stand alone source at your budget. BUT, it’s probably too much work for you. Meanwhile just hook up your headphone jack to your stereo. Any further improvements to PC sound are not budget friendly (in terms of SQ gains/$.) I know from years of experience. Anyone who extolls PC SQ has not heard non PC SQ. |
Judging by the rest of your system you should look to invest some money in your digital side. But to get you going.
You want to buy a DAC. Given your price range I recommend the best Schiit DAC you can afford. It sounds like right now you are using analog outputs from your Pc. To get any kind if decent sound you will need to use the digital outputs to an external DAC and then input the output from that into your system. This will make a huge improvement.
Long term you should look at a DAC like the Schiit Yggdrasil or better and an external streamer of equal value and the music coming through will start sounding more like your vinyl. But to get equal sound to your vinyl you will probably need to spend about 20% more than your average component cost (preamp, amp, TT) on both a streamer and DAC… if that is where you choose to go.
In general, Schiit audio produces products that are great budget components and compete with other components of twice their cost in terms of sound quality.
Don’t waste money on a CD player unless you are nostalgic about playing with physical media. |
@fuzztone +1 A used Node 2i or an "open box" Node, will give you an excellent taste of how great streaming can be on a budget. If you get the itch to improve, those Bluesound streamers can keep up with better DACs. A CD Quality Tidal membership for 9.95/month brings you millions of titles... ones you love and, ones you don't know exist yet and will love. No more buying and album only to find that you can't stand 8 out of the 10 tracks. If you like streaming a lot... you can always spend 20/month and get Qobuz. I've been an "audiophile" since 1972, with the vinyl and CD collection that goes along with it. I find myself streaming 75-85% of the time. It's an adventure and a treasure hunt that can greatly expand your music world. |
I recommend a new (or open box) Bluesound Node over the older version (the Node 2i). I see it on sale now for $499. The new version has several improvements over the old, including USB audio out, HDMI ARC, and (apparently) a better DAC. This is assuming you have a HiFi set-up that accepts one of the Bluesound outputs, and (ideally) that you're willing to subscribe to a streaming service (such as Tidal/Qobuz) or else set up your own local digital music library (which you can host on a network-attached computer or on a drive/stick attached to the Node). |
A good starting point is the Bluesound Node (499), or the Vault (1399). the difference between the two are that the first you need a streaming service like Quboz, Tidal, or Amazon music or add your on storage. Adding storage isn’t particularly difficult but depending on your familiarity with IT, the Vault could be attractive since it has built in storage. High resolution music can be bought from HDtracks and Pro Studio Masters. here are some links, and good like, it would be a nice addition your system, which looks very nice! Bluesound products, Node and Vault:
https://www.bluesound.com/products/node/
https://www.bluesound.com/products/vault/
Streaming service: https://www.qobuz.com/us-en/discover
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good morning audiogoners, I want to thank you all for your recommendations. I will be researching the blue sound streamer. Those Schitt dac's look appealing to get started. I am excited to hear some music that I don't know about that I will love. Or maybe I'll go straight to the streamer but If I do go with the Schitt to start with my laptop what usb cord do I need to connect to dac? There are a lot of different ones(A-B, etc.) I don't know about, its confusing. I have a MacBook Air that I was hoping to use. I think I can use the standard USB port as an audio out but I don't know. I don't want to use the headphone out as the sound was crappola and I had to wiggle the cord to get both channels working.
Again thanks for the help, it is very much appreciated. |
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You have to setup your PC as a server and stream from it using DNLA, on the streamer aka network player or renderer. I have gotten much better SQ copying the files to an SSD in a case. Then plug it into a USB-A jack. Try it first with a flash drive IMHO any streamer lacking at least one USB-A female input jack is not worth owning. At least Bluesound has always had that. Just steer clear of wifi with it. You control with the phone (or tablet, think mobile) app. Of course you still need a network. If your provider is ComCrap know that "no internet, no music control." For that reason I have been doing the majority of my "local" listening via a Topping M50 It plays SSDs, flash drives and a micro SD card. I can control sans a network and even delete tracks live, with or w/o the remote. Just no folder diving, a major miss for ALL non network players. Speaking of remotes, for me controlling inputs remotely is much more enjoyable than having "the best" DAC. You have years of musical enjoyment before you have to worry about THAT. You do not want to stream from a mobile device. Usually bad sound and when you move it away the music stops. You want them for control only. A streamer is a dedicated computer source. It is not a hub as you seem to imagine. And keep your laptop away from your hifi. I pay under $11/ month for Obuz, the best. |
To get started I would suggest the AudioQuest Dragonfly Cobalt. and a minijack to RCA Y cable and some RCA cables long enough to reach your stereo from your listening position (or just use headphones). If you find you enjoy streaming and you want even better sound quality It will probably cost much more than $500. (heck the interconnects are over $500 if you buy them new). The streaming services have free trials which will really open up access to so much music. Headphones and the dragonfly will surprise you on how good streaming can sound. It's taken me over 5 years to get to my current digital setup and comparatively I didn't go the conventional route. I've learned so much about what makes a difference in the sound during the process and I believe my digital system currently outperforms the dollars invested even factoring in all the Bluetooth, Chromecast, Raspberry PI avenues I pursued to get to where I am today.
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You should be very excited! I’d suggest doing a free trial of Qobuz and you’ll be able to explore worlds of new music, and a lot of it is available in hi-res (I use my iPad or iPhone to run Qobuz). I’d also highly recommend not using your computer as a source and invest in a separate streamer that’ll sound much, much better, and when you can pick up an iFi Zen Stream for only $399 it’s not a big investment for the return you’ll get in significantly better sound quality. You’ll likely need a good USB-A to USB-B cable like this one to go from either the streamer or computer into a DAC… https://www.lavricables.com/cables/ultimate-silver-dual-headed-usb-interconnect-cable/ You’ll also want to run an Ethernet cable from your router/switch or a Wi-Fi extender if your system’s not near your internet connection. I wouldn’t worry too much about accessing the music from your computer as there’s a good chance most of it will be available on Qobuz — I rarely spin a CD these days. Hope this helps, and welcome to the wonderful world of streaming! |
@charles1dad Sorry, I can’t answer your very good question yet as I’m away from home and so haven’t yet been able to compare one versus the other. But, I have a specific issue that I’m using Qobuz via an MConnectHD app with my iFi Zen Stream (iFi doesn’t have the ability to link directly to Qobuz — argh!) and am having connection issues via Wi-Fi that apparently disappear when using a wired Ethernet connection either from a router or a Wi-Fi extender. I don’t have the ability to run an Ethernet cable from my router to my streamer as my listening room is too far away, but @ghdprentice has reported excellent results using a Wi-Fi extender and Ethernet connection in his top-notch streaming setup, so I’m kinda hanging my hat on that. When I do get to compare the two I’ll definitely report back. |
Node used or open box.... to get the music from your computer to the node I just copy it to a USB thumb drive or a large "backup" drive and plug it into the Bluesound (Playlists in the root directory). You will then have easy, fast access to all your music. Or you could set up an NAS, but that seems like a bit of work. However, the real beauty is access to high quality music from Tidal, Qobuz and Amazon (also others like Paradise Radio). |
I have 2 streaming systems in 2 different systems in my home. One is wired and the other uses a WiFi extender wired to the streamer. Both systems use very high end streamers, Aurender W20SE (wired) and the Grimm Audio MU1 (WiFi extender). I also have excellent network switches in front of each streamer. For the W20SE, I have an Etherregen with OCXO clock and a Sonore Optical Module Deluxe. For the MU1, I have a Innous PhoenixNet network switch. Both systems sound great streaming Tidal and Qobuz. I'm really not sure which is better but they're both in the same league. Here's what the rest of each system looks like: Aurender W20SE > Holo May KTE > Audio By Van Alstine FET Valve CF tube preamp > Enleum 23R (used as a power amp) > Klipsch Cornwall IV speakers Grimm MU1 > Bricasti M1SE > Holo Serene KTE preamp or Woo Audio W23 (used as preamp/headphone amp) > McIntosh MC452 amp > Harbeth M40.1 speakers |
Guys, Thanks so much again for all the info it is a lot to digest, I have been really digging into this and starting to make sense of it. I really am a digital and technology doofus. On a fun note I just figured how to airplay send videos from phone of my son do his bmx racing and dirt jumping thing to the TV for large screen post race debrief sessions and showing what he's up to with the mrs. |
@smatsui, I would be interested in how your Enleum and CW4’s play together? |
