For the last few months, I have the Volumio Rivo Plus (Rivo+) and a linear power supply plus optimized ethernet runing Qobuz and I am shocked how good it sounds. It also has i2s output, but, I am using the USB DAC output port. It has HDMI out, so, I hooked up a 13.5 inch 4K OLED monitor to it with a separate linear power supply. The picture is also outstanding, so much better than built in streamer screens. I think the Rivo+ is the best kept audio secret. I am upgrading from a IPAD for streaming, so, the improvement to my ears is exponential. I mostly stream hi-res from Qobuz, and the sound from streaming is absolutely outstanding. Note: The Rivo+ Volumio software is now supporting "Qobuz connect", but, I prefer running the original Volumio Qobuz interface using the Volumio software with Qobuz connected on the backend with their APIs. I think it sounds better and I can manage my dsf, wav files stored on "microsd" card in the Rivo+ without switching back and forth from the Qobuz and Volumio apps. In addition, Volumio displays band and album history with the "manifest" setting and this is very interesting to read during song play. Qobuz connect does not have that.
What might pair well with a combined Laiv Harmony uDDC and Laiv DAC?
Beyond the title, not much to say. I am somewhat new to (some) digital equipment (though I have used it a lot at work in other realms, so some of the techno-babble sort of makes sense to me).
So I want to stream music (Qobuz) via a transport or streamer (DAC need not be part of it) to a DDC to a Laiv DAC (which arrives tomorrow!)(not the mini-DAC).
Other than the often-mentioned Rose RS130, can anyone comment on a streamer that would fit into this well? I think the uDDC opens the door to more inputs (it outputs as i2S or USB to the DAC).
Thanks.
Tim