Newbie Looking for Advice on Streaming Music


Hello Audiogon world.

I am new to this hobby but I think it will suit me well as it looks like it is an endless pursuit of perfection of sound without ever really getting there.  I love the endless possibilities, difference in thought, technology driven aspect mixed with old school art.

I am in the process of building my first 2 channel set up and recently picked up a Primaluna Dialogue HP and a pair of Sonus Faber Chameleons for starters.

Im looking to stream music from Tidal to the new equipment as simple as possible without compromising sound as much as I possibly can (budget permitting of course)

I have been doing some research and I must say this part of the equation is rather confusing with a lot of technical speak that gets brought into the discussion which is a bit overwhelming for a newbie trying to soak it all in.

Do I need to purchase a high quality DAC?
Can I just buy a streaming box like the Paradigm PW Link or Def Tech W Adapt and hook it into the Primaluna?
Do I go with the Halide Design DAC HD D/A Converter from computer straight into Primaluna?
I also read about the wyred4sound modified Sonos Connect.  Does that plus into a DAC or straight into Amp?

Apologies for all the newbie questions.  I did try searching and doing some research but found myself getting confused.  If someone could help me clear up what I will need that will set me on the path to researching the best value for my budget for each component I will need to accomplish my goals of streaming my music from Tidal.

Thanks in advance.  I think this will be a fun hobby!

Don

donblackie

By and large I don't believe there are many meaningful sonic differences between well designed electronics, whatever the subjectivists on this forum want to believe. If there are differences, they are not necessarily for the better (e.g tube sound). The straight wire with gain criterion was met ages ago with solid state amplification, and I am increasingly inclined to believe that the same is now true for DACs.

If it were only true, you could get the best DAC on the market for $500.  Reviewers would not be giving rave reviews to ladder DACs that cost $10K+ and then buy them for themselves.

The thing that motivates people to believe that most DACs sound the same is that the sources that are feeding them have so much jitter.  Take the transport for instance:

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=154408.0

or a Sonos Connect:

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=154310.0

And then add a S/PDIF coax cable:

http://www.audiocircle.com/index.php?topic=154425.0

If these sources are not reclocked, there will be enough jitter to mask most differences between DACs.

Add in an inexpensive active preamp, and you have additional distortion, compression and noise that will mask the rest.

The good news is that a good reclocker like the Synchro-Mesh can fix this.  Also, replacing your active preamp with a good transformer passive linestage like this one will eliminate the active preamp contribution:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Teramoto-FINEMET-Premium-Transformer-Volume-Control-TVC-Custom-Seiden-Switch/200870484580?hash=item2ec4d05a64:m:mjVP51UdQVY9HM6HVvGv3RQ

Every DAC has a different sonic signature.  I have been to enough trade shows over 15 years to know this for a fact.  And perfect measurements means little.  The current measurement suite doesn't quantify dynamic response or jitter properly.  New measurement techniques are needed for both of these metrics. This is why I'm doing the measurements above, direct jitter measurements.

Steve N.

Empirical Audio

Congratulations on the purchase of a PS Audio DAC. I have one, and I love it. How are you enjoying Your new set up?
 By the way, doesn’t the direct stream Junior have a built-in PS audio bridge 2? This allows you to stream without the chrome cast. I have an older perfect wave DAC MK2  with bridge Mark 2 and this is the set up I use.  No streamer, a computer plugged into the DAC via ethernet cable, and that’s it.  I control the system using Roon software, a very good audio control and organizational app.  You may be able to use the Tidal app directly with the latest bridge firmware, but don’t quote me on that.

i can tell you, my PS Audio Dac sounds far better when using the PS Audio bridge than using USB
@audioengr

Great that you are measuring jitter, however, you are just using your ears to judge if a DAC rejects jitter and sounds right - in fact you claim that no DACs successfully reject jitter which is counter to several manufacturers claims as well as independent test results ? How do you reconcile your conflicting approach when there already exists a jitter J test which is used by Stereophile and which is part of the measurement suite offered with Audio Precision test equipment(the world leader in audio test gear)?

Also I am curious that a jitter expert does not use AP test equipment? Is there a problem with AP equipment also? Just curious because you make many claims but your approach is let’s say - rather unorthodox.




shadorne

I suspect that differences in SQ when changing cables or sources on S/PDIF can be heard in DACs with low J test jitter.  I just don't put much stock in this method.  I have yet to hear ANY DAC that is immune to jitter on the S/PDIF input.

The B/W of AP equipment is insufficient to do direct jitter measurements.  I need the 7GHz scope.

I like to think outside the box.  That is what sets my products apart from the pack.

Steve N.

Empirical Audio