Streamer choices


Hello to alll. I would like to improve on the streamer that I have. I am presently using a Blusound node. I am considering the Cambridge AXN v2 or the McIntosh MB 50. I prefer the balanced XLR. I have a McIntosh C48 preamp . I would appreciate your feedback. Thankx, Arthur
arthurd
Minidsp SHD Studio sounds great and you get Dirac room correction as a bonus. 
A good variety of choices but having had Spotify on a high-end monoblock tube full range system, you should benefit by giving Tidal and Quobuz. I'm using both and like the fuller sound detail on a system that eats it up.

I would also second the recommendation of the RME ADI-2 at $1100. Although I don't have one, that's the one I have my eyes on to couple with Audirvana 3.5. I want to upsample DSD as I caught a whiff of that. 

So, please do give a trial run of Tidal and Quobuz so you have that benchmark prior to making any hardware change. 

Enjoy the music!


For what it's worth, I recently wrote a review for another site....here it is...

The Bluesound is good solid, heavy well-built unit. It can operate in Wi-Fi or tethered via Ethernet connection. For my purposes it was Wi-Fi. One of the selling points of the Bluesound is its abilities to wirelessly connect to small Bluesound speakers around the house. (I don’t have any of these speakers, therefore won’t comment on them.) Bluesound comes in around $499. I connected the unit to my DAC with a toslink cable. Also, the Bluesound does have an on-board DAC of its own, but offers the option to bypass it…which obviously I did.

The ultraRendu is of a far less impressive stature… I did get the power supply which is good and hefty…so it’s a two piece unit. It does not offer Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth, it is basically a plug and play unit. It’s priced around $1000 with the power unit. It was connected to my DAC via USB cable.

Both units were connected to my Modwright Oppo 205 by their respective cables of equal, but moderate quality. The processor was a Primaluna Dialogue Premium and the amps were Primaluna Dialogue HP. The speakers were Goldenear Reference, and I streamed Tidal through Roon for all music listening.

After beginning my comparative listening, it dawned on me that there was a fly in the ointment. While reviewing some info on the internet I remembered that after a firmware upgrade, the Oppo 205 could be used as a Roon endpoint. Thus, I had to toss the Oppo into the mix as a legitimate streaming source. From this point forward, for a point of clarity, when I refer to the Oppo…I’m referring to the Modwright Oppo 205, a far different animal than a factory stock Oppo 205.

Bluesound Node 2i: If you’re looking to get into streaming for the sub $500 level, look no further…the Bluesound is great. Convenient and easy setup…although I did struggle with getting it to recognize my network. It recognized my neighbor’s network that is several hundred yards away, but couldn’t find my network. I found it easier to just plug in the Ethernet cable, set the device up and then move it downstairs to the media room. It interfaces with your phone (app), and for the most part works flawlessly. It did drop my network after a prolonged power outage and had to be set up again, and on an occasion I would get a drop in sound, most likely because of spotty internet reception. The audio is best described as warm and full. The soundstage was solid with singers and instruments well placed and the depth was layered. So as not to cast a shadow on the media screen when it’s lowered, the speakers are set fairly wide apart. The Bluesound filled the stage with sound, but I felt the width of the soundstage stopped where the speakers began. The clarity of sound was solid and words and music were well articulated.

UltraRendu: If one can enjoy different types of art, foods, and music, then why not sound? In a word the difference between the ultraRendu and the Bluesound would have to be…clarity. It felt as if the Rendu lifted that last little veil between the listener and the music. In fact I continued to bounce between the Rendu and Bluesound to see if perhaps the Rendu was…to sterile. In the end though, it wasn’t sterile, it simply was clear. The placement of singers and music was precise…there was a real sense of presence with the music. During one listening session I was extremely tired from a day of teaching and drifted into sleep…humorously, while in-between the state of sleep and consciousness, I envisioned Jim Morrison standing and singing in front of me. When it came to the depth of the soundstage I kept vacillating between being thin, or just highly detailed and well placed. Like eating some new wonderful food for the first time and becoming accustomed to the taste, I realized the Rendu removed the filler or fuzz from between the instruments and allowed the music to present itself in a revealing and pleasant way. The unnecessary filler was gone. As for the width of the soundstage, hands down the ultraRendu was far superior. The sound extended well beyond the speaker’s edge to wrap around the listener. A time or two, I had to remind myself I was listening to stereo and not multi-channel music.

Modwright Oppo 205: I would say the Oppo was nearly the equal of the Rendu in every way. In fact, I would have difficulty telling the difference between the two in many situations. I did say, “nearly” and “many”. When playing the higher res music, I felt the Rendu was more clear and articulate…not by much, but it was there with careful comparison. From what I have read and come to understand, the Oppo as a music server is incapable of playing hi res music at the MQA resolution. I would say that my listening experience confirms this…but then again, some would argue that we humans are incapable of hearing this difference anyway.

Final word: If you’re looking to get into streaming cheap with great sound and versatility, go with the Bluesound and enjoy. In reality, to lessen my equipment load in the media room, the Bluesound will probably find a home upstairs in my office. Perhaps we’ll give some of the Bluetooth speakers a try in the bedroom and/or living areas. If you own a Modwright Oppo 205 and you use it as a Roon endpoint, I would be very hesitant to invest the extra dollars to gain a very minuscule advantage in sound with the ultraRendu, but with that said, I look forward to many hours ahead of exploring and listening to the ultraRendu.