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Recommendations for high quality Streaming Audio:

Greetings everyone; looking for recommendations on how to stream high quality audio, let me explain.

I currently use my Apple 8S phone, with a high quality aux cord, into my preamp. This method has better sound quality than when I use a blue-tooth adapter and stream from my phone, but I enjoy being able to stay seated and having control of what I want to listen to.

Anything out there that gives the user remote control / access to what they want to listen to?

If not, I'll settle fort he next best thing, being plugged into my preamp, and having high quality audio without wireless control

Budget: $1,000 for equipment, $25 per month for streaming service.

I don’t know much about DAC’s , streamers, etc.. or alternative music streaming sites, but I do know that there are better options out there from what I’ve read on these forums.

Thanks in advance for the forthcoming enlightenment.

Rene

barkeyzee1
captaindidactic
71 posts
 
As I previously stated, Hardwiring makes a huge difference. Last night I just switched routers. My internet speeds are over 100MB most of the time. To check the sound quality between wireless and hardwired, we placed the router 3 feet away from the Node2. I did a quick speed test on the wireless and came up at 110MB so I know it had a good wireless signal. We then proceeded to listen. We then hardwired the Node2 and listened again. The results were immediately noticeable. The wireless connected Tidal MQA sounded much flatter. Much less stage presence. 

We listened to the same song through the Node2 wirelessly and then through my Cambridge 851C CD player, and then finally through the Node2 hardwired. The hardwired Node2 and Tidal MQA was the clear winner. It sounded better than my CD player. 
theforerunner
36 posts
 
I’m using the Bluesound Node 2i into a Hegel HD20 dac into a Simaudio I5 integrated feeding Paradigm 100v2’s and I am stunned by how good the sound quality is streaming Qbuzz
displayname
81 posts
 
I have a serious question on this topic: Does your internet provider matter, as far a the quality of sound. I am not claiming it does not exist, but I am skeptical, because I have never heard streamed music sound as good as a good CD on my system, or significantly better than my KT-917 or B&K TS 108 tuners.   

CD vs streaming is somewhat of it's own hotly debated topic. Several people have compared streamers vs transports into the same DACs. I think it's something that's best to try and decide for yourself. But your ISP *shouldn't* matter as long as you are getting appropriate bandwidth. 
cutthroat
5 posts
 
Get a Allo Digione Player .... $175 will sound as good, if not better than the 'high priced spread'... Get the Acrylic Case... Many software options for Free. Your choice of DAC.... Been running them for years.

https://www.allo.com/sparky/digione-player.html
stirlitz
2 posts
 
After trying so many different configurations I came to conclusion that Bluesound Node 2i with external DAC is the best option. I have to say that Cambridge Audio CXN V2 internal DAC was amazing, but their software was just so bare bones I gave up with cloud streaming  and just use it with local network storage device (NAS).
I am using Audiocontrol Maestro M9 Pre and Onkyo Pre, as my external DACs (2 systems) and for cloud streaming I am using Amazon HD and Idagio (service tailored for classical music)
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