Streaming 102

@fittebd said

I am a true believer in the Sonore line.

+1. OP, my experience was that improving on the bluesound node2's sound and functionality as a streamer only may cost 3-5x $$ commitment for 2-3x SQ gains.

If you're patient and find a Signature Rendu (the one with spdif & I2S outputs, no USB) at a fair price, it is an *exceptionally* good sounding streamer! I used one with an SOtm 200 neo (both currently sidelined) with bubbleupnp server on the Sotm as the server with network switch in between and coax out to my Mystique v3 dac and still fondly remember how enjoyable it was but decided to simplify with a network bridge.

If not for the complicated operation & inconvenient way to access Tidal & Qobuz, I would happily live with its great musical performance. I'm very comfortable keeping them as backup. *Very* musical and resolute streaming for >$2K. BTW the Signature Rendu uses a gem of a swiss-made MR MOD streaming board from abc-pcb.ch. Sonore also paid special attention to its spdif output implementation.

Hope this helps.

Hi stray_cat, when you say you moved to a network bridge do you mean the dCS unit. I will, I think, soon be ordering a new Mystique X and need to think about a good streamer. Also if you could please provide a little more info on how you came to choose the V3 and what it replaced. I was after a V3 but they seem impossible to find. This tells me they must be exceptionally good.

@OP, the streamer is as important as the DAC. Ignore the tired old bits is bits and it's just 0,s and 1's

Hi, i posted several times on this feed about my new Bluesound version 2021. After settling in i find there is a noticeable pause before playing and stopping. Does anyone know if a pause after selecting "play and stop" is normal for a "hardwired" setup? 

+1 @soix

What improvements are you looking for and what sound characteristics are most important to you? This is important in choosing the right DAC (or anything really). IMO both streamer and DAC are important, but I think you’re on the right track upgrading the DAC first.

op - answer the questions if you want useful help