Cheapest way to enhance SQ with digital streaming

@dbphd  You got it. Streamers take ethernet or optical input (in rarer cases), use various outputs to dacs. Streamers can also be built into dacs, like your Ayre in which case they are streamer dac. Your ultrarendu is also streamer. If using usb output on any streamer its also called usb renderer, if using Roon also called Roon endpoint.

As mentioned previously, a server can also be streamer, although simply called server, all servers connecting to dacs are inherently servers with streamer capability.

Just installed this inexpensive solution and frankly, I was not expecting much if any benefit. Well, I was wrong. In my system, the impact was signfiicant in its dynamics, soundstage and detail right out of the gate. Last night I made a point of listening to the system and putting some tracks aside for an inevitable comparison.

As it turns out, wasn’t even necessary. For my tube monoblocks system, the impact is outstanding. I won’t belabor folks with lengthy dissertations on the sound improvements because you can discover it for yourself (or not).

My system is 65-watt monoblock amps, the RME ADI-2, McIntosh LS340 speakers, and a 2011 Mac Mini running Audirvana Studio.

Used the basic recipe as stated here with 2 one-foot ethernet cat 8 cables from a Motorola dual wifi router. It’s a stunning impact here folks in what was (as I thought) an excellent sounding system. I’d have a tough time indicating how much but it’s probably on tier with a major component upgrade. It certainly spared me more internal debate about getting a streamer as this has definitely hit the fiber spot here. Hard.

Thank you @romney80! Thank you very much.

@romanesq that is some serious improvement in your system. I will be honest, I have spent quite a bit on components (a lot), but still, to date the best bang for buck (by big margin) has been fiber optic in digital chain. It might not be for everybody, especially with already very high end Ethernet switches (which also do job of reducing noise) in chain, but I can imagine it will be big improvement in most system. Best thing about them is they are inexpensive to test/ experiment. 

You’re completely on target here. If someone already has an audio grade ethernet switch theoretically addressing noise, can't speak to that. Have been trying to get my head around this simple fiber optic cable change and it’s the biggest audio "upgrade" I’ve experienced. My mono blocks likely played a role here but I’ve been in this hobby for some time. Had the original Sony SACD player (what a tank) and I had that upgraded not once but twice. That was very nice and doubled the cost of the unit but this is simply astounding improvement for under $100.

Understand some folks are looking at linear power supplies and I’m not sure I’ll dive in on that for the moment. Have a Richard Gray and the generic switches are getting powered through that. I do use a battery powered device for the RME ADI-2 DAC and that produced a very nice improvement. So, I’ve had to get up to speed on this whole end of things from the streaming perspective. Eye opening.

Just read a July 2020 Absolute Sound article and there is reference to further improvements using audio switches replacing the generic FMCs with Sonore’s OpticalModule and higher-quality power supplies. That’s a significantly larger investment and can’t touch this bang for the buck. It will for the moment remain an open question. So thanks again for sharing this.

Generic FMC without lps good start, get lps on second fmc next move, lps on first last move. Opticalrendu would be most effective if rest of streaming setup top notch, if dac is weak link replace that prior. Once all this in order Opticalrendu can bring substantial improvements to streaming sound quality, remember to calculate for quality lps as well, there is good reason why Signature rendu SE commands premium price!